East London line

Railway line in London

Not to be confused with East London Transit.

East London line

Class 378 train at Hoxton in 2010, with the City of London skyline in background

Overview
Status| Operational[1]
Owner| Transport for London (TfL)
Network Rail
Locale| Greater London
Termini|

* Highbury & Islington
Dalston Junction
* New Cross
Crystal Palace
West Croydon

Stations| 23
Service
Type| Suburban rail, Rapid Transit
System| National Rail
Services| 3
Operator(s)| London Overground
Depot(s)| New Cross Gate
Rolling stock| Class 378 "Capitalstar"
History
Opened| 1933 to 2007 (As East London Line)
27 April 2010 (preview service)[2]
23 May 2010 (full service)[3]
Technical
Number of tracks| Double track; sections with four tracks
Track gauge| 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification| 750 V DC third rail

Route map

(Click to expand)

The East London line is a railway line running north to south through the East, Docklands and South areas of London. It is used by London Overground services. It was previously a line of the London Underground.

Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London Underground network in 1933. After nearly 75 years as part of that network, it closed on 22 December 2007 for an extensive refurbishment and expansion, reopening as part of the Overground network in April 2010.[4][5][6] Phase 2, which links the line to the South London line with a terminus at Clapham Junction, opened on 9 December 2012, creating an orbital railway around inner London.[7][8]

In 2024, London Overground services on the line were rebranded the Windrush line.

## History

[edit]

### Establishment of the East London Railway

[edit]

The East London Railway (ELR) was created by the East London Railway Company, a consortium of six railway companies: the Great Eastern Railway (GER), the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR), the South Eastern Railway (SER), the Metropolitan Railway, and the District Railway. The latter two operated what are now the Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines of the London Underground. The incorporation of the East London Railway took place on 26 May 1865 with the aim of providing a link between the LB&SCR, GER and SER lines.[9]

The companies reused the Thames Tunnel, built by Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel between 1825 and 1843 for horse-drawn carriages. The tunnel, with generous headroom and two carriageways separated by arches, connected Wapping on the north bank of the Thames with Rotherhithe on the south bank. A triumph of civil engineering, it was a commercial failure and by the 1860s it had become an unpleasant and disreputable place.[10]

The tunnel was the most easterly land connection between the north and south banks of the Thames, close to the docks on both banks of the river, and was not far from mainline railways at either end. Converting the tunnel for railway use thus offered a means of providing a cross-Thames rail link. On 25 September 1865 the East London Railway Company took ownership of the tunnel at a cost of £800,000.[11] Over the next four years the company built a railway through the tunnel to connect with the existing lines. The company's engineer was Sir John Hawkshaw, who was also responsible for the major re-design and completion of I K Brunel's long-abandoned Clifton Suspension Bridge at Bristol.[12] The section of the railway construction work from Wapping to Bishopsgate, which was very difficult, was carried out by the firm "T. & C. Walker and Co." (Thomas Andrew Walker and his younger brother Charles).[13]

The line opened in stages as financing became available:

* 7 December 1869: New Cross Gate (then New Cross) to Wapping opened, operated by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), with intermediate stations at Deptford Road (now Surrey Quays) and Rotherhithe.
* 13 March 1871: A spur opened from just south of what is now Surrey Quays station to the South London line's Old Kent Road station. Passenger services were withdrawn from 1 June 1911 and freight last used the line in 1964; the track was subsequently removed. This alignment was relaid and restored to passenger service by London Overground in late 2012.
* 10 April 1876: Wapping to Shoreditch, through a cut-and-cover tunnel constructed in part along the bottom of an infilled dock. At Shoreditch a connection was made with the Great Eastern Railway to Liverpool Street. Intermediate stations were at Shadwell and Whitechapel.
* 1 April 1880: A spur to New Cross (South Eastern Railway) opened.
* 3 March 1884: A spur to the Metropolitan and Metropolitan District Railways opened south of Whitechapel using St Mary's Curve. This enabled Metropolitan Railway and Metropolitan District Railway (District) trains to commence through services to the East London Railway later that year. Although passenger services via this spur ceased in 1939,[14][15][16] it was retained to transfer empty trains to the rest of the sub-surface network.

### Early use

[edit]

Map of the East London Railway in 1915

* v
* t
* e

East London line

Legend

|  |  |

|  |

| North London line

to Richmond or Clapham Junction

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

| transfer track

(unelectrified)

|  |

|  | Highbury & Islington
|  |

|  |

| Victoria line

to Brixton│to Walthamstow Central

|  |

|  |

| Northern City Line

to Moorgate via Old Street│via Finsbury Park

|  |

|  |

| East Coast Main Line

via Peterborough

|  |

|  | Canonbury
|  |

|  | Newington Road & Balls Pond
|  |

|  | Mildmay Park
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Dalston Kingsland
|  |

