London and Blackwall Railway
Encyclopedia
Originally called the Commercial Railway, the London and Blackwall Railway was a railway line in east London
, England. It ran from the Minories
to Blackwall
via Stepney
, with a branch line to the Isle of Dogs
, thus connecting central London to many of London's docks in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was operational from 1840 until 1926 (for passengers) and 1968 (for goods services) - ultimately closing after the decline of inner London's docks. Much of its former infrastructure was later reused as part of the Docklands Light Railway
. The London and Blackwall was leased by the Great Eastern Railway
in 1866, but remained independent until absorbed into the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway
at the 1923 Grouping.
entitled "An Act for making a Railway from the Minories to Blackwall, with Branches, to be called "The Commercial Railway" dated 28 July 1836 in the reign of William IV
.
The engineer of the line was intended to be John Rennie
, but the project’s City
financiers favoured Robert Stephenson
, believing that they would also benefit from the knowledge and wisdom of his respected father George
. Although, because of the Act, Robert Stephenson had to follow Rennie’s route, and use the obscure track gauge of , he was free to choose his own method of propulsion. Drawing on his experience with the Camden Incline on the London and Birmingham Railway
he decided upon cable-haulage
from stationary steam engines.
The railway was carried on a brick arches as far as the West India Docks
, and then on an embankment, before entering a shallow cutting near the Blackwall terminus, which was at Brunswick Wharf. The station there had an iron-roofed shed, and offices designed in an Italianate style by William Tite
.
The line opened on 6 July 1840, and the company changed its name to the London and Blackwall Railway on completion of an extension to Fenchurch Street railway station
, just within the City boundary, in 1841. A line from Stepney (now called Limehouse
) linking it with the Eastern Counties Railway
at Bow
was opened in 1849, at which time the line was converted to steam locomotive operation, and the track converted
to . This was joined to the new London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
in 1858, allowing that company’s trains to run more directly into Fenchurch Street.
In 1852 the North London Railway
had linked up with the L&BR at Poplar, and Fenchurch Street also became the terminus for that line until Broad Street opened in 1865. In 1871 another branch line, the Millwall Extension Railway, opened from Millwall Junction to Millwall Docks
to serve the West India Docks
better. A year later the line was extended further to North Greenwich
, subsequently the site of the original Island Gardens DLR station
.
In 1893 the Fenchurch Street-Stepney line was widened to four tracks, but by the turn of the century traffic to Blackwall and the Isle of Dogs was dropping. Passenger services east of Stepney to North Greenwich and Blackwall were stopped on 3 May 1926, and the minor stations at Leman Street and Shadwell were closed in 1941. The junction at Stepney was disconnected in 1951, restricting access to the curve via Limehouse, but this itself was abandoned in 1963. Access for occasional goods services to Blackwall and North Greenwich via the North London Railway at Poplar continued until 1968, but with the closure of the docks the line was completely abandoned, leaving only the Fenchurch Street–Stepney section still in use, by the LT&SR.
When the Docklands Light Railway
opened in 1987, it reused much of the L&BR line between Minories and Westferry Road. Additionally, part of the viaduct at North Greenwich for the line to the original terminus between Mudchute DLR station
and Island Gardens survived and was used, though this section was demolished when the extension to Lewisham was constructed and those stations replaced with ones nearby but below ground.
As originally built the line was 3½ miles long, with double track. These were bi-directional and were operated independently of each other. Indeed, on the opening of the line only one track was complete and the other was not brought into use until one month later. Each track was provided with a double length of hemp
rope: as an engine was winding in from one end an equivalent length of rope was being paid out at the other. Fourteen miles of rope (with metal swivel
s inserted at intervals to resist entanglements) were therefore required in all. On journeys from the terminus cars were dispatched in two groups: the first group of four cars for the three most distant stations (the terminus stations, as the most important, received two cars per trip) and the second group destined for the three nearest. Each rearmost car was released (“slipped”) as the convoy passed through its destination station. When the extension to Fenchurch Street was brought into use the pair of cars for that station was slipped from the rope at Minories as before, but the brakes were not applied. Momentum carried them up the slight slope to the new platforms. “Slipping” and “pinning” (attaching) was controlled from an open platform at whichever end of a car was leading, using levers connected to iron grips beneath the carriage floor.
