Norbury railway station

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox London station Norbury railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon in south London Template:Convert miles from Victoria. The station is operated by Southern, who also provide the majority of services (the only exceptions being two early morning departures operated by First Capital Connect) and is in Travelcard Zone 3.

Ticket barriers are in operation at this station.

Service

The typical off-peak train service per hour is:

• 6 to London Victoria via Balham
• 2 to London Bridge via Tulse Hill and Peckham Rye

• 2 to Caterham via East Croydon
• 2 to West Croydon
• 2 to Sutton
• 1 to South Croydon
• 1 to Epsom via Sutton
• 1 to Epsom Downs via Sutton
• 1 to Milton Keynes Central via Kensington Olympia

History

The Balham Hill and East Croydon line was constructed by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) as a short-cut on the Brighton Main Line to London Victoria, avoiding Crystal Palace and Norwood Junction. It was opened on 1 December 1862. Norbury station was not however opened until January 1878, as the surrounding area was very rural. The station was rebuilt in 1903 when the lines were quadrupled. In 1912 the lines were electrified.

Ticket gates were installed in 2009.

A Victorian racetrack, dating from 1868, held the ‘Streatham Races’ in the fields (which were the sports ground of the National Westminster/NatWest Bank) that formed part of the old Lonesome Farm. The race meetings attracted huge crowds of racegoers, bookies and other notorious characters. The course also included a water jump across the River Graveney. Sadly, this exciting but disreputable period of history came to an end in 1878 when the Racecourse Licensing Act banned racecourses within a radius of 10 miles of London.