Broad Street - Dalston BR

BROAD STREET - DALSTON

Opened to passengers 1.11.1865
Opened to goods ?.5.1868
Closed 30.6.1986.

Stations
- Dalston Junction
- Haggerston (opened 1867, closed 1940)
- Shoreditch (closed 1940)
- Broad Street (closed 1986)

History
Incorporpated in 1846 the nominally independent East & West India Docks & Birmingham Junction Railway was heavily backed by the LNWR. In 1853 it changed its name to the North London Railway (NLR) and although managed by the LNWR from 1909 remained independent until the grouping. Its original line ran from Camden Town to Poplar but in 1865 it opened a branch directly into the city off its main line at Dalston Junction. Traffic handled by the new Broad Street station grew at a phenomenal rate and the line was quadrupled by 1874; eventually the terminus had nine platforms. The last train to use the line was the 18.36 Broad Street - Watford Junction on Friday 27 June 1986.
The East London Line extension northward from Shoreditch, opened in 2010, uses much of the alignment.

Route - when originally open
It diverged from the Camden Town to Poplar line at Dalston Western Junction (GR333850) and curved south to Dalston Junction where the line fron Dalston Eastern Junction trailed in from the east, thus forming a triangular junction. From Dalston Junction station (which had platforms on both curves) the line headed south alongside Kingsland Road, passing Haggerston station and bridging the Regent's Canal. One mile from Dalston Junction it turned SW to bridge Kingsland Road and Old Street the location of Shoreditch station, then continued south bridging Great Eastern Street on the approach to Broad Street station (GR331817) with lines into Liverpool Street station on the east side but at a lower level.

Route - today
The viaduct south from Dalston Junction is intact and has been adapted for use by the East London Line extension. The viaduct ends at New Inn Yard where the East London Line route curves away eastward. There are also two short stubs on either side of Great Eastern Street; the southern one reaches only as far as Bowl Court. From Bowl Court to Primrose Street there are new office developments. The route south of Primrose Street as far as, and including, Broad Street station is covered by the Broadgate development. Most of the Dalston East Curve is now a long car park. The other third has been opened to the public as the Eastern Curve Garden.

Relics
- Dalston Junction station. Completely demolished and rebuilt for the East London Line extension
- Haggerston station. The original central platform was demolished in the early 1970s but the southbound one remains intact. The new East London line station at Haggerston was built on the north side of Lee Street; the original was on the south side of it.
- Shoreditch station platforms have been demolished. The station building survives below at street level
- Broad Street demolished - site built over by the Broadgate Office complex.

Bridges - all bridges on the proposed ELL route have been replaced;
bridges over Holywell Lane, Great Eastern Street, Plough Yard, Worship St, Primrose St, are missing;
the viaduct carrying the line is intact between Middleton Road and New Inn Yard. There are small sections remaining between Holywell Lane and Great Eastern St, and between Great Eastern St and Plough Yard.
Tunnels - on west curve under Kingsland High Street 88yds, will be reopened for ELL extension;
on east curve under Dalston Lane 58yds condition unknown.

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The old North London line's Shoreditch station building in 1990, on the corner of Old Street and Kingsland Road (not to be confused with the other Shoreditch station north of Whitechapel on the original East London line route). It was closed in 1940.

An exit from the platforms, situated (at street level) underneath and between the platform areas.

(photo: 2007)

The exit was opened briefly as a bar to watch the football World Cup in. Once inside, there are two passageways on the left and right. This view is the centre view and shows a small section of blocked off passageway that still retains what would appear to be its original tiles.

(photo: Jun 2014)

Inside the station building (1990) with the ticket office still clearly visible. The staircase visible to the left of the photo is seen in the photo below.

The building, as of Nov 2006, was in use as a bar, perhaps unsurprisingly called The Old Shoreditch Station. Fancyapint.com gave it a '3 pint' rating! Their specific webpage for it is here.

The 'people' visible at the top of the stairs are fake 'ghosts'.

(photo: 2007)

The station building in its present incarnation, the aforementioned The Old Shoreditch Station bar.

(photo: 2007)

Shoreditch station looking north. The platforms here were removed (probably in 2005) as part of the works for the East London Line extension.

The layout of the old station is clear here however, with two lines passing on the left of the island platform and two passing on the right, with an additional platform for the far right track.The far left track didn't have had a platform at all. Notice that the platforms have been covered with asphalt. The section of the platform seen here still open to the elements is on the bridge over Old Street.

(photo: 2001)

Shoreditch station looking north at the two tracks on the eastern side of the station.

The East London Line extension has a new station at Shoreditch High Street intended to replace its own Shoreditch station.
The new station is also sufficiently close to the NLR Shoreditch station shown here, to make its reopening not viable.
Curiously then, the East London line now has two abandoned Shoreditch stations on its route!

(photo: 2001)

The meagre trackside remains still in existence after the opening of the East London line extension.

(photo: 2010)

Shoreditch station looking south at the two tracks on the eastern side of the station.

(photo: 2001)

Again looking south at the two tracks on the eastern side of the station (the perspective all but hides the space for the two tracks to the right of the photo).

(photo: 2001)

The northern end of the Shoreditch island platform with the bridge over Kingsland Road up ahead. The bush on the right of the photo provides an index point with the photos above.

(photo: 2001)

For further photos of Shoreditch station, see www.disused-stations.org.uk

Film footage of a cab ride from Dalston Junction to Broad Street is viewable on YouTube.

Part 3.