It was obviously dangerous to use the reverse method to pick up cars on journeys to the terminus, so all the cars were “pinned” to the cable at their respective stations and started simultaneously with the convoy departing from the terminus (the timing co-ordinated by an early example of the Cooke
-Wheatstone
electric telegraph). They arrived in the end station at intervals and a new train gradually assembled itself, with the pair of cars from the far terminus becoming the lead pair for the return trip. The timetable was very simple: a train every fifteen minutes.
Power was provided by eight marine steam engines from Maudslay, Sons and Field
, providing for four in use and four in maintenance. The Minories winding house had four at 110 h.p.
but the engines at Blackwall were only at 75 h.p. as the overall gradient of the line fell from the west, where it was built on brick arches, to the east.
The line was converted to use steam locomotive
s in 1848, partly because wear on the rope proved greater than anticipated (a steel-wire replacement had been tried but this twisted and kinked ferociously) and partly in consequence of the intended 1849 extensions. A light roof over the tracks was provided where they passed near to timber stores or shipping, because of the anticipated fire risk from locomotive sparks. It then became possible to travel directly between intermediate stations, without a detour by way of a terminus.
† = still open, served by c2c
Branch to Bow from Stepney, called the London and Blackwall Extension Railway (opened 1849, joint-operated with the Eastern Counties Railway
):
Branch to North Greenwich from Millwall Junction, called the Millwall Extension Railway:
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. It ran from the Minories
Minories
The Minories is the name of both an area and street in the City of London close to the Tower of London. The street called Minories runs north-south between Aldgate and Tower Hill underground stations...
to Blackwall
Blackwall, London
Blackwall is an area of the East End of London, situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the north bank of the River Thames.The district around Blackwall Stairs was known as Blackwall by at least the 14th century. This presumably derives from the colour of the river wall, constructed in...
via Stepney
Stepney
Stepney is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End that grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century ribbon development of Mile End Road...
, with a branch line to the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
, thus connecting central London to many of London's docks in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was operational from 1840 until 1926 (for passengers) and 1968 (for goods services) - ultimately closing after the decline of inner London's docks. Much of its former infrastructure was later reused as part of the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
. The London and Blackwall was leased by the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
in 1866, but remained independent until absorbed into the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
at the 1923 Grouping.
History
It was authorised by an Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
entitled "An Act for making a Railway from the Minories to Blackwall, with Branches, to be called "The Commercial Railway" dated 28 July 1836 in the reign of William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
.
The engineer of the line was intended to be John Rennie
John Rennie
-People:* John Rennie the Elder , engineer * Sir John Rennie the Younger , engineer * John Rennie , naval architect...
, but the project’s City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
financiers favoured Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS was an English civil engineer. He was the only son of George Stephenson, the famed locomotive builder and railway engineer; many of the achievements popularly credited to his father were actually the joint efforts of father and son.-Early life :He was born on the 16th of...
, believing that they would also benefit from the knowledge and wisdom of his respected father George
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
. Although, because of the Act, Robert Stephenson had to follow Rennie’s route, and use the obscure track gauge of , he was free to choose his own method of propulsion. Drawing on his experience with the Camden Incline on the London and Birmingham Railway
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
he decided upon cable-haulage
Cable car (railway)
A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required...
from stationary steam engines.
The railway was carried on a brick arches as far as the West India Docks
West India Docks
The West India Docks are a series of three docks on the Isle of Dogs in London, the first of which opened in 1802. The docks closed to commercial traffic in 1980 and the Canary Wharf development was built on the site.-History:...
, and then on an embankment, before entering a shallow cutting near the Blackwall terminus, which was at Brunswick Wharf. The station there had an iron-roofed shed, and offices designed in an Italianate style by William Tite
William Tite
Sir William Tite, CB was an English architect who served as President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was particularly associated with various London buildings, with railway stations and cemetery projects....
.
The line opened on 6 July 1840, and the company changed its name to the London and Blackwall Railway on completion of an extension to Fenchurch Street railway station
Fenchurch Street railway station
Fenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a central London railway terminus in the south eastern corner of the City of London, England. The station is one of the smallest terminals in London in terms of platforms and one of the most intensively operated...
