East London line facts for kids

Quick facts for kids East London line
Class 378 train at Hoxton in 2010, with the City of London skyline in background
Overview
Status	Operational
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) 23 May 2010 (full service)
Technical
Number of tracks	Double track; sections with four tracks
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	750 V DC third rail

The East London line is a railway line in London. It runs from north to south. It connects the East, Docklands, and South parts of London. Today, it is part of the London Overground network. Before 2010, it was a line of the London Underground.

The line was built in 1869. It reused the Thames Tunnel, which was first made for horse-drawn carriages. In 1933, the line became part of the London Underground. After almost 75 years, it closed on 22 December 2007. This was for a big upgrade and expansion. It reopened in April 2010 as part of the Overground. A second phase opened in December 2012. This connected the line to the South London line, creating a railway loop around inner London.

History of the East London Line

How the East London Railway Started

The East London Railway was created by the East London Railway Company. This company was a group of six different railway companies. These included the Great Eastern Railway and the Metropolitan Railway. The goal was to connect their train lines across London.

The companies decided to use the Thames Tunnel. This tunnel was built by Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel between 1825 and 1843. It was meant for horse-drawn carriages. The tunnel connected Wapping (north of the Thames) with Rotherhithe (south of the Thames). It was a great engineering success, but it was not used much for its original purpose.

In 1865, the East London Railway Company bought the tunnel. They spent the next four years building a railway through it. This connected to existing train lines. The line opened in different parts as money became available.

• December 7, 1869: The first part opened from New Cross Gate to Wapping.
• March 13, 1871: A new branch opened near Surrey Quays.
• April 10, 1876: The line extended north from Wapping to Shoreditch. It connected to the Great Eastern Railway towards Liverpool Street.
• April 1, 1880: A branch to New Cross (South Eastern Railway) opened.
• March 3, 1884: A link to the Metropolitan and District Railways opened near Whitechapel. This allowed their trains to use the East London Railway.

Early Train Services

Map of the East London Railway in 1915

The East London Railway Company owned the tracks. But other railway companies ran the trains. At first, steam trains were used. They carried both passengers and goods. For example, the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway ran trains between Liverpool Street and Croydon.

The line was important for moving coal from the north to south London. This was before coal fields in Kent were developed. In 1905, the Metropolitan District Railway stopped using the line. The Metropolitan Railway also stopped its service in 1906.

The line was then updated to use electricity. This happened in 1913. Electric trains started running from the southern stations to Shoreditch. They also ran to South Kensington and later to Hammersmith. After 1923, the Metropolitan Railway continued to run passenger services.

The London Underground Years

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 passenger journeys
History
Opened	1869
Closed	2007
Technical
Line length	4.6 mi (7.4 km)

In 1933, the East London Railway became part of the London Passenger Transport Board. It was operated as a branch of the Metropolitan line. Goods trains continued to use the line until 1962. The track connecting Shoreditch to Liverpool Street was removed in 1966. Shoreditch station closed in 2006.

The East London line became more isolated over time. Until 1999, its only connection to the rest of the Underground was at Whitechapel. However, new connections were added. Shadwell connected to the Docklands Light Railway in 1987. A new station at Canada Water opened in 1999. This allowed transfers to the Jubilee line. The line was closed for major repairs between 1995 and 1998. Buses replaced the trains during this time.

The line's identity changed on the Tube map. From 1933 to 1968, it was shown in the same color as the Metropolitan line. In 1990, its color on the map changed to orange. Before it closed in 2007, about 10.7 million passengers used the line each year.

Line Features

The East London line was the only Underground line that did not go into Travelcard Zone 1. It was also one of the few lines built for larger mainline trains. It was about 5.6 miles (9.0 km) long. It had nine stations. A trip from one end to the other took about 14 minutes.

Much of the line was built by digging a trench and then covering it. This is called "cut-and-cover." It also had parts that were above ground or in deep tunnels. The deepest point is at Wapping station. It is about 60 feet (18 m) below the surface.

The line connected with other train services at New Cross and New Cross Gate. It connected to the Underground at Canada Water and Whitechapel.

Trains Used

The East London line used A60 and A62 trains. These were built between 1960 and 1962. They were updated between 1995 and 1998. These trains were four cars long. This was shorter than most Metropolitan line trains. This was because some platforms on the East London line were short.

