Transport for LondonEast London line facts
History
A section of the East London line is the oldest part of the London Underground. Sir Marc Brunel's twin tunnels, under the Thames, predate the world's first Underground railway, between Paddington and Farringdon Street, by 20 years.
Sir Marc Brunel's historic twin tunnels opened for pedestrians in 1843, but were later laid with rail tracks linking Wapping to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway at New Cross Gate in 1869.
The line was linked at Shoreditch to the Great Eastern Railway into Liverpool Street in 1876, and four years later the southern branch to New Cross was opened. When the line was electrified in 1913, the link into Liverpool Street was closed.
A section of the East London line is the oldest part of the London Underground
The East London line closed in 1995 for the refurbishment of the Grade II* listed Thames Tunnel between Wapping and Rotherhithe and the construction of a new station at Canada Water, built to interchange with the extended Jubilee Line.
The line reopened between Whitechapel and New Cross/New Cross Gate in March 1998, with the final section between Whitechapel and Shoreditch reopening in September 1998. The new Canada Water station opened in August 1999.
If you would like to discover more about the twin tunnels, The Brunel Engine House Museum (behind Rotherhithe tube station) tells the story of the engineering feat. The museum is open six days a week (closed Mondays) from 1pm to 5pm. Visit The Brunel Engine House Museum website or phone 020 7231 3840.
East London line extension
As part of Transport for London's £10bn Investment Programme, the East London Line is being extended. The new extended line will open in 2010 as the East London Railway
Shoreditch station was closed permanently in June 2006 to allow construction work for the extension to take place.
The line will continue to operate between Whitechapel and New Cross/ New Cross Gate until 22 December 2007. The line will then be closed to allow it to be converted in preparation for the new train service.
A replacement bus service currently operates between Whitechapel and Shoreditch (Bethnal Green Road) on Mondays to Fridays at peak times and also on Sunday mornings. Customers are also advised to use alternative Tube, DLR and bus services.
From the start of the full line closure, London Underground will provide special bus services until the new London Overground service begins by June 2010.
For further information about the line closure, visit the East London line closure site.
East London line facts
Number of passengers on the East London line
| Weekday | Saturday | Sunday | Annual (mil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34,113 | 20,160 | 17,338 | 10.702* |
*It is accurate to say that three million people travel on the Tube every week day. However, if the weekday totals for each line were added up, the sum total would be nearer to four million. This is because many passengers will use more than one line to complete a journey.
The current East London line is 8km (5 miles) in length and serves eight stations between Whitechapel to New Cross or New Cross Gate. The journey from Whitechapel to New Cross/New Cross Gate takes less than eight minutes. Six four-car trains are required to operate the peak period service on the line.
East London line management
Howard Collins is London Underground’s Service Director responsible for delivering train and station services to meet customers' requirements on the East London line.
The East London line's General Manager is Lance Ramsay. He is responsible for ensuring delivery of train and station services on the line on a day to day basis.
Under the London Underground Public Private Partnership (PPP), Metronet is responsible for the maintenance of the East London line until the existing line closes in December 2007.
Further information
If you wish to comment on the East London line services, or would like to know more about the line, please contact London Underground.
If you would like to know more about the East London line and replacement bus services, see the first and last East London line train and replacement bus times
