Limehouse is a
National Rail and connected
Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station in
Limehouse,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England. It is served by regional services operated by
to and from
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in London linking Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street in the west. It is a well-known thoroughfare in the City of London financial district and is the site of many corporate office ...
, and by light metro services provided by the DLR to and from
Tower Gateway
Tower Gateway is a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station in the City of London and is located near the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. It adjoins the tracks to Fenchurch Street station and is located on the site of a former station called Mino ...
or
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
. On the main line, Limehouse is located from Fenchurch Street and the following station is
West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...
; on the DLR it is between
Shadwell and
Westferry
Westferry is a station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), at the junction of Limehouse Causeway and Westferry Road in Limehouse in London Docklands, England. The station is located in Travelcard Zone 2. To the west is Limehouse station, w ...
in
Travelcard Zone 2.
The station was opened by the
Commercial Railway (later the London and Blackwall Railway) in 1840 with the name Stepney. At that time, the Commercial Railway had a
separate station named Limehouse one stop to the east. Stepney was renamed Stepney East in 1923, and in 1926 the other Limehouse station was closed. Stepney East adopted the current Limehouse name in 1987, just before the DLR opened.
History
Early history (1840–1866)
The station was opened on 6 July 1840 by the
Commercial Railway,
located in the parish of
Stepney within the hamlet of
Ratcliff. It was named Stepney, lying between
Shadwell and a separate station called
Limehouse,
located within the
Limehouse parish. The initial train service operated between a temporary terminus at
Minories
Minories ( ) is the name of a small former administrative unit, and also of a street in central London. Both the street and the former administrative area take their name from the Abbey of the Minoresses of St. Clare without Aldgate.
Both are ...
and
Blackwall until 2 August 1841 when
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in London linking Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street in the west. It is a well-known thoroughfare in the City of London financial district and is the site of many corporate office ...
opened; the Commercial Railway was then renamed the London and Blackwall Railway (LBR). The service was a rope-powered operation and it was not until 15 February 1849 that steam operation commenced.
On 28 September 1850 an extension was opened from Stepney to
Bow, to join the LBR with the
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English Rail transport, railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Great Yarmouth, Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on t ...
(ECR). Increasing congestion on the approaches to Fenchurch Street saw a third line proposed between Fenchurch Street and a junction at George Street (now called Boulcott Street). Discussions about a replacement started in 1853 but it was not until 1 April 1856 that plans were agreed by the LBR board.
In the meantime the
London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR), was a British railway company, whose network connected Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , T ...
(LTSR) was opened in 1854 operating trains via
Stratford railway station to Fenchurch Street.
The replacement (existing) station was constructed with a set of platforms (the present-day platforms 1 and 2) to serve the Bow route (as it was then) whilst two further platforms were constructed for the Blackwall line (the Docklands Light Railway platforms occupy this site). It opened on 30 March 1856.
In 1858 LTSR trains started operating on the direct route from Barking rather than via the congested Stratford route. Twenty people were injured in a minor collision at the station on 22 November 1861. A
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
report found a signaller's error the primary cause of the incident.
Great Eastern Railway ownership (1866–1922)
In 1866 the
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
(GER) took over the LBR on a long-lease and instigated a series of repairs and in 1869 provided improved signalling arrangements with a new signal box and interlocked signals and block working between adjacent signal boxes.
On 9 April 1871 a train from Bow ran through a signal and hit a Blackwall to Fenchurch Street train with the last coach being knocked off the viaduct and landing on a building below. A further accident in 1879 saw the Board of Trade inspector recommend the re-siting of the signal box which was duly provided in 1880.
With a frequent train service however Stepney was again the site of an accident in 1874 with 106 injuries, in 1889 where a LTSR locomotive derailed, and in 1892 where another LTSR locomotive was derailed but this time was hit by a GER locomotive killing the LTSR driver.
An improved building was provided on the down Bow platform in 1894. In 1895 the fourth line towards Fenchurch Street was opened which helped reduce the number of conflicting moves between trains and thus the risk of accidents. The GER further improved the station in 1900.
