# Leytonstone tube station

Leytonstone (/ˈleɪtənstoʊn/) is a London Underground station in Leytonstone in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, east London. It is on the Central line, between Leyton and Snaresbrook (on the direct route towards Epping) or Wanstead (on the Hainault loop towards Woodford) stations. The station is on the boundary of Zones 3 and 4. It is close to Whipps Cross University Hospital. It is a terminus for some services and returns westbound.

## History

The railway line from Loughton Branch Junction (on the Lea Valley line between Stratford and Lea Bridge) to Loughton was built by the Eastern Counties Railway and opened on 22 August 1856. A station at Leytonstone was opened on the same day. In turn it became, from 1862, part of the Great Eastern Railway system and then in 1923 part of the London & North Eastern Railway before being transferred to London Transport in 1947. This formed part of the New Works Programme (1935–1940) that was to see major changes at Leytonstone with the station becoming the junction of the existing Loughton-Epping-Ongar line, newly electrified, with the new tube tunnel running under Eastern Avenue towards Newbury Park. This work saw a complete reconstruction of the station along with the removal of the level crossing at Church Lane and its replacement by an underbridge. The work stopped in May 1940 due to wartime priorities; further delays were caused by the station buildings being hit by a German bomb in January 1944. During the war, the new tunnels were used as an aircraft component factory; the part closest to Leytonstone was a public air-raid shelter.
The station was first served by the Central line on 5 May 1947, when it became the temporary terminus of the line, passengers changing to steam shuttle onwards to Epping. This ceased on 14 December 1947 with the extension of Underground services to Woodford and Newbury Park.

### Notable events

* In honour of the centenary of the birth of film director Sir Alfred Hitchcock (born 13 August 1899 in Leytonstone), the London Borough of Waltham Forest commissioned the Greenwich Mural Workshop to create a series of mosaics of Hitchcock's life and works in the tube station. Work was started in June 2000 and the mosaics were unveiled on 3 May 2001.
* Three people were injured inside the station's ticket hall during the evening of 5 December 2015, with one suffering serious knife injuries. The Metropolitan Police arrested the attacker inside the station after using Tasers against him. Video footage later emerged of the attacker repeatedly shouting "this is for Syria". A remark shouted at the attacker by a witness, "You ain’t no Muslim, bruv", resulted in considerable media comment and was subsequently praised by the then Prime Minister, David Cameron.

## Connections

London Buses routes 66, 145, 257, 339, W13, W12, W15, W16 and W19 and night route N8 serve the station and bus station.

## Gallery

* The westbound platforms at Leytonstone, looking west
* View of platforms
* Leytonstone junction, showing the diverge between Epping and Hainault branches, the latter diverging and heading underground
* Western entrance facing Grove Green Road and bus stand.
* Hitchcock The Director