|  |

| North London line

to Stratford

|  |

|  | Dalston Junction
|  |

|  | Haggerston
|  |

|  |

Regent's Canal

|  |

|  | Hoxton
|  |

|  | Shoreditch
|  |

|  | Broad Street
|  |

|  |

| Central line

via Bank│via Stratford

|  |

|  | Shoreditch High Street
|  |

|  | Liverpool Street
|  |

|  |

| Great Eastern/West Anglia Main Lines

via Stratford/Hackney Downs

|  |

|  |

link to main line closed 1966

|  |

|  | Shoreditch
|  |

|  |

| Elizabeth line

via Paddington│to Abbey Wood or Shenfield

|  |

|  | Whitechapel
|  |

|  |

St Mary's Curve to District/Hammersmith & City lines

|  |

|  |

| London, Tilbury and Southend line

to Fenchurch Street│to Shoeburyness

|  |

|  |

| Docklands Light Railway

to Bank or Tower Gateway│via Limehouse

|  |

|  | Shadwell
|  |

|  | Wapping
|  |

|  |

Thames Tunnel

|  |

|  | Rotherhithe
|  |

|  |

| Jubilee line

to Stratford

|  |

|  | Canada Water
|  |

|  |

| Jubilee line

via Waterloo

|  |

|  | Surrey Quays
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Silwood Triangle Sidings

|  |

|  |

| South Eastern Main Line & Greenwich line

to Cannon St via London Bridge

|  |

|  |

| South Eastern Main Line

to Charing Cross via London Bridge

|  |

|  |

| Brighton Main Line

to London Bridge or Blackfriars

|  |

|  |

| South London line

to London Bridge

|  |

|  |

| South Eastern Main Line & Greenwich line

to Dartford via Greenwich

|  |

|  | Surrey Canal
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Queens Road Peckham
|  |

|  |

| South London line

via Peckham Rye

|  |

|  |

New Cross Depot

|  |

|  | New Cross
|  |

|  |

| South Eastern Main Line

to Dartford, Hayes or Orpington via Lewisham

|  |

|  |

New Cross Gate Flyover

|  |

|  |

New Cross Gate carriage sidings

|  |

|  | New Cross Gate
|  |

|  |

to Blackfriars, Victoria via Peckham Rye

|  |

|  |

| Nunhead to Lewisham link

to Dartford via Lewisham

|  |

|  | Brockley
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Catford loop line

|  |

|  |

| to Sevenoaks via Bromley South

|  |

|  | Honor Oak Park
|  |

|  | Forest Hill
|  |

|  | Sydenham
|  |

|  |

Sydenham Junction

|  |

|  |

| Chatham Main Line

to Victoria│via Bromley South

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Penge West
|  |

|  |  | Crystal

Palace

Crystal Palace line

to Balham Junction

|  |

|  | Anerley
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

| Crystal Palace line

to Beckenham Junction

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Norwood Junction
|  |

|  |

| Brighton Main Line (Victoria Branch)

to Victoria

|  |

|  | Selhurst

Selhurst Railway depot

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | East Croydon
|  |

|  |

| Brighton Main Line

via South Croydon

|  |

|  | West Croydon
|  |

|  |

| Sutton and Mole Valley lines

via Sutton

|  |  |  |  |  |

The East London Railway Company owned the infrastructure but it was operated by its controlling railways. Steam trains were initially operated by the GER, LB&SCR and the SER. The LB&SCR used its LBSCR A1 Class Terrier locomotives, which William Stroudley designed partly with this line in mind. It carried both passenger and goods trains; the LB&SCR operated between Liverpool Street and Croydon, the SER running between Addiscombe and Liverpool Street from April 1880 until March 1884. From March to September 1884 the SER service ran from Addiscombe to St Mary's (MR & MDR Joint Station). Metropolitan Railway services from St Mary's to New Cross (SER) and Metropolitan District Railway services from St Mary's to New Cross Gate (LB&SCR) commenced on 1 October 1884.[14] On 6 October through services started from Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City) to New Cross (SER) and from Hammersmith (MDR) to New Cross (LB&SCR).

United Kingdom legislation

East London Railway (Various Powers) Act 1868

Act of Parliament

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Long title| An Act to confer further Powers on the East London Railway Company for the Execution of Works, and otherwise with reference to their Undertaking; and for other Purposes.
Citation| 31 & 32 Vict. c. clxiii
Dates
Royal assent| 31 July 1868

United Kingdom legislation

East London Railway Act 1871

Act of Parliament

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Long title| An Act for enabling the East London Railway Company to abandon parts, and to alter the levels of other parts, of their authorised Railways; and for other purposes.
Citation| 34 & 35 Vict. c. cl
Dates
Royal assent| 24 July 1871
Text of statute as originally enacted

United Kingdom legislation

East London Railway Act 1876

Act of Parliament

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Citation| 39 & 40 Vict. c. lii

United Kingdom legislation

East London Railway Act 1877

Act of Parliament

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Long title| An Act to enable the East London Railway Company to raise further Capital, and to make further provision with respect to their authorised Junction with the Main Line of the Great Eastern Railway; and for other purposes.
Citation| 40 & 41 Vict. c. clvi
Dates
Royal assent| 2 August 1877
Text of statute as originally enacted

