Improving London Overground

Naming London Overground

We're planning to make it easier to navigate the network by naming the London Overground lines.

Surrey Quays station upgrade

We're upgrading Surrey Quays station. Our improvement plans will:

• Create a new station entrance on the north side of Lower Road - this will offer more direct access to a nearby new housing development and the existing shopping centre at Canada Water
• Feature a new spacious ticket hall at the new entrance - 60% of customers using the station are expected to use this entrance. This will ease congestion at the busiest times at the existing entrance (also on Lower Road)
• Provide step-free access at the station for the first time to both platforms via 2 new lifts. This will improve accessibility across the transport network for those who are mobility impaired and parents with pushchairs

Our work at Surrey Quays station is part of a wider programme called the East London Line Housing Infrastructure Fund (ELL HIF). Improvements to the London Overground Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon route will help to unlock 14,000 new homes.

We have started the main works on the site and expect to complete station improvements by 2026.

To enable this work, the rear end of platform 2 will be closed off for safety reasons. The doors on the last carriage of each train on platform 2 until the station improvements are complete.

Barking Riverside

Barking Riverside station - which opened in July 2022 - is the end point for the first extension of London Overground since 2015.

The 4.5 kilometres of railway track connects the Barking Riverside development to Barking in just 7 minutes and to central London in as little as 22 minutes.

The station at Barking Riverside is fully step-free, bringing the total across London Overground to more than 60 stations, helping make London a more accessible city for everyone and support people's independence when travelling in London.

Barking Riverside is the largest housing development in east London, with planning permission for more than 10,000 new homes, including thousands of genuinely affordable homes. As well as commercial and leisure space, new schools and facilities, public open spaces and riverside walks.

• More information is on the Barking Riverside extension page

New trains

State-of-the-art electric class 710 trains run on the Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside and Euston to Watford Junction routes. The 4-car and 5-car trains have walk-through carriages, air-conditioning, USB charging points, free Wi-Fi, live information screens and more wheelchair spaces.

They can carry almost 700 people - double the number on the old two-car diesel trains that had been operating on the Gospel Oak to Barking line.

Class 710 trains were also added on all services to Liverpool Street from Chingford, Cheshunt and Enfield Town stations, as well as Romford to Upminster, in 2020. These replaced trains that were over 35 years old and becoming increasingly less reliable.

All trains operating on London Overground now feature walk-through carriages and air-conditioning, offering more space and improved customer comfort.

Improving stations

Across the London Overground network we've improved ticket halls and ticket gates, installed lifts, widened entrances, improved shelters and increased cycle parking. We're also making continuous improvements to enhance accessibility, reliability and service.

Our stations are staffed from first train to last and our staff are equipped with devices to keep them up to date with the latest travel information.

Over half of London Overground stations now have step-free access from street to platform and Wi-Fi is available at 81 stations.

Imperial Wharf station

We opened a second entrance at Imperial Wharf station in June 2022 to improve access to northbound London Overground and Southern services. The new entrance and ticket gateline allow for quicker access to northbound services towards Shepherd's Bush, Willesden Junction and Stratford, helping to reduce congestion and improve journey times.

A covered walkway offers customers shelter from the elements.

Hackney Central station

In July 2022 we opened a new entrance on Graham Road at Hackney Central to allow quicker and easier access to London Overground services.

The scheme was a collaboration bringing together DfT funding, land owned by Hackney Council, Arriva Rail London - which operates London Overground services on our behalf - and Network Rail.

Station improvements that come with the additional entrance include:

• A new covered gateline
• 2 new ticket vending machines
• Additional cycle storage to encourage greener and more sustainable journeys to and from the station

It also features a living roof on both the new station building and the covered cycle storage and a green wall and new trees in the customer area.

Throughout the station, lighting has been upgraded to the latest energy-saving LED technology for a brighter and safer environment for customers.

The new southern entrance provides direct access to the westbound platform and more direct walking access to the town centre with a convenient interchange to local bus stops on Graham Road.

The project is a response to the growing popularity of London Overground services in Hackney, which saw passenger numbers rise by around 10% in the two years before the pandemic. As more people start to use the service again, the new entrance will ease congestion, particularly on the eastbound platforms.

An easier, more direct interchange with Hackney Downs will also help customers change between London Overground services and provide a quicker route to the new entrance.

Whitechapel

We worked closely with Crossrail Ltd on the rebuilding of Whitechapel station. This provides a step-free interchange between London Overground and the Elizabeth line.