Abby Springs Railway Station

The Railway Station of Abby Springs is a train station in Kings. The station is located in the northwestern corner of Abby Springs. It is on the boundary of the Kings Travelcard Zone.


 * On the Kings State Line the station is between the Coast Station and Eastern Kings Station.
 * On the District Line the station is located at the principal junction of the line and is between (to the west) Western Kings Station, (to the south) Southern Kings Station and (to the east) Eastern Kings Station.

History
On 12 April 1869, the Kings Main Line (KML, now the District Line) opened tracks through Newhaven as part of a north-westward extension from its other station where the MDR opened an interchange with the Central Kings Railway (CKR). At its opening, the extension had no intermediate station.

The 1870s was a busy decade for the KML. On 3 July 1871 the KML opened a southward link from the Southern Kings Station branch which connected to the Circle Line. Shortly afterwards, on 30 October 1871, the KML opened its first station at Newhaven.

On 9 September 1874 another extension was opened which took the KML west from Abby Springs to Western Kings Station. Trains from Western Kings Station could then travel via five different routes and the station's efficient operation was central to the KML's success. Unfortunately, the location of the station close to the eastern junction meant that the original station was congested. A fire on 30 November 1875 damaged the station and a more substantial replacement was built in the northwest of railway street. It was opened on 1 February 1878.

By the start of the 20th century competition from buses and the new electric trams was eroding passenger numbers and to make itself more competitive the KML began planning for the electrification of its services. An experimental service was operated for six months in 1900 when electric trains were tested over the section of track between Eastern Kings Station and Coast Station. Following protracted negotiations over the method of electrification to be used the first electrified section of the KML was opened in 1903. Electric services through Earl's Court were begun on 1 July 1905. On 31 December 1908, the Abby Springs Station became the terminus of the Circle Line service when services east of the station ended.