This cache is located in Chafford Hundred, Essex.
Chafford Hundred Lakeside rail station is located on a single-track branch line of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway, serving the town of Chafford Hundred as well as Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock, Essex. It is 20 miles, 77 chains (33.7 km) down-line from London Fenchurch Street via Upminster; it is situated between Ockendon and Grays. Its three-letter station code is CFH.
The single-track line through the area was opened in 1893 by the LTSR as part of a branch from Romford to Grays. By the late 20th century, service on the line had been reduced to a relatively infrequent shuttle between Upminster and Grays, calling at the only intermediate station at Ockendon.
Following the opening of the nearby shopping centre in 1990, a new single-platform station was opened in 1993, with the name Chafford Hundred. Initially, a free shuttle bus connected the station to the shopping centre, with a direct pedestrian bridge link replacing the bus in 2000. The shuttle train service was eventually extended beyond Upminster to Fenchurch Street in London and beyond Grays to Southend Central in Southend-On-Sea, with service frequency increased to two trains an hour in each direction.
Usage is moderate for a suburban station and increasing; to expand capacity the buildings were rebuilt in 2006. In 2013 the "Lakeside" suffix was added to the name. Although outside the London fare zones 1 to 6, the station became part of the Oyster card pay-as-you-go network in 2010.
This cache is a nice and very easy cache 'n' dash to help contribute to your stats. It is an overlooked, but quiet area.