Bethnal Green railway station

Bethnal Green
The station entrance in 2008
Bethnal Green Location of Bethnal Green in Greater London
Location	Bethnal Green
Local authority	Tower Hamlets
Managed by	London Overground
Station code	BET
DfT category	F1
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	2
National Rail annual entry and exit
2010–11	0.617 million[1]
2011–12	0.666 million[1]
2012–13	0.709 million[1]
2013–14	0.815 million[1]
2014–15	0.904 million[1]
Key dates
1872	Opened
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
WGS84	51°31′23″N 0°03′32″W / 51.523°N 0.059°WCoordinates: 51°31′23″N 0°03′32″W / 51.523°N 0.059°W
London Transport portal UK Railways portal

Bethnal Green is a London Overground station in Bethnal Green, London, England, on the Lea Valley Lines 1 mile 10 chains (1.8 km) down-line from London Liverpool Street; the next station down-line is either Hackney Downs (for services to and from Chingford) or Cambridge Heath (for services to and from Cheshunt and Enfield Town). Its three-letter station code is BET and it is in Travelcard zone 2.

The station was opened in 1872 and was formerly called Bethnal Green Junction until 1946:^[2] it was also formerly served by trains on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) via Stratford. The station is situated on Three Colts Lane and is within walking distance to Bethnal Green Road via Wilmot Street. It is some distance from Bethnal Green tube station on the London Underground.

History

In 1872 the Great Eastern Railway opened a new branch from Liverpool Street to Hackney Downs; to serve this line a new junction was built to the west of Cambridge Heath Road. Bethnal Green Junction station was constructed immediately to the west. It replaced a nearby station called Mile End (not to be confused with the current Underground station of the same name) which was located on the eastern side of Cambridge Heath Road. The new station served both of the Great Eastern Railway's routes and had four platforms.

In 1946 trains on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) between Liverpool Street and Stratford ceased calling at Bethnal Green and two platforms were closed, though the remains of the eastbound platform are still in situ and visible from the GEML. The London-bound platform was demolished and the tracks rearranged, coinciding with the swapping of services from the former "fast" tracks onto the former "slow" tracks, resulting in the arrangement utilised today.

The station and all services that call were previously operated by Abellio Greater Anglia as part of the East Anglia franchise. In 2015 it transferred to London Overground and now appears on the tube map.^[3][4]

Accidents and incidents

• On 4 September 1953, a passenger train derailed when a set of points moved under it.^[5]

Services

The following off-peak weekday services currently call at Bethnal Green:^[6]

Operator	Route	Rolling stock	Frequency
London Overground	London Liverpool Street - Bethnal Green - Cambridge Heath - London Fields - Hackney Downs - Rectory Road - Stoke Newington - Stamford Hill - Seven Sisters - Bruce Grove - White Hart Lane - Silver Street - Edmonton Green - Southbury - Turkey Street - Theobalds Grove - Cheshunt	Class 315, Class 317	2x per hour
London Overground	London Liverpool Street - Bethnal Green - Cambridge Heath - London Fields - Hackney Downs - Rectory Road - Stoke Newington - Stamford Hill - Seven Sisters - Bruce Grove - White Hart Lane - Silver Street - Edmonton Green - Bush Hill Park - Enfield Town	Class 315, Class 317	2x per hour
London Overground	London Liverpool Street - Bethnal Green - Hackney Downs - Clapton - St James Street - Walthamstow Central - Wood Street - Highams Park - Chingford	Class 315, Class 317	4x per hour

References

1. "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
2. Forgotten Stations of Greater London by J.E.Connor and B.Halford
3. TFL appoints London Overground operator to run additional services Transport for London 28 May 2014
4. TfL count on LOROL for support Rail Professional 28 May 2014
5. Hoole, Ken (1982). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 3. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 39. ISBN 0-906899-05-2.
6. Table 20 & 21 National Rail timetable, May 2016

External links

• Media related to Bethnal Green railway station at Wikimedia Commons

• Train times and station information for Bethnal Green railway station from National Rail