Before the development of the Kent coalfields in the early part of the 20th century, house coal from the north for distribution in south London and as far afield as Maidstone and Brighton was an important source of revenue. Access at the north end of the line was difficult: trains were limited to 26 wagons and had to be shunted into the Great Eastern's Liverpool Street station and drawn forward onto the ELR. To avoid this reversal, a line was planned from the ELR north of Whitechapel to the GER at Bethnal Green. Acts for this were passed: the East London Railway (Additional Powers) Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. clxxx) and the East London Railway (Various Powers) Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. clxiii). When the GER route to Hackney Downs Junction, now Hackney Downs, was constructed in 1872, the route was altered to connect at Cambridge Heath, with the East London Railway Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. cl) as an abandonment act for the previous route, and two new acts the East London Railway Act 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. c. lii) and the East London Railway Act 1877 (40 & 41 Vict. c. clvi). A short length of the latter tunnel was built, and from October 1900 additional capacity was offered by a wagon lift, carrying two ten-ton wagons, from the Great Eastern coal depot at Spitalfields to a siding laid in the tunnel stub. The surface junction was taken up in 1966 and the lift closed in 1967, after a fire at the Spitalfields depot.[17][18][19][20]

When the Metropolitan District Railway was electrified in 1905 it ceased using the ELR, the last trains running on 31 July 1905;[14] the Metropolitan Railway suspended its service after 2 December 1906.[14] LB&SCR and GER services continued, and SER services recommenced on 3 December 1906.

The line was electrified, with the controlling railways funding the upgrade and the Metropolitan Railway providing the rolling stock. Electric services began on 31 March 1913 and ran from the two southern termini to Shoreditch and South Kensington via Edgware Road and High Street Kensington. In 1914 the service to South Kensington was diverted to Hammersmith, on what is now the Hammersmith & City line.

United Kingdom legislation

Southern Railway Act 1925

Act of Parliament

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Long title| An Act to empower the Southern Railway Company to construct works and acquire lands to extend the time for the completion of certain works and for the compulsory purchase of certain lands to abandon certain authorised works to transfer to the said Company the undertaking of the East London Railway Company and for other purposes.
Citation| 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. l
Dates
Royal assent| 31 July 1925
Text of statute as originally enacted

After the 1923 grouping the goods service was operated by London and North Eastern Railway (as successors to the GER), with the Metropolitan Railway continuing to provide passenger services. Ownership was transferred to the Southern Railway by the Southern Railway Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. l), but the railway continued to be leased to the joint committee, now comprising the Southern Railway (47.5%), the LNER (17.5%), the Metropolitan Railway (17.5%), and the District Railway (17.5%).[21]

### London Underground era

[edit]

East London line

A London Underground A60 Stock train at New Cross station in 2007

Overview
Owner| Transport for London
Stations| 8 (9 until 2006)
Colour on map| Dark orange
Service
Type| Sub-surface
System| London Underground
Depot(s)| New Cross
Neasden
Rolling stock| A Stock
Ridership| 10,702,000[5] passenger journeys
History
Opened| 1869
Closed| 2007
Technical
Line length| 4.6 mi (7.4 km)

Transport for London rail lines

| London Underground

Bakerloo
Central
Circle
District
Hammersmith & City
Jubilee
Metropolitan
Northern
Piccadilly
Victoria
Waterloo & City
London Overground
Liberty
Lioness
Mildmay
Suffragette
Weaver
Windrush
Other TfL Modes
DLR
Elizabeth line
London Trams

* v
* t
* e

* v
* t
* e

East London line

Legend

London Underground

|  |  |

|  |

to Liverpool Street

|
|
|
|

|  |

|  |

Great Eastern Main Line

|  |

|  |

to Norwich

|  |

|  | Shoreditch
|  |

|  | Whitechapel
|  |

|  |

to  | District line and

Hammersmith & City line

|  |

|  |

St Mary's Curve

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

Docklands Light Railway │ Shadwell

|  |

|  | Shadwell
|  |

|  | Wapping
|  |

|  |

Thames Tunnel

|  |

|  | Rotherhithe
|  |

|  | Canada Water
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Surrey Quays
|  |

|  |

to London Bridge

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

New Cross Depot

|  |

|  | New Cross Gate
|  |

|  | New Cross
|  |

|  |

South Eastern Main Line

|  |

|  |

Brighton Main Line

|  |  |  |  |  |
Wapping station on the East London line, built into the original northern entrance shaft of the Thames Tunnel. The station was rebuilt in the early 1980s. The link to Liverpool Street, 1991 A dilapidated and graffitied Shoreditch Underground station in December 2007. It closed on 9 June 2006, after 93 years of Underground service. A train of A stock stands at Surrey Quays

In 1933, the East London Railway came under the control of the London Passenger Transport Board. Although the infrastructure was still privately owned, passenger services were operated as the "East London Branch" of the Metropolitan line. The railways were nationalised in 1948, and became part of the British Transport Commission along with the Underground. Goods services continued to use the line until 1962, with occasional passenger trains from Liverpool Street until 1966. The short length of track connecting Shoreditch to Liverpool St was removed in 1966. The service to Shoreditch was reduced, with Whitechapel becoming the northern terminus for much of the time; by the time Shoreditch station closed in 2006, it was only open at peak times on weekdays and most of Sundays (for Brick Lane Market).

