Limehouse station

This article is about the current Limehouse station. For the former station of the same name, see Limehouse railway station (1840-1926).

Limehouse
The Docklands Light Railway platforms at Limehouse, 2013
Limehouse Location of Limehouse in Greater London
Location	Limehouse
Local authority	London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Managed by	c2c Docklands Light Railway
Owner	Network Rail Docklands Light Railway
Station code	LHS
DfT category	E
Number of platforms	4
Accessible	Yes
Fare zone	2
DLR annual boardings and alightings
2007–08	5.768 million
2008–09	6.151 million
2010–11	6.314 million
National Rail annual entry and exit
2006–07	2.990 million
2007–08	2.480 million
2008–09	2.695 million
2009–10	2.571 million
2010–11	3.139 million
2011–12	3.358 million
2012–13	3.248 million
Railway companies
Original company	Commercial Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1840	Opened as Stepney by LBR
1850	LBER platforms opened
1923	Renamed Stepney East
1926	LBR platforms closed
11 May 1987	Renamed Limehouse
31 July 1987	DLR platforms opened
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
London Transport portal UK Railways portal

Limehouse is a National Rail and connected Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station in Limehouse, east London. It is served by main line services operated by c2c to and from Fenchurch Street, and by the DLR to and from Tower Gateway or Bank. On the main line, Limehouse is located 1 mile 55 chains (2.7 km) down-line from Fenchurch Street and the following station is West Ham; on the DLR it is between Shadwell and Westferry.

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 along the line. 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 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.

The station at this time was located to the west of the current site. 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. 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.

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.

Great Eastern Railway ownership (1866-1922)

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.

London Midland & Scottish Railway ownership (1923-1947)

On 1 January 1923 the Midland Railway became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) which took over operation of Stepney station.

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.

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 thisa 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)

Following nationalisation of Britain's railways in 1948, Stepney East transferred to the British Railways Midland Region, although on 20 February 1949 the station and line were transferred to the British Railways Eastern Region (yet despite these organisational changes, the old LTSR still was a distinctive system).

The route to Bow 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 South East, one of British Rail's three passenger business sectors, before being handed over to a business unit in preparation for privatisation.

Docklands Light Railway opens (1987)

On 31 July 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.

File:Limehouse Mk1.png

A DLR train arrives at Limehouse, 2002

The privatisation era (1994-present)

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. Prism was bought out by National Express who named the franchise c2c 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 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.

The 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, Tottenham South 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 on summer Sundays in 1890 and 1891.

The Limehouse Curve was last used on 5 November 1962, and 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.

Inside Limehouse station

The station holds Secure Stations Scheme accreditation, and bicycle racks 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 c2c; tickets can be retailed for National Rail services, the DLR and on Oyster card. 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.

The typical off-peak frequency of National Rail services is:

• 6 trains per hour to Fenchurch Street.
• 2 tph to Shoeburyness via Basildon.
• 2 tph to Grays via Rainham
• 2 tph to Southend Central via Ockendon.

The typical off-peak service frequency for the DLR is:

• 15 tph to Bank
• 9 tph to Lewisham
• 6 tph to Tower Gateway
• 6 tph to Beckton
• 6 tph to Woolwich Arsenal

Connections

London Buses routes 15, 115, 135 and D3 and night routes N15, N550 and N551 serve the station.

External links

• Limehouse on the DLR website
• Limehouse on the c2c website
• National Rail website - Limehouse on the National Rail website
• More photographs of the DLR station

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