Wapping Station (WPE)

Address: Wapping High Street, Wapping, London E1W 3PA
Opened: 7th December 1869
Station Code: WPE
Fare Zone: 2

London Overground Line(s) Served:

East London Line

Service Pattern(s):

8 trains per hour to Highbury & Islington
8 trains per hour to Dalston Junction
4 trains per hour to Clapham Junction
4 trains per hour to Crystal Palace
4 trains per hour to West Croydon
4 trains per hour to New Cross

Interchange(s)

None

Station History

The East London Railway Company, a consortium of six other railway companies, opened Wapping and Shadwell Station as the terminus of their new line to New Cross on 7th December 1869. From the start, services were operated by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, one of the consortium members.

The station remained as a terminus until the 10th April 1876 when the line was extended to Liverpool Street. At this time, the station was also renamed Wapping as a new station was provided to the north named Shadwell.

Two other consortium members, the Metropolitan and Metropolitan and District Railways began to serve the line and its stations on 1st October 1884 thanks to a new connection with their lines at Whitechapel.

Following the electrification of their lines, the District Railway ceased its services on the line on 31st July 1905, with the Metropolitan Railway suspending their service on 2nd December 1906.

The consortium behind the East London Railway agreed to fund the line’s electrification in 1910, with the first electric service operated by the Metropolitan Railway running on 31st March 1913.

Following the 1921 Railways Act, the grouping of the railways saw the Great Eastern absorbed into the London North Eastern Railway, which continued to operate the goods traffic on the line while the Metropolitan Railway continued the passenger service.

Ownership of the line and its stations passed to the Southern Railway in 1925, although the line was still leased to its operating consortium.

Upon the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the line and its stations came under London Transport control, being operated as the East London Branch of the Metropolitan Line.

Nationalisation of the Railways in 1948 saw goods traffic on the line transfer to British Railways, although London Underground continued to provide the passenger service. Goods traffic continued until April 1966.

Due to the deteriorating state of the Thames Tunnel the line and its stations were closed in 1995 to allow remedial works to be carried out. Wapping station was extensively remodelled and refurbished during this time, with the works being completed and the station reopening with the line in 1998.

With the desire to convert the line as part of the new London Overground network, it was closed in its entirety along with its stations on 22nd December 2007.

Following the conversion, the line and its stations were reopened as part of London Overground’s East London Line on 23rd May 2010 with services between Dalston Junction and Crystal Palace, New Cross and West Croydon.

The second phase of the new line, providing services to Clapham Junction was opened on 9th December 2012.