Services to and from stations further west were curtailed during the early part of the Underground era. The service to Hammersmith was reduced to peak hours only in 1936 and withdrawn in 1939,[14][15][16] leaving the East London branch as an isolated line. Until 1999, its only passenger interchange to the rest of the Underground was at Whitechapel, with interchanges to main line trains at the two New Cross stations. In the 1980s and 1990s, the line gained two important new connections: Shadwell became an interchange with the Docklands Light Railway in 1987, and a station was added at Canada Water in 1999 for interchange with the Jubilee line. The line was closed entirely between March 1995 and March 1998 for major maintenance and refurbishment works,[22] during which time a rail-replacement bus service operated.

The identity of the East London line changed considerably during the London Underground era. On Tube maps between 1933 and 1968 it was depicted in the same colour as the Metropolitan line.[23] In 1970, it was renamed the "Metropolitan line — East London Section", in Metropolitan line purple with a white stripe down the middle. In the 1980s it became a line in its own right (though it was still grouped operationally with the Metropolitan line) and from 1990 its colour on the map changed to orange.[24] In 1995, London Underground threatened to close the line if it did not receive listed building consent from the London Docklands Development Corporation for the shotcreting of four arches of Thames Tunnel.[25] Maintenance passed to the Metronet consortium in 2003 under a public-private partnership, although the operation of trains continued to be the responsibility of Transport for London (TfL). According to TfL, the line carried 10.7 million passengers per year before its temporary closure in 2007.[5]

#### Physical characteristics

[edit]

The line was the only Underground line not to penetrate Travelcard Zone 1 and (apart from the Moorgate to Finsbury Park service, transferred to British Rail in 1976) the only line designed and constructed for mainline trains.[26] At 5.6 miles (9.0 km) in length it was the second-shortest line (after the Waterloo & City line), with nine stations and an end-to-end journey time of 14 minutes. It ran in tunnel from Whitechapel to Surrey Quays, with the remainder on the surface or in cutting. Whilst much of the line was built as cut-and-cover, it also contained overground and tube construction features.[26] The deepest point is at Wapping station, constructed in the Thames Tunnel's original entrance shaft 60 feet (18 m) below the surface.[5]

It connected with South Eastern Main Line services at New Cross and Brighton Main Line services at New Cross Gate. Underground connections were at Canada Water (Jubilee line) and Whitechapel (District and Hammersmith & City Lines). A non-contiguous connection with the Docklands Light Railway was at Shadwell, with the DLR station some 160 feet (49 m) away on a viaduct. Although the interchange was via the street, through ticketing was permitted.

A link with the Metropolitan and District lines was made just south of Whitechapel via St Mary's Curve. This has been out of passenger use since 1939[14][15][16] but was still used to transfer rolling stock to and from the Metropolitan line's main depot at Neasden. The curve can easily be seen on the northbound and eastbound approaches to Whitechapel station, although a temporary wall was built across the line in January 2008, close to the junction with the District line.[citation needed].

Most of the line was double track, with Shoreditch station and the final sections into the southern termini single track, the latter because of lack of space. This required trains to alternate between the two southern termini.

#### Rolling stock

[edit]

The line used Metropolitan line A60 and A62 sub-surface rolling stock built by Cravens of Sheffield in two batches between 1960 and 1962. It was upgraded between 1995 and 1998 with improved suspension, lighting, heating and ventilation. The rolling stock was regularly interchanged with that used on the main Metropolitan line and usually carried both East London and Metropolitan line maps, but ELL trains were four-car units with a driving cab at each end, unlike Metropolitan line trains, which, aside from the Chesham shuttle, ran as eight-car trains. Metropolitan line trains were mostly two single-ended units coupled together with fully operational driving cabs at each end: the Met could use any ELL trains, but the ELL could use only double-ended units.

Seven four-car trains operated the line (six off-peak, seven during peak hours when Shoreditch was open). Off peak, train seven became the spare. The line operated some of the shortest trains on the network, necessitated by short platforms. The small number of trains made the line particularly sensitive to disruption caused by vandalism, train faults or staff shortages. Sometimes in the early 2000s only two trains were running. Trains were operated by just a driver: the decision to withdraw the guards prompted an unsuccessful strike by the National Union of Railwaymen in May 1985.[27]

Light maintenance and stabling took place at a small depot near New Cross, with heavier work at the main Metropolitan line depot at Neasden. Between 1985 and 1987, D78 stock operated the line before being replaced by A60 and A62 stock. During the 1970s the line was operated by 1938 Tube stock.

