Woodford tube station

Woodford
Station entrance
Woodford Location of Woodford in Greater London
Location	Woodford
Local authority	London Borough of Redbridge
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	3
Accessible	Yes [1]
Fare zone	4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2011	4.89 million[2]
2012	4.86 million[2]
2013	5.59 million[2]
2014	5.87 million[2]
Key dates
1856	Opened
18 April 1966	Goods yard closed[3]
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
London Transport portalCoordinates: 51°36′22″N 0°02′03″E / 51.606°N 0.0341°E

Woodford is a London Underground station in Woodford of the London Borough of Redbridge, North East London. The station is on the Central line, between South Woodford and Buckhurst Hill stations and is in Travelcard Zone 4.^[4] The station is also a terminus for services via the Hainault loop.

History

The station was originally opened on 22 August 1856 as part of the Eastern Counties Railway branch from Leyton to Loughton.^[5] Further alterations were carried out by the successor company, the Great Eastern Railway, including services to Ilford via the Fairlop Loop opened between Woodford and Newbury Park in 1903.^[5] After 1923 the station came under the control of the London & North Eastern Railway until transfer to the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) on 14 December 1947 as part of the extension of the Central line services of the London Underground. The station acted as a terminus of the Central line, with passengers transferring to a steam shuttle onwards towards Epping, where the LNER still had local freight services running between Epping and Loughton, and continued to Stratford (Liverpool Street on Sundays) until 5 October 1970.^[5] The extension was delayed by World War II and electric services commenced as far as Loughton (and around the 'loop' to Hainault) on 21 November 1948.^[5]

As part of the electrification carried out for the transfer to the LPTB the original level crossing at the station, where Snakes Lane crossed the line, was closed and a bridge, to the south, was constructed. The original goods yard, which was closed in the late 1960s,^[3] now forms the car park.

During the planning of the Victoria line, route options included a continuation of the line from Walthamstow Central to Woodford or South Woodford stations.^[6] However, in 1961, the decision was taken to build only as far as Walthamstow Central.^[7]

The station today

Bay platform looking north towards buffers, used by eastbound terminating trains from Central London. A westbound Central line train stands on the westbound platform on the left.

The main western entrance is located off The Broadway^[8] with access to the station car park. The eastern entrance is located on Snakes Lane East.^[8] This entrance is closed after 21:00 and intercom is used to ask staff to unlock the gates at other times if necessary.^[9] The ticket office on that entrance is also no longer in use. There are 3 platforms, one side and one island platform.

The station had gone through refurbishment works.^[10] The stanchions have been repainted in two-tone green with tactile strips work completed.^[10] Extensive PA and Help Points have been added with new public address system.^[10] An ‘owl’ has also appeared suspended from the girder.^[10]

Services and connections

Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 6–11 minutes between 05:22 and 00:49 eastbound to Epping,^[11] every 11–25 minutes between 06:48 and 23:37 to Hainault (and beyond)^[12] and every 5–10 minutes between 05:24 and 23:36 westbound.^[13]

London Bus routes 275, 549 and W14 serve the station.^[14]

References

1. "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2015.
2. "Multi-year station entry-and-exit figures" (XLS). London Underground station passenger usage data. Transport for London. June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
3. Hardy, Brian, ed. (March 2011). "How it used to be - freight on The Underground 50 years ago". Underground News (London Underground Railway Society) (591): 175–183. ISSN 0306-8617.
4. Transport for London (January 2016). Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 January 2015.
5. Clive's Underground Line Guides - Central line
6. "Public Passenger Transport, London". Hansard. 18 December 1963.
7. Horne, M.A.C. (1988). The Victoria Line: A short history. London: Douglas Rose. ISBN 978-1-870354-02-8.
8. Google Maps - Woodford Tube Station
9. "Avoiding stairs Tube guide" (PDF). Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 December 2014.
10. "Station Refurbishment Summary" (PDF). London Underground Railway Society. July 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
11. "Central line timetable: From Woodford Underground Station to Buckhurst Hill Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
12. "Central line timetable: From Woodford Underground Station to Roding Valley Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
13. "Central line timetable: From Woodford Underground Station to South Woodford Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
14. "Buses from Woodford" (PDF). Transport for London. January 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2015.