Upney tube station
District line · Zone 4 · Barking and Dagenham
About Upney station
Trains ran past this spot for decades before anyone could board: the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway’s direct line between Barking and Pitsea, built between 1885 and 1888, had no station here. The London County Council’s interwar Becontree estate changed that. The Midland Railway and the LCC identified a site on Upney Lane in 1920, and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway opened the station on 12 September 1932 on new tracks built for the electric District service between Barking and Upminster. Electric trains initially ran every 10 minutes at peak times and every 20 minutes off-peak.
LMS architect William Henry Hamlyn designed the single-storey brick building, a type repeated on the eastern District and similar to Elm Park. The island platform is 700 feet long, of which 400 feet is in use under a single canopy, and the ticket office sits on the bridge above, reached by a long sloping walkway. Only District trains ever called, even under LMS and British Railways management, until London Underground took ownership on 1 January 1969. Metronet was due to refurbish the station, but after that company’s collapse TfL placed it in a ‘limited works’ category.
First and last trains from Upney
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District towards Richmond, Ealing Broadway or Wimbledon | 05:12 – 23:59 to Ealing Broadway | 05:12 – 23:59 to Ealing Broadway | 05:12 – 23:59 to Ealing Broadway | 05:53 to Whitechapel – 23:23 to Ealing Broadway |
| District towards Upminster or Dagenham East | 05:47 – 01:20 | 05:47 – 01:20 | 05:47 – 01:20 | 06:32 – 00:44 |
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 18 District trains an hour per direction from Upney, counting both directions separately.
Connections
Upney is served by the District line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Upney station
On Upney Lane in Barking, between Barking and Becontree on the District line, the station was built for the population of the new Becontree estate. Barking Community Hospital is about 190 m away. The station sits 13.7 km along the line from Tower Hill and has no main-line platforms, although four tracks pass through. Bus route 62 links the station with Barking, Becontree, Chadwell Heath, Dagenham and Marks Gate.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Barking Community Hospital | 190 m |
Frequently asked questions
The line through the site had existed since the 1880s, but there was no stop until local demand grew with the London County Council’s Becontree estate. A site on Upney Lane was identified in 1920, and the station opened on 12 September 1932 on new local tracks for the electric District service.
The island platform is 700 feet (210 m) long, but only a 400-foot (120 m) section is in operational use, under a single canopy supported by columns. The ticket office is on the bridge above platform level and is reached by a long sloping walkway.