#### Stations

[edit]

The stations in operation during most of the London Underground era, in order from north to south, were as follows:

Station | Opened | First Underground service | Notes

|
|
|

Shoreditch (replaced by Shoreditch High Street) | 10 April 1876 | 31 March 1913 | Closed on 9 June 2006, prior to whole line's temporary closure for conversion to Overground.
Whitechapel | 10 April 1876 | 31 March 1913 | Interchange with District and Hammersmith & City Lines.
Shadwell | 10 April 1876 | 1 October 1884 | Interchange with Docklands Light Railway.
Wapping | 7 December 1869 | 1 October 1884 | Thames Tunnel link to Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe | 7 December 1869 | 1 October 1884 | Thames Tunnel link to Wapping
Canada Water | 19 August 1999 | 19 August 1999 | Interchange with Jubilee line opened 17 September 1999.
Surrey Quays | 7 December 1869 | 1 October 1884 | Station was opened as Deptford Road, renamed Surrey Docks in 1911, and again renamed in 1989.
line splits
New Cross Gate | 7 December 1869 | 1 October 1884 | Interchange with Southern mainline services. Mainline station was opened as New Cross in 1839, and renamed in 1923.
New Cross | 1 April 1880 | 1 October 1884 | Interchange with Southeastern mainline services. Mainline station was opened in 1850.

### Conversion to Overground

[edit]

A Class 378 train at Canada Water.

Engineering work on the East London line extension started in 2005 and the underground service ended in December 2007.

In 2007 London Buses route ELW Whitechapel – Shadwell – Wapping was introduced, operating every 10 minutes, every 15 minutes at evenings and weekends.[28] It was operated with route-branded single-deck buses.[citation needed] Starting on 23 December 2007 it was extended from Whitechapel to Shoreditch (Monday-Friday 07:00-10:30 & 15:30–20:30, Sunday 07:00-15:30) from 19 July 2008.[citation needed] The frequency of the route was cut to four buses per hour in September 2009.[29] It was reduced to weekends-only from 28 April 2010, and withdrawn on 9 May 2010.

Between 2006 and May 2008 other rail replacement buses were provided. Route ELS Whitechapel – Shoreditch (Monday-Friday 07:00-10:30 & 15:30–20:30, Sunday 07:00-15:30) commenced 10 June 2006 and was withdrawn on 19 July 2008. It was replaced by a peak-hour extension of route ELW.[citation needed]

London Buses route ELC New Cross Gate – New Cross – Surrey Quays – Canada Water (Monday-Friday every 5–10 minutes, weekends every 15 minutes)[28] started on 23 December 2007. It was withdrawn on 25 September 2009 following a 40% drop in passenger numbers. Transport for London estimated that this saved around £1 million over the period to June 2010.[30]

London Buses route ELP Canada Water – Rotherhithe (every 15 minutes) began on 23 December 2007 and was withdrawn on 24 February 2008 due to lack of use: tickets were valid between Bermondsey and Canada Water on standard route 381.[28]

Unlike the previous East London line closure, no replacement bus service was provided across the River Thames through the Rotherhithe Tunnel. London Transport was concerned that demand would be so high and buses would be so small that the frequency could have to be one bus every 30 seconds. There was also an issue that the Rotherhithe Tunnel is restricted to vehicles with a width no more than 7 feet (2.1 m), which had been employed on previous occasions. However, by 2007 no such vehicles were commercially available that were low-floor compliant: the only ones with this width, as previously used, were minibuses with higher floors. As bus policy by this time was 100% low floor, it meant that no such service could be provided.

A limited train service was introduced on 27 April 2010 and full service began on 23 May 2010.[31]

### History of the extended route

[edit]

Mostly on viaduct, the route from Highbury and Islington to Shoreditch was opened in 1865. It was constructed by the North London Railway as its city branch to allow its passenger trains to reach the City of London. As originally built the line had four stations, at Dalston Junction, Haggerston, Shoreditch and a large terminus at Broad Street. At Dalston Junction, a line branched to the North London line eastwards, allowing services to Hackney, Bow and Poplar (East India Road). This route closed to passengers in 1944 and goods on 4 July 1966.[32]

At its peak, Broad Street was the third-busiest station in London (after Liverpool Street and Victoria). At the start of the 20th century, more than one train per minute arrived or departed Broad Street during rush hour, with over 27 million passengers in 1902. Intermediate station traffic stagnated due to bus and tram competition, and Haggerston and Shoreditch stations were closed in 1940 following bomb damage in World War II. The line remained busy up to the 1950s, receiving traffic from the East Coast Main Line, West Coast Main Line and other routes. However, it declined following the war and was closed on 30 June 1986. While Broad Street station's site was immediately sold for office use, becoming the Broadgate development, the route north was mothballed. The present Haggerston and Dalston Junction stations have been built next to and on the original sites, but Shoreditch High Street station is on a new alignment connecting the two routes.

