East London Line

East London Line
East London Line

Class 378 train at Whitechapel
Overview
Type Suburban rail
System National Rail
Status Operational[1]
Locale Greater London
Termini Highbury & Islington
Dalston Junction
New Cross
Crystal Palace
West Croydon
Stations 23
Services 3
Operation
Opened 27 April 2010 (preview service)[2]
23 May 2010 (full service)[3]
Owner Network Rail and
Transport for London
Operator(s) London Overground
Depot(s) New Cross Gate
Rolling stock Class 378 "Electrostar"
Technical
No. of tracks Double track; sections with four tracks[4]
Track gauge Standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Electrification 750 V DC third rail
[v · d · e]London Overground
East London Line Extension phase 1
Legend
Continuation backward
North London Line to Richmond
Unknown BSicon "evENDEar"
Unknown BSicon "utCONTg" Unknown BSicon "evÜSTxr"
Victoria line to Walthamstow Central
Urban tunnel straight track Unknown BSicon "tSTRrg"
Unknown BSicon "tSTRq" + Unknown BSicon "evSTR"
Unknown BSicon "tCONTl"
Northern City Line to Finsbury Park
Unknown BSicon "utCPICl" + Hub
Unknown BSicon "tCPICr" + Hub
Unknown BSicon "evSTR" + Unknown BSicon "vINTa" + Hub
Highbury & Islington London Underground London Overground National Rail
Unknown BSicon "utCONTf" Unknown BSicon "tSTR" Unknown BSicon "vSTR"
Victoria line to Brixton
Unknown BSicon "tCONTr" Unknown BSicon "tSTRrf" Unknown BSicon "vSTR"
Northern City Line to Moorgate
Unknown BSicon "vSTR-ABZg+l" Continuation to right
East Coast Main Line
Unknown BSicon "vBHF"
Canonbury London Overground National Rail
Unknown BSicon "evHST"
Newington Road & Balls Pond
Unknown BSicon "vSTR-eHST"
Mildmay Park (1880-1934)
Unknown BSicon "vÜSTxr"
Unknown BSicon "vSTR-BHF"
Dalston Kingsland London Overground National Rail
Unknown BSicon "exSTRrg" + Unknown BSicon "vSTRgl"
Continuation to right
North London Line to Stratford
Unknown BSicon "ACC"
Dalston Junction (1865-1986, reopened 2010)
Unknown BSicon "BRÜCKEa"
Unknown BSicon "hACC"
Haggerston (1865-1940, resited and reopened 2010)
Elevated over water
Regent's Canal
Unknown BSicon "hACC"
Hoxton
Unknown BSicon "ehHST"
Shoreditch (NLR) (1865-1940)
Unknown BSicon "exhSTRrg" Unknown BSicon "ehABZrf"
Unknown BSicon "exhKBHFe" Elevated
Broad Street (1865-1986)
Unknown BSicon "utCONTr" Unknown BSicon "utSTRq"
Unknown BSicon "utSTRq" + Unknown BSicon "hACC"
Unknown BSicon "utCONTl"
Shoreditch High Street over Central line
Unknown BSicon "KINTl" Unknown BSicon "eABZ3lg" Unknown BSicon "hKRZ" Continuation to right
London Liverpool Street London Underground National Rail GEML/WAML
Unknown BSicon "exSTR" Elevated
Link to main line closed 1966
Unknown BSicon "exHST" Unknown BSicon "BRÜCKEe"
Shoreditch LU (1869, final closure 2006)
Unknown BSicon "exSTRlf" Unknown BSicon "eABZlg"
Unknown BSicon "uCONTr"
Unknown BSicon "uexÜWl" + Urban transverse track
Unknown BSicon "mTINT" + Unknown BSicon "exÜWc3"
Unknown BSicon "uCONTl"
Whitechapel London Underground District line
Unknown BSicon "exÜWc1"
Unknown BSicon "exÜWo+r" + Straight track
St Mary's Curve to District/Metropolitan lines
Enter tunnel
Unknown BSicon "tINT"
Shadwell Docklands Light Railway
Unknown BSicon "tHST"
Wapping
Unknown BSicon "tWSTR"
Thames Tunnel under River Thames
Unknown BSicon "tHST"
Rotherhithe
Unknown BSicon "utCONTr" Unknown BSicon "mtTHSTt" Unknown BSicon "utCONTl"
Canada Water London Underground Jubilee line
Exit tunnel
Stop on track
Surrey Quays
Unknown BSicon "exCONTr" Unknown BSicon "exHSTq" Unknown BSicon "eABZrf"
Surrey Canal Rd - Phase 2 to Clapham Jn (due 2012)
Continuation to left Unknown BSicon "ABZ3lg" Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Track turning from right
South Eastern Main Line to London Bridge
Straight track Junction to left Unknown BSicon "KRZo" Track turning from right
Straight track Straight track Right side of cross-platform interchange Left side end station of cross-platform interchange
New Cross National Rail
Straight track Straight track Continuation forward
South Eastern Main Line
Straight track Straight track
Straight track Junction to left Track turning from right
Straight track One way backward Junction to left Track turning from right
Brighton Main Line to London Bridge
Unknown BSicon "ÜWul" Unknown BSicon "ÜWor" Straight track One way forward
New Cross Gate Flyover
Unknown BSicon "ÜWo+l" Unknown BSicon "ÜWu+r" Non-passenger station/depot on track One way forward
New Cross Gate TMD
