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Bromley-by-Bow (/ˈbrɒmli baɪ ˈboʊ/) is a London Underground station located on the Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach in the Bromley-by-Bow neighbourhood of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, East London. It is on the District and Hammersmith & City lines, between Bow Road to the west and West Ham to the east. The station was opened as Bromley by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway on 31 March 1858 on a new more direct route from Fenchurch Street to Barking. The station was rebuilt to accommodate the electric District Railway services on an additional set of tracks in 1905. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the station was served by Great Eastern Railway and North London Railway trains. Metropolitan line service commenced in 1936. The Fenchurch Street–Southend British Railways service was withdrawn in 1962, leaving abandoned platforms. The station was renamed Bromley-by-Bow in 1967. It is in London fare zones 2 and 3.

History

The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) direct line between Bow and Barking was constructed through the parish of Bromley with service starting on 31 March 1858.[7] Prior to the building of the line, trains took a longer and more congested route via Stratford and Forest Gate.[8] The new line initially had stations at Bromley, Plaistow and East Ham.[9] The station building and the two platforms were located to the east of St Leonard’s Street.[10] Great Eastern Railway (GER) services from Fenchurch Street to North Woolwich started calling at Bromley from 1883.[11][a] From 18 May 1869, Bromley was served by North London Railway (NLR) services to Plaistow.[12][b] The station building was damaged by fire in December 1892.[13] The LTSR was already making plans to relocate the platforms to the west of St Leonard’s Street and to replace the station building, still on the east side of the road.[10] This was brought forward and the new station opened on 1 March 1894, with a second entrance to Devons Road opening soon after.[10] The site of the old platforms opened up land for a goods yard with access to the River Lea.[10]

The Whitechapel and Bow Railway opened on 2 June 1902 and allowed through services of the District Railway to operate to Upminster.[14] Service began at Bromley on 2 June 1902.[15] The District Railway was electrified over a second pair of tracks, with electric service operating from 30 September 1905. The District provided the majority of services at the station by 1912.[16] The LTSR was purchased by the Midland Railway (MR) in 1912.[17] The NLR Plaistow services were withdrawn on 1 January 1916.[12] The MR was amalgamated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) on 1 January 1923.[18] The District Railway was incorporated into London Transport in 1933, and became known as the District line.[19]

The eastern section of the District line was very overcrowded by the mid 1930s. In order to relieve this, the Metropolitan line service was extended to Barking.[20][c] Bromley was served by a single daily Metropolitan line train from Hammersmith from 30 March 1936. This was expanded from 4 May 1936 with an eight trains per hour service between Barking and Hammersmith at peak times.[21] This was increased to ten trains per hour at Bromley from 8 May 1938.[d] The Hammersmith service was swapped for longer Uxbridge trains from 17 July 1939, at eight trains per hour at peak times. This service was suspended on 6 October 1941 with Hammersmith trains again running to Barking.[22] GER services to North Woolwich, still operating at the outbreak of World War II in 1939, were suspended and were not restored.[23]

Black and white photograph of a four track station with an island and two side platforms. Behind the station building that is facing us in the background are a power station cooling tower and gasholders.
Looking east in 1961, the station layout is largely unchanged since 1905

After nationalisation of the railways in 1948, management of the station passed to British Railways.[24] The Fenchurch Street–Southend services were withdrawn on 14 June 1962 with the introduction of full overhead line electric service.[25] The station was renamed to Bromley-by-Bow on 18 May 1967.[26][e] On 1 January 1969 ownership transferred to the London Underground.[27][28] The 1894 main station building was damaged by fire on 20 February 1970.[29] The replacement building opened on 11 June 1972 on the opposite side of the road, which had been widened by the Greater London Council as the East Cross Route.[30][29] The second entrance on Devons Road closed on 26 April 1970.[31][32]

On 30 July 1990, the Hammersmith–Barking service of the Metropolitan line gained a separate identity as the Hammersmith & City line.[33] On 2 June 2008, an unexploded bomb from World War II was found to the northeast of the station, causing disruption to trains.[34] From 13 December 2009, off-peak Hammersmith & City line service was extended from Whitechapel to Barking with a daily all-day service at Bromley-by-Bow.[35] Funded by Tower Hamlets Council and the London Legacy Development Corporation, lifts providing step-free access to the platforms became operational in March 2018 and the station building was modernised with works completed in 2019.[36][37]

Design

Single storey station building with metal frame doors. A blue sign reads "Bromley-by-Bow Station". There is a concrete wall in the left foreground.
The 1972 station building prior to modernisation
Four-directional white painted metal supports for a roof with "LTSR" incorporated into the design.
‘LTSR’ detail canopy supports on the eastbound platform