, just within the City boundary, in 1841. A line from Stepney (now called Limehouse
Limehouse station
Limehouse station is a railway station located in the Limehouse district of east London. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2 and is served by Docklands Light Railway services and by National Rail services operated by c2c out of Fenchurch Street station...
) linking it with the Eastern Counties Railway
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
at Bow
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
was opened in 1849, at which time the line was converted to steam locomotive operation, and the track converted
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
to . This was joined to the new London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway is an English railway line linking Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London with northeast London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway area of southern Essex. It is currently known as the Essex Thameside Route by Network Rail...
in 1858, allowing that company’s trains to run more directly into Fenchurch Street.
In 1852 the North London Railway
North London Railway
The North London Railway was a railway company that opened lines connecting the north of London to the East and West India Docks. The main east to west route is now part the North London Line. Other lines operated by the company fell into disuse, but were later revived as part of the Docklands...
had linked up with the L&BR at Poplar, and Fenchurch Street also became the terminus for that line until Broad Street opened in 1865. In 1871 another branch line, the Millwall Extension Railway, opened from Millwall Junction to Millwall Docks
Millwall Docks railway station
Milwall Docks railway station was a railway station located in Millwall, Isle of Dogs, London. It was located between South Dock and North Greenwich on the Millwall Extension Railway branch of the London and Blackwall Railway...
to serve the West India Docks
West India Docks
The West India Docks are a series of three docks on the Isle of Dogs in London, the first of which opened in 1802. The docks closed to commercial traffic in 1980 and the Canary Wharf development was built on the site.-History:...
better. A year later the line was extended further to North Greenwich
North Greenwich railway station
North Greenwich was a railway station in Millwall, east London. It was located on the north side of the River Thames near Island Gardens, and is not to be confused with the modern-day North Greenwich tube station, which is located on the south side of the river, a mile downstream on the Greenwich...
, subsequently the site of the original Island Gardens DLR station
Island Gardens DLR station
Island Gardens DLR station is a Docklands Light Railway station on the Isle of Dogs, just north of the River Thames. It is in Travelcard Zone 2.The station is close to the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs and the River Thames...
.
In 1893 the Fenchurch Street-Stepney line was widened to four tracks, but by the turn of the century traffic to Blackwall and the Isle of Dogs was dropping. Passenger services east of Stepney to North Greenwich and Blackwall were stopped on 3 May 1926, and the minor stations at Leman Street and Shadwell were closed in 1941. The junction at Stepney was disconnected in 1951, restricting access to the curve via Limehouse, but this itself was abandoned in 1963. Access for occasional goods services to Blackwall and North Greenwich via the North London Railway at Poplar continued until 1968, but with the closure of the docks the line was completely abandoned, leaving only the Fenchurch Street–Stepney section still in use, by the LT&SR.
When the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
opened in 1987, it reused much of the L&BR line between Minories and Westferry Road. Additionally, part of the viaduct at North Greenwich for the line to the original terminus between Mudchute DLR station
Mudchute DLR station
Mudchute DLR station is a light rail station in London, on the Isle of Dogs near to Millwall Dock.It is on the Lewisham branch of the Docklands Light Railway and is in Travelcard Zone 2. The original station was on the route of the Millwall Extension Railway which was an old Victorian railway line...
and Island Gardens survived and was used, though this section was demolished when the extension to Lewisham was constructed and those stations replaced with ones nearby but below ground.
Cable haulage
Manila hemp
Manila hemp, also known as manilla, is a type of fiber obtained from the leaves of the abacá , a relative of the banana. It is mostly used for pulping for a range of uses, including speciality papers. It was once used mainly to make manila rope, but this is now of minor importance...
rope: as an engine was winding in from one end an equivalent length of rope was being paid out at the other. Fourteen miles of rope (with metal swivel
Swivel
A swivel is a connection that allows the connected object, such as a gun or chair, to rotate horizontally and/or vertically. A common design for a swivel is a cylindrical rod that can turn freely within a support structure. The rod is usually prevented from slipping out by a nut, washer or...
s inserted at intervals to resist entanglements) were therefore required in all. On journeys from the terminus cars were dispatched in two groups: the first group of four cars for the three most distant stations (the terminus stations, as the most important, received two cars per trip) and the second group destined for the three nearest. Each rearmost car was released (“slipped”) as the convoy passed through its destination station. When the extension to Fenchurch Street was brought into use the pair of cars for that station was slipped from the rope at Minories as before, but the brakes were not applied. Momentum carried them up the slight slope to the new platforms. “Slipping” and “pinning” (attaching) was controlled from an open platform at whichever end of a car was leading, using levers connected to iron grips beneath the carriage floor.