One way backward Straight track Junction from left Track turning right
Track turning left Junction from right Straight track
Right side of cross-platform interchange Left side of cross-platform interchange
New Cross Gate National Rail
Junction from left Track turning right
Continuation to left Transverse track Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Transverse track Continuation to right
Nunhead to Lewisham Link
Stop on track
Brockley National Rail
Continuation to left Transverse track Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Transverse track Continuation to right
Catford Loop Line
Stop on track
Honor Oak Park National Rail
Unknown BSicon "ACC"
Forest Hill National Rail
Unknown BSicon "ACC"
Sydenham National Rail
Track turning from left Junction to right
Sydenham Junction
Continuation to left Unknown BSicon "KRZo" Unknown BSicon "KRZo" Transverse track Continuation to right
Chatham Main Line
Straight track Stop on track
Penge West National Rail
Straight track Unknown BSicon "ACC"
Anerley National Rail
Junction from left Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Transverse track Continuation to right
Crystal Palace–Beckenham Junction link
Junction from left Junction from right
Bromley Junction
Unknown BSicon "ACC" Straight track
Crystal Palace National Rail
Continuation forward Straight track
Outer South London Line
Stop on track
Norwood Junction National Rail
Continuation to left Transverse track Unknown BSicon "KRZlfg" Transverse track Continuation to right
Brighton Main Line
Interchange on track
West Croydon Tramlink National Rail
Continuation forward
Sutton & Mole Valley Lines
[v · d · e]Finsbury Park to Highbury & Islington to Dalston
Legend
Continuation backward
East Coast Main Line
Track turning from left Transverse track Transverse track Unknown BSicon "ABZdf" Transverse track Transverse track Track turning from right
One way backward Station on track One way forward
Finsbury Park Victoria roundel1.PNG Piccadilly roundel1.PNG
Junction to left Track turning from right Track turning from left Unknown BSicon "ABZdf" Track turning from right Track turning from left Junction to right
Junctions with Canonbury
One way backward One way backward One way backward Straight track One way forward One way forward One way forward
Curve and Northern City Line
Junction from left Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Unknown BSicon "ABZ3rf" Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Track turning right
towards King's Cross
Continuation forward One way backward Enter tunnel Enter tunnel One way forward
Track turning left Unknown BSicon "tKRZ" One way rightward Unknown BSicon "tKRZ" Junction from right
Exit tunnel Exit tunnel Straight track
Junction from left Transverse track Track turning right Straight track
Cutting start Straight track
Underbridge Underbridge
Bridge to Emirates Stadium
Drayton Park
Station on track + Cutting
Straight track
Cutting end Straight track
Victoria line Victoria roundel1.PNG
Unknown BSicon "utCONTg" Enter tunnel Straight track
North London Line London Overground National Rail
Continuation to left Unknown BSicon "umtKRZ" Unknown BSicon "tKRZ" Unknown BSicon "eABZ3lg" Track turning from right Enter tunnel
Unknown BSicon "utCPICl" + Hub
Unknown BSicon "tCPICr" + Hub
Unknown BSicon "xCPICla" + Hub
Left side of cross-platform interchange + Hub
Exit tunnel
Highbury & Islington _Victoria roundel1.PNG London Overground National Rail
Urban tunnel straight track Unknown BSicon "tSTR" Straight track Junction from left Track turning right
Canonbury Curve
Victoria line Victoria roundel1.PNG
Unknown BSicon "utCONTf" Unknown BSicon "tSTR" Straight track Straight track
Northern City Line
Unknown BSicon "tCONTf" Straight track Straight track
Right side of cross-platform interchange Left side of cross-platform interchange
Canonbury London Overground National Rail
Unknown BSicon "ÜWc2" Unknown BSicon "ÜWor" Straight track
Dalston Junction London Overground National Rail
Unknown BSicon "ÜWc2"
Unknown BSicon "CPICuu" + Unknown BSicon "ÜWorl" + Station + Hub
+ Unknown BSicon "ÜWc4" + Hub
Station on track + Hub
Dalston Kingsland London Overground National Rail
East London Line London Overground National Rail
Continuation to left Unknown BSicon "ÜABZ3rf"
Unknown BSicon "CPICe" + Unknown BSicon "ÜWc4" + Hub
Unknown BSicon "exSTRq" Unknown BSicon "eABZlg"
Continuation forward
North London Line London Overground National Rail

