Shoreditch tube station
East London tube terminus closes for good.
Article/photos © urban75 editor, 8-12th June 2006. Pics 1-5 by David Smith
Situated just off Brick Lane, Shoreditch tube station was the northern terminus of the East London Line, which, by the end, had just one passenger platform in use, with the single track running next to the disused Bishopsgate Goods Yard.
Opening in 1869, Shoreditch was originally a through station on the mainline East London Railway, connecting Liverpool Street to points south.
After the passenger service between Shoreditch and Liverpool Street was withdrawn in 1885, the line was swallowed up by the Metropolitan Railway and became part of the Underground network on 31 March 1913.
Through goods services from Liverpool Street lasted as late as April 1966, after which the track connection was cut as part of a scheme to improve access to Liverpool Street for other trains.
The station was temporarily closed from March 1995 to September 1998 during the renovation of the East London Line, and continued serving the public until closing permanently on 9 June 2006.
Lean times
Before its final closure, Shoreditch had the dubious honour of being one of the least used stations on the network (with only about 1,130 passengers a day).
With such low traffic, opening hours were limited to the early morning and late afternoon/early evening rush hours in the week, closed Saturday and open on Sunday mornings for the nearby Brick Lane Market.
The station was closed as part of the East London Line extension, and will be replaced by a new station nearby called Shoreditch High Street.
THE LAST TRAIN
BarryB was on the last train and wrote this on the
urban75 bulletin boards:
"I was on last train from Whitechapel to Shoreditch and then Shoreditch to Whitechapel. Supposed to leave Shoreditch at 9.30pm but went a bit later.
Earlier in the ticket office area there were speeches from Tube managers, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets and the Deputy Speaker of Hackney and finally an emotional farewell from the station staff.
Then we went outside and the main door was locked. We went back on the platform through a side door to catch the final train.
The stations two staff are being transferred to Aldgate station."
The attractive stone built booking office from the street.
Inside the wood-floored booking hall on the penultimate day of service.
Looking north to the severed link with the Liverpool Street line.
Tube train on the single platform. Single platform tube stations are quite rare - another example can be seen at the (now closed) Ongar terminus in Essex.
THE DAY AFTER CLOSURE
The light is still on but the station has closed forever. Note the black bunting.
View showing the boarded up windows and station entrance.
Reverse view.
For some reason, this cable connecting to the station has become a popular repository for old trainers!
Disused signal box to the south of the station.
A view of the general dereliction in the area.
Proposed extension of the East london line showing new Shoreditch High Street station.
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Shoreditch station
