Notes: The London Tilbury & Southend Railway was promoted by the Eastern Counties Railway and the London & Blackwall Railway by an Act of 1852. In order to reach the North Kent resort of Gravesend a short spur was built to a terminus at Tilbury with an adjacent pier to take advantage of the increasing steamboat traffic on the river Thames. The station opened as Tilbury Fort in April 1854 south of a triangular junction on the Southend line between Tilbury Town and East Tilbury.

The LT&SR were able to offer passengers the attractive prospect of cheap through fares to Gravesend from Fenchurch Street with a boat service to Tilbury from Gravesend Town Pier in competition with the South Eastern Railway who had opened their station at Gravesend five years earlier. Shortly after opening the 'Fort' suffix was dropped.

In 1881 the LT&SR put forward a proposal for a direct rail connection from Tilbury to the the London, Chatham & Dover Railway by means of a tunnel under the Thames. The LT&SR was, however, short of money and its main concentration at the time was competing with the Great Eastern Railway for Southend traffic so the tunnel was never built. The ferry crossing was perpetuated by the Midland Railway when it absorbed the LT&SR in 1912, and then by the London Midland & Scottish Railway from 1923 onwards. On 6th July 1936 the station was renamed Tilbury Riverside.

On their journey to Southend and Shoeburyness, most trains from Tilbury Town would reverse at this station and then continue to East Tilbury. In 1930 the Port of London Authority and the London Midland and Scottish Railway constructed a floating landing stage that was opened by Ramsay McDonald.

After WW2 increased car ownership led to a decline in its importance as a passenger ferry terminal and with the opening of the Dartford Tunnel in 1963 the passenger service was drastically reduced. Freight traffic being withdrawn from 6th May 1968 with only private siding remaining in use. The station finally lost its passenger service on November 29th 1992.

With the closure of the station the ferry continue to run and the pier can now be reached by a shuttle bus service from Tilbury Town station.

Since 1984 the Gravesend - Tilbury Ferry has been operated by a private company. The service is currently provided by the Lower Thames & Medway Passenger Boat Company.