Leyton Midland Road railway station

Leyton Midland Road is a London Overground station in Leyton of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, 9 miles 18 chains (14.8 km) down the line from Gospel Oak and situated between Walthamstow Queen's Road and Leytonstone High Road stations in Travelcard Zone 3.[3]

"Leyton railway station" redirects here. For the London Underground station, see Leyton tube station.

Leyton Midland Road
A temporary ticket office near the station entrance in 2008
Leyton Midland Road
Location of Leyton Midland Road in Greater London
LocationLeyton
Local authorityWaltham Forest
Managed byLondon Overground
OwnerNetwork Rail
Station codeLEM
DfT categoryE
Number of platforms2
Fare zone3
National Rail annual entry and exit
2015–16 1.340 million[1]
2016–17 0.287 million[1]
2017–18 0.795 million[1]
2018–19 1.178 million[1]
2019–20 1.014 million[1]
Key dates
9 July 1894Opened as "Leyton"
1 May 1949Renamed "Leyton Midland Road"
6 May 1968Goods yard closed[2]
Other information
External links
WGS8451.5693Β°N 0.0072Β°Wο»Ώ / 51.5693; -0.0072
 London transport portal

History

The station opened on 9 July 1894 as part of the Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway and was originally called "Leyton".[2][4]

On 17 August 1915, three explosive bombs from the German Zeppelin L.10 landed on or near the station, destroying the ticket office, a billiard hall in the arches under the platform and damaging several houses nearby. Four people were killed.[5]

The station was renamed Leyton Midland Road on 1 May 1949.[2][4] The goods yard, which was just beyond the station, closed on 6 May 1968.[2] As with Leytonstone High Road and Wanstead Park stations, the booking office was built into the viaduct arch. By the 1980s all the old buildings had been removed and the Greater London Council built a new booking office on Midland Road itself.[2] A few years later that was closed and demolished when, like other stations, Leyton Midland Road became unstaffed.[2]

Station today

Since the takeover by London Overground the station has benefited from a major refit including deep clean, new signing, a ticket machine and additional waiting shelters. The community garden which was started by members of the GOBLIN support group is tended by station staff now, one of whom recently won an award for outstanding service to passengers. The station also contains help points[6] and automatic ticket gates have now been installed.[7] Controversially, the Midland Road entrance is now closed.[8]

Services and connections

The service has been improved in stages to four trains per hour, weekdays and weekends except late evenings when it goes down to two trains per hour.[9][10]

London Bus routes 69, 97 and W16 and night route N26 serve the station.[11]

Recent proposals

In common with other stations on the line, usage has greatly increased in recent years, following improvements in train services and the reintroduction of station staff, and peak-hour overcrowding of the two-car diesel trains is now a major issue.[12] Electrification of the line was finally approved after a long campaign and was achieved for 2017.[13] Services from the station were suspended for 8 months (June 2016 - February 2017) whilst the work was carried out.

References
  1. "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  2. Barking to Gospel Oak Rail User Group - A Short History of the Line
  3. Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. May 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  4. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 142. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  5. London 1914-17: The Zeppelin Menace, Ian Castle, Christa Hook, Osprey Publishing 2008, p.30
  6. Leyton Midland Road Rail Station
  7. Leyton Midland Road (LEM)
  8. Closure of Midland Road entrance
  9. "London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking line timetable" (PDF). Transport for London. December 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  10. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/15409.aspx Archived 26 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Leyton Midland Road Rail Station - Bus
  12. β€˜Overcrowded’ trains danger on Gospel Oak to Barking line Archived 10 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  13. "CP5 Enhancements Delivery Plan June 2015" (PDF). Network Rail. June 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
Preceding station   London Overground   Following station
towards Gospel Oak
Gospel Oak to Barking Line
towards Barking
  Disused Railways  
Walthamstow Queen's Road   Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway   Leytonstone High Road
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