The LTSR became part of the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...
in 1912.
London & North Eastern Railway ownership (1923–1947)
On 1 January 1923 the Midland Railway became part of the
London Midland & Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...
(LMS) which took over operation of the services to Southend and Tilbury.
The GER became part of the
London & North Eastern Railway
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...
on this date and the station was renamed Stepney East on 1 July 1923 to avoid confusion with the
Stepney station in Yorkshire.
The LBR platforms were closed on 3 May 1926 as passenger services were withdrawn and all services were routed via the Bow platforms. A few goods trains used the Blackwall route but the LBR platforms were demolished in circa 1936
and the junction simplified. The signalling was improved at this time as part of a major re-signalling with colour light signals from Fenchurch Street to Gas Factory Junction (east of Stepney).
Railway nationalisation (1948–1994)
On 20 February 1949 the whole LTS line was transferred to the
Eastern Region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to:
* Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain
*Eastern Region, Ghana
*Eastern Region (Iceland)
*Eastern Region, Nepal
*Eastern Region, Nigeria
* Eastern Region, Serbia
* Eastern Region, Uganda
* Eastern Region of ...
, yet despite the organisational changes, the old LTSR still was a distinctive system operated by former LTS and LMS locomotives until electrification.
The route to Stratford via Bow Road was electrified in 1949 and it was at that time that the former GER suburban services ceased operating leaving Stepney East served only by trains to the former LTSR destinations. No public electric trains ran however until the old LTSR system was electrified in 1961–62 with full electric services commencing on 17 June 1962.
The junction to the Blackwall line was removed in 1952 although a siding remained on the viaduct (accessible from the Blackwall end) for scrap metal traffic from Regent Dock which finished in the old Blackwall platforms.
Between 1982 and 1992 the station was operated by
Network SouthEast, one of
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
's three passenger business sectors, before being handed over to a business unit in preparation for privatisation.
Docklands Light Railway opens (1987)
On 31 August 1987 the
Docklands Light Railway, which operated over the old LBR line, commenced operations, with new platforms (platforms 3 and 4) built on the site of the old LBR platforms;
the station had been renamed Limehouse on 11 May that year.
The platforms were extended in 1991 to accommodate the DLR's new and longer two-carriage trains.
The privatisation era (1994–present)
In April 1994
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from 1994 until 2002. It was created as part of the privatisation of ...
became responsible for the maintenance of the infrastructure at Limehouse station. Railtrack was succeeded by
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
in 2002.
In May 1996 the franchise for the London, Tilbury and Southend line was awarded to
Prism Rail by the
Director of Passenger Rail Franchising for a 15-year period with an average annual subsidy of £18.4 million. It began operating as LTS Rail on 26 May 1996. Prism was bought out by
National Express who named the franchise
in 2003 and continue to operate the station.
Since the opening of the DLR, Limehouse has become a well-used interchange for Essex and east London commuters who work in the
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lo ...
area, but the two viaducts remained separate, resulting in an awkward interchange between the DLR platforms and the National Rail platforms, as passengers had to pass down and then up flights of stairs. To remedy this, at least in part, a bridge was built to connect the westbound (London-bound) main line platform with the adjacent eastbound (Canary Wharf-bound) DLR platform. It was originally due for completion by the end of 2008, but was finally opened in November 2009. At the same time as the bridge was being built, other improvements were made, including readying the station for three-carriage operations on the DLR and the construction of an additional eastern entrance, with lifts and stairways for platform access.
Limehouse Curve
There was also a rail link on a curved viaduct to the east of the station known as the Limehouse Curve. This had opened on 5 April 1880 and was generally used for goods trains heading towards London's docks. There was a short-lived passenger train service between Blackwall and
Palace Gates (via
Stratford and
Seven Sisters) which operated from 1 September 1880 until 1 March 1881. Some special excursion trains also used the curve about this time running from Blackwall to
Southend and
Southminster
Southminster is a town and electoral ward on the Dengie Peninsula in the Maldon district of Essex in the East of England. It lies about north of Burnham-on-Crouch and south-east of Maldon; it is approximately east-north-east of London. To the ...
on summer Sundays in 1890 and 1891.
