Whitechapel station

Whitechapel is an interchange station in Whitechapel, East London for London Underground, London Overground and Elizabeth line services.<ref name="opening-es">Template:Cite news</ref> The station is located behind a street market of the same name and opposite Tower Hamlets Town Hall. The station was comprehensively rebuilt in the late 2010s and early 2020s as part of the Crossrail project.

The station lies between Aldgate East and Stepney Green stations on the District and Hammersmith & City lines of the Underground, and between Shoreditch High Street and Shadwell stations on the Windrush line of the Overground. To the west of Whitechapel, on the Elizabeth line, is Liverpool Street; to the east the line splits, with one branch heading towards Stratford and the other towards Canary Wharf. Whitechapel is in London fare zone 2.

History

The station in 1896, as "Whitechapel and Mile End"

East London Railway

Whitechapel station was originally opened in 1876 when the East London Railway (ELR, now the East London line) was extended north from Template:Stnlnk to Liverpool Street station. The ELR owned the tracks and stations but did not operate trains. From the beginning, various railway companies provided services through Whitechapel including the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR), Great Eastern Railway (GER) and the South Eastern Railway (SER).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

District Railway

On 6 October 1884, the District Railway (DR, now the District line) opened a new station adjacent to the deeper ELR station as the terminus of an extension from Template:Stl<ref name=culgdistrict>Template:Cite web</ref> (part of the extension also formed the final section of the Circle line<ref name=culgdistrict/><ref name=culgcircle>Template:Cite web</ref>). The new station was given the name "Whitechapel (Mile End)". The ELR passenger service between Whitechapel and Liverpool Street was withdrawn in 1885. The station received its present name on 13 November 1901.

On 1 February 1902, the DR station was temporarily closed for rebuilding. It reopened on 2 June 1902, when the DR opened the Whitechapel & Bow Railway, a joint venture with the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR).<ref name=culgdistrict/> The new extension ran eastwards to Bromley-by-Bow where it joined the LT&SR's tracks.<ref name=culgdistrict/> DR services then operated regularly to Template:Stl and as far as Southend-on-Sea in the summer.<ref name=culgdistrict/>

The DR tracks were electrified in 1905 and electric trains replaced steam trains.<ref name=culgdistrict/> Services going eastwards were cut back to the limit of electrification at East Ham; later they were re-extended to Barking in 1908, and to Upminster in 1932.<ref name=culgdistrict/><ref>Rose, Douglas, The London Underground: A diagrammatic history, (1999)</ref>

Metropolitan Railway

On 3 December 1906, the Metropolitan Railway (MR, which in 1933 became the Metropolitan line) extended its service to Whitechapel as the eastern terminus of its service.<ref name="culgh&c">Template:Cite web</ref> The MR also ran trains over the southern section of ELR via a connection (St Mary's Curve) between the DR tracks west of Whitechapel and the ELR tracks north of Shadwell station. When the tracks of the ELR were electrified in 1913, the MR ended services to the DR station and extended its ELR service through Whitechapel to Template:Stl (at that time the terminus of the line, but now closed). The change of service took place on 31 March 1913.

On 30 March 1936, the Metropolitan line began operating again through the District line station as far as Template:Stl.<ref name=culgh&c />

During the 1980s, London Transport considered converting the East London line into a light railway similar to the Docklands Light Railway, or restoring the then-disused connection to Liverpool Street reconnecting Whitechapel to Liverpool Street via Shoreditch.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Full citation needed<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The line had also become a line in its own right (though it was still grouped operationally with the Metropolitan line) and, from 1990, its colour on the map changed to orange. At the same time, the Hammersmith-Barking section of the Metropolitan line has also been operated separately as the Hammersmith & City line after it appeared as a completely separate line and its colour changed to pink on the tube map.<ref name=culgh&c />

On 25 March 1995, during the construction of the Jubilee Line Extension, the East London line was closed to allow repair works on the Thames Tunnel. General renovations and new signalling works were undertaken at the same time. The line reopened south from Whitechapel on 25 March 1998 and north from Whitechapel on 27 September 1998.

