The station was opened in 1840, with Underground services added in 1968. A new station building and an additional platform has been added[8] as part of a regeneration scheme.[9]
History
19th century
Locations served by Tottenham Hale trains in previous years included London St Pancras (via the Tottenham and Hampstead Joint Railway), North Woolwich via the low level platforms at Stratford (after the Palace Gates Line service was cut back) and York (via Cambridge and the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway).[10] Until recently, the next station served to the south on the line to Liverpool Street was Clapton, but only a small number of trains to and from Tottenham Hale served Clapton. Clapton is now exclusively served by trains on the Chingford branch instead.
The station opened on 15 September 1840 as Tottenham,[11] on the Northern & Eastern Railway (N&ER) line from Stratford in east London to Broxbourne in Hertfordshire. The Northern and Eastern Railway was leased by the Eastern Counties Railway in 1844 who took over operation of the line. The line was initially laid to a gauge of 5 ft (1,524 mm); however, this had already been identified as non-standard, and between 5 September and 7 October 1844 the whole network was re-laid to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge.
On 12 September 1858 a passenger train collided with some goods wagons that had been shunted onto the main line. Nobody was seriously injured. Eighteen months later on 20 February 1860 the station was the site of a serious railway accident when a locomotive derailed, killing the driver, fireman and seven passengers.[12]
Until 1868 Tottenham Hale was a railhead for cattle traffic from East Anglia. Trains were unloaded there, and the cattle driven miles down what is now the A10 road towards London.[13] In 1868 the link (since removed) to the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway was opened and the cattle traffic transferred to Tufnell Park, which was closer to the site of the cattle market off Caledonian Road.
Four years later in 1872 the route via Clapton was opened, offering a slightly more direct route to Liverpool Street.[14]
In 1875, the suffix 'Hale' was added to the station's name; this was removed in November 1938, before being restored in 1968.[11][15]
In 1882 the line through Tottenham Hale became part of a major rail freight artery, with the opening of the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway. This provided a link for the Great Eastern from the coalfields in the north to London. This led to a second pair of running lines known as the Slow Lines being added in 1913.[16] The slow lines that exist today were previously known as the fast lines.
20th century
On 29 August 1913 a northbound mail train (carrying passengers) ran into the back of a freight train just south of the station at Tottenham South Junction. The cause was a signal passed at danger in foggy conditions. Two passengers were badly injured, 16 less so.[17]
The area was always susceptible to flooding, one of the worst instances being between 18 and 22 February 1919 when the River Lea overflowed its banks and rail traffic was suspended.[18]
In 1919 there were, as well as the two sets of main lines, some private sidings serving local industries. Other sidings in the area were used to clean passenger rolling stock when not in service.[19]
On 12 February 1927 an express passenger train, hauled by LNER Class D154-4-0 No. 8808, was in collision with a lorry on a level crossing. Owing to foggy conditions, the train was not travelling at high speed.[20]
On 4 October 1929, another accident occurred at Tottenham North Junction (just south of the station) when a goods train, hauled by LNER Class J150-6-0 No. 7938, passed a signal at danger and was hit by a passenger train, which was hauled by LNER Class B174-6-0 No. 2808 Gunton. There were no fatalities.[21]
On 21 March 1944 (during World War Two) a number of incendiary bombs fell close to the station, destroying a lineside hut.[22]
In 1961 the link from Tottenham South Junction to the Tottenham and Hampstead Line was closed.[23]
On 14 July 1967 planning permission was granted for the addition of the London Underground Victoria line station.[24] The station was renamed Tottenham Hale on 1 September 1968, when it became an interchange station with London Underground on the opening of the first stage of the Victoria line.
The Lea Valley line between Copper Mill Junction and Cheshunt was electrified at 25 kV in 1969. Many of the private goods sidings were removed at this time.[25] Prior to electrification, between 1958 and 1969 passenger services between Cheshunt and London Liverpool Street through Tottenham Hale were normally operated by Class 125 diesel multiple units (which had been purpose-built for the line).
In the late 1990s, at the same time as the Stansted Express service to Stansted Airport was started, the British Rail station at Tottenham Hale was totally rebuilt; the Underground station was revamped at the same time. None of the original Victorian station now exists.
With the privatisation of the UK's railways in 1994 operation of the station was initially allocated to a business unit which succeeded the old British Railways structure before being taken over by West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) in January 1997.
21st century
Tottenham Hale station in 2007The newly completed London Underground entrance building at Tottenham Hale Station in 2022
Initially owned by Prism Rail, National Express took over operation in July 2000. In 1994 responsibility for the operational infrastructure passed to Railtrack.
In August 2002 signalling control was transferred to the Liverpool Street Integrated Electronic Control Centre (IECC).[26]
The following year, following financial difficulties, Railtrack was superseded by Network Rail.
From 11 December 2005, a new service to and from Stratford reintroduced a direct passenger connection between Tottenham Hale and Stratford via the mainly freight line across Walthamstow Marshes. For many years the only service on this route had been a parliamentary "ghost train" to Enfield Town via Stratford operated to save lengthy closure (to passenger) procedures.
In February 2012 operation of the station changed once again, with Greater Anglia taking over the franchise.
Tottenham Hale Bus Station
Tottenham Hale bus station is located beside the railway station.
Following the 2011 England riots which began in Tottenham, a redevelopment of the tube, bus and rail stations was used to encourage investment in the area.[27] The £110 million bus and rail interchange project for Tottenham Hale was completed in 2014.[28] As part of the project the bus station was roofed with ETFE, which is also used in the Eden Project.[29]
2 tph to Bishop's Stortford (Both semi-fast to Cheshunt, then 1 semi-fast and 1 all stations)
Additional services call at the station during peak periods. On Sundays, the services between Stratford and Bishops Stortford do not run, and the Hertford East services a routed to Stratford via Lea Bridge to maintain the 4tph service.
Transport for London has active plans for the station to be expanded.
Specifically, the proposed Tottenham Hale Station Upgrade development comprises the following
elements:
Stages already completed are:
creating a new landmark entrance to the Station;
increasing the capacity of the Station concourse, by doubling the size of the current ticket hall;
improving interchange by relocating the Greater Anglia and London Underground gatelines;
providing new access to platforms via the new Access for All (AfA) bridge being delivered separately by Network Rail;
removing the existing subway which links the south side of Ferry Lane with the Station;
Those that have yet to be completed are:
extending the existing bridge to form a new Station entrance from Hale Village, providing improved access from the east to Tottenham Hale transport interchange;
re-routing the London Underground escape route and relocating the vent shaft;
providing a new, upgraded Station control facility; and
retail units.
The full plans can be seen on Haringey Council's website.[32][33]
Funding is being sought to increase the number of lines from Coppermill Junction (between Lea Bridge and Tottenham Hale) and Meridian Water to provide a turn-up-and-go four trains per hour service for the Lea Valley.[34]
^Great Eastern Railway Society Journal volume 122 pages 24-27 Rodger Green April 2005
^"OLD/1967/0202". Online Planning Service. Haringey Council. 14 July 1967. Retrieved 1 August 2013. Land at Ferry Lane: Construction of new station for Victoria Line.
^Great Eastern Railway Society Journal volume 122 pages 25 Rodger Green April 2005
^Great Eastern Railway Society Journal volume 135 page 14 Chris Cook(photo caption) July 2008
.jpg)
.jpg)