## Extension

[edit]

Main article: East London line extension

### Phase 1

[edit]

East London line Extension plans as envisaged in 2006. Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction are shown as future interchanges with the proposed Crossrail 2 (Chelsea-Hackney) line.

The former line was extended northwards from Whitechapel, with new stations at Shoreditch High Street, Hoxton, Haggerston and Dalston Junction using 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of new trackbed between Whitechapel and the Broad Street viaduct, and disused trackbed for most of rest of the distance. A further extension to Highbury & Islington was opened in February 2011.

It was extended south to connect to the London Bridge arm of the Brighton Main Line, linked via a northbound flyover north of New Cross Gate. Other than the new flyover and some associated works around New Cross Gate, it uses almost entirely existing track, running south to West Croydon via Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill, Sydenham, Penge West, Crystal Palace (by way of a branch), Anerley and Norwood Junction.

The official opening of most of phase 1 of the East London line extension took place on 23 May 2010.[33] Use of the line was forecast to increase from the previous 10.4 million passengers per year to 35.4 million, and to 50 million when phase 2 is finished.[34] Transport for London acquired 20 new four-car Class 378 Bombardier Capitalstar electric multiple units to operate on the line. Unlike the dual-voltage 378s on the North London and West London lines, the East London line units can only receive power from the third rail electrification, although, like all modern EMUs, they have the potential to be retro-fitted.

The track and the northern extension remain under TfL ownership, and the stations from Dalston Junction to Surrey Quays are part of the London Overground network.[35] The extension runs northwards from Whitechapel to Dalston Junction, and south to Crystal Palace and West Croydon.

### Highbury & Islington extension

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

Phase 2 Extension

Legend

|  |  |

|  |

| East London line

to Highbury & Islington

|  |

|  | Surrey Quays
|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

| East London line

to New Cross, Crystal Palace & West Croydon

|  |

|  | Surrey Canal

(proposed)

|  |

|  |

| South London line

to London Bridge

|  |

|  | Old Kent Road
|  |

|  | Queens Road Peckham
|  |

|  |

Nunhead to Lewisham Link

|  |

|  | Peckham Rye
|  |

|  |

Sutton and Mole Valley lines

|  |

|  | Denmark Hill
|  |

|  |

Thameslink

|  |

|  | East Brixton
|  |

|  | Clapham High Street
|  |

|  | Wandsworth Road
|  |

|  |

| Brighton and South West Main Lines

to Victoria and Waterloo

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  |

to Battersea Park

|  |

|  |

West London Line to Willesden Junction

|  |

|  |
|  |

|  | Clapham Junction
|  |

|  |

Brighton and South West Main Lines

|  |  |  |  |  |

The line was extended northwards to Highbury & Islington on 28 February 2011,[36] two months earlier than previously announced, with eight trains per hour during most of the day. The first train, with headcode 9A20, was the 09:55 Highbury & Islington – Crystal Palace, which departed on time from platform 2 and was formed of a four-car class 378 unit.[citation needed]

### East London line extension phase 2

[edit]

A further 6.7 miles (10.8 km) link opened in 2012 from south of Surrey Quays via the Network Rail South London line to Clapham Junction via Queens Road Peckham, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill, Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road. A new station at Surrey Canal Road was also planned, but this was put on hold in 2009,[37] though a suitable 'box' is being provided as part of the works to facilitate later implementation. The service from Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction commenced on 9 December 2012.[8] There are three services per day that run from Wandsworth Road to Battersea Park to maintain a service along that route as a parliamentary train.

The extension uses an alignment between Surrey Quays and Queens Road Peckham stations that had not seen services since 1913. The "new" section diverges from the East London line south of Surrey Quays station and joins the South London line just north of the closed Old Kent Road station. The route skirts the Bridgehouse Meadows public open space; this was used as the construction site, then restored to public use after completion. The former pedestrian bridge and support piers over Surrey Canal Road were demolished as a precursor to building the railway bridge. The planned lowering of Surrey Canal Road and associated work to the services were not carried out as a higher elevation was adopted, with a 1 in 30 (3.3 per cent) incline allowing the railway to cross at a suitable height.[citation needed]

### Train lengthening

[edit]

To cope with increased demand, the class 378 units which operate on the line have been extended to five cars. Although the new stations on the line have platforms which are either at least five cars long or provide space for platform extensions, some stations cannot be extended and so selective door opening is required.