It was obviously dangerous to use the reverse method to pick up cars on journeys to the terminus, so all the cars were “pinned” to the cable at their respective stations and started simultaneously with the convoy departing from the terminus (the timing co-ordinated by an early example of the Cooke
William Fothergill Cooke
Sir William Fothergill Cooke was, with Charles Wheatstone, the co-inventor of the Cooke-Wheatstone electrical telegraph, which was patented in May 1837...
-Wheatstone
Charles Wheatstone
Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS , was an English scientist and inventor of many scientific breakthroughs of the Victorian era, including the English concertina, the stereoscope , and the Playfair cipher...
electric telegraph). They arrived in the end station at intervals and a new train gradually assembled itself, with the pair of cars from the far terminus becoming the lead pair for the return trip. The timetable was very simple: a train every fifteen minutes.
Power was provided by eight marine steam engines from Maudslay, Sons and Field
Henry Maudslay
Henry Maudslay was a British machine tool innovator, tool and die maker, and inventor. He is considered a founding father of machine tool technology.-Early life:...
, providing for four in use and four in maintenance. The Minories winding house had four at 110 h.p.
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
but the engines at Blackwall were only at 75 h.p. as the overall gradient of the line fell from the west, where it was built on brick arches, to the east.
The line was converted to use steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s in 1848, partly because wear on the rope proved greater than anticipated (a steel-wire replacement had been tried but this twisted and kinked ferociously) and partly in consequence of the intended 1849 extensions. A light roof over the tracks was provided where they passed near to timber stores or shipping, because of the anticipated fire risk from locomotive sparks. It then became possible to travel directly between intermediate stations, without a detour by way of a terminus.
Stations
The stations on the line were:| Station | Opened | Closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fenchurch Street Fenchurch Street railway station Fenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a central London railway terminus in the south eastern corner of the City of London, England. The station is one of the smallest terminals in London in terms of platforms and one of the most intensively operated... |
1854 | † | |
| Minories Minories railway station Minories railway station was a railway station located on the east side of Minories, near Tower Hill, London.It opened on 6 July 1840 as the City terminus for the London and Blackwall Railway . Minories was soon supplemented by a new station several hundred yards west, at Fenchurch Street, designed... (resited) |
1841 | 1853 | |
| Minories Minories railway station Minories railway station was a railway station located on the east side of Minories, near Tower Hill, London.It opened on 6 July 1840 as the City terminus for the London and Blackwall Railway . Minories was soon supplemented by a new station several hundred yards west, at Fenchurch Street, designed... (original) |
1840 | 1841 | Site used for Tower Gateway Tower Gateway DLR station Tower Gateway is a Docklands Light Railway station near the Tower of London. It is in Travelcard Zone 1. It adjoins the tracks to Fenchurch Street station and is on the site of the closed Minories railway station.... in 1987 |
| Leman Street Leman Street railway station Leman Street railway station was a station in the parish of Whitechapel in London, England. It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1877, on the main line from Fenchurch Street to Blackwall. It was closed as a wartime economy measure in 1916, reopened in 1919, and closed finally in 1941 along... |
1877 | 1941 | |
| Cannon Street Road Cannon Street Road railway station Cannon Street Road railway station was one of the stations on the London and Blackwall Railway, which first opened in 1842. It was open for just six years, before closing in 1848... |
1842 | 1848 | |
| Shadwell | 1840 | 1941 | |
| Stepney Limehouse station Limehouse station is a railway station located in the Limehouse district of east London. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2 and is served by Docklands Light Railway services and by National Rail services operated by c2c out of Fenchurch Street station... |
1840 | † | 1923 renamed Stepney East, 1987 renamed Limehouse |
| Limehouse Limehouse (L&BR) railway station Limehouse railway station was a railway station in Limehouse, London, on the London and Blackwall Railway .It opened on 6 July 1840 and was located on the junction of Bate Street and Three Colt Street, between Stepney station and West India Docks station. It closed on 3 May 1926... |
1840 | 1926 | not to be confused with the above |
