The Windrush line is the service operated by London Overground on the East London line and South London line, running north to south through the East, Docklands and South areas of London. The East London line was previously a line of the London Underground. Prior to the name being adopted in November 2024, [1] the service was labelled in Transport for London timetables as the "Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon route". [2]
The name proposed for this service in 2015 was the East London line. [3] In 2021, Sadiq Khan announced that if re-elected as Mayor of London, he would give the six services operated by London Overground unique names that would reflect London's diversity, working with his Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm. [4] In July 2023, TfL announced that it would be giving each of the six Overground services unique names by the end of the following year. [5] [6] In February 2024, it was confirmed that the East London / South London section would be named the Windrush line (to honour the Windrush generation of immigrants to the area from the Caribbean) and would be coloured red on the updated network map. [7]
The Empire Windrush was a passenger vessel that arrived at Tilbury, in Essex, in 1948 bringing migrants to the UK from what was then the British West Indies. Before 1948, there were several areas in the UK, such as Canning Town in London, and Tiger Bay in Cardiff that had a black presence, but the arrival of the Windrush is seen as a watershed, after which point black people would form a much larger part of the community.
As of November 2024 [update] , the typical off-peak service pattern is: [2]
East London and South London lines (Windrush line) | ||
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Route | tph | Calling at |
Dalston Junction to New Cross | 4 | |
Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction | 4 |
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Highbury & Islington to Crystal Palace | 4 |
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Highbury & Islington to West Croydon | 4 |
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On weekends, the Windrush Line operates overnight services between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate stations, with a frequency of four trains per hour.
Very few Windrush line trains on the South London line arm terminate at Battersea Park station instead of Clapham Junction station in the mornings and evenings. These operate as parliamentary trains.
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The East London line is a railway line running north to south through the East, Docklands and South areas of London. It is used by London Overground services. It was previously a line of the London Underground.
Highbury & Islington is an interchange station in the London Borough of Islington, north London for London Underground, London Overground and National Rail services. The station is served by the Underground's Victoria line, the Overground's Mildmay and Windrush lines and Great Northern's Northern City line.
The South London line is a railway line in inner south London, England. The initial steam passenger service on the route was established by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) on 1 May 1867 when the central London terminal stations of Victoria and London Bridge were connected to the inner south London suburbs of Battersea, Clapham, Brixton, Camberwell and Peckham. A pioneer of overhead electric traction, most of the line was built on high level viaducts and was marketed as the South London Elevated Electric Railway in the early part of the 20th century. The electric service was popular, with four trains per hour and 12 million passengers in 1920. Between Wandsworth Road and Peckham Rye the route ran parallel to another set of tracks. Prior to 1923, both lines from Wandsworth Road to East Brixton were owned by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) and the lines from East Brixton to Peckham Rye were owned by the LBSCR. The southern Atlantic lines were operated by the LBSCR and the northern Chatham lines were operated by the LCDR.
Crystal Palace is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, situated in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is located in the Anerley area between the town centres of Crystal Palace and Penge, 8 miles 56 chains (14.0 km) from London Victoria. It is one of two stations built to serve the site of the 1851 exhibition building, the Crystal Palace, when it was moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham Hill after 1851.
Whitechapel is an interchange station in Whitechapel, East London for London Underground, London Overground and Elizabeth line services. The station is located behind a street market of the same name and opposite Tower Hamlets Town Hall. The station was comprehensively rebuilt in the late 2010s and early 2020s as part of the Crossrail project.
New Cross Gate is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in New Cross, London. It is on the Brighton Main Line, 2 miles 70 chains down the line from London Bridge. It is in Travelcard Zone 2.
New Cross is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southeastern, located in New Cross in south-east London. It is 4 miles 68 chains (7.8 km) down the line from London Charing Cross and is in London fare zone 2. It is a southern terminus of some Windrush line services from Dalston Junction.
Denmark Hill is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services on the Catford loop line, located in Denmark Hill in South London. It is 4 miles 22 chains (6.9 km) down the line from London Victoria. The station is located in Travelcard Zone 2 and is managed by Thameslink. The station receives services operated by Southeastern and Thameslink in addition to the London Overground.
Brockley is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in Brockley in south-east London. It is on the main railway line between London Bridge and Brighton, 3 miles 56 chains down the line from London Bridge. It is in Travelcard Zone 2.
Peckham Rye is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southeastern, Southern and Thameslink, located in Peckham town centre in South London.
Queens Road Peckham is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in Peckham in the London Borough of Southwark. It is on the South London line, 2 miles 58 chains (4.4 km) from London Bridge, and is in Travelcard Zone 2.
Honor Oak Park is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in the suburban area of Honor Oak in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is 4 miles 59 chains down the line from London Bridge, between Brockley and Forest Hill. It is located in Travelcard Zone 3.
Forest Hill is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in Forest Hill in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is 5 miles 50 chains down the line from London Bridge, between Honor Oak Park and Sydenham, in Travelcard Zone 3. There are four tracks through the station, although only the slow lines have platforms.
Canonbury is a station on the Mildmay and Windrush lines of the London Overground, serving the districts of Canonbury and Highbury within the London Borough of Islington in north London. It is close to the boundary with the London Borough of Hackney. The station is situated in Travelcard Zone 2.
Sydenham is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in Sydenham in the London Borough of Lewisham. Originally opened in 1839, the station is located on the former Croydon Canal, which is now a branch of the Brighton Main Line, often known as the Sydenham Corridor. The station is 6 miles 32 chains down the line from London Bridge. Sydenham falls within Travelcard Zone 3.
Penge West is a station on the Windrush line of the London Overground, located in Penge, a district of the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is 7 miles 15 chains down the line from London Bridge, in Travelcard Zone 4. Additional limited peak-time National Rail services operated by Southern also call at Penge West.
Anerley is a station on the Windrush line of the London Overground, located in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is 7 miles 47 chains down the line from London Bridge, in Travelcard Zone 4. Additional limited peak-time National Rail services operated by Southern also call at Anerley.
Norwood Junction is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern and Thameslink, located in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon. Situated in Travelcard Zone 4, it is 8 miles 55 chains down the line from London Bridge.
Orbirail was a name for a suggested orbital railway route around London.
The Mildmay line is the service operated by London Overground on the North London and West London railway lines. It passes through the inner suburbs of London, between Richmond and Clapham Junction in the south-west and Stratford in the east, avoiding central London. Prior to the name being adopted in November 2024, the service was labelled in Transport for London timetables as the Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford route.