South Woodford tube station

South Woodford
Western entrance on George Lane
South Woodford Location of South Woodford in Greater London
Location	South Woodford
Local authority	London Borough of Redbridge
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	2
Accessible	Yes[1]
Fare zone	4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019	5.27 million[2]
2020	2.31 million[3]
2021	2.38 million[4]
2022	3.79 million[5]
2023	4.05 million[6]
Railway companies
Original company	Eastern Counties Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
22 August 1856 (1856-08-22)	Opened as George Lane
5 July 1937	Renamed South Woodford (George Lane)
14 December 1947	Central line service introduced; renamed South Woodford
1964	Goods yard closed[7]
Other information
External links	TfL station info page
Coordinates	51°35′30″N 0°01′39″E / 51.5916°N 0.0275°E / 51.5916; 0.0275
London transport portal

South Woodford, originally George Lane, is a London Underground station in the suburb of South Woodford in East London. It is on the Epping branch of the Central line, between Snaresbrook and Woodford stations and is in Travelcard Zone 4.^[8]

The station opened on 22 August 1856 as part of the Eastern Counties Railway branch to Loughton which opened that day.^[9][10][11] Originally named George Lane, the station was renamed twice: South Woodford (George Lane) on 5 July 1937; and South Woodford on 14 December 1947.^[12] The station formed part of the Great Eastern Railway's system until that company amalgamated with other railways to create the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923. On 5 July 1937 the station was renamed "South Woodford (George Lane)".^[9][13]

The station was subsequently transferred to form part of London Underground's Central line on 14 December 1947 when Central line services were extended from Leytonstone to Woodford.^[14] This formed a part of the long planned, and delayed, Eastern Extension of the Central line that was part of the London Passenger Transport Board's "New Works Programme" of 1935 – 1940. After transferring to London Underground the "(George Lane)" suffix fell out of use, though it remains on some roundel signs.^{[15][note 1]}

During the planning of the Victoria line, route options included a continuation of the line from Walthamstow Central to Woodford or South Woodford stations.^[16] However, in 1961, the decision was taken to build only as far as Walthamstow Central.^[17]

The station has two entrances, one on each side of the line. George Lane originally crossed the railway tracks with a level crossing immediately to the north of the station, but this was closed and the road split into two when the line was electrified.^[18] The footbridge can be used without a ticket as, unusually for stations on the Epping branch, the footbridge is outside the ticket gateline.^[19] For some years the station had step-free access to and from the eastbound platform only.^[1] The ramp to the westbound platform was installed and opened in March 2019, making the station fully step-free.^[20]

The station underwent considerable renovations in 2006, 150 years after it opened. Five new CCTV cameras were installed in the station underpass with the intention of improving security as, in addition to the multimillion-pound station refurbishment work being undertaken, crime statistics showed South Woodford station had the highest record of violent crime in Redbridge and the underpass was seen as a security risk, particularly after dark.^[21] The rebuilding of the section of westbound platform damaged by fire was also completed and the paint scheme was a mix of white, blue and orange. However, the footbridge over the tracks at the east end was not repainted.^[22]

Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 3–7 minutes between 07:03 and 22:39 eastbound^[23] and between 06:22 and 22:19 westbound.^[24]

London Bus routes 179, W12, W13 and W14, and night route N55 serve the station.^[25]

Preceding station	London Underground			Following station
Snaresbrook towards Ealing Broadway or West Ruislip		Central line Epping branch		Woodford towards Epping
Historical railways
Snaresbrook Line and station open		Great Eastern Railway Eastern Counties Railway Loughton branch		Woodford Line and station open

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Woodford tube station.

• Allen, Cecil J. (1956) [1955]. The Great Eastern Railway (2nd ed.). Hampton Court: Ian Allan.
• Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
• Leboff, David (1994). London Underground Stations. Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-2226-3.