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Address: Bishopsgate, London EC2M 7PY
Opened: 1875
Station Code: LST
Fare Zone: 1

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London Overground Line(s) Served:

Lea Valley Lines (Cheshunt & Enfield Town Branches)

Service Pattern(s):

Four trains per hour to Chingford
Two trains per hour to Cheshunt
Two trains per hour to Enfield Town

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Interchange(s)

London Underground: Central/Circle/Hammersmith & City/Metropolitan Lines

Elizabeth Line

National Rail: Greater Anglia services & Stanstead Express

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Station History

Although the Eastern Counties Railway had run services into the local area to their terminus at Bishopsgate since July 1840, it was not until their takeover by the newly formed Great Eastern Railway in 1862, and the realisation that Bishopsgate was too small to serve the GER’s needs, that plans were drawn up for a new station.

Following the approval of the Great Eastern Railway (Metropolitan Station and Railways) Act 1864 construction of the new station and the lines serving it was commenced. The station, designed by Great Eastern engineer Edward Wilson was constructed by Lucas Brothers and partially opened to traffic in 1874 with suburban services being the first to call here.

The completed ten platform terminus was fully opened in 1875 with Bishopsgate station being closed at this time and converted for goods traffic. However, during the station’s first decade of operation, demand for services was far outstripping the provision of platforms so the GER acquired more land to the east of the station, and eight new platforms along with their tracks began construction in 1890, before opening for traffic in 1894.

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Liverpool Street (along with several other sites) was targeted by the first wave of German air raids. Three bombs hit the station, falling through the glass train shed roof with two exploding, killing 16 and seriously injuring 15 people.

Towards the end of the First World War, the station layout was modified with the addition of locomotive servicing and maintenance facilities, along with the introduction of colour light signalling, with the new facilities and associated services commencing in July 1920.

With the passing of the Railways Act 1921, Great Eastern Railway services were amalgamated with a number of other companies to form the London & North Eastern Railway, which commenced operation in 1923. This was followed by Nationalisation in 1948 which saw the LNER become part of British Railways (Eastern Region).

One of the last acts before Nationalisation saw the LNER commence electrification work on its lines, with the first part between the station and Stratford going live on 3 December 1946, followed by the full line (under British Railways) to Shenfield in September 1949. This was followed in November 1960 by electrification of the lines to Chingford and Enfield Town.

A scheme to demolish both Liverpool Street and neighbouring Broad Street and develop a new station was proposed by British Rail in 1975, but this was met with huge opposition from both local residents and businesses alike. British Rail heavily altered their plans, and planning permission was given for the amended scheme, with works starting in 1985.

The station was gradually demolished and rebuilt with a single underground concourse at the end of the platforms with entrances leading to both Liverpool Street itself and Bishopsgate. A bus interchange was also provided during the rebuild. The construction works were concluded, and the station officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 5 December 1991.

April 1993 saw an IRA bomb explode in Bishopsgate, causing approximately £250,000 worth of damage to the station leading to its temporary closure. Repairs were completed, and the station reopened on 26 April 1993.

The station has seen changes in its ownership in recent times, with Railtrack taking over management on 1 April 1994, before being succeeded by Network Rail (the current owner) in October 2002.

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Address: Three Colts Lane, Bethnal Green, London E2 6JL
Opened: 27 May 1872
Station Code: BET
Fare Zone: 2

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London Overground Line(s) Served:

Lea Valley Lines (Cheshunt & Enfield Town Branches)

Service Pattern(s):

Four trains per hour to London Liverpool Street
Two trains per hour to Cheshunt
Two trains per hour to Enfield Town

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Station History

Although a line from Romford to Spitalfields passing through the site was opened by the Eastern Counties Railway in July 1840, no station was provided at Bethnal Green.

Indeed, it was not until the Great Eastern Railway, who had taken over the ECR, opened Bethnal Green Junction station on their new lines from Bishopsgate (Low level) to Enfield Town in May 1872 and Chingford a month later.

This was altered on 1 November 1875 when the new GER terminus at Liverpool Street opened, and the low-level Bishopsgate station was closed.

