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Devons Road DLR station

Coordinates: 51°31′20″N 0°01′03″W / 51.5223°N 0.0174°W / 51.5223; -0.0174
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Devons Road Docklands Light Railway
The blue half barrel platform canopies are contemporary with the station opening
Devons Road is located in Greater London
Devons Road
Devons Road
Location of Devons Road in Greater London
LocationBromley-by-Bow
Local authorityLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets
Managed byDocklands Light Railway
Number of platforms2
AccessibleYes[1]
Fare zone2
DLR annual boardings and alightings
2019Increase 2.624 million[2]
2020Decrease 1.419 million[3]
2021Increase 1.447 million[4]
2022Increase 2.170 million[5]
2023Increase 2.410 million[6]
Railway companies
Original companyDocklands Light Railway
Key dates
31 August 1987Opened
Other information
Coordinates51°31′20″N 0°01′03″W / 51.5223°N 0.0174°W / 51.5223; -0.0174
London transport portal

Devons Road is a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station located in Bromley-by-Bow. The station takes its name from Devons Road and is between Langdon Park and Bow Church stations. It is on the Stratford–Poplar branch of the DLR, with services continuing on to Canary Wharf and Lewisham. The station opened with the DLR system on 31 August 1987 and is a rare example of the preserved distinctive architectural design of the first stations. It is in London fare zone 2.

History

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North London Railway

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The first railway through the site of the station was the Bow–Poplar branch of the North London Railway (NLR), built in 1851 and opened on 1 January 1852.[7] The line was opened initially for freight only. To the east were the Devons Road engine sheds and to the south was the Devons Road Goods Depot of the London and North Western Railway.[8]

Passenger service through the site commenced on 1 August 1866. The nearest stations on the line were Bow[a] to the north and Poplar (East India Road)[b] to the south.[8] An infill station at South Bromley opened to the south on 1 September 1884. The line to Poplar was closed to passengers on 15 May 1944, during the Second World War.[8] The line continued to be used for declining freight traffic until 5 October 1981 and the track lifted by 13 May 1985.[8]

Docklands Light Railway

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In the 1980s, consideration was being given to improving transport in the London Docklands.[9] Various schemes were proposed, with the final Docklands Light Railway plans mostly reusing old railway routes, including the former NLR branch to Poplar. The Stratford–Poplar service was the second line to receive legislative consent in April 1985, one year after the first Tower Gateway–Island Gardens route.[10] In the Bow area stations were planned on the old NLR alignment at Bow Church and Devons Road.[9]

The DLR station opened on 31 August 1987 as one of the original stations of the service.[7][11] A further station was planned to the south at Langdon Park, but was not built due to lack of funding. The infill station was eventually built and opened on 9 December 2007.[12]

Design

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The station consists of two side platforms on a north–south alignment.[13] It has retained much of the architectural design from its construction. It was built by Balfour Beatty with distinctive half-cylindrical glazed blue canopies.[14] It is one of the few DLR stations to have its original features preserved.[15] Two lifts provide step-free access from the platforms to the street.[1] Platforms were lengthened to take two car trains soon after opening.[16] As part of the 2000s DLR Capacity Enhancement Project the platforms were extended to the south to enable three car trains, the original staircases were replaced and the canopies extended.[17]

Location

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The station is located on Devons Road in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) around the station is primarily residential, with approximately 18,700 residents within 6,400 households.[18] London Buses routes 108 and 323 serve the station.[19]

Services

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The typical off-peak service in trains per hour from Devons Road is:[20]

Additional services call at the station during the peak hours, increasing the service to up to 16 tph in each direction, with up to 8 tph during the peak hours extended beyond Canary Wharf to and from Lewisham.

Notes

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  1. ^ Bow was first served 26 September 1850 and last served 15 May 1944.
  2. ^ Poplar (East India Road) was first served 1 August 1866 and last served 15 May 1944.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David (2009). Railways of Britain: London North of the Thames. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-3346-7.
  8. ^ a b c d Lovett, Dennis (1 April 2012). The North London Railway 1846-2012. Irwell Press. ISBN 978-1-906919-47-4.
  9. ^ a b Vaughan, John (1 October 1987). "Keeping Track of Docklands". Illustrated London News. p. 90.
  10. ^ Committee, Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport (10 August 2005). Integrated Transport: The Future of Light Rail and Modern Trams in the United Kingdom; Tenth Report of Session 2004-05. The Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-215-02573-9.
  11. ^ Willis, Jonathan (15 September 2022). The Railways of London Docklands: Their History and Development. Pen and Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1-5267-9061-3.
  12. ^ "New Docklands Light Railway station opens at Langdon Park". Transport for London. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Detailed London transport map". cartometro.com. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  14. ^ "DLR Station Design Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  15. ^ Beanland, Christopher (2024). Station: A Journey Through 20th and 21st Century Railway Architecture and Design (1st ed.). London: Pavilion Books. ISBN 978-1849949521.
  16. ^ "The growing railway" (PDF). Docklands Light Railway. Summer 1990. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  17. ^ "DLR Capacity Enhancement Project - General Description of Works" (PDF). Tower Hamlets London Borough Council. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Office for National Statistics – Mid Year Population Estimates; Office for National Statistics – Census 2021". ONS. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Buses from Bromley-by-Bow and Devons Road" (PDF). TfL. October 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  20. ^ "DLR train timetables". Transport for London. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Devons Road DLR station.
Preceding station   DLR   Following station
Langdon Park
towards Lewisham
   Docklands Light Railway   Bow Church
towards Stratford
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