Canning Town station

Canning Town is an interchange station located in Canning Town, London for London Underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Buses services.

Canning Town
Jubilee line platforms, with DLR platforms above
Canning Town Location of Canning Town in London Borough of Newham
Location	Canning Town
Local authority	London Borough of Newham
Managed by	London Underground London Buses
Owner	Transport for London
Number of platforms	6
Accessible	Yes[1]
Fare zone	2 and 3
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019	14.83 million[2]
2020	10.55 million[3]
2021	7.52 million[4]
2022	11.59 million[5]
2023	12.33 million[6]
DLR annual boardings and alightings
2019	13.568 million[7]
2020	10.786 million[8]
2021	13.622 million[9]
2022	included in Underground usage[10]
2023	included in Underground usage[11]
Key dates
14 June 1847	First station opened as Barking Road
1 July 1873	Renamed Canning Town
1888	Relocated
29 May 1994	Second station closed
29 October 1995	Third station opened
5 March 1998	DLR platforms to Beckton opened
14 May 1999	Jubilee line opened
2 December 2005	DLR started to King George V
9 December 2006	North London service withdrawn
31 August 2011	New DLR platforms open on Stratford International branch[12]
Other information
External links	TfL station info page
Coordinates	51.5140°N 0.0083°E / 51.5140; 0.0083
London transport portal

It is designed as an intermodal metro and bus station, fully opening in 1999 as part of the Jubilee Line Extension - replacing the original station site north of the A13.^[13]

On 11 November 2015, the Mayor of London announced that it would be rezoned to be on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 2 and Travelcard Zone 3.^[14]

Location

The interchange is on a north–south alignment, constrained by Bow Creek immediately to the west, Silvertown Way to the east, the A13 Canning Town Flyover (a major east–west road bridge crossing the Canning Town Roundabout at the throat of the station) to the north, and the River Thames to the south, while directly next to the River Lea.

History

The platforms in 1983 used by the Crosstown Linkline service

The first station, originally named Barking Road, was opened on 14 June 1847 by the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway on the south side of Barking Road^[15] in the Parish of West Ham. It was renamed Canning Town on 1 July 1873,^[16] and in 1888, this station was closed, being replaced by a new station on the north side of Barking Road^[17] (near Stephenson Street). The booking hall was replaced in the 1960s, and survived until 28 May 1994. The station was served by trains on the North London line to North Woolwich.

Jubilee Line Extension and Docklands Light Railway

In the late 1980s, plans for the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Beckton considered various options - either running directly east/west between Blackwall and Royal Victoria, or following the River Lea to call at Canning Town.^[18] In the early 1990s, the planned Jubilee Line Extension station on the site meant that the dedicated DLR station was not built, with a combined interchange station to be built instead.^[19][20] The DLR extension to Beckton began running through the future station site in March 1994.^[21][22]

The new station was built on the south side of the A13, designed by Troughton McAslan. The tiered design of the station placed the DLR platforms directly above the Jubilee line platforms allowing for easy interchange. A substantial bus station was also built as part of the station complex.^[13]

On 29 October 1995, the first part of the new station opened, serving the North London Line.^[13][23] The DLR platforms opened on 5 March 1998.^[23][24] With the opening of the Jubilee line platforms on 14 May 1999, the new station complex was complete and officially 'opened'.^[23][25]

The DLR branch to London City Airport opened on 2 December 2005. This branch diverges from the branch to Beckton 0.25 miles (0.40 km) south of the interchange, with trains from both branches serving the current platforms.^[22]

Stratford International DLR extension

The North London Line platforms closed on 9 December 2006 as part of the closure of the Stratford to North Woolwich section of the line. On 31 August 2011 these platforms re-opened on the new Stratford International branch of the Docklands Light Railway.^[12]

In October 2019, the station was hit by Extinction Rebellion (XR) protests, causing the suspension of services at rush hour. During the protest, two XR members climbed on top of a train, one appearing to kick commuters who were attempting to remove them.^[26] The protest ended when the protesters were grabbed by their ankles, dragged onto the platform and mobbed by the crowd.^[27]

Design

DLR platforms stacked above Jubilee line platforms

Designed by Troughton McAslan, the station is connected by an underground concourse stretching the width of the site and connected to all platforms and the bus station by escalators, stairs and lifts. The station is fully accessible, with step-free access throughout.^[13]

To the west of the complex two island platforms are one above the other. The lower level island platform (platforms 5 & 6) is served by the Jubilee line and the higher level island platform (platforms 3 &4) is served by the DLR branch to/from Poplar. To the east of the Jubilee platforms on the same level, an island platform (platforms 1 & 2) is served by the Stratford International branch of the DLR. This platform was formerly served by the North London line.^[28]

Adjacent to Silvertown Way, on the eastern side of the interchange is a bus station with seven stands, with an enclosed above-ground concourse with doors to the surrounding bus bays. The bus station is fully connected to the DLR and Underground platforms via the underground concourse.

As well as entrances onto Silvertown Way and Barking Road, an entrance facing Bow Creek allows access to London City Island via the Leamouth Lifting Footbridge, Bow Creek Ecology Park and the Limmo Peninsula. This entrance was built as part of the JLE project in the late 1990s, but opened in 2016.^[29]

Artwork

Carving commemorating the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company by Richard Kindersley

Carved into the walls of a station staircase, an artwork by Richard Kindersley commemorates the Thames Iron Works, which previously stood on the site.^[30][31] It was unveiled in February 1998 by then-Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, who grew up in the local area.^[32][33]

Services

London Underground

The typical off-peak London Underground (Jubilee line) service in trains per hour from Canning Town is:^[34]

• 24 tph to Stratford
• 4 tph to West Hampstead
• 4 tph to Willesden Green
• 4 tph to Wembley Park
• 12 tph to Stanmore

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

The Jubilee line also operates a night service on Friday and Saturday nights as part of the Night Tube with a 6 tph service between Stratford and Stanmore.^[35]

DLR

The typical off-peak DLR service in trains per hour from Canning Town is:^[36]

• 6 tph to Tower Gateway
• 6 tph to Bank
• 6 tph to Stratford International
• 12 tph to Beckton
• 12 tph to Woolwich Arsenal

Additional services call at the station during the peak hours, increasing the service to up to 16 tph to Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal and up to 8 tph to Tower Gateway, Bank and Stratford International.

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
North Greenwich towards Stanmore		Jubilee line		West Ham towards Stratford
DLR
East India towards Bank or Tower Gateway		Docklands Light Railway		Royal Victoria towards Beckton
Star Lane towards Stratford International				West Silvertown towards Woolwich Arsenal
	Disused railways
West Ham		Silverlink North London Line		Custom House
Stratford Market		British Rail Eastern Region Palace Gates Line

Connections

London Buses routes 5, 69, 115, 147, 300, 309, 323, 330, 474 and night routes N15, N550 and N551 serve the station.^[37]