Roding Valley London Underground
Station entrance, northern side
Roding Valley is located in Essex
Roding Valley
Roding Valley
Location of Roding Valley in Essex
LocationBuckhurst Hill
Local authorityEpping Forest
London Borough of Redbridge
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
AccessibleYes[1]
Fare zone4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2018Decrease 0.28 million[2]
2019Increase 0.45 million[3]
2020Decrease 0.19 million[4]
2021Decrease 0.16 million[5]
2022Increase 0.26 million[6]
Railway companies
Original companyLondon and North Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 May 1903Track laid (GER)
3 February 1936Opened (LNER)
29 November 1947Closed (LNER)
21 November 1948Opened (Central line)
Other information
External links
WGS8451°37′01″N 0°02′38″E / 51.61694°N 0.04388°E / 51.61694; 0.04388
 London transport portal

Roding Valley is a London Underground station situated in Buckhurst Hill in the Epping Forest district of Essex, straddling the boundary between that council and Greater London (the London Borough of Redbridge). The station is on the Hainault loop of the Central line between Chigwell and Woodford stations.[7] However, geographically it is midway between Woodford and Buckhurst Hill stations. It is located between Station Way and Cherry Tree Rise (off Buckhurst Way). Since 2 January 2007, the station has been in Travelcard Zone 4.[7]

With around 0.26 million passenger journeys recorded in 2022, Roding Valley is the least used[5] Underground station and hence the most lightly used Underground station. Kensington (Olympia) had 2.10 million underground passenger journeys recorded in 2022, but other services are provided to the station by London Overground and Southern.

Location

It was originally named Roding Valley Halt (though while the full name appeared on tickets and timetables, the suffix Halt appeared on only some of the station signage), and was opened to serve new housing developments between Buckhurst Hill and Woodford. It was named after the River Roding which is close by, to the east. The track rises towards Chigwell and crosses the Roding over an impressive viaduct. Woodford Junction, where the Hainault branch leaves the main Central line to Epping, is very close to the station – Roding Valley's platforms are visible from the train in either direction between Woodford and Buckhurst Hill (on the left of the train towards Woodford).[8]

Roding Valley station has a very small catchment area, which explains its low usage. To the east is an undeveloped flood plain of the river Roding. A short distance to the north is Buckhurst Hill station. To the north-west is open space, while the areas to the south are served by Woodford station, which has a better train service. The station straddles the border between Redbridge and Epping Forest. The southern exit is in Redbridge, while the northern exit is in Epping Forest.

History

The tracks through Roding Valley were opened on 1 May 1903 by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) on its Woodford to Ilford line (the Fairlop Loop).[9] The station was not opened until 3 February 1936 by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER, successor to the GER).

As part of the 1935–1940 New Works Programme of the London Passenger Transport Board the majority of the Woodford to Ilford loop was to be transferred to form the eastern extensions of the Central line. Although work started in 1938 it was suspended at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and work was only resumed in 1946. In connection with the alterations required for the electrification of the line, the station was closed from 29 November 1947.[9] It reopened, with its present name, and was first served by the Central line from 21 November 1948.[9] The rather basic station buildings (all-wooden on the Woodford-bound side) were replaced by more substantial structures by 1949.

Train arrives on a Hainault-bound service

From the mid-1960s until the early 1990s the Woodford-Hainault section was largely operated separately from the rest of the Central line, using four-car (later three-car) trains of 1960 Stock.[10] The three car units had a 1938 tube stock middle carriage. These trains were adapted for Automatic Train Operation (ATO): the Woodford-Hainault section became the testing ground for ATO on the Victoria line.[10] Some Victoria line (1967 Stock) trains were also used to operate this section[10] and named FACT, "Fully Automatic Controlled Train". The separate operation has now been abolished, the 1960 Stock has been withdrawn and through trains to Central London now operate via Hainault.[11] Because of this, it is normally quicker to travel to Woodford and change there,[10] as trains to central London run frequently from that point. At the buildup to the peak periods, some trains starting from Hainault depot operate to central London via Grange Hill, Chigwell, Roding Valley and Woodford.[11] This is done for operating convenience but passenger demand for these services is particularly high.

The station today

Roding Valley is the most lightly used station on the Underground. It is also one of the twelve tube stations not to have ticket barriers.[12] The station underwent refurbishment in 2006 by Metronet.[13]

Before this, the ticket office was only staffed for a few hours every week to allow the sale of period Travelcards and other season tickets. In the 1980s the station had a foreman, a ticket office clerk, and two railmen, one of whom sold tickets on the Woodford bound (inner rail) platform using a Gibson machine, the other collecting tickets on the Chigwell bound (outer rail) platform.

Services

The train service (which used to end at 8pm each day) has been extended to midnight to take into account the rising passenger numbers. The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

At morning rush hour, there are three trains that run to West Ruislip.[14]

Preceding station London Underground Following station
Chigwell
towards Hainault
 Central line
via Hainault Loop
 Woodford
Terminus

Connections

London Buses route 549 serves the station.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Full Journey on the Central line from West Ruislip to Epping – YouTube
  9. 1 2 3 "Clive's Underground Line Guides, Central Line, Dates". Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Railfanning London's Railways – Central line
  11. 1 2 On the branch line…from Woodford to Hainault
  12. ↑ Tube Facts – Tube Stations that have no exit barriers
  13. ↑ "Station Refurbishment Summary" (PDF). London Underground Railway Society. July 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Central Line timetable changes". 10 January 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  15. ↑ Monkhams Inn – Bus
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