The station consists of two operational platforms on an east–west alignment. Platform 2, the northernmost, is for eastbound service. Platform 1 is for westbound service.[38] The disused platforms of the Fenchurch Street to Southend services are to the south of the operational platforms.[39] A short section of eastbound platform canopy with ‘LTSR’ detail on the supports from the 1894 rebuild was moved from the earlier down platform in 1905.[40] The main station building on a raft over the tracks and the covered footbridge from 1972 were built by the London Transport Executive.[30][41] Dark bricks were used, similar to those found on the new stations of the Victoria line.[42] The 2019 modernisation by Hawkins\Brown included the addition of a double-height glazed atrium to the main station building, with a large roundel facing the road.[37][43] It follows the post-2015 London Underground design pallet of blue, black, white and grey.[44]

Location

The station is located on Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach in the Bromley-by-Bow neighbourhood of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is served by London Buses routes 323, 488 and D8.[45]

West Ham is 1.37 km (0.85 miles) to the east of the station and Bow Road is 1.01 km (0.63 miles) to the west. It is 5.23 km (3.25 miles) along the line from Tower Hill in Central London and 19.45 km (12.09 miles) from the eastern terminus at Upminster.[46]

Services

The station is managed by London Underground.[47] It is in London fare zones 2 and 3. The typical off-peak service from the station is twelve District line trains per hour to Upminster with a further three trains to Barking. There are fifteen trains westbound to Earl’s Court, of which six continue to Ealing Broadway, six continue to Richmond and three to Wimbledon.[46] At peak periods the number of trains per hour increases.[46] There are six Hammersmith & City line trains an hour to Barking and six to Hammersmith at all times.[48]

Services towards central London operate from approximately 05:15 to 00:15 services to Upminster operate from approximately 05:45 to 01:00.[49] The journey time to Upminster is approximately 28 minutes, to Barking 11 minutes and to Tower Hill in central London 12 minutes.[46] With 3.76 million entries and exits in 2024, it was ranked 156th busiest London Underground station.[6]

Preceding station London Underground Following station
Bow Road
towards Hammersmith
 Hammersmith & City line West Ham
towards Barking
Bow Road
towards Wimbledon, Richmond or Ealing Broadway
 District line
 West Ham
towards Upminster
Former services
Burdett Road   Great Eastern Railway
Fenchurch Street–North Woolwich 		  Canning Town
Bow   North London Railway
Bow–Plaistow 		  West Ham
Stepney East   Eastern Region of British Railways
London, Tilbury and Southend 		  Plaistow

In the BBC soap opera EastEnders the fictional Walford East tube station takes the place of Bromley-by-Bow on the version of the Tube map shown on the programme.[50]

Notes

  1. ^ GER trains initially did not stop at Bromley. They called there from 1883 until 1887 and again from 1891.[11]
  2. ^ The western terminus was Chalk Farm from 18 May 1869, Bow from 1 October 1871, Chalk Farm from 1 June 1877 and Bow from 1 February 1878.[12]
  3. ^ This was achieved by diverting Metropolitan line trains that had previously been routed onto the East London Line at Whitechapel.[20]
  4. ^ The two extra trains terminated at East Ham.[22]
  5. ^ Speculated by Connor to avoid confusion with stations in the London Borough of Bromley.[26]

