Epping Tube Station - History

History

In 1856, The Eastern Counties Railway (later Great Eastern Railway) opened a double-track railway between Stratford and Loughton and added a single-track extension from Loughton to Ongar in 1865. The popularity of the line led to the doubling of the track between Loughton and Epping in the 1890s. The line was well served with 50 trains operating between London and Loughton each day, a further 22 continuing to Epping and 14 more to Ongar. Loughton to Epping became part of the London Underground Central Line on 25 September 1949, leaving the single track line from Epping to Ongar as the last steam-worked section. British Railways ran the service until 1957 when the line was electrified and became part of the Central Line. However, services were not connected to the rest of the Central Line network, so passengers wishing to continue beyond Epping had to change platforms there. Until 30 September 1994 Epping station served as the transfer station for the single-track line to Ongar via North Weald and Blake Hall stations.