Chigwell is a London Underground station in the town of Chigwell in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located on the Hainault Loop of the Central line, between Grange Hill and Roding Valley stations.[6]

Chigwell London Underground
Entrance to Station Road
Chigwell is located in Essex
Chigwell
Chigwell
Location of Chigwell in Essex
LocationChigwell
Local authorityEpping Forest
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
Fare zone4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2018Decrease 0.48 million[1]
2019Increase 0.52 million[2]
2020Decrease 0.25 million[3]
2021Decrease 0.19 million[4]
2022Increase 0.31 million[5]
Railway companies
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon & North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 May 1903Opened (GER)
29 November 1947Closed (LNER)
21 November 1948Reopened (Central line)
Other information
External links
WGS8451°37′03″N 0°04′27″E / 51.61749°N 0.07421°E / 51.61749; 0.07421
 London transport portal

History edit

 
The station in 1984

The station was opened on 1 May 1903 by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) on its Woodford to Ilford line (the Fairlop Loop).[7] As a consequence of the 1921 Railways Act, the GER was merged with other railway companies in 1923 to become part of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER).

The Woodford to Ilford loop was largely integrated into the London Underground Central line as part of the London Passenger Transport Board's New Works Programme of 1935 - 1940, which saw an extension of electric tube services into north-east London. As part of this work the station closed on 29 November 1947.[7] Electric Underground trains served the station from 21 November 1948.[7]

From the mid-1960s until the early 1990s the Woodford-Hainault section was largely operated separately from the rest of the Central line, using four-car (later three-car) trains of 1960 Stock.[8] The three car units had a 1938 tube stock middle carriage. These trains were adapted for Automatic Train Operation (ATO): the Woodford-Hainault section became the testing ground for ATO on the Victoria line.[8] Some Victoria line (1967 Stock) trains were also used to operate this section[8] and named FACT, "Fully Automatic Controlled Train". The separate operation has now been abolished, the 1960 Stock has been withdrawn and through trains to Central London now operate via Hainault.[9] Because of this, it is normally quicker to travel to Woodford and change there,[8] as trains to central London run frequently from that point. At the buildup to the peak periods, some trains starting from Hainault depot operate to central London via Grange Hill, Chigwell, Roding Valley and Woodford.[9] This is done for operating convenience but passenger demand for these services is particularly high.

The station today edit

 
The tunnel between Chigwell and Grange Hill

The station went through refurbishment, which was completed in 2006.[10]

Services edit

In view of the rising passenger numbers, the train service on this branch was extended to midnight in 2006. (Previously it stopped at 20:00.) The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

At morning rush hour, there are three trains that run to West Ruislip.[11]

Preceding station   London Underground Following station
Grange Hill
towards Hainault
Central line
Hainault-Woodford
Roding Valley
towards Woodford
Historical railways
Grange Hill
Line and station open
  Great Eastern Railway
Woodford and Ilford line
  Woodford
Line and station open

Connections edit

London Bus routes 167 and school routes 667 serve the station.[12] Local Bus route 804 and Local School route 53 also serve the station.[citation needed]

Filming location edit

The station is used as a location in Mike Leigh's 1983 film Meantime.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  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. ^ Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Clive's Underground Line Guides, Central Line, Dates". Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  8. ^ a b c d Railfanning London's Railways - Central line
  9. ^ a b On the branch line…from Woodford to Hainault
  10. ^ "Station Refurbishment Summary" (PDF). London Underground Railway Society. July 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Central Line timetable changes". 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  12. ^ Chigwell Underground Station - Bus
  13. ^ "Meantime (1983 TV Movie) Filming & Production". IMDB.com. Retrieved 10 June 2021.

External links edit