On 30 July 1849 the line was extended to North Kent East Junction on the South Eastern Railway (SER) and thence to London Bridge.

Journey times were uncompetitive and, when the two companies combined in 1899, the branch was soon relegated to a secondary line and closed in 1968.

There is far greater customer patronage for high speed services to St Pancras 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, from elsewhere in North West Kent.

Platform 2 remained numbered as '2'; however, it lost its turnback capability and thus caters solely for coast bound services.

The previous historic but narrow central footbridge has been replaced with a large sheltered bridge with lifts, at the London end of the station and serving all three platforms.