The East London Line is a London Overground line which runs north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London.

Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London Underground network in 1933. After operating for nearly 75 years as part of the Underground network, the line closed in December 2007 for an extensive rehabilitation and expansion project, reopening as part of the Overground network in April 2010.[5][6][7] Phase 2, which will link the line to the inner South London Line with a terminus at Clapham Junction, is due to be completed after the 2012 Summer Olympics in late 2012.[8]

Contents

History

Establishment of the East London Railway

The East London Railway 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 Metropolitan District Railway. The latter two operated what are now the Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines of the London Underground.

The companies reused the Thames Tunnel, built by Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel between 1825 and 1843. The tunnel was built for horse-drawn carriages with generous headroom and two carriageways separated by arches, though it was only used for pedestrian traffic. It 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.[9]

The tunnel was the most easterly land connection between the north and south banks of the Thames. It was close to London's docks on both banks of the river and was not far from mainline railways at either end. Converting the tunnel to a railway thus offered an ideal means of providing a cross-Thames rail link without having to go to the great expense of boring a new tunnel. On 25 September 1865 the East London Railway Company took ownership of the Thames Tunnel at a cost of £800,000.[10] Over the next four years the company built a railway line running through the tunnel to connect with existing railway lines.

The line opened in stages as financing became available:

  • 7 December 1869: Initial line from New Cross Gate (then known as New Cross) to Wapping opened, operated by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR). Intermediate stations were opened at Deptford Road (now Surrey Quays) and Rotherhithe
  • 13 March 1871: A spur was opened from just south of what is now Surrey Quays station to the South London Line's Old Kent Road railway station. Services were withdrawn in 1911 and the track was subsequently removed
  • 19 April 1876: Wapping to Shoreditch opened, running through a cut-and-cover tunnel constructed in part along the bottom of a now infilled dock. At Shoreditch a connection was made with the Great Eastern Railway to Liverpool Street. Intermediate stations were opened at Shadwell and Whitechapel
  • 1 April 1880: A spur to New Cross (South Eastern Railway) opened
  • 3 March 1884: A spur linking the Metropolitan and Metropolitan District Railways to the East London Railway opened south of Whitechapel. 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 1941, it was retained to transfer empty trains between the East London line and the rest of the sub-surface network
Northern portion in 1906 (green)
Southern portion in 1908 (red)
Railway Clearing House maps showing railway lines in East and South East London, including the East London Railway
Map of the East London Railway in 1915

Early utilisation

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 their 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 introducing a service 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.[11] On 6 October through services started from Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City) to New Cross (SER) and from Hammersmith (MDR) to New Cross (LB&SCR).

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 then drawn forward onto the East London line. 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 on the ELR near Whitechapel station. The surface junction was taken up in 1966 and the lift closed in 1967, after a fire at the Spitalfields depot.[12][13]

When the Metropolitan District Railway was electrified in 1905 it ceased using the ELR, the last trains running on 31 July 1905;[11] similarly, the Metropolitan Railway suspended its service after 2 December 1906.[11] LB&SCR and GER services continued to run, and SER services recommenced on 3 December 1906.

The line was later 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.

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.

