Aldgate East tube station
District line and Hammersmith & City line · Zone 1 · Tower Hamlets
About Aldgate East station
The first Aldgate East opened on 6 October 1884 on a spur that let District and Metropolitan trains reach Whitechapel and the East London Railway. During planning it was nearly called Commercial Road. Once the District began running eight-car trains it became a bottleneck: by 1912 those trains were too long for the platforms and could block the points for westbound Metropolitan services, but the two companies never agreed on who should pay for longer platforms. A larger building by Harry Wharton Ford followed in 1914.
The real fix came under London Transport’s 1935 New Works Plan: a new station slightly further east, with ticket halls at each end of the platforms. To make room, the track had to drop by seven feet. Engineers built the enlarged tunnel around the old one, hanging the rails on timber trestles while trains kept running, and on Sunday 30 October 1938 the line closed so that 900 workers could lower 1,400 feet of track. The resited station opened the next day, 31 October 1938, and the neighbouring St Mary’s (Whitechapel Road) station, now too close to be useful, had already closed in May. Metal eye bolts from that operation remain in the ceiling, and the cream and blue walls carry Harold Stabler’s 1936 relief tiles of London scenes, replaced with replicas in 2009 and 2010.
First and last trains from Aldgate East
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District towards Richmond, Ealing Broadway or Wimbledon | 05:36 – 00:24 to Ealing Broadway | 05:36 – 00:24 to Ealing Broadway | 05:36 – 00:24 to Ealing Broadway | 06:52 to Richmond – 23:49 |
| District towards Upminster, Barking or Dagenham East | 05:40 – 00:55 | 05:40 – 00:55 | 05:40 – 00:55 | 07:07 – 00:18 |
| Hammersmith & City towards Hammersmith (Circle and H&C lines) | 05:23 – 00:31 | 05:23 – 00:31 | 05:23 – 00:31 | 06:49 – 00:08 |
| Hammersmith & City towards Barking or Plaistow | 05:36 – 00:58 | 05:36 – 00:58 | 05:36 – 00:58 | 07:27 – 00:34 |
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 Aldgate East, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Aldgate East
Running times between Aldgate East and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| District | Tower Hill | 2.3 min |
| District | Whitechapel | 2.1 min |
| Hammersmith & City | Liverpool Street | 4.3 min |
| Hammersmith & City | Whitechapel | 2.1 min |
Connections
- Tube: change here between the District line and Hammersmith & City line.
Station facilities
What is near Aldgate East station
Whitechapel High Street runs directly above the platforms, and one of its northern entrances is built into the Whitechapel Gallery, listed at about 190 m. Brick Lane begins roughly 290 m away and Altab Ali Park about 300 m. Closer still are Toynbee Studios (about 170 m), the Stolen Space gallery (220 m), Wentworth Street Market (250 m) and the Curzon Aldgate cinema (280 m), with London Metropolitan University’s Aldgate campus only about 110 m off. The station is the eastern gateway to Whitechapel, a short way past Aldgate at the City’s edge.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Whitechapel Gallery | 190 m |
| Brick Lane | 290 m |
| Altab Ali Park | 300 m |
| London College of Marketing and Technology | 70 m |
| Library | 100 m |
| London Metroplitan University: Aldgate Campus | 110 m |
| Braham Street Park | 110 m |
| Toynbee Studios | 170 m |
Frequently asked questions
The old platforms could not take long trains and the junctions west of the station limited capacity. Under the 1935 New Works Plan a replacement station was built slightly to the east, with ticket halls at each end. The track was lowered by seven feet in a single Sunday closure, and the new station opened on 31 October 1938.
A Tower Hamlets councillor launched a campaign in 2006 to rename the station Brick Lane by 2012, but it was not supported and the name stayed. Long before that, during planning in the 1880s, the name Commercial Road had been considered.