Snaresbrook tube station

Snaresbrook is a London Underground station in the area of Snaresbrook in east London. It is on the Central line between Leytonstone and South Woodford stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 4.

Snaresbrook
Station entrance
Snaresbrook Location of Snaresbrook in Greater London
Location	Snaresbrook
Local authority	London Borough of Redbridge
Managed by	London Underground
Station code(s)	SNA[1]
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019	2.38 million[2]
2020	1.19 million[3]
2021	1.08 million[4]
2022	1.67 million[5]
2023	1.85 million[6]
Railway companies
Original company	Eastern Counties Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
22 August 1856 (1856-08-22)	Opened as Snaresbrook
1857	Renamed Snaresbrook for Wanstead
November 1898	Renamed Snaresbrook and Wanstead
1929	Renamed Snaresbrook for Wanstead
14 December 1947	Central line service introduced; renamed Snaresbrook
1949	Goods yard closed[7]
1970	Final British Rail service
Other information
External links	TfL station info page Departures Facilities
Coordinates	51.58083°N 0.02166°E / 51.58083; 0.02166
London transport portal

History

The station was opened by the Eastern Counties Railway on 22 August 1856 as part of their branch to Loughton which opened that day.^[10][11] Originally named Snaresbrook, the station was renamed several times: Snaresbrook for Wanstead in 1857; Snaresbrook and Wanstead in November 1898; Snaresbrook for Wanstead in 1929; and Snaresbrook on 14 December 1947.^[10] The station formed part of the Great Eastern Railway's system until that company amalgamated with other railways to create the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923. The station was subsequently transferred to form part of London Underground's Central line from 14 December 1947. This formed a part of the long planned, and delayed, Eastern Extension of the Central line that was part of the London Passenger Transport Board's "New Works Programme" of 1935–1940.

The station was partially reconstructed in 1893, the most notable feature being the provision of a bay platform that remained in use until transfer to the Underground.

The station is a fine survivor of a Victorian suburban station, with later additions, and includes a brick built station building as well as extensive cast iron and timber canopies to the platforms. A small secondary ticket office, serving the westbound platforms, was constructed in c.1948 but this is now unused. Also of note, dating from the same date, are the examples of the concrete roundels (some combined with lamp posts) found on the platforms.

In 2018, it was announced that the station would gain step-free access by 2023–24, as part of a £200m investment to increase the number of accessible stations on the Tube.^[12]

The station today

In addition to the main building, an alternative exit open at morning peak hours is available directly on the south side of Wanstead High Street, with another open all day on the north side of the same road accessible via footbridge running parallel to the railway.

Preceding station	London Underground			Following station
Leytonstone towards Ealing Broadway or West Ruislip		Central line		South Woodford towards Epping

Connections

London Buses route W14 serves the station.

References

1. "Station Codes" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
2. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
3. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
4. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
5. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
6. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
7. Hardy, Brian, ed. (March 2011). "How it used to be – freight on The Underground 50 years ago". Underground News (591). London Underground Railway Society: 175–183. ISSN 0306-8617.
8. "Station Codes" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
9. "Station Codes" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
10. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 214. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
11. Allen, Cecil J. (1956) [1955]. The Great Eastern Railway (2nd ed.). Hampton Court: Ian Allan. pp. 20, 216.
12. "Huge boost for accessibility as further 13 stations to go step-free". London City Hall. Retrieved 2 February 2018.

• London Underground Stations; David Leboff; Ian Allan; London; 1994