The London Underground era

East London
Colour on map Dark Orange
Year opened 1869
Line type Sub-Surface
Rolling stock A Stock
Stations served 8
Length 4.6 miles (7.4 km)
Depots New Cross
Neasden
Journeys made 10,702,000[6]
[v · d · e]East London line (pre-conversion)
Legend
Continuation backward
To Liverpool Street
Unknown BSicon "xABZlf" Continuation to right
Great Eastern Main Line
Unknown BSicon "meuENDEa"
Urban stop on track
Shoreditch
Unknown BSicon "uINT"
Whitechapel District roundel1.PNG H&c roundel.PNG
Unknown BSicon "uCONTr" Unknown BSicon "uABZlg"
St Mary's Curve
Enter urban tunnel
Unknown BSicon "utINT"
Shadwell Docklands Light Railway
Urban tunnel stop on track
Wapping
Urban tunnel below water
Thames Tunnel
Urban tunnel stop on track
Rotherhithe
Unknown BSicon "utACC"
Canada Water Jubilee roundel1.PNG
Exit urban tunnel
Urban stop on track
Surrey Quays
Continuation backward Urban straight track
to London Bridge
Junction to left Waterway under railway bridge Track turning from right
Straight track Urban junction to left Unknown BSicon "mKRZo" Urban transverse track Urban track turning from right
Straight track Urban straight track Straight track
Unknown BSicon "uKDSr" + Unknown BSicon "uÜWcru"
Waterway turning to right + Unknown BSicon "uÜWor"
New Cross Depot
Straight track Urban straight track Straight track Unknown BSicon "uÜWo+l" Unknown BSicon "uÜWclo"
Straight track Urban straight track Right side of cross-platform interchange Unknown BSicon "uCPICre"
New Cross National Rail
Straight track Urban straight track Continuation forward
South Eastern Main Line
Right side of cross-platform interchange Unknown BSicon "uCPICre"
New Cross Gate National Rail
Continuation forward
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 tube 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 along the line were operated under the auspices of the "East London Branch" of the Metropolitan Line. In 1948 the railways were nationalised and became part of the newly created British Transport Commission along with the Underground. Goods services continued to use the line until 1962, 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 also reduced, with Whitechapel becoming the northern terminus for much of the time; by the time Shoreditch station closed in 2006, it was open at peak times on weekdays and most of Sundays (for Brick Lane Market), and closed on Saturdays.

Services to and from further west were steadily curtailed during the early part of the Underground era. The service to Hammersmith was reduced to peak hours only in 1936 and was withdrawn altogether in 1941, leaving the East London branch as an isolated appendage on the edge of the Underground network. Its only passenger interchange to 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 new station was added at Canada Water in 1999 for interchange with the then new Jubilee Line extension.

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. 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 was renamed as a line in its own right (though it was still grouped operationally with the Metropolitan line) and from 1990 the colour on the map changed to orange.

The maintenance of the line passed to the Metronet consortium in 2003 under a Public-Private Partnership, although the operation of trains continued to be the responsibility of TfL.

According to TfL, the line carried 10.7 million passengers per year before its temporary closure in 2007.[6]

Physical characteristics

The East London Line was the only Underground line not to penetrate Travelcard Zone 1. It was the second shortest line (after the Waterloo & City Line), with an end-to-end journey time of 14 minutes. Its length was 9 km (5.6 mi), with nine stations. At the time of its closure in 2007 it ran in a continuous tunnel from Whitechapel to Surrey Quays, with the remainder on the surface or in cutting. Much of the line was built as cut-and-cover. The deepest point is at Wapping station, constructed in the Thames Tunnel's original entrance shaft 18.29 m (60 ft) below the surface.[6]

At time of closure, the line connected with Southeastern mainline services at New Cross and Southern 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 a separate DLR station some 50 m (150 ft) away. Although the interchange was via the street, through ticketing was permitted at time of closure in 2007.

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 1941 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-tracked, with Shoreditch station and the final sections into the southern termini single-tracked, the latter because of lack of space. This required trains to alternate between the two southern termini.

Rolling stock

The East London 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 in 1994 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. However, the trains used on the ELL were always double-ended four-car units. (This means that there was a fully operational driving cab at each end, unlike the Metropolitan line trains that, aside from the Chesham shuttle, run as eight-car trains with no o.p.o. facilities in the middle cabs, making them effectively single-ended units for service work. The trains operating on the Metropolitan main line were mostly two single-ended units coupled together with fully operational driving cabs at each end. Therefore the Met. could use any ELL trains, but the ELL could use only the double-ended units converted for its use.)