Throughout its life, Whitechapel has been used extensively as an eastern terminus; however, since the timetable change in December 2009, trains have reversed at Plaistow instead of Whitechapel. This is owing to operational changes related to the construction work to build one large island platform.

London Overground

In preparation for the extension of the East London line to Template:Stnlnk and Template:Stl, the line north of Whitechapel to Shoreditch was closed on 9 June 2006. Services to Shoreditch had previously been run during peak hours and Sunday mornings only; these were replaced by a bus link.

Work on the extension of the East London line commenced and the line was closed on 22 December 2007. It reopened on 27 April 2010 when tracks on a new alignment were connected to a disused North London line viaduct from Shoreditch to Dalston, making Whitechapel part of the London Overground network. Temporary bus services operated during the closure, of which rail replacement route ELW remained in service until the ELL fully opened on 23 May 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The southern extension of phase 1 from Template:Stnlnk to Template:Stnlnk and West Croydon was completed simultaneously with that to Dalston in 2010 and a full service began in May 2010.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

In early 2015, because there were no services running on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines between Edgware Road and Aldgate East/Tower Hill, a revised Circle line service operated between Edgware Road and Barking via Victoria. This occurred because of track drainage replacement and station works at Euston Square, Moorgate and Liverpool Street. It was the first time a regular Circle line service had called at Whitechapel.Template:Citation needed

Owing to Crossrail work that took place at Whitechapel station, Night Overground services initially did not stop at that station until works were complete.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From December 2019, Night Overground began to stop additionally at Whitechapel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Station rebuild as part of Crossrail

New station concourse at Whitechapel, following Crossrail rebuild of the station

In the 2010s and early 2020s, the station was comprehensively rebuilt as part of the Crossrail project.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The work was undertaken by a joint venture of Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Taylor Woodrow Construction.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The work involved restoring the historic station entrance, building a new station concourse and ticket hall above the Underground and Overground tracks, widening the sub-surface line platforms, and providing an intermediate concourse above the Overground tracks – as well as platforms and other infrastructure for Elizabeth line services.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Ten lifts provide step free access to all platforms, with three escalators providing access down to the Elizabeth line platforms.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> A new north-south, free public access route through the station is also provided, shortening journeys for local residents.<ref name=":0" />

Originally forecast in the early 2010s to cost £110m, the work at Whitechapel is estimated to have cost around £830m.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Crossrail CEO Mark Wild stated that Whitechapel was “one of the most challenging Elizabeth Line stations to construct”,<ref name=":1" /> with challenges including building the new concourse above live railway lines, as well as ensuring continued use of the station by passengers.<ref name=":2" /> A temporary ticket hall off Court Street maintained access into the station during the 5 year period that the main entrance was closed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" />

The revamped original entrance reopened on 23 August 2021.<ref name=":1" />

When opened on 24 May 2022,<ref name="opening-es"/> services initially ran between Paddington and Abbey Wood only. Since 6 November 2022, the line splits into two branches just east of the station: one towards Shenfield, joining the Great Eastern Main Line just south of Stratford, and the other continuing to Abbey Wood<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Elizabeth Line platforms lie to the north of the station, with access via escalators down from the intermediate concourse above the Overground tracks.

Bilingual signage

Bengali signage in the station

Whitechapel station has bilingual station signage, owing to the large Bengali community in the local area. In March 2022, station signs on the platforms bear "Whitechapel" and its equivalent "Template:Lang" in Bengali.<ref name=tha>Template:Cite news</ref> It is one of the relatively few stations in England to have bilingual signage, others being Southall (Punjabi), Wallsend (Latin), Hereford (Welsh), Moreton-in-Marsh (Japanese) and St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International (all French). Mayor of London Sadiq Khan stated that he was "delighted" that the signage was installed ahead of Bangladesh Independence Day on 26 March.<ref name=tha/> The installation was applauded by not only Bangladeshi diplomats but also Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Design

The Underground platforms after widening as part of the Crossrail rebuild

Eastbound Elizabeth line platform

Template:More citations needed section Whitechapel has the unusual situation where the District and Hammersmith & City line London Underground platforms are located above the Windrush line London Overground platforms.

