Bow Road tube station
District line and Hammersmith & City line · Zone 2 · Tower Hamlets
About Bow Road station
Bow Road was meant to open with the Whitechapel and Bow Railway on 2 June 1902, but it was not ready and began life in temporary buildings on 11 June. The line linked the District Railway at Whitechapel with the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway further east; names considered during planning were Wellington Road and then Bow. Electric trains took over from steam on 20 August 1905. Metropolitan line trains arrived from 30 March 1936 to ease District overcrowding, and that Hammersmith–Barking service became the Hammersmith & City line on 30 July 1990. London Transport took full ownership of the station on 23 January 1950.
The permanent buildings were designed by the engineer Cuthbert Arthur Brereton and resemble those at Mile End and Stepney Green, though the cramped site forced a different plan. The curved side platforms, 450 feet long to suit LTSR trains, lie partly beneath Bow Road and partly in an open cutting; the covered section has jack-arched roofing on hexagonal columns. Outside, brown glazed brick sits below the windowsills and red brick above, with terracotta around doors and windows. East of the station the tracks climb at 1 in 40. The building has been Grade II listed since 27 September 1973.
First and last trains from Bow Road
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District towards Richmond, Ealing Broadway or Wimbledon | 05:28 – 00:14 to Ealing Broadway | 05:28 – 00:14 to Ealing Broadway | 05:28 – 00:14 to Gunnersbury | 06:09 to Whitechapel – 23:39 to Gunnersbury |
| District towards Upminster, Barking or Dagenham East | 05:47 – 01:03 | 05:47 – 01:03 | 05:47 – 01:03 | 06:36 – 00:28 |
| Hammersmith & City towards Hammersmith (Circle and H&C lines) | 05:15 – 00:22 | 05:15 – 00:22 | 05:15 – 00:22 | 06:40 – 00:00 |
| Hammersmith & City towards Barking or Plaistow | 05:43 – 01:05 | 05:43 – 01:05 | 05:43 – 01:05 | 07:34 – 00:42 |
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 20 District trains an hour per direction and 8 Hammersmith & City trains an hour per direction from Bow Road, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Bow Road
Running times between Bow Road and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| District | Bromley-by-Bow | 2 min |
| District | Mile End | 1.4 min |
| Hammersmith & City | Bromley-by-Bow | 2 min |
| Hammersmith & City | Mile End | 1.1 min |
Connections
- Tube: change here between the District line and Hammersmith & City line.
Station facilities
What is near Bow Road station
Thames Magistrates’ Court is about 110 m from the station and the memorial to George Lansbury about 160 m. Archibald Open Space lies around 220 m away, with the smaller Siyah Garden and Kevtar Garden at roughly 320 m and 340 m, and Phoenix Upper School at about 350 m. Next door, the Wellington Buildings flats were put up to rehouse the 286 people displaced by the railway. Bow Church on the DLR is close by, and changing there outside the station is permitted.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Thames Magistrates' Court | 110 m |
| George Lansbury (memorial) | 160 m |
| Archibald Open Space | 220 m |
| Siyah Garden | 320 m |
| Kevtar Garden | 340 m |
| Phoenix Upper School | 350 m |
Frequently asked questions
The flats beside the station, entered from Wellington Street, were built to house the 286 people who lost their homes when the railway was constructed. Wellington Road had also been one of the names considered for the station itself during planning.
Yes. Bow Church station on the Docklands Light Railway is nearby, and an out-of-station interchange is permitted between the two stations, so passengers can walk between them in the street to continue a journey on the DLR or on the District and Hammersmith & City lines.