It is quite easy to get a bit baffled when travelling into cities or towns with multiple train stations. If you don’t know the area too well, you might not travel to the right one.
This was indeed the case with one Essex train station. Southend East – which is, of course, located in Southend-on-Sea – is the lesser known of Southend’s train stations, and often led to some confusion with passengers.
Southend East railway station is on the C2C line, serving the Southchurch area to the east of Southend-on-Sea – not central Southend, like some people used to think! The busier stations in the city are Southend Victoria and Southend Central, and people used to mistakenly travel to Southend East – which is the furthest station from central Southend.
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Southend East is not in the more “touristy” area of Southend. According to C2C, visitors should “take the train to Southend East Station for access to a quieter side of Southend.
“Stroll past the beautifully painted beach huts along the blue flag beach or enjoy a drink at one of the boutique hotels or cafes whilst taking in the sweeping views of the estuary”. The station is more prominently used by those who live in Southchurch, rather than central Southend.
In April 2006, signs were erected with the label “Southend East for Southchurch Village” to better reflect its geographical location in the Southchurch area of Southend. This leads us to think that people made the mistake of travelling there instead of Southend Central or Victoria one too many times!
During 2006, a £425,000 refurbishment programme was completed at the station, providing level access to the London-bound platform, as well as new toilets, baby-changing facilities, a redecorated waiting room with CCTV, and a self-service ticket machine. The station is perfect for heading straight into London from Southend – and is definitely a commuter’s hidden gem.