Limehouse station

The station was opened on 6 July 1840 by the Commercial Railway,[7] located in the parish of Stepney within the hamlet of Ratcliff. It was named Stepney, lying between Shadwell and a separate station called Limehouse,[7] located within the Limehouse parish. The initial train service operated between a temporary terminus at Minories and Blackwall until 2 August 1841 when Fenchurch Street 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.[8][9]

On 28 September 1850 an extension was opened from Stepney to Bow, to join the LBR with the Eastern Counties Railway (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 (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.[7]

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 report found a signaller's error the primary cause of the incident.[10]

In 1866 the Great Eastern Railway (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 in 1912.[11]

On 1 January 1923 the Midland Railway became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) which took over operation of the services to Southend and Tilbury.[12]

The GER became part of the London & North Eastern Railway on this date and the station was renamed Stepney East on 1 July 1923 to avoid confusion with the Stepney station in Yorkshire.[7][13]

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[7] 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).[14]

On 20 February 1949 the whole LTS line was transferred to the Eastern Region, yet despite the organisational changes, the old LTSR still was a distinctive system operated by former LTS and LMS locomotives until electrification.[15]

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.[16]

Between 1982 and 1992 the station was operated by Network SouthEast, one of British Rail's three passenger business sectors, before being handed over to a business unit in preparation for privatisation.

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;[7] the station had been renamed Limehouse on 11 May that year.[17]

The platforms were extended in 1991 to accommodate the DLR's new and longer two-carriage trains.

A DLR train arrives at Limehouse, 2002

In April 1994 Railtrack became responsible for the maintenance of the infrastructure at Limehouse station. Railtrack was succeeded by Network Rail 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.[18] Prism was bought out by National Express who named the franchise c2c in 2003 and continue to operate the station.[19]

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 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.[20]

National Rail services at Limehouse are operated by c2c using Class 357 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[22]

• 6 tph to London Fenchurch Street
• 2 tph to Shoeburyness via Basildon
• 2 tph to Grays via Rainham
• 2 tph to Southend Central via Ockendon

Additional services call at the station during the peak hours.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour from Limehouse is:[23]

• 6 tph to Tower Gateway
• 18 tph to Bank
• 6 tph to Beckton
• 6 tph to Woolwich Arsenal
• 12 tph to Lewisham via Canary Wharf

Additional services call at the station during the peak hours, increasing the total service to up to 30 tph in each direction.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
London Fenchurch Street		c2c London, Tilbury and Southend Line		West Ham
DLR
Shadwell towards Bank or Tower Gateway		Docklands Light Railway		Westferry towards Lewisham, Beckton or Woolwich Arsenal