District and Hammersmith & City lines

Underground over Overground: an eastbound Underground train departs from Whitechapel in 2012 over the northbound London Overground train.

The station used to have six platforms in open cuttings north of Whitechapel Road. The Hammersmith & City and District lines had two eastbound and two westbound (although trains could have reversed direction from any platform during times of disruption or engineering work). There was a siding beside platform 4 track accessed from the east side of the station which could accept a 6-car C or D stock train. There was another siding from platform 1 eastbound. This was of sufficient length and signalled to hold only a six car C stock train and when it was holding a train the platform (one) could only be used as a terminal, to reverse trains east to west, not as a through platform. The Windrush line (now part of London Overground) has one northbound and one southbound platform. They are sited at the eastern end of the station and are in a deeper cutting.

In September 2011 the track was permanently removed from platforms 2, 3, and 4. Platform 4 has been extended over the trackbed and westbound trains use the route of the old siding which has been connected to the main line at the western end to provide a through route. This platform is renumbered platform 2. Trailing crossovers are provided at each end of the station. The two island platforms were combined to form one large island platform with a central circulating area. A new double-ended centre reversing siding has been constructed beyond Template:Stl to compensate for the loss of reversing facilities from Whitechapel. Since December 2009 Hammersmith & City line trains have not been scheduled to reverse at Whitechapel. Outside peak hours they currently reverse alternately at Plaistow and Barking.

St Mary's Curve

The St Mary's curve connection between the District line track and the East London line<ref name=stmarycurve>Template:Cite web</ref> was used for passenger traffic until 1941, but was subsequently only used to transfer empty trains to and from the other sub-surface lines. The curve was often lit and could easily be seen from the left-hand side of East London line trains entering Whitechapel station from the south, prior to the refurbishment of the East London line that commenced in late December 2007. The points on the District line, connecting it to the curve, were removed in summer 2008. Just west of Whitechapel is the site of the former Template:Stl station, one of the many closed London Underground stations.<ref name=stmarycurve />

Artwork

In 1997, Vitreous enamel panels designed by Doug Patterson were installed on the East London line (now part of the London Overground) platforms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On the Elizabeth line platforms, colourful paper collages of local residents by Chantal Joffe have been recreated in aluminium. This work is titled "A Sunday afternoon in Whitechapel".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Services

Services at Whitechapel are operated by the Elizabeth line; the Windrush line of the London Overground; and the District and Hammersmith & City lines of the London Underground.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

Operator/line	Frequency to destination
London Underground District line<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Eastbound 3 tph to Template:Stn 12 tph to Template:Stn
	Westbound 3 tph to Template:Stn 6 tph to Template:Stn 6 tph to Template:Stn
London Underground Hammersmith & City line<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Eastbound 6 tph to Template:Stn
	Westbound 6 tph to Hammersmith
London Overground Windrush line<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Northbound 8 tph to Template:Stnlnk 8 tph to Template:Stn
	Southbound 4 tph to Template:Stnlnk 4 tph to Template:Stnlnk 4 tph to Template:Stn 4 tph to Template:Stnlnk
Elizabeth line<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>	Eastbound 8 tph to Template:Stnlnk 8 tph to Template:Stnlnk
	Westbound 6 tph to Template:Stn 4 tph to Template:Stnlnk 2 tph to Template:Stn 2 tph to Template:Stnlnk 2 tph to Template:Stnlnk

Connections

London Buses routes 25, 205, 254, D3 and night routes N25, N205 and N253 serve the station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 106 which displays Whitechapel as the destination and previously stopped outside the station entrance has been re-routed and terminates a 5 minute walk away in Cavell Street <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• London Transport Museum Photographic collection
  • Template:LTM archive
  • Template:LTM archive
  • Template:LTM archive
• Tube Professionals' Rumour Network – Track Diagram showing layout of station and St. Mary's curve
• Google Maps – Whitechapel station satellite view
• London Overground – Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays
• Whitechapel Station Images and Info