References

Citations

  1. ^ “Step free Tube Guide” (PDF). Transport for London. April 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2025.
  2. ^ “Station Usage Data” (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  3. ^ “Station Usage Data” (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  4. ^ “Station Usage Data” (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  5. ^ “Station Usage Data” (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b “Station Usage Data” (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2024. Transport for London. 20 January 2026 [8 October 2025]. Archived from the original on 27 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  7. ^ Phillips, Charles (2024). The Great Eastern Railway, the Early History, 1811–1862 (1st ed.). Havertown: Pen & Sword Books Limited. ISBN 9781399024716.
  8. ^ Kay 1996, pp. 25–28.
  9. ^ Kay 1996, p. 26.
  10. ^ a b c d Kay 1997, p. 104.
  11. ^ a b Connor 1998, 76.
  12. ^ a b c Kay 1996, p. 41.
  13. ^ Connor 1998, 70.
  14. ^ Horne 2018, p. 167.
  15. ^ Rose, Douglas (1999). The London Underground: A diagrammatic history (7 ed.). Douglas Rose. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
  16. ^ Kay 1997, p. 117.
  17. ^ Kay 1997, pp. 128–130.
  18. ^ Acworth, W. M. (1923). “Grouping Under the Railways Act, 1921”. The Economic Journal. 33 (129): 21–22. doi:10.2307/2222914. ISSN 0013-0133. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  19. ^ Horne 2019, p. 353.
  20. ^ a b Horne 2006, p. 65.
  21. ^ Horne 2019, p. 354.
  22. ^ a b Horne 2006, p. 68.
  23. ^ “The North Woolwich Branch”. The Railway Magazine. Vol. 92, no. 563. 1946. pp. 174, 176.
  24. ^ Horne 2006, pp. 82–83.
  25. ^ Horne 2006, p. 82.
  26. ^ a b Connor 1998, 80.
  27. ^ Kay 2020, pp. 612–613.
  28. ^ “The Upminster Line” (PDF). Underground. 8 (90). London Underground Railway Society: 92–93. June 1969. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  29. ^ a b Connor 1998, 75.
  30. ^ a b “Station Improvements” (PDF). Underground. 11 (8). London Underground Railway Society: 114–115. August 1972. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  31. ^ Connor 1998, 74.
  32. ^ Kay 2019, p. 528.
  33. ^ “Salmon pink for new LUL line”. The Railway Magazine. Vol. 136, no. 1074. October 1990. p. 646.
  34. ^ “Wartime bomb find disrupts Tube”. BBC News. 2 June 2008. Archived from the original on 23 November 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  35. ^ “Review of the New Sub-Surface Railway Service Pattern Introduced on 13 December 2009” (PDF). Transport for London. 8 February 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  36. ^ Holden, Michael (15 March 2018). “Bromley-by-Bow becomes next tube station to become step-free”. RailAdvent. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  37. ^ a b Balakrishnan, Srinidhi (17 August 2023). “The history of Bromley-by-Bow tube station”. Tower Hamlets Slice. Archived from the original on 6 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  38. ^ Padgett, David; Kelman, Leanne (2024) [1994]. Munsey, Myles (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 5: Southern & TfL (5th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 44B. ISBN 1999627172.
  39. ^ Kelman, Leanne (2025) [1988]. Brailsford, Martyn (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 2: Eastern (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 4A. ISBN 9781999627188.
  40. ^ Kay 2012, pp. 47, 49.
  41. ^ Kay 2012, p. 49.
  42. ^ Menear 1985, p. 114.
  43. ^ “Bromley-by-Bow Station”. Hawkins/Brown. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  44. ^ “London Underground: Station Design Idiom” (PDF). Transport for London. p. 214. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  45. ^ “Buses from Bromley-by-Bow and Devons Road” (PDF). Transport for London. October 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  46. ^ a b c d “District line working timetable 156” (PDF). Transport for London. 12 January 2026. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
  47. ^ “Station list by line”. Transport of London. Archived from the original on 8 May 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  48. ^ “Circle and Hammersmith & City line working timetable 39” (PDF). Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  49. ^ “District line” (PDF). First and Last Trains. Transport for London. 12 January 2026. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
  50. ^ Barnett, Louisa (25 March 2005). “Eastenders visit was a dream come true”. Borehamwood and Elstree Times. p. 11. Archived from the original on 6 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.

Sources

  • Connor, J. E. (1998). Fenchurch Street to Barking. Middleton Press. ISBN 9781901706208.
  • Horne, Mike (2006). The District Line. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-292-5.
  • Horne, Mike (2018). London’s District Railway: A History of the Metropolitan District Railway Company. Twentieth Century. Volume one. Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 978-1854144256.
  • Horne, Mike (2019). London’s District Railway: A History of the Metropolitan District Railway Company. Twentieth Century. Volume two. Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85414-430-0.
  • Kay, Peter (1996). The London, Tilbury & Southend Railway: A History of the Company and Line Volume 1. Wivenhoe: P. Kay. ISBN 189-9-890106.
  • Kay, Peter (1997). The London, Tilbury & Southend Railway: A History of the Company and Line Volume 2. Wivenhoe: P. Kay. ISBN 189-9-89019X.
  • Kay, Peter (2012). London’s Railway Heritage: Volume One: East. P. Kay. ISBN 978-1899890453.
  • Kay, Peter (2019). The London, Tilbury & Southend Railway: A History of the Company and Line Volume 7. Wivenhoe: P. Kay. ISBN 978-1-899890-51-4.
  • Kay, Peter (2020). The London, Tilbury & Southend Railway: A History of the Company and Line Volume 8. Wivenhoe: P. Kay. ISBN 978-1-899890-52-1.
  • Menear, Laurence (1985). London’s underground stations: a social and architectural study (Repr ed.). London: Baton Transport. ISBN 0859361241.