Seven four-car trains operated the line (six off-peak, seven during peak hours when Shoreditch was open). During off-peak times, train 7 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. The withdrawal of a single train amounted to a 17% cut in capacity — the Metropolitan line would have to lose nine trains to suffer the same percentage cut. 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.[14]

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

The London underground period stations in order from north to south were as follows:

Station Opened First Underground service Notes
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
Rotherhithe 7 December 1869 1 October 1884
Canada Water Handicapped/disabled access 17 September 1999 17 September 1999 Interchange with Jubilee Line.
Surrey Quays 7 December 1869 1 October 1884 Station was opened as Deptford Road, and renamed Surrey Docks in 1911.
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 Handicapped/disabled access 1 April 1880 1 October 1884 Interchange with Southeastern mainline services. Mainline station was opened in 1850.

Conversion to Overground rail operation

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

In 2007 London Buses route ELW Whitechapel - Shadwell - Wapping was introduced, operating every 10 minutes, or every 15 minutes at evenings and weekends.[15] It was operated with route-branded single-deck buses.[16] Starting on 23 December 2007 it was extended from Whitechapel to Shoreditch (Monday-Friday 0700-1030 & 1530-2030, Sunday 0700-1530) from 19 July 2008.[16] The frequency of the route was cut to four buses per hour in September 2009.[17] It was reduced to weekends-only from 28 April 2010, and withdrawn on 9 May 2010.

Between 2006 and May 2008 a number of other rail replacement buses were provided. Route ELS Whitechapel - Shoreditch (Monday-Friday 0700-1030 & 1530-2030, Sunday 0700-1530 commenced 10 June 2006 and was withdrawn on 19 July 2008. It was replaced by a peak-hour extension of route ELW.[16]

Route ELC New Cross Gate - New Cross - Surrey Quays - Canada Water (Monday-Friday every 5–10 minutes, weekends every 15 minutes)[15] 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.[18]

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.[15]

Once construction was completed, a limited service was introduced on 27 April 2010 and full service began on 23 May 2010.[19]


Recent developments

East London Line extension - phase 1

East London Line Extension plans. Note: extension to Highbury & Islington will now be delivered before phase 2, Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction are shown as future interchanges with proposed Chelsea-Hackney Crossrail extension)

The former underground line was extended northwards from Whitechapel, with new stations at Shoreditch High Street, Hoxton, Haggerston and Dalston Junction using 3.6 km of new trackbed between Whitechapel and the Broad Street viaduct and existing disused trackbeds for most of the distance. A further extension to Highbury & Islington was opened in February 2011.

It was also 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 tracks, with services 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. No new stations have been constructed on this section.

The official opening of most of phase 1 of the East London line extension took place on 23 May 2010.[20] Use of the line is 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.[21] 23 new four-car Bombardier units were provided as well as 25 dual-voltage three-car units for the North London Line. These are Class 378 Capitalstar trains.

The existing 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.[22] The extension runs northwards from Whitechapel to Dalston Junction, and south to Crystal Palace and West Croydon.

Current developments

[v · Legend
Continuation backward
East London Line to Highbury & Islington
Interchange on track
Surrey Quays London Overground National Rail
Unknown BSicon "exSTRrg" Unknown BSicon "eABZrf"
Unknown BSicon "exSTR" Continuation forward
East London Line to New Cross, Crystal Palace & West Croydon
Unknown BSicon "exHST"
Surrey Canal Road (Proposed)
Continuation to left Unknown BSicon "xABZlg"
Inner South London Line to London Bridge
Interchange on track
Queen's Road Peckham National Rail
Junction from left Continuation to right
Nunhead to Lewisham Link
Interchange on track
Peckham Rye National Rail
Junction to left Continuation to right
Dulwich Link
Interchange on track
Denmark Hill National Rail
Continuation to left Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Continuation to right
Thameslink
Unknown BSicon "eHST"
East Brixton (Closed)
Junction from left Continuation to right
Chatham Main Line
Stop on track
Clapham High Street
Stop on track
Wandsworth Road
Junction to left Track turning from right
Continuation to left Unknown BSicon "KRZo" Unknown BSicon "KRZu" Track turning from right
Brighton & South West Main Lines to London Victoria and Waterloo
Continuation forward Track turning left Junction from right
Chatham Main Line to London Victoria
Continuation to left Junction from right
West London Line
Junction to left Track turning from right
Right side end station of cross-platform interchange Left side of cross-platform interchange
Clapham Junction London Overground National Rail National Rail
Continuation forward
Brighton & South West Main Lines

