Editing East London line (section)

===Early use===
[[File:East london railway 1915.jpg|thumb|left|Map of the East London Railway in 1915]]
{{East London Line RDT|collapse=NO}}

The East London Railway Company owned the infrastructure but it was operated by its controlling railways. Steam trains were initially operated by the {{abbr|GER|Great Eastern Railway}}, {{abbr|LB&SCR|London, Brighton and South Coast Railway}} and the {{abbr|SER|South Eastern Railway}}. The {{abbr|LB&SCR|London, Brighton and South Coast Railway}} used its [[LB&SCR A1 Class|LBSCR A1 Class]] Terrier locomotives, which [[William Stroudley]] designed partly with this line in mind. It carried both passenger and goods trains; the {{abbr|LB&SCR|London, Brighton and South Coast Railway}} operated between Liverpool Street and [[Croydon]], the {{abbr|SER|South Eastern Railway}} running between {{Stnlnk|Addiscombe}} and Liverpool Street from April 1880 until March 1884. From March to September 1884 the {{abbr|SER|South Eastern Railway}} service ran from Addiscombe to [[St Mary's (Whitechapel Road) tube station|St Mary's]] (MR & MDR Joint Station). Metropolitan Railway services from St Mary's to {{Stnlnk|New Cross}} ({{abbr|SER|South Eastern Railway}}) and Metropolitan District Railway services from St Mary's to {{Stnlnk|New Cross Gate}} ({{abbr|LB&SCR|London, Brighton and South Coast Railway}}) commenced on 1 October 1884.<ref name=Rose/> On 6 October through services started from [[Hammersmith tube station (Circle and Hammersmith & City lines)|Hammersmith]] (Hammersmith & City) to New Cross ({{abbr|SER|South Eastern Railway}}) and from {{stl|London Underground|Hammersmith|District}} (MDR) to New Cross ({{abbr|LB&SCR|London, Brighton and South Coast Railway}}).

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = East London Railway (Various Powers) Act 1868
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to confer further Powers on the East London Railway Company for the Execution of Works, and otherwise with reference to their Undertaking; and for other Purposes.
| year                  = 1868
| citation              = [[31 & 32 Vict.]] c. clxiii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 31 July 1868
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = East London Railway Act 1871
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for enabling the East London Railway Company to abandon parts, and to alter the levels of other parts, of their authorised Railways; and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1871
| citation              = [[34 & 35 Vict.]] c. cl
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 24 July 1871
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/34-35/150/pdfs/ukla_18710150_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = East London Railway Act 1876
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = 
| year                  = 1876
| citation              = [[39 & 40 Vict.]] c. lii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = East London Railway Act 1877
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to enable the East London Railway Company to raise further Capital, and to make further provision with respect to their authorised Junction with the Main Line of the Great Eastern Railway; and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1877
| citation              = [[40 & 41 Vict.]] c. clvi
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 2 August 1877
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/40-41/156/pdfs/ukla_18770156_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
Before the development of the [[Kent coalfield]]s in the early part of the 20th century, house coal from the north for distribution in south London and as far afield as [[Maidstone]] and [[Brighton]] was an important source of revenue. Access at the north end of the line was difficult: trains were limited to 26 wagons and had to be shunted into the [[Great Eastern Railway|Great Eastern]]'s [[Liverpool Street station]] and drawn forward onto the {{abbr|ELR|East London Railway}}. To avoid this reversal, a line was planned from the {{abbr|ELR|East London Railway}} north of Whitechapel to the {{abbr|GER|Great Eastern Railway}} at [[Bethnal Green railway station|Bethnal Green]]. Acts for this were passed: an act of Parliament{{which|date=April 2025}} in 1866, and the '''{{visible anchor|East London Railway (Various Powers) Act 1868}}''' ([[31 & 32 Vict.]] c. clxiii). When the {{abbr|GER|Great Eastern Railway}} route to Hackney Downs Junction, now [[Hackney Downs railway station|Hackney Downs]], was constructed in 1872, the route was altered to connect at [[Cambridge Heath railway station|Cambridge Heath]], with the '''{{visible anchor|East London Railway Act 1871}}''' ([[34 & 35 Vict.]] c. cl) as an abandonment act for the previous route, and two new acts the '''{{visible anchor|East London Railway Act 1876}}''' ([[39 & 40 Vict.]] c. lii) and the '''{{visible anchor|East London Railway Act 1877}}''' ([[40 & 41 Vict.]] c. clvi). A short length of the latter tunnel was built, and from October 1900 additional capacity was offered by a wagon lift, carrying two ten-ton wagons, from the Great Eastern coal depot at Spitalfields to a siding laid in the tunnel stub. The surface junction was taken up in 1966 and the lift closed in 1967, after a fire at the Spitalfields depot.<ref name="Klapper">{{cite magazine |last1=Klapper|first1=Charles|title=Centenary of the East London Line |magazine=Railway World |date=February 1970|volume=31|issue=357}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=London Railway Atlas|last=Brown|first=Joe|publisher=Ian Allan Publishing|year=2012|isbn=978-0-7110-3728-1|pages=85}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
| last      = Gordon
| first     = W.J.
| title     = Our Home Railways (volume one)
| publisher = Frederick Warne
| year      = 1910
| location  = London
| page      = 153 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book
| last      = Klapper
| first     = Charles
| title     = London's Lost Railways
| publisher = Routledge and Kegan Paul
| year      = 1976
| location  = London
| pages     = 94–98
| isbn      = 0-7100-8378-5}}</ref>

When the Metropolitan District Railway was electrified in 1905 it ceased using the {{abbr|ELR|East London Railway}}, the last trains running on 31 July 1905;<ref name=Rose /> the Metropolitan Railway suspended its service after 2 December 1906.<ref name=Rose /> {{abbr|LB&SCR|London, Brighton and South Coast Railway}} and {{abbr|GER|Great Eastern Railway}} services continued, and {{abbr|SER|South Eastern Railway}} services recommenced on 3 December 1906.

The line was electrified, with the controlling railways funding the upgrade and the Metropolitan Railway providing the rolling stock. Electric services began on 31 March 1913 and ran from the two southern termini to Shoreditch and {{stl|London Underground|South Kensington}} via {{stl|London Underground|Edgware Road}} and {{stl|London Underground|High Street Kensington}}. In 1914 the service to South Kensington was diverted to {{stl|London Underground|Hammersmith|Hammersmith & City}}, on what is now the [[Hammersmith & City]] line.

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Southern Railway Act 1925
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to empower the Southern Railway Company to construct works and acquire lands to extend the time for the completion of certain works and for the compulsory purchase of certain lands to abandon certain authorised works to transfer to the said Company the undertaking of the East London Railway Company and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1925
| citation              = [[15 & 16 Geo. 5]]. c. l
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 31 July 1925
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo5/15-16/50/pdfs/ukla_19250050_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
After the [[Railways Act 1921|1923 grouping]] the goods service was operated by [[London and North Eastern Railway]] (as successors to the GER), with the Metropolitan Railway continuing to provide passenger services.  Ownership was transferred to the [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] by the '''{{visible anchor|Southern Railway Act 1925}}''' ([[15 & 16 Geo. 5]]. c. l), but the railway continued to be leased to the joint committee, now comprising the Southern Railway (47.5%), the LNER (17.5%), the Metropolitan Railway (17.5%), and the District Railway (17.5%).<ref>R.K. Kirkland, [https://sremg.org.uk/RlyMag/EastLondonRailway.pdf The East London Railway], ''[[Railway Magazine]]'', May 1951</ref> 
{{Clear}}