Walthamstow Central station

Walthamstow Central

Walthamstow Central Location of Walthamstow Central in Greater London
Location	Walthamstow
Local authority	London Borough of Waltham Forest
Managed by	Greater Anglia London Underground
Owner	Network Rail London Underground
Station code	WHC
Number of platforms	4
Accessible	(National Rail only)
Fare zone	3
Interchange	Walthamstow Queen's Road
London Underground annual entry and exit
2007	13.743 million
2008	14.160 million
2009	13.437 million
National Rail annual entry and exit
2006–07	2.357 million
2007–08	2.205 million
2008–09	2.220 million
2009–10	2.220 million
1869	Opened (GER)
1968	Opened (Victoria line)
Lists of stations	DLR · Underground · National Rail · Tramlink
External links	Departures • Layout
	Facilities • Buses

Walthamstow Central is a London Underground and commuter rail station. It is the terminus of the Victoria line, and is on the Chingford branch of the London commuter rail network operated by Greater Anglia (commuter trains in northeast London originating at Liverpool Street). It is a short walk from London Overground railway station Walthamstow Queen's Road.

History

The station was opened by the Great Eastern Railway (as Hoe Street) in 1870 and London Underground services started on 1 September 1968. The up-side station building is a remarkably well preserved example of a mid-Victorian country station. The station's present name was only given when the Victoria line arrived.

The underground station, like many stations on the Victoria line, was never completely finished.^{[citation needed]} White ceiling panels were never fixed to the ceilings above the platforms; instead the steel tunnel segments were painted black and used to support the fixtures and fittings. This has had a detrimental effect on the lighting levels. There is a concrete stairway between the two escalators instead of a third escalator; this caused a hugely disruptive station closure for several weeks in 2004 when both escalators went out of service.^{[citation needed]}

The main entrance to the above-ground station is on the down side and is opposite the local bus station, which was revamped in summer 2004. There are three staffed ticket windows and a number of ticket machines to serve the majority of the traffic that enters the station. The entrance to the tube was revamped in early 2006. There is a smaller entrance and ticket office on the up line, providing convenient access to the car park; however, the ticket office here is normally unstaffed outside peak hours.

A subway was built in 2005 under the busy Selborne Road linking a new bus station with a new Victoria line ticket office. The original plan was to fit out and open the new subway and ticket office in spring 2005 but problems with insufficient power capacity to supply two new lifts, together with planning and contractual errors, delayed the opening.^{[citation needed]} The subway and ticket office were finally opened on 19 November 2007, albeit without the completion of the new lifts (completed in late 2008) and with unfinished building work.^{[citation needed]}

Ticket barriers control access to the Victoria line platforms but the Lea Valley Line platforms are open.

According to Transport for London, the construction of a footpath to nearby Walthamstow Queen's Road is in planning. The link will significantly shorten the walking time between the two stations.

Transport Link

London Bus routes 20, 34, 48, 58, 69, 97, 212, 215, 230, 257, 275, 357, W11, W12, W15, W19, School bus routes 675 and Night routes N26, N38 and N73.

Services

The typical off-peak service provided by Greater Anglia is:

• 4tph to Chingford
• 4tph to Liverpool Street (doesn't stop at London Fields, Cambridge Heath)

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Blackhorse Road towards Brixton		Victoria line		Terminus
National Rail
St James Street		Greater Anglia Lea Valley Lines		Wood Street

Gallery

Victoria line (London Underground)

• 

  North Victoria line platform looking West

• 

  South Victoria line platform looking East

• 

  Victoria line platform roundel

• 

  Victoria line platform motif by June Black, inspired by the designs of William Morris

Lea Valley Lines (Greater Anglia)

• 

  Walthamstow Central railway station viewed west from the A112 overbridge

• 

  Platforms looking westwards

• 

  Platforms looking eastwards

• 

  Original station building on the London-bound side

External links

• Train times and station information for Walthamstow Central station from National Rail