History
The station was built by the East London Railway Company and opened on 7 December 1869; it was originally known as Deptford Road. On 17 July 1911, it was renamed Surrey Docks in reference to the nearby, now closed, Surrey Commercial Docks, and further renamed Surrey Quays on 24 October 1989, following the construction of the nearby Surrey Quays Shopping Centre. This was a somewhat controversial move as some of the local community felt that their heritage was being eroded. However, the name stuck, and the Surrey Docks part of Rotherhithe is now often referred to as Surrey Quays.
Surrey Quays was intended to be taken over by the Jubilee Line, then the Fleet Line, down to New Cross, New Cross Gate and Lewisham, but this never materialised.
For much of its history, the station's importance lay in its proximity to the Surrey Commercial Docks; it was at the south end of Canada Dock (now Canada Water) and a few hundred yards from the principal entrance to the docks. Its usage fell considerably after the docks closed, but revived following the redevelopment of the London Docklands in the 1980s and 1990s.
The service was closed between 1995 and 1998 due to repair work on the East London Line's Thames Tunnel. The East London Line closed permanently as an Underground line on 22 December 2007. It reopened for preview services on 27 April 2010 to New Cross and New Cross Gate and 23 May 2010 for full service to New Cross, West Croydon and Crystal Palace, becoming part of the London Overground system.
Read more about this topic: Surrey Quays Railway Station
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