Whitechapel Station (ZLW)

Address: Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BY
Opened: 10th April 1876
Station Code: ZLW
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)

District Line
Hammersmith & City Line
Elizabeth Line

Station History

This article refers to the London Overground Station. History of the London Underground station will be provided in a future article.

The East London Railway Company, a consortium of six other railway companies, opened Whitechapel Station on the extension of their line from Wapping to Liverpool Street on 10th April 1876. From the start, passenger services were operated by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, one of the consortium members.

Metropolitan Railway and Metropolitan District Railway services began to serve the station and the ELR line on 1st October 1884 thanks to a new connection from their lines via the St Marys curve.

The District Railway constructed a new Whitechapel (Mile End) station adjacent to the ELR as the terminus of their line from Mansion House opening on 6th October 1884, although the stations were not linked.

Following the electrification of their lines, the District Railway ceased its services on the ELR 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.

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 between 1995 and 1998 to allow remedial works to be carried out.

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.

As part of construction for the Elizabeth Line, Whitechapel was found to be in need of a major rebuild to accommodate the new services. As part of these works, the station buildings were closed and a temporary station entrance provided in Court Street.

The rebuilding works were completed, and the original station entrance reopened on 23rd August 2021, with Elizabeth Line services commencing on 24th May 2022.