## Service

[edit]

The combined East London and South London line service is described by Transport for London as the Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon route.[38] As of the December 2023 timetable the typical off-peak service pattern is:[38]

Route | tph | Calling at

|
|

Dalston Junction to New Cross | 4 |

* Haggerston
* Hoxton
* Shoreditch High Street
* Whitechapel
* Shadwell
* Wapping
* Rotherhithe
* Canada Water
* Surrey Quays

Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction | 4 |

* Haggerston
* Hoxton
* Shoreditch High Street
* Whitechapel
* Shadwell
* Wapping
* Rotherhithe
* Canada Water
* Surrey Quays
* Queens Road Peckham
* Peckham Rye
* Denmark Hill
* Clapham High Street
* Wandsworth Road

Highbury & Islington to Crystal Palace | 4 |

* Canonbury
* Dalston Junction
* Haggerston
* Hoxton
* Shoreditch High Street
* Whitechapel
* Shadwell
* Wapping
* Rotherhithe
* Canada Water
* Surrey Quays
* New Cross Gate
* Brockley
* Honor Oak Park
* Forest Hill
* Sydenham

Highbury & Islington to West Croydon | 4 |

* Canonbury
* Dalston Junction
* Haggerston
* Hoxton
* Shoreditch High Street, Whitechapel
* Shadwell
* Wapping
* Rotherhithe
* Canada Water
* Surrey Quays
* New Cross Gate
* Brockley
* Honor Oak Park
* Forest Hill
* Sydenham
* Penge West
* Anerley
* Norwood Junction

A Friday and Saturday night service was introduced between Dalston Junction and New Cross Gate (initially not stopping at Whitechapel) from December 2017.

### Renaming

[edit]

In July 2023, TfL announced that it would be giving each of the six Overground services unique names by the end of the following year.[39][40] In February 2024, it was confirmed that the service running on the East London and South London lines would be named the Windrush line (to honour the Windrush generation of immigrants to the area from the Caribbean) and would be coloured red on the updated network map.[41]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "London Overground". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
2. ^ "East London Line officially opened by Boris Johnson". BBC News Online. London. 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
3. ^ Clarke, Megan (21 April 2010). "Party Time for East London Line". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 23 April 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
4. ^ "East London Line alternative transport strategy update" (PDF). London Underground. 27 November 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2006.
5. ^ a b c d East London line facts, Transport for London. Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
6. ^ "First train runs on East London Railway". Railnews. Stevenage. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
7. ^ "Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays | Transport for London". Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
8. ^ a b "Outer London rail orbital opens for passengers". BBC. 10 December 2012. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
9. ^ McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David (2009). Railways of Britain – London North of the Thames. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 14–15\. ISBN 978-0-7110-3346-7.
10. ^ Brunel's Thames Tunnel Archived 31 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine Today, BBC News, 22 November 2008.
11. ^ "Railway And Other Companies, East London". The Times. London. 2 September 1869.
12. ^ Beaumont, Martin (2015). Sir John Hawkshaw 1811–1891. The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society www.lyrs.org.uk. pp. 68–69, 108–111\. ISBN 978-0-9559467-7-6.
13. ^ Lee, Charles E. (1976). The East London Line and The Thames Tunnel: A Brief History. London: London Transport. pp. 14–16\. ISBN 0-85329-068-7.
14. ^ a b c d e f Rose, Douglas (December 2007) [1980]. The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History (8th ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-315-0.
15. ^ a b c "East London Line, Dates". Clive's UndergrounD Lines Guide. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
16. ^ a b c "Train Services on the East London Line". Underground News. No. 682\. London Underground Railway Society. October 2018. p. 549\. ISSN 0306-8617.
17. ^ Klapper, Charles (February 1970). "Centenary of the East London Line". Railway World. Vol. 31, no. 357.
18. ^ Brown, Joe (2012). London Railway Atlas. Ian Allan Publishing. p. 85\. ISBN 978-0-7110-3728-1.
19. ^ Gordon, W.J. (1910). Our Home Railways (volume one). London: Frederick Warne. p. 153.
20. ^ Klapper, Charles (1976). London's Lost Railways. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 94–98\. ISBN 0-7100-8378-5.
21. ^ R.K. Kirkland, The East London Railway, Railway Magazine, May 1951
22. ^ "Station Name: Shoreditch (East London Line)". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
23. ^ [1] Archived 2 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 1933 Beck map.
24. ^ "Poster: We've turned the East London line orange to aid you". London Transport Museum. London: Transport for London. 1990. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
25. ^ Abbott, James, ed. (November 1995). "East London Line threatened with closure". Modern Railways. Vol. 52, no. 566\. p. 663.
26. ^ a b Bextor, Robin (2013). Little Book of the London Underground. Woking: Demand Media Limited. ISBN 9781909217379.
27. ^ "Illegal subway strike called off in London". Globe & Mail. Toronto. 21 May 1985.
28. ^ a b c "All change on the East London line", BBC London. Archived 31 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
29. ^ "Changes to East London line replacement buses" (Press release). Transport for London. 21 September 2009. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012.
30. ^ The London Assembly: Bus cuts Archived 27 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
31. ^ "Full service begins on newly extended East London Line". BBC News Online. London. 23 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
32. ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Graham (1997). North London Line. Midhurst UK: Middleton Press. figs. 18-20. ISBN 1-873793-944.
33. ^ Crerar, Pippa (27 April 2010). "East London line's opening puts Hackney on rail map". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
34. ^ "London takes over responsibility for building East London line extension" (Press release). Greater London Authority. 16 November 2004. Archived from the original on 4 November 2006.
35. ^ London Overground signs standard Archived 3 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
36. ^ "Highbury & Islington extension in May 2011". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012.
37. ^ McKenna, John (12 February 2009). "East London Line extension to Clapham to be built by London 2012". New Civil Engineer. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
38. ^ a b "Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon route" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
39. ^ "Naming London Overground lines". Transport for London. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
40. ^ "London Overground lines to be given names". BBC News. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
41. ^ London Overground: New names for its six lines revealed, BBC News, 15 February 2024

