A3024, the dual carriageway which runs through Northam, to coincide with the opening of the M27 motorway. Railways and tramways The London & Southampton Railway reached Northam in 1839. For few months the line terminated at a temporary station at Northam until the Southampton Terminus station was completed. In order to continue to Southampton Terminus railway station the line had to cross Northam road. Originally a level crossing was constructed but after a dispute with the Northam bridge company the railway agreed to build a bridge to carry the road over the railway. Construction of the bridge in brick began some time before 1840. In 1858 new junction was added connecting the line to what is now Southampton Central railway station. This required the extension of the bridge which was done by added a cast iron section The junction was altered in 1902 to reduce the sharpness of the curve which had previously limited trains to 7MPH. The sharpness of the curve was further reduced in 1980 when the number of lines down to Southampton Docks was reduced from two to one. The first part of the Northam Quay tramway was built around the start of the 1840s. The first line connected Northam Quay to the site of the coke overns. Over the following decades the tramway was connected to other industrial sites in the area as well as the mainline railway. The area regained a railway station when Northam railway station was opened on 1 December 1872. The London & South Western Railway opened a large motive power depot at Northam in 1840, which remained the principal locomotive servicing facility in the area until 1903 when it was replaced by a new depot at Eastleigh. The area previously occupied by the shed then became a goods yard. Work to replace the bridges that took Northam road over the railway began in 1907 and the new bridge opened in 1908. The New bridge was of steel construction supported by girder lattices Northam station closed on 3 September 1966 and was demolished by the end of the decade. Northam Quay tramway closed in 1984. In 2001, South West Trains chose Northam as the location for the maintenance facility for its new Siemens Desiro fleet of trains on the site of the former goods yard. The Northam Carriage Servicing Depot was constructed by Turner & Townsend and opened in 2003. Places of