Wikipedia tells us about the station:
"History:
The first railway to arrive in Gravesend was the Gravesend &
Rochester Railway (G&RR) who had purchased the Thames and Medway Canal and
its tunnel between Strood and Higham. The G&RR ran the first train to the
then terminus at Gravesend (adjacent to the Canal Basin) on 10 February 1845. On
30 July 1849 the line was extended to North Kent East Junction on the South
Eastern Railway (SER) and thence to London Bridge.
There was a second Gravesend
station (in later years known as Gravesend West), opened by SER's rivals London,
Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR). It was the end of a branch off the LCDR's main
line and it allowed access to Victoria. journey times were uncompetitive and
when the two companies merged in 1899, the branch was soon relegated to a
secondary line and closed in 1968.
High speed HS1 services to London
St Pancras International were introduced in December 2009 and proved highly
successful. The station is now seen as a major interchange for metro and high
speed services. It is noted that there is a far greater customer patronage for
high speed services to London St Pancras International from Gravesend in
comparison to nearby Ebbsfleet International, where usage is considered modest
at best. This might be due (in part), to the sizeable London bound commuter
population in and around Gravesham, as opposed to domestic passenger use at
Ebbsfleet International, from elsewhere in North West Kent.
In December 2008, the local
authority for Gravesend (Gravesham Council), were formally requested by
Crossrail and the DfT, to sanction the revised Crossrail Safeguarding. This
safeguarding provides for a potential service extension, from the current south
of Thames terminus at Abbey Wood, to continue via North Kent Line to Gravesend
station. The Crossrail route extension from Abbey Wood to Gravesend & Hoo
Junction, remains on statute. With current services from Gravesend to London
Bridge, London Waterloo East and London Charing Cross being supplemented by
highspeed trains from the end of 2009 to London St Pancras, the potential in
having Crossrail services from central London, London Heathrow, Maidenhead
and/or Reading, terminating at Gravesend, would not only raise the station to
hub status but greatly contribute towards the town's
regeneration.
Future:
Gravesend railway station is at the heart of the £75 million
Gravesend Transport Quarter. The station is currently undergoing a major
overhaul. Works include enlarged ticket halls, new baby changing facilities,
revamp and reopening of the Gents WC on Platform 2, new indicator screens and
additional space for retail opportunities. It is expected that in 2013, The
station's track layout shall be substantially altered. This is primarily for
extending the current platforms to accommodate 12 coach trains as opposed to the
present 10 coach limit. The current historic but narrow central footbridge, is
to be replaced with a large sheltered bridge with lifts, at the London end of
the station and serving 3 platforms. Platform 1 will be extended and converted
to a London facing bay platform. A new single face central Platform 2 is to be
located on the site of what will then be, the former Up 'through' road. Services
from Medway and Faversham, including London bound high speed trains, will use
this platform. The current Platform 2 will be renumbered Platform 3 and cater
for coast bound services, although Network Rail is being encouraged to retain
its turnback capability.
The station car park (and the
adjoining vicinity), is to become a 6 storey major transport interchange
building featuring; a 396 space multi storey car park, a six-bay bus station, a
large retail area inside the building, plus ticketing facilities for train,
buses and Fastrack. Construction is expected to begin in December
2013.
Services
Typical off-peak services
are:
2tph (trains per
hour) to London St Pancras via Ebbsfleet International
2tph to London Charing Cross via Dartford and Sidcup
2tph
to London Charing Cross via Dartford, Woolwich Arsenal and
Lewisham
2tph to Gillingham (Kent)
2tph to Faversham
4tpd using Class 395 Javelin units
operate to St Pancras and Maidstone West via
Strood."