Notes: Shoreditch station was sited in a cutting with the roadside station building at the end of a short footpath leading off Brick Lane. Initially the station had two platforms but with the severing of the link with the former Great Eastern Line east of Liverpool Street in 1966 one platform was taken out of use and the track lifted.

BRIEF HISTORY OF SHOREDITCH STATION & THE EAST LONDON LINE
Between 1824 and 1843 a pedestrian tunnel was built under the River Thames by Marc Brunel between Wapping and Rotherhithe. Few people used the tunnel so in 1865 the 'Thames Tunnel' was incorporated into a proposed rail link between the the Great Eastern Railway, London Brighton & South Coast Railway and the South Eastern Railway.

The first section of double track line on the new East London Line was opened between Wapping and New Cross on 7 December 1869. The line was extended northwards to Shoreditch on 19th April 1876 where a junction was made with the GER to allow through running into Liverpool Street.

The LBSCR worked a service from the start, eventually running between Liverpool Street and Croydon with the SER introducing a service between Addiscombe and Liverpool Street on 1st April 1880. On 13 March 1871 a spur was opened from Rotherhithe to the South London line at Old Kent Road with a further spur being added to New Cross Gate in 1876.

In 1879 the City Lines Act authorized a connection between the Inner Circle and the East London. This was to be owned jointly by the Metropolitan and the District and joined the East London Line just south of Whitechapel station. With the withdrawal of the SER service the GER started running trains onto the East London Line in 1886.

After the Circle Line was electrified Metropolitan and District trains were withdrawn. In 1913 fourth rail electrification of the East London was completed between New Cross and Shoreditch at the same time through running between Shoreditch and the GER ceased.

The service on the Old Kent Road spur was withdrawn in 1911 after which all trains were provided by the Metropolitan running through from South Kensington via Baker Street and later from Hammersmith.

Since 1941 the connection at Whitechapel has been unused except for stock movements with the East London line operating as a self-contained service between New Cross and New Cross Gate and Whitechapel, only running on to Shoreditch during rush hours. After nationalisation the line was vested in London Transport.

Regular goods traffic continued to use the link between Shoreditch and the former Great Eastern line until 1962 and occasional passenger services were run until 1966 when the link was severed and the track lifted with only one platform at Shoreditch remaining in use.

The opening of the Docklands Light Railway in 1987 provided a new connection for the East London Line at Shadwell

The East London line closed in March 1995 for the refurbishment of the Thames Tunnel which is Grade II listed and the construction of a new station at Canada Water provide interchange with the Jubilee Line extension.

The line reopened between Whitechapel and New Cross/New Cross Gate in March 1998, with the section between Whitechapel and Shoreditch reopening in September 1998.

During the 1990's London Underground proposed two proposed extensions to the north and south of the East London line and in January 1997 were granted planning powers to begin work on the northern extension running from Shoreditch onto the former Bishopsgate Goods Station from where it would join the track of the former North London Line to Dalston Junction where it will join the existing North London Line running on to Highbury & Islington. The southern extension will run to West Croydon with a short branch to Crystal Palace.

Construction was due to start in December 2001 but this was delayed by a campaign to preserve the Grade 2 listed Braithwaite Viaduct in the former Bishopsgate Goods Yard. Final clearance to proceed with the partial demolition of the goods station was given by the Court of Appeal on 7 July 2003.

Shoreditch Station closed on the 9th June 2006 to allow a realignment of the line which will ramp up to a high level east of Brick Lane running north of the listed Braithwaite Viaduct which will not affected it in any way. A new Shoreditch High Street Station on the site of the goods yard will open in 2010. As part of the work for the extension, the line will be closed for 18 months in winter 2007/2008.

At the time of its closure in June 2006 Shoreditch station was open from 07.00-10.00 and 15.30-2030 weekdays and 0715 till 1500 Sundays. The station was closed on Saturday.

Other web site:
Underground History includes a history of the East London line and pictures of the last day ay Shoreditch.
Abandoned Tube Stations - More pictures of Shoreditch, some from the other side of the track
WWW-Picadilly-Line.org.uk - Not the Picadilly Line but more pictures of Shoreditch
Shoreditch Station (Dennis Wenzel) - Lots of pictures including a series taken from the disused southbound platform.