Hackney Downs railway station facts for kids
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Hackney Downs in December 2017
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| Location | Hackney Central |
|---|---|
| Local authority | London Borough of Hackney |
| Managed by | London Overground |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Station code | HAC |
| DfT category | C2 |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| Fare zone | 2 |
| OSI | Hackney Central  |
| Key dates | |
| 27 May 1872 | Opened as Hackney Downs Junction |
| 1896 | Renamed Hackney Downs |
| Other information | |
| Lists of stations | |
| Other websites |
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Hackney Downs is a busy train station in Hackney Central, London. It's an important stop for both London Overground and National Rail services. The station is located near the old common land of Hackney Downs in Lower Clapton, within the London Borough of Hackney. It sits on the Lea Valley lines and the West Anglia Main Line.
Hackney Downs is about 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) from London Liverpool Street. It also has a special walkway that connects directly to Hackney Central railway station, making it easy to switch to the North London line of the Overground network.
For London Overground trains on the Lea Valley Lines, Hackney Downs is between London Fields and either Clapton (on the Chingford branch) or Rectory Road (on the Cheshunt/Enfield Town branch). Main line trains, run by Greater Anglia, stop here between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale. The station's special code is HAC, and it's in London fare zone 2.
This station was first called Hackney Downs Junction when it opened in 1872, but its name was shortened to Hackney Downs in 1896.
Contents
A Journey Through Time: Station History
Early Days: Great Eastern Railway (1872-1922)
Hackney Downs station first opened its doors on 27 May 1872. It was part of a new plan by the Great Eastern Railway to connect London with its growing suburbs in the northeast, like Enfield Town. This new line offered faster journeys for people traveling to Enfield.
Soon after, another line opened in June 1872, linking Hackney Downs to Coppermill Junction near Tottenham Hale. This helped reduce travel times to places like Cambridge and Walthamstow and eased train traffic at Stratford railway station. The line to Edmonton opened in August 1872, and the Chingford line followed in November 1873. When it first opened, the station had two platforms.
In 1894, the railway line between Bethnal Green and Hackney Downs was expanded from two tracks to four. This led to a big change at the station, which was rebuilt to have four platforms.
New Era: London & North Eastern Railway (1923-1947)
In 1923, many railway companies in the UK joined together to form larger groups. The London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) took over the services at Hackney Downs. In 1935, the old-fashioned semaphore signals were replaced with newer, more advanced searchlight signals that could show three different colors (green, yellow, or red). Around this time, people also started talking about electrifying the train lines through Hackney, though it would take many years for this to happen.
Modern Changes: British Railways (1948-1994)
After World War II, in 1948, the country's railways became owned by the government, and the station was managed by British Railways.
A big change happened in the late 1950s when the train lines through Hackney were finally electrified. Electric trains started running on 21 November 1960. The original signal box from 1872 was replaced with a new one in May 1960.
In the early 1980s, the station's ticket hall was rebuilt, and the roofs over the platforms were updated. A new railway line was also opened in 1986 to connect the North London Line with other tracks just south of Hackney Downs. This allowed trains from Watford to travel to Liverpool Street.
Today's Station: The Privatisation Era (1994-Present)
In May 2001, the signal box that had been installed in 1960 was closed. All the signaling for the line was then controlled from a central location at Liverpool Street. Ticket barriers were put in place at the station in 2011 to help manage passenger flow.
A really useful pedestrian walkway connecting Hackney Downs and Hackney Central stations was reopened in 2015 by London Overground Rail Operations. There had been a connection before, but it closed in 1944. When Hackney Central reopened in 1985, people had to walk along the street to change trains. The new link made transfers much easier!
The Lea Valley Lines services, which include Hackney Downs, were previously run by Abellio Greater Anglia. However, in 2015, these services transferred to London Overground. Some trains on the West Anglia Main Line still continue to stop at Hackney Downs.
What Trains Stop Here?
Hackney Downs is a busy station with many trains passing through. Here's a look at how often trains usually run (tph means "trains per hour"):
| Operator/line | How Often Trains Run |
|---|---|
| London Overground | 8 tph to London Liverpool Street 2 tph to Cheshunt 2 tph to Enfield Town 4 tph to Chingford |
| Greater Anglia | 2 tph to London Liverpool Street 2 tph to Hertford East |
During busy weekday mornings and evenings (peak hours), even more trains stop at the station.
On Sundays, Greater Anglia trains run once an hour. These trains travel beyond Broxbourne on the main West Anglia Main Line, going through Harlow Town all the way to Cambridge North. This is different from the usual weekday service to Hertford East, which runs every half hour (and goes to or from Stratford instead).
Getting Around: Connections
You can easily connect to other parts of London from Hackney Downs station. London Buses routes 30, 56, and 276 all stop at the station.
