Charlton has many water-oriented recreational areas, attractive residential sites and conservation areas. Over 1,000 acres of ponds, reservoirs and streams are found within the town. These are an integral part of the town’s rural character.
Real time updates
Real time train updates from Charlton Station are available, thanks to National Rail Enquiries. Simply enter your journey details into our online search engine to see the latest schedules and timings for your travel. You can also use our journey planner to help you find out how long it will take you to get from Charlton to London Bridge.
The station is within walking distance of The Valley, home ground of Charlton Athletic Football Club. It is served by trains operated by Southeastern and is in Travelcard Zone 3. There are also buses to the nearby Greenwich Shopping Park which is just a short walk away from the station.
It was the first of Southeastern’s stations to be named a ‘Junction’, a designation applied during the 1960s to all stations with two sets of crossover tracks (rather than just one on the ‘up’ platform). The ‘crossover’ tracks enabled trains from the Greenwich line to operate as right-hand ones beyond the station.
The new timetable scraps services to and from Charing Cross, replacing them with direct trains to Lewisham. The long-established rounder services to and from Sidcup are also axed, leaving yawning gaps in the timetable where they once ran every ten minutes. This is supposed to reduce pressure at the junctions at Lewisham and London Bridge, but many commuters are likely to be annoyed by this change.
Departures
With a number of transport options available, getting to and from Charlton Station is easy.
A drive around the town’s back roads reveals an abundance of forestland and open fields interspersed with vibrant villages and residential subdivisions. Proactive planning through processes such as this Open Space Plan and the 2008 Town Master Plan, combined with flexible zoning regulations, allows this desired pattern of development to continue.
The local economy is diversified, with a mix of small-scale retail and service businesses, as well as manufacturing firms, contributing to the employment base. Key employers include Incom Inc, Karl Storz Endovision, rEVO Biotherapteutics and Overlook/Masonic Home.
The town has a population of approximately 3,900 residents, and the median age is 39 years. The population has experienced a significant increase from 2000 to 2010, which may be due in part to the expansion of Overlook, a continuing care retirement community, and the addition of new senior housing units. The town’s economic base is also expanding through the establishment of high tech, biotech and pharmaceutical companies. These new industries are helping to create jobs, as well as increasing the tax base. The majority of the town’s 320 businesses are located in business parks and other industrial parks.
Arrivals
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
New residential development has been the dominant land use in recent years. The town’s zoning regulations have been effective in directing such development to areas where it will not disrupt the community character of the town and where it will provide a service benefit. Several commercial and industrial sites have been built in the town in recent years, most notably along Route 20. The town continues to see interest in small retail and warehousing development.
The zoning regulations have also been effective in protecting the community’s open space resources and natural features, including a network of ponds, reservoirs and streams that attract recreational activities. The town’s water resources are also important economic assets that draw people to the community.
The Town Master Plan was adopted in 2008 to guide future growth and development in a manner that will retain the town’s desired community character. The Master Plan provides guidance for the planning board and department in the review of subdivisions and zoning amendments.
The town’s surface is characterized by vistas of hilly fields and wooded valleys with church spires piercing the landscape and brilliant fall foliage. The land has an alluvial and glacial geology resulting in numerous ponds, rivers and streams. Most of the valley bottoms are covered by clay and loam soils while the ridge tops have a band of Brookfield and Paxton loams.
Station information
The new Public Safety Building will provide the town with a 911 communications center for coordination of emergency response, training and safe storage of town-owned emergency fire-fighting equipment. Construction will take place on Masonic Home Road on 19.3 acres next to the existing police station.
Trains to Charlton leave from a small modern station close to the high street of this southeast London suburb, which is known as “The Village.” The area’s historic green spaces and Jacobean manor house offer an attractive counterpoint to the large industrial area that surrounds it. Tower Bridge, a combined bascule and suspension bridge built between 1886 and 1894, crosses the River Thames nearby, making it one of the most famous and distinctive landmarks in the city.
The station is operated by Southeastern, and is located in Travelcard Zone 3. It is a short walk from The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic F.C. It is also within easy walking distance of Woolwich Common and Hornfair Park, where visitors can enjoy a wide variety of retail outlets and traditional local pubs.
