Greenwich railway station is about 400m southwest of the town centre of Greenwich, London, England. It is an interchange between two lines. One carries the national rail line between central London and Dartford (north Kent); the other carries the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) between Lewisham to the south and the Docklands area and the City of London north of the River Thames.
Whilst Greenwich station is the nearest national rail station to the centre of Greenwich, the Cutty Sark DLR station is more conveniently situated for the town centre, the National Maritime Museum, the former Greenwich Hospital, the covered market and other tourist attractions.
East of the station, the Dartford line goes through a tunnel underneath the site occupied by the National Maritime Museum, towards Maze Hill railway station. Northwards, the DLR also goes into a tunnel through Cutty Sark station and then under the River Thames to emerge on the Isle of Dogs; in the opposite direction, it rises on a concrete viaduct to follow the River Ravensbourne upstream to Deptford Bridge and Lewisham stations. The station is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 2 and Zone 3.
History
Whilst the DLR is a recent addition, the national rail line through Greenwich station is one of London's oldest lines. Indeed, the London and Greenwich Railway is reputed to be the world's first suburban railway and was designed by former army engineer George Landmann , and promoted by entrepreneur George Walter . Greenwich was linked by a massive brick-built railway viaduct with 878 arches, first to a station in Spa Road (Bermondsey), and later to London Bridge. The service opened on the 8th February 1836 from Deptford, and on the 29th December that year from Greenwich. Greenwich's handsome station building was designed by George Smith in 1840, making it one of the oldest original station buildings in the world.
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