Various sources have been used in the creation of this article, including the external links below, email conversations with the ELL Project Team and emails from the ELL Project Team update newsletter.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Wayne Asher. 2015. A Very Political Railway – the rescue of the North London Line. ISBN 978-1-85414-378-5
* John Glover. 2013. London's Overground. ISBN 978-0-7110-3524-9

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to East London Line.

* East London line Project (official home page)
* Video Flyover of Phase 1
* Photos of the East London Line and Thames Tunnel Archived 14 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine while still London Underground

Crossings of the River Thames

| West:
Tower Bridge
| East London line
| East:
Rotherhithe Tunnel

|
|

* v
* t
* e

London Overground

Network

| Services|

* Liberty line
* Lioness line
* Mildmay line
* Suffragette line
* Weaver line
* Windrush line

| Windrush line|

* Highbury & Islington
* Canonbury
* Dalston Junction
* Haggerston
* Hoxton
* Shoreditch High Street
* Whitechapel
* Shadwell
* Wapping
* Rotherhithe
* Canada Water
* Surrey Quays
* New Cross
* Queens Road Peckham
* Peckham Rye
* Denmark Hill
* Clapham High Street
* Wandsworth Road
* (Battersea Park )
* Clapham Junction
* New Cross Gate
* Brockley
* Honor Oak Park
* Forest Hill
* Sydenham
* Crystal Palace
* Penge West
* Anerley
* Norwood Junction
* West Croydon

|

Items in parentheses have a limited service.

Railway lines|

* East London line
* Gospel Oak to Barking line
* Lea Valley lines
* North London line
* Romford–Upminster line
* South London line
* Watford DC line
* West London line

Other topics

| Future plans|

| Planned and proposed stations|

* Brent Cross West
* Castle Green
* Thamesmead
* Abbey Wood
* East Brixton
* Maiden Lane
* Junction Road
* Surrey Canal
* Old Oak Common Lane
* Hythe Road
* Primrose Hill

|

Planned and proposed routes|

* R25 (London)
* West London Orbital

Rolling stock|

| Current|

* Class 378
* Class 710

|

Former|

* Class 150
* Class 172
* Class 313
* Class 315
* Class 317
* Class 508

Operations|

* Arriva Rail London
* London Overground Night Service
* London Rail
* National Rail
* Network Rail
* Transport for London

History|

* East London line extension
* London Overground Rail Operations
* North London Railway
* Orbirail
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* Silverlink

London transport portal

* v
* t
* e

Railway lines in London

Main lines|

| Primary|

* East Coast Main Line
* Great Eastern Main Line
* Great Western Main Line
* High Speed 1
* High Speed 2 (under construction)
* Midland Main Line
* West Coast Main Line

|

Secondary|

* Brighton Main Line
* Chatham Main Line
* Chiltern Main Line
* Elizabeth line
* London, Tilbury and Southend line
* South Eastern Main Line
* South West Main Line
* Waterloo–Reading line
* West Anglia Main Line
* West London Route

Branch|

| Regional|

* Aylesbury Line
* Bexleyheath line
* Caterham line
* Dartford loop line
* Epsom Downs Branch
* Hampton Court branch line
* Hertford loop line
* Lea Valley lines
* North Kent Line
* Oxted line
* Shepperton branch line
* Staines–Windsor line
* Sutton and Mole Valley lines
* Tattenham Corner line
* Watford DC line

|

Intra-London|

* Acton–Northolt line
* Brentford branch line
* Bromley North line
* Catford loop line
* Chessington branch line
* Chingford branch line
* Crystal Palace line
* Dudding Hill line
* East London line
* Gospel Oak to Barking line
* Greenford branch line
* Greenwich line
* Mid-Kent line
* Holborn Viaduct–Herne Hill line
* Hounslow Loop line
* Kingston loop line
* North London line
* Northern City Line
* Nunhead to Lewisham Link
* Romford–Upminster line
* South London line
* West London line
* Widened Lines

Disused|

* Addiscombe Line
* Crystal Palace High Level branch line
* Greenwich Park branch line
* North London Line (City Branch)
* Palace Gates line
* Staines & West Drayton Line
* Stanmore branch line
* Uxbridge (Vine Street) branch line
* Wimbledon–West Croydon line
* Woodside & Sanderstead Line

London transport portal

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* Structurae

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[GER]: Great Eastern Railway
*[LB&SCR]: London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
*[SER]: South Eastern Railway
*[ELR]: East London Railway