| West India Docks West India Docks railway station West India Docks railway station was a railway station in the north of the Isle of Dogs, London, on the London and Blackwall Railway, between Limehouse and Millwall Junction stations... |
1840 | 1926 | |
| Millwall Junction Millwall Junction railway station Millwall Junction railway station was a railway station in Poplar, London, on the London and Blackwall Railway. Despite the name, it wasn't actually in Millwall, but rather marked where the L&BR southern branch to Millwall and North Greenwich, which served the West India Docks left the main line... |
1871 | 1926 | |
| Poplar Poplar railway station Poplar railway station was a railway station in Poplar, London that was on the London and Blackwall Railway between Millwall Junction and Blackwall.... |
1840 | 1926 | not to be confused with Poplar DLR station Poplar DLR station Poplar is a station on the Docklands Light Railway in Travelcard Zone 2. It is served by three of the six regular routes on the DLR making it one of the busiest stations on the network in terms of services.-History:Long before the opening of the DLR in 1987, there had been three stations with the... |
| Blackwall Blackwall railway station Blackwall railway station was a railway station in Blackwall, London, that served as the eastern terminus of the London and Blackwall Railway. It was located on the south side of the East India Docks, near the shore of the River Thames. It opened on 6 July 1840 with services connecting with a ferry... |
1840 | 1926 | not to be confused with Blackwall DLR station Blackwall DLR station Blackwall is a station on Docklands Light Railway in east London. The station is close to the northern entry to the Blackwall road tunnel under the Thames.... |
† = still open, served by c2c
C2c
c2c is a British train operating company that is part of the National Express Group. It provides passenger rail services on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line from Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London to east London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway...
Branch to Bow from Stepney, called the London and Blackwall Extension Railway (opened 1849, joint-operated with the Eastern Counties Railway
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
):
- Burdett RoadBurdett Road railway stationBurdett Road railway station was a railway station on Burdett Road, Mile End, London.It was located on the London and Blackwall Extension Railway which linked the London and Blackwall Railway from Fenchurch Street at Stepney with the Eastern Counties Railway and London, Tilbury and Southend...
(opened 1871, closed 1941) - Bow RoadBow Road railway stationBow Road railway station was in Bow, London on the opposite side of Bow Road from Bow Road tube station.It was opened on the south side of Bow Road in 1876 by the Great Eastern Railway, between Stratford station and the now closed Burdett Road station. It was resited in 1892 to the north side of...
(opened 1892, closed 1949) - Victoria Park & Bow (opened 1849, closed 1850, interchange with Eastern Counties RailwayEastern Counties RailwayThe Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
- not to be confused with Victoria Park or BowBow railway stationBow railway station was a railway station in Bow, London on the North London Railway, between Old Ford and South Bromley. It was situated on the north side of Bow Road, very close to Bow Road railway station, which is now also closed....
stations)
Branch to North Greenwich from Millwall Junction, called the Millwall Extension Railway:
- South DockSouth Dock railway stationSouth Dock railway station was a station in the Isle of Dogs, east London. It was between Millwall Junction and Millwall Docks stations on the Millwall Extension Railway branch of the London and Blackwall Railway which opened to goods traffic on 18 December 1871and to passengers on 29 July 1872...
(opened 1871, closed 1926) - Millwall DocksMillwall Docks railway stationMilwall Docks railway station was a railway station located in Millwall, Isle of Dogs, London. It was located between South Dock and North Greenwich on the Millwall Extension Railway branch of the London and Blackwall Railway...
(opened 1871, closed 1926) - North GreenwichNorth Greenwich railway stationNorth Greenwich was a railway station in Millwall, east London. It was located on the north side of the River Thames near Island Gardens, and is not to be confused with the modern-day North Greenwich tube station, which is located on the south side of the river, a mile downstream on the Greenwich...
(opened 1871, closed 1926; not to be confused with North Greenwich tube stationNorth Greenwich tube stationNorth Greenwich is a station on London Underground's Jubilee Line, opened on 14 May 1999.Despite its name, North Greenwich is not in the area historically known as North Greenwich, on the Isle of Dogs, north of the river; an entirely different station used to be there, between 1872 and 1926...
)