London Overground East London Line

London Overground East London Line is a Transport for London operated Overground line in London, England. Running between Highbury & Islington and New Cross, West Croydon, Crystal Palace and Clapham Junction, it runs north to south through the East, Docklands and South areas of London. It was previously a line of the London Underground.

History
7 December 1869: New Cross Gate (then New Cross) to Wapping opened, operated by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), with intermediate stations at Deptford Road (now Surrey Quays) and Rotherhithe.

13 March 1871: A spur opened from just south of what is now Surrey Quays station to the South London Line's Old Kent Road station. Passenger services were withdrawn from 1 June 1911 and freight last used the line in 1964; the track was subsequently removed. This alignment was relaid and restored to passenger service by London Overground in late 2012.

10 April 1876: Wapping to Shoreditch, through a cut-and-cover tunnel constructed in part along the bottom of an infilled dock. At Shoreditch a connection was made with the Great Eastern Railway to Liverpool Street. Intermediate stations were at Shadwell and Whitechapel.

1 April 1880: A spur to New Cross (South Eastern Railway) opened.

3 March 1884: A spur to the Metropolitan and Metropolitan District Railways opened south of Whitechapel using St Mary's Curve. This enabled Metropolitan Railway and Metropolitan District Railway (District) trains to commence through services to the East London Railway later that year. Although passenger services via this spur ceased in 1941, it was retained to transfer empty trains to the rest of the sub-surface network.

The line used Metropolitan line A60 and A62 sub-surface rolling stock built by Cravens of Sheffield in two batches between 1960 and 1962. It was upgraded in 1994 with improved suspension, lighting, heating and ventilation. The rolling stock was regularly interchanged with that used on the main Metropolitan line and usually carried both East London and Metropolitan line maps, but ELL trains were four-car units with a driving cab at each end, unlike Metropolitan line trains, which, aside from the Chesham shuttle, ran as eight-car trains. Metropolitan line trains were mostly two single-ended units coupled together with fully operational driving cabs at each end: the Met could use any ELL trains, but the ELL could use only double-ended units

Between 1985 and 1987, D78 stock operated the line before being replaced by A60 and A62 stock. During the 1970s the line was operated by 1938 Tube stock.

In December 2007, the London Underground route was withdrawn.

On 23 December 2007, temporary bus routes were in operation until 23 May 2010.

On 23 May 2010, brand new Class 378 Capitalstars were introduced as well as a new extension to Dalston Junction.

On 28 February 2011, the line was extended to Highbury & Islington.

In 2012, Extensions to West Croydon, Clapham Junction via Surrey Quays and Crystal Palace were introduced.

In December 2017, a 24-hour service between New Cross and Dalston Junction was introduced.

Current Route
The East London Line operates via these primary locations. Clapham Junction branch Crystal Palace and West Croydon branches
 * Highbury & Islington
 * Canonbury
 * Dalston Junction
 * Haggerston
 * Hoxton
 * Shoreditch High Street
 * Whitechapel
 * Shadwell
 * Wapping
 * Rotherhithe
 * Canada Water
 * Surrey Quays
 * New Cross
 * Queens Road Peckham
 * Peckham Rye
 * Denmark Hill
 * Clapham High Street
 * Wandsworth Road
 * Clapham Junction
 * New Cross Gate
 * Brockley
 * Honor Oak Park
 * Forest Hill
 * Sydenham
 * Penge West
 * Anerley
 * Norwood Junction
 * West Croydon