The Limehouse Curve was last used on 5 November 1962; on 10 May 1963 it was officially abandoned.
Design
Limehouse station is elevated on a pair of diverging viaducts, each carrying a pair of platforms – one pair for National Rail trains and one for the Docklands Light Railway. The National Rail platforms have one entrance accessed via a stairwell at the western end, while the DLR platforms have entrances at both the western and eastern ends, each equipped with stairwells and lifts. The westbound main line platform is connected to the eastbound DLR platform by a walkway bridge.
![London - Limehouse station - 3624](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/London_-_Limehouse_station_-_3624.jpg)
The station holds
Secure Stations Scheme
The Secure Stations Scheme is an accreditation scheme operated in the United Kingdom by the Department for Transport.
The scheme was started in 1998 and is open to the operators of any rail network policed by the British Transport Police
, ...
accreditation, and
bicycle rack The ambiguous term bicycle rack or bike rack may refer to:
*Bicycle carrier, a device attached to a vehicle (e.g., to a car or bus) to which bicycles can be mounted for transport
*Bicycle parking rack, a stationary fixture to which a bicycle can be ...
s are provided underneath the DLR platforms by the western entrance. The ticket office is located within the station building under the main line platforms, and is managed by
; tickets can be retailed for National Rail services, the DLR and on
Oyster card
The Oyster card is a payment method for public transport in London (and certain areas around it) in England, United Kingdom. A standard Oyster card is a blue credit-card-sized stored-value contactless smart card. It is promoted by Transport ...
. Additional automatic ticket machines for DLR and Oyster cards are located under the DLR platforms at the foot of the stairways. There are automatic ticket barriers to the National Rail platforms, but not the DLR, meaning the bridge between the two sets of platforms has its own set of barriers.
Services
Limehouse is situated in
London fare zone 2
Fare zone 2 is an inner zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services.
Ba ...
.
The typical off-peak frequency of National Rail services is:
Eastbound:
*2 tph to
Shoeburyness
Shoeburyness (; also called Shoebury) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. east of the city centre. It was an urban district of Essex from 1894 to 1933, when it ...
via
Basildon.
* 2 tph to
Grays via
Rainham
* 2 tph to
Southend Central via
Ockendon
Westbound
* 6 trains per hour to
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in London linking Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street in the west. It is a well-known thoroughfare in the City of London financial district and is the site of many corporate office ...
.
The typical off-peak service frequency for the DLR is:
Eastbound
*9 tph to
Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...
* 6 tph to
Beckton
Beckton is a suburb in east London, England, located east of Charing Cross and part of the London Borough of Newham. Adjacent to the River Thames, the area consisted of unpopulated marshland known as the East Ham Levels in the parishes of Bark ...
* 6 tph to
Woolwich Arsenal
Westbound
* 15 tph to
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
* 6 tph to
Tower Gateway
Tower Gateway is a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station in the City of London and is located near the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. It adjoins the tracks to Fenchurch Street station and is located on the site of a former station called Mino ...
Connections
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...
routes
15,
115 115 may refer to:
*115 (number), the number
*AD 115, a year in the 2nd century AD
*115 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
*115 (Hampshire Fortress) Corps Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, a unit in the UK Territorial Army
*115 (Leicestershire) Field ...
,
135 135 may refer to:
* 135 (number)
* AD 135
* 135 BC
* 135 film, better known as 35 mm film, is a format of photographic film used for still photography
*135 (New Jersey bus) 135 may refer to:
* 135 (number)
* AD 135
* 135 BC
* 135 film, better know ...
,
D3 and night routes
N15,
N550 and
N551 serve the station.
Notes
References
External links
Limehouse on the DLR websiteLimehouse on the c2c website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Limehouse Station
Docklands Light Railway stations in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Railway stations in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Former London and Blackwall Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1840
Railway stations served by c2c
Limehouse