South Woodford tube station
Central line · Zone 4 · Redbridge
About South Woodford station
The railway reached here on 22 August 1856, when the Eastern Counties Railway opened its branch to Loughton, and for eight decades the station was simply George Lane. It passed to the Great Eastern Railway and then, in 1923, to the LNER, which renamed it South Woodford (George Lane) on 5 July 1937. On 14 December 1947 it became part of the Central line, as the delayed Eastern Extension of the 1935–1940 New Works Programme pushed Tube trains from Leytonstone to Woodford. The “(George Lane)” suffix fell out of use afterwards, though it survives on some roundel signs.
George Lane used to cross the tracks on a level crossing just north of the platforms; it was closed when the line was electrified and the road was split in two, which is why the station has an entrance on each side of the railway. Unusually for the Epping branch, its footbridge lies outside the ticket gateline and can be crossed without a ticket. In 2006, 150 years after opening, the station was renovated, CCTV was added to the underpass, which crime figures had flagged as a risk, and a fire-damaged section of the westbound platform was rebuilt. South Woodford was also briefly in the frame for the Victoria line, until a 1961 decision stopped it at Walthamstow Central.
First and last trains from South Woodford
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central towards West Ruislip, North Acton or Ealing Broadway | 05:27 – 00:33 to Leytonstone | 05:27 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:15 |
| Central towards Epping, Loughton or Grange Hill | 05:40 – 00:59 | 05:40 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:05 |
Times are TfL’s published timetable departures from this station; on Saturday the list follows TfL’s “Saturdays and public holidays” timetable.
At the busiest hour on a weekday there are up to 15 Central trains an hour per direction from South Woodford, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from South Woodford
Running times between South Woodford and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Central | Snaresbrook | 2 min |
| Central | Woodford | 2.7 min |
Connections
South Woodford is served by the Central line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near South Woodford station
A suburban commuter station for South Woodford, it has two entrances, one on each side of the line where George Lane was split in two, along with a car park and a taxi rank. The footbridge outside the gateline also serves as a public crossing between the two halves of the street. The Galleria shopping mall is about 350 m away. Bus routes 179, W12, W13 and W14, along with night route N55, serve the station.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Galleria | 350 m |