Seven four-car trains usually ran on the line. Sometimes, if there were problems, fewer trains would run.

Stations on the Underground Line

The stations on the East London line during the London Underground era were:

Station	Opened	First Underground service	Notes
Shoreditch (replaced by Shoreditch High Street)	10 April 1876	31 March 1913	Closed on 9 June 2006.
Whitechapel	10 April 1876	31 March 1913	Connects to District and Hammersmith & City Lines.
Shadwell	10 April 1876	1 October 1884	Connects to Docklands Light Railway.
Wapping	7 December 1869	1 October 1884	Part of the Thames Tunnel.
Rotherhithe	7 December 1869	1 October 1884	Part of the Thames Tunnel.
Canada Water	19 August 1999	19 August 1999	Connects to Jubilee line.
Surrey Quays	7 December 1869	1 October 1884	Was called Deptford Road, then Surrey Docks.
line splits
New Cross Gate	7 December 1869	1 October 1884	Connects to Southern mainline trains.
New Cross	1 April 1880	1 October 1884	Connects to Southeastern mainline trains.

Becoming Part of the Overground

A Class 378 train at Canada Water.

Work to extend the East London line began in 2005. The Underground service stopped in December 2007. During the construction, special bus routes were set up. These buses helped people travel while the line was closed.

One bus route, ELW, ran between Whitechapel, Shadwell, and Wapping. Other routes like ELS, ELC, and ELP also helped. Some bus services were stopped early due to low use. For example, route ELP was stopped because not many people used it.

A limited train service started on 27 April 2010. The full service began on 23 May 2010.

History of the Extended Route

The route from Highbury and Islington to Shoreditch opened in 1865. It was built by the North London Railway. This allowed trains to reach the City of London. This part of the line had stations at Dalston Junction, Haggerston, Shoreditch, and a large station called Broad Street.

Broad Street was once one of London's busiest stations. However, train use declined after World War II. The line closed on 30 June 1986. The land where Broad Street station was built became offices. The route north was kept but not used for a long time. The new Haggerston and Dalston Junction stations are near the old ones. Shoreditch High Street station is on a new path.

Line Extension

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.

Phase 1 Extension

The old line was extended north from Whitechapel. New stations were built at Shoreditch High Street, Hoxton, Haggerston, and Dalston Junction. This used new and old unused tracks. A further extension to Highbury & Islington opened in February 2011.

The line was also extended south. It connected to the Brighton Main Line near London Bridge. This part mostly used existing tracks. It runs south to West Croydon. It also has a branch to Crystal Palace.

Most of Phase 1 opened on 23 May 2010. It was expected that the number of passengers would increase a lot. Transport for London bought 20 new four-car Class 378 Capitalstar trains. These trains use a "third rail" for power.

The tracks and northern extension are owned by Transport for London (TfL). The stations from Dalston Junction to Surrey Quays are part of the London Overground.

Highbury & Islington Extension

The line was extended north to Highbury & Islington on 28 February 2011. This was earlier than planned. Eight trains per hour run on this part of the line during most of the day.

Phase 2 Extension

A further 6.7 miles (10.8 km) link opened in 2012. This part runs from south of Surrey Quays. It uses the South London line to Clapham Junction. It passes through stations like Queens Road Peckham and Peckham Rye.

A new station at Surrey Canal Road was planned. However, this was put on hold. The service from Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction started on 9 December 2012.

Longer Trains

To handle more passengers, the trains on the line have been made longer. They now have five cars instead of four. Some stations cannot be made longer. So, some trains use "selective door opening." This means not all doors open at every stop.

Train Service

The East London and South London line service is now called the Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace, and West Croydon route. Here is how often trains typically run during off-peak times:

A special night service runs on Fridays and Saturdays. It goes between Dalston Junction and New Cross Gate.

New Name for the Line

In July 2023, TfL announced that each of the six Overground services would get unique names. In February 2024, it was confirmed that the East London / South London section would be named the Windrush line. This name honors the Windrush generation of immigrants from the Caribbean. The line will be shown in red on the updated network map.

Images for kids

• 

  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

See also

In Spanish: East London Line para niños