Higham railway station (Kent)

Higham railway station is in the hamlet of Lower Higham in north Kent. The village of Higham is about 1 mi to the south.

It is 28 mi down the line from London Charing Cross. Train services have been operated by Thameslink since May 2018. Before that time, the services were operated by Southeastern and its predecessors, although the station is still managed by Southeastern.

The ticket office, on the 'up' side, is situated in the substantial station building. This is staffed only during part of the day; at other times a PERTIS passenger-operated ticket machine issues 'Permits to Travel' - which are exchanged on-train or at staffed stations for travel tickets - and is located at the entrance to the up platform, at the foot of the staircase.

From Higham to Strood, the railway passes through a tunnel built for the Thames and Medway Canal, and the station building was converted from the home of the canal towing contractor. The waiting room was heated by the original open fire until as recently as the 1980s.

History
One of the more unusual pieces of freight handled by the station was a Swiss chalet, in 94 separate pieces, packed into 58 boxes. It arrived over Christmas 1864 as a gift for Charles Dickens at nearby Gad's Hill.

According to the Official Handbook of Stations the following classes of traffic were being handled at this station in 1956: G, P, L, H, C and there was a 1-ton 2 cwt crane.

Services
Off-peak, all services at Higham are operated by Thameslink using EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:
 * 2 tph to Luton via Dartford and Greenwich
 * 2 tph to Rainham

Additional services, including a small number of Southeastern operated trains to and from London Charing Cross via Sidcup call at the station during the peak hours.