Whitechapel work prepares station for Crossrail boost

10 February 2016

Customers are reminded that due to Crossrail work taking place at Whitechapel station, there will be a partial closure of the East London line from Saturday 13 February through to Sunday 21 February.

Work is taking place to build a new modern transport hub ahead of the arrival of Crossrail services in 2018. The addition of Crossrail will be a huge boost for the area with up to 24 trains an hour, each carrying up to 1,500 passengers between Paddington and Whitechapel in peak times.

This will provide passengers with a frequent service to Heathrow, the West End and Canary Wharf, radically reducing journey times and boosting jobs and the local economy.

A significant amount of work has already taken place at Whitechapel to rebuild the station and create new tunnels for Crossrail, but while much of the work has been undertaken without the need to close the station, some service suspensions are now required as the worksite is directly above London Overground tracks.

Mike Stubbs, TfL's Director of London Overground, said: `We have worked closely with our colleagues at Crossrail Limited to ensure that the work impacts on as few journeys as possible and take place during a quieter period on the network, when many schools are on their half term break.'

London Overground services between Highbury & Islington and Shadwell and Surrey Quays to New Cross will not operate from Saturday 13 February to Sunday 21 February. There will also be no District line service between Tower Hill and Upminster and no Hammersmith & City line service between King's Cross St Pancras and Barking, on both Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 February to allow for the Crossrail work at Whitechapel. Rail replacement buses will be in operation.

For more information and travel advice about the London Overground part closure customers are advised to check the TfL website www.tfl.gov.uk/east-london-line-closure.

A new temporary station entrance was recently opened to accommodate work to make Whitechapel station step-free. The station was originally opened 140 years ago and all access to Tube and London Overground services is currently via stairs. Once the work is complete in late 2018, new lifts from street level to all train platforms will make the station fully accessible for customers wanting to use Crossrail, Tube or London Overground services. The ticket hall will also be refurbished and expanded with wider pathways and more ticket gates, giving customers a better, less crowded experience.
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Notes to editors:

  • The Crossrail route will serve 40 stations and run more than 100 km from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km (13 miles) tunnels below central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
  • When Crossrail opens it will increase central London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10 per cent, supporting regeneration and cutting journey times across the city. Services are due to commence through central London in 2018 and an estimated 200 million passengers will use Crossrail annually.
  • Crossrail is being delivered by Crossrail Limited (CRL). CRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.