On opening, Bethnal Green Junction consisted of four platforms with two each serving the Enfield/Chingford line and the Great Eastern Main Line toward Stratford. This arrangement lasted until 1891 when, via Parliamentary approval, another pair of tracks was added to the GEML, and the line’s platforms were moved to accommodate these.

In 1894, a further pair of tracks was added between Bethnal Green Junction and Hackney Downs, although these bypassed the existing platforms.

After a downturn in traffic, Bethnal Green Junction (along with Bishopsgate & Cambridge Heath) were proposed for closure during World War I. However, due to its location, Bethnal Green Junction was saved while the other two stations closed in 1916.

Following the passing of the Railways Act 1921, the GER lines were amalgamated with other companies to become the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923. The new company continued to operate services as is until, on 8 December 1946, stopping services on the GEML ceased and the platforms were closed with the London bound platform being demolished and the tracks rearranged. Also at this time, the station was renamed to Bethnal Green.

Nationalisation in 1948 saw the LNER become part of British Railways Eastern Region under whose ownership electrification of the Great Eastern Main Line to Chadwell Heath was accomplished in 1949, although the Hackney lines did not follow suit until operations commenced on 21 November 1960.

Operation under British Railways continued as normal, although the station received very little in the way of regular maintenance and upkeep, with the original station & platform buildings falling into a state of disrepair.

It was not until Network Southeast took over operation of the line and its stations in 1982 that this was rectified, with the platform structures being demolished and smaller brick structures built in their place between 1985 & 1986.

The final changes of ownership for the line and its stations occurred upon privatisation in 1994 when West Anglia Great Northern took the reins, followed by National Express East Anglia in April 2004, Abellio Greater Anglia in February 2012, and finally to current operator London Overground in May 2015.

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Address: Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 9EG
Opened: 27 May 1872
Station Code: CBH
Fare Zone: 2

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London Overground Line(s) Served:

Lea Valley Lines (Cheshunt & Enfield Town Branches)

Service Pattern(s):

Four trains per hour to London Liverpool Street
Two trains per hour to Cheshunt
Two trains per hour to Enfield Town

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Station History

Cambridge Heath station opened along with three others (Bethnal Green, London Fields & Hackney Downs) as part of the Great Eastern Railway‘s new, more direct line to Enfield Town on 27 May 1872.

On opening, the station consisted of two platforms with a station building on the eastern side of the viaduct.

Following a marked increase in passenger traffic, in 1984 the GER constructed two further lines on the viaduct and, although they passed through the station, no further platforms were added. To make way for the new lines, the existing station building was demolished and replaced with a new structure, again in the Eastern side, connected to the platforms utilizing a pedestrian tunnel.

As a wartime economy measure, Cambridge Heath (along with London Fields) was closed on 22 May 1916 and was not reopened until 5 May 1918.

Following the institution of The Railways Act in 1921, the railways were grouped into four companies, with the station and its line being placed under the ownership of the London & North Eastern Railway. This was followed on Nationalisation in 1948 by a move of ownership to British Railways Eastern Region.

Under British Railways ownership, preparation works to electrify the line began in 1958, with the station platforms being lengthened to accommodate nine carriage trains. Electrification works were completed and the new services commenced on 14 November 1960.

1980 saw a marked decline in passenger usage of the station and services were reduced to weekday peak operation only, with this lasting through the Network Southeast era (1986 – 1998) when, following privatisation, West Anglia Great Northern instituted a full weekday daytime timetable, followed by evening and Saturday services in 2001.

The current level of service through the station, including the reintroduction of Sunday services came about in 2005 after the franchise for the line had been passed from WAGN to National Express earlier the previous year.

The final changes of management regarding the station happened in October 2012 and May 2015 with Abellio Greater Anglia taking the reins before Arriva Rail London assumed operations under the London Overground banner.

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Address: Mentmore Terrace, Hackney, London E8 3PH
Opened: 27 May 1872
Station Code: LOF
Fare Zone: 2

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London Overground Line(s) Served:

Lea Valley Lines (Cheshunt & Enfield Town Branches)

Service Pattern(s):

Four trains per hour to London Liverpool Street
Two trains per hour to Cheshunt
Two trains per hour to Enfield Town

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Station History

London Fields Station was opened by the Great Eastern Railway on their line from Bethnal Green to Hackney Downs on 27 May 1872. The life of the station remained unremarkable and it was closed on 22 May 1916 as a wartime economy measure with the station not reopening, and the restarting of regular services, until 1 July 1919.

