For more than half a century Pitsea formed part of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. Steam locomotives hauled passenger and goods traffic between London, the Thames-side districts and the Southend area.
The independent LT&SR was acquired by the Midland Railway in 1912. Parliamentary approval came in August 1912, with the purchase legally backdated to the beginning of the year.
Following the national railway grouping, the Midland Railway became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway on 1 January 1923. Pitsea therefore became an LMS station despite its location in south-east Essex.
On 18 July 1932 the station was renamed Pitsea for Vange, recognising its use by neighbouring Vange. During the 1930s an additional platform was also provided for terminating trains; it was later removed.
Passenger services were reduced after the outbreak of the Second World War, while the wider railway served an area of strategic docks, industry and transport infrastructure along the Thames.
Britain's major railways were nationalised on 1 January 1948. Pitsea became part of British Railways. After an initially divided regional arrangement, the entire London, Tilbury and Southend system passed to the Eastern Region in February 1949.
In December 1952 the station returned to the simpler name Pitsea. During the 1950s and 1960s separate signs instructed passengers to “ALIGHT HERE FOR BASILDON”, because the rapidly developing New Town did not yet possess its own railway station.
British Rail modernised and re-signalled the route around the end of the 1950s and early 1960s. The first electric passenger train entered service on 6 November 1961. An accelerated all-electric timetable followed in June 1962, bringing regular steam passenger operation on the line to an end.
Modernisation included alterations to railway facilities at Pitsea, including reversing arrangements and a new footbridge. The station was becoming part of a modern electric commuter railway rather than the steam railway inherited from Victorian times.
1855–1912: London, Tilbury & Southend Railway era.
1912: Midland Railway takes over.
1923: LMS era begins.
1932: renamed Pitsea for Vange.
1948: British Railways.
1952: renamed Pitsea.
1961–62: electric passenger operation replaces steam.