Wapping railway station

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox London station Wapping is a station on the Windrush line of the London Overground, located on the northern bank of the River Thames in Wapping within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The station is between Template:Stnlnk and Template:Stnlnk stations, and is in London fare zone 2.<ref name="Baker 2007 loc=p. 22, section B1">Template:Harvnb</ref>

After temporary closures for remodelling, the station reopened for preview services on 27 April 2010 for services to Template:Stnlink and Template:Stnlnk, and from 23 May 2010 trains to and from New Cross Gate were extended to West Croydon and Template:Stnlnk.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

Construction

A 1908 Railway Clearing House map of lines in South East London, including the southern portion of the East London Line

The station occupies the north end of the former Thames foot tunnel built by Marc Isambard Brunel between 1825 and 1843, and subsequently adapted for railway traffic. Access to the station is by lift or a flight of stairs built into one of the original access shafts of the Thames Tunnel.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

London, Brighton and South Coast Railway

Locomotive exiting the Thames Tunnel and arriving at what is now Wapping station. Illustrated London News 8 January 1870.

The station was originally opened as the northern terminus of the East London Railway<ref name=Day>Template:Harvnb</ref> on 7 December 1869 as Wapping and Shadwell, and the station was renamed Wapping on 10 April 1876,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> when the line was extended northwards to Template:Stl,<ref name=Day /> via a new station at Template:Stnlnk. The earliest trains were provided by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, whose system connected with the line at Template:Stnlnk.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Day />

London Underground

Wapping station as it appeared in 2006 with London Underground branding. The entrance has since been moved from the corner to the front.

Underground trains of the Metropolitan and the District Railways first served the station on 1 October 1884,<ref name=Rose>Template:Harvnb</ref> but the station was last served by District trains on 31 July 1905.<ref name=Rose/><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

In 1980 a London Underground plan to extend the Jubilee line to Woolwich Arsenal and Beckton was approved by Parliament.Template:Sfn This included a station at Wapping between new stations at St Katharine Docks and Surrey Docks North, but was never built. The extension constructed in the 1990s followed a different route to the south of the River Thames.

The station was extensively remodelled between 1995 and 1998, when the entire East London line — including Wapping station — was closed due to repair work on the tunnels under the Thames. Vitreous enamel panels by Nick Hardcastle,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> showing the station and the area in former and modern times, were installed on the platforms.

London Overground

London Overground train at the northbound platform of Wapping station in 2015. The station's narrow and curved platforms have been identified as a safety hazard.

The East London line of the Underground closed on 22 December 2007, and reopened on 27 April 2010 when it became part of the new London Overground system. During this time the station was heavily refurbished.

The proposed extension of the East London line raised concerns that the station would have to be closed due to its platforms being too short (only four cars long) to accommodate the new rolling stock planned for the extended line (which could be six or eight cars long). The narrowness of the platforms was also a concern. The station does not fully meet the safety standards for an underground station but is permitted to operate under a derogation from His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite this, on 16 August 2004 then-Mayor of London Ken Livingstone announced that the station would remain open.<ref>East London Line Template:Webarchive</ref>

The station is served by National Rail London Overground services under the control of the London Rail division of Transport for London, however there is no standard red National Rail "double arrow" logo signage located at the station, instead only the Overground roundel.<ref name=design-signs>Template:Cite web</ref>

Services

Template:London Overground Windrush Line All times below are correct as of the December 2010 timetables.

London Overground

Windrush line

Wapping is served by the Windrush line of the London Overground. On Mondays to Saturdays there is a service every 5–10 minutes throughout the day, while on Sundays before 13:00 there is a service every 5–9 minutes, changing to every 7–8 minutes until the end of service after that.<ref>Template:NRtimes</ref> Current off peak frequency is:

• 8 northbound to Highbury & Islington
• 8 northbound to Template:Stnlnk
• 4 southbound to Template:Stnlnk via Template:Stnlnk
• 4 southbound to Template:Stnlnk via Template:Rws
• 4 southbound to Template:Stnlnk
• 4 southbound to West Croydon via Template:Rws

Connections

London Buses routes 100 and D3 serve the station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In popular culture

The Wapping railway station features in the 1967 film To Sir, with Love.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Bibliography

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