The Railways Act 1921 saw railway companies grouped together to form new entities, and the Great Eastern Railway, along with several other companies came together to form the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923.

This was followed in 1948 when Nationalisation saw the LNER form part of British Railways Eastern Region. It was under BR ownership that the station and the lines passing through it were electrified in the late 1950s, with electric train operation finally commencing on 21 November 1960.

1980 saw a marked decline in passenger usage of the station and services were reduced to weekday peak operation only, however, this didn’t last long as, in 1981 a fire seriously damaged the station buildings and led to all services being suspended for five years.

In 1986, now under the stewardship of Network Southeast following sectorisation of the railways, repairs were carried out and the station reopened operating a skeleton service. In fact, it wasn’t until 1998 that following the takeover of the line and its stations by West Anglia Great Northern Railways, the station regained a full weekday daytime service, followed by evenings and Saturday services in 2001.

The current level of service through the station, including the reintroduction of Sunday services came about in 2005 after the franchise for the line had been passed from WAGN to National Express earlier the previous year.

The final changes of management regarding the station happened in October 2012 and May 2015 with Abellio Greater Anglia taking the reins before Arriva Rail London assumed operations under the London Overground banner.

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Address: Dalston Lane, Hackney, London E8 1LA
Opened: 27 May 1872
Station Code: HAC
Fare Zone: 2

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London Overground Line(s) Served:

Lea Valley Lines (Chingford, Cheshunt & Enfield Town Branches)

Service Pattern(s):

Eight trains per hour to London Liverpool Street
Four trains per hour to Chingford
Two trains per hour to Cheshunt
Two trains per hour to Enfield Town

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Interchange(s)

London Overground North London Line from Hackney Central (via walkway)
National Rail (Greater Anglia) West Anglia Main Line

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Station History

Hackney Downs Junction was opened on the first part of their new line towards Stoke Newington and Enfield Town by the Great Eastern Railway on 27 May 1872. This was followed less than a month later by another line being opened between the station and Coppermill Junction, just south of Tottenham Hale, however, passenger services on both of these new lines did not commence until 1 August 1872 and November 1873 respectively.

Due to a marked increase in passenger traffic, the line between the station and Bethnal Green was increased from two to four tracks, and this led to Hackney Downs Station being extensively remodelled from the original two-platform layout to four platforms in 1894. This was followed two years later by the dropping of the Junction suffix from the station name.

Grouping of the railways in 1923 due to the Railways Act 1921 saw the Great Eastern Railway amalgamated with other companies to become part of the London & North Eastern Railway. Under this new ownership, the existing semaphore signalling on the line was replaced by three-aspect searchlight signals in 1935 allowing the closure of the South signal box.

Upon Nationalisation of the railways in 1948, the LNER was absorbed into the Eastern Region of British Railways. It was under this new ownership that electrification of the lines through the station was achieved in the late 1950s, although electric train operation did not commence until 21 November 1960. As part of this scheme, the remaining signal box at the station was demolished and replaced by a new structure located on platforms 2/3, opening in May 1960.

Nothing of note occurred at the station for the next 20 years when, in the early 1980s the original station ticket office was demolished, being replaced by the current example. Also at this time, the wooden roof of the island platform was removed and replaced with one constructed from metal sheeting. The roofs of the side platforms were left in their existing state except for the removal of their fascia boards.

Sectorisation of the railways in 1986 saw Hackney Downs become part of Network Southeast. This continued until the Railways Act 1993 saw operations transferred to West Anglia Great Northern in January 1997, before further changes saw the franchise awarded to National Express in 2004.

The final changes of management regarding the Lea Valley lines happened in October 2012 and May 2015 with Abellio Greater Anglia taking the reins before Arriva Rail London assumed operations under the London Overground brand.

Under the London Overground banner, the pedestrian link that once existed between the station and nearby Hackney Central, which had closed with the cessation of services through the later station in 1944, was reopened removing the need to exit each station and transfer along street level after Hackney Central was reopened in 1985.

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