South Woodford tube station

South Woodford
Western entrance on George Lane
South Woodford Location of South Woodford in Greater London
Location	South Woodford
Local authority	London Borough of Redbridge
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	2
Accessible	Yes (Eastbound only)
Fare zone	4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2011	4.39 million
2012	4.33 million
2013	4.59 million
2014	5.03 million
Railway companies
Original company	Eastern Counties Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London & North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1856	Opened
1947	Transfer to London Underground
1964	Goods yard closed
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
London Transport portal

South Woodford, originally George Lane, is a London Underground station in South Woodford of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is on the Epping branch of the Central line, between Snaresbrook and Woodford stations and is in Travelcard Zone 4.

History

Roundel on the eastbound platform, showing the old suffix.

The station opened as "George Lane" on 22 August 1856 as part of the Eastern Counties Railway branch to Loughton, which was eventually extended to Epping and Ongar in 1865. The station then formed part of the Great Eastern Railway's system until that company was merged into the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923. On 5 July 1937 the station was renamed "South Woodford (George Lane)".

The station was subsequently transferred to form part of London Underground's Central line on 14 December 1947 when Central line services were extended from Leytonstone to Woodford. 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. After transferring to London Underground the "(George Lane)" suffix fell out of use, though it remains on some roundel signs.

During the planning of the Victoria line, route options included a continuation of the line from Walthamstow Central to Woodford or South Woodford stations. However, in 1961, the decision was taken to build only as far as Walthamstow Central.

The station today

The station has two entrances, one on each side of the line. George Lane originally crossed the railway tracks with a level crossing immediately to the north of the station, but this was closed and the road split into two when the line was electrified. The footbridge can be used without a ticket, as unusually for stations on the Epping branch, the footbridge is outside the ticket gateline. The station has step-free access to and from the eastbound platform only.

Station improvements

The station underwent considerable renovations in 2006, 150 years after its first opening. Five new CCTV cameras were installed in the station underpass with the intention of improving security and in addition to the multi-million pound station refurbishment work being undertaken due to crime statistics showing South Woodford station having the highest record of violent crime in Redbridge and the underpass was seen as a security risk, particularly after dark. The rebuilding of the section of westbound platform damaged by fire was also completed and the paint scheme was a mix of white, blue and orange. However, the footbridge over the tracks at the east end hasn’t been repainted.

Services and connections

Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 3-7 minutes between 07:03 and 22:39 eastbound and between 06:22 and 22:19 westbound.

London Bus routes 179, 549, W12, W13 and W14, and night route N55 serve the station.

Notes and references

References

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Snaresbrook towards Ealing Broadway or West Ruislip		Central line Epping branch		Woodford towards Epping