Highbury & Islington extension

The line has been extended northwards to Highbury & Islington. The extension opened on 28 February 2011, two months earlier than previously announced, with 8 trains per hour during most of the day. The first train, running with the 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.[23]

East London line extension phase 2

A further 2.5 km link is under construction as part of the East London line extension. It will run from south of Surrey Quays to the Network Rail Inner South London Line to Clapham Junction, by way of Queens Road Peckham, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill, Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road. Work is scheduled for completion by late 2012. A new station at Surrey Canal Road was also planned, but this was put on hold in 2009[24], though a suitable 'box' is being provided as part of the existing works, to facilitate later possible implementation.

The extension uses an alignment between Rotherhithe and Peckham which had been disused since 1911 via the defunct Old Kent Road station. The route skirts the Bridgehouse Meadows public open space; this is currently (July 2011) being used as the construction site, but will be restored to public use on completion. The former pedestrian bridge and support piers over Surrey Canal Road have been demolished, as a precursor to building the railway bridge; Surrey Canal Road will be lowered to allow the railway to cross at a suitable height.

Gallery

External links

References

  1. ^ "Dalston Junction to West Croydon". Transport for London. 23 May 2010. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/15360.aspx. Retrieved 23 May 2010. 
  2. ^ "East London Line officially opened by Boris Johnson". BBC News Online (London). 27 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8620188.stm. Retrieved 27 April 2010. 
  3. ^ Clarke, Megan (21 April 2010). "Party Time for East London Line". London Evening Standard. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23826543-party-time-for-east-london-line.do. Retrieved 23 April 2010. 
  4. ^ Even though this would more correctly be 2 for the ELL and a further 2 for the North London Line
  5. ^ "East London Line alternative transport strategy update". London Underground. 27 November 2006. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070928004526/http://www.gold.ac.uk/east-london.pdf. Retrieved 24 December 2006. 
  6. ^ a b c d East London line facts, Transport for London.
  7. ^ "First train runs on East London Railway". Railnews (Stevenage). 8 October 2009. http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/metro/2009/10/08-first-train-runs-on-east.html. Retrieved 8 October 2009. 
  8. ^ http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/16240.aspx
  9. ^ Brunel's Thames Tunnel Today, BBC News, 22 November 2008.
  10. ^ "Railway And Other Companies, East London". The Times (London). 2 September 1869. 
  11. ^ a b c Rose, Douglas (December 2007) [1980]. The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History (8th ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-315-0. 
  12. ^ Gordon, W.J. (1910). Our Home Railways (volume one). London: Frederick Warne. p. 153. 
  13. ^ Klapper, Charles (1976). London's Lost Railways. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. pp. 94–98. ISBN 0-7100-8378-5. 
  14. ^ "Illegal subway strike called off in London". Globe & Mail (Toronto). 21 May 1985. 
  15. ^ a b c "All change on the East London line", BBC London.
  16. ^ a b c Route ELW, londonbusroutes.net
  17. ^ "Changes to East London line replacement buses" (Press release). Transport for London. 21 September 2009. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/metro/13183.aspx. 
  18. ^ The London Assembly: Bus cuts
  19. ^ "Full service begins on newly extended East London Line". BBC News Online (London). 23 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8699262.stm. Retrieved 23 May 2010. 
  20. ^ Crerar, Pippa (27 April 2010). "East London line's opening puts Hackney on rail map". London Evening Standard. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23828313-new-pound-1-billion-east-london-rail-route-opens.do. Retrieved 26 August 2010. 
  21. ^ "London takes over responsibility for building East London line extension" (Press release). Greater London Authority. 16 November 2004. http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=4547. 
  22. ^ London Overground signs standard.[dead link]
  23. ^ "Highbury & Islington extension in May 2011". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/15397.aspx. 
  24. ^ McKenna, John (12 February 2009). "East London Line extension to Clapham to be built by London 2012". New Civil Engineer. http://www.nce.co.uk/news/2009/02/east_london_line_extension_to_clapham_to_be_built_by_london_2012.html. Retrieved 16 February 2009. 

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


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