Chigwell tube station

Chigwell
Entrance to Station Road
Chigwell Location of Chigwell in Essex
Location	Chigwell
Local authority	Epping Forest
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2012	0.49 million
2013	0.52 million
2014	0.53 million
2015	0.56 million
Railway companies
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London & North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1903	Opened (GER)
1947	Closed (LNER)
1948	Reopened (Central line)
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
WGS84	51°37′03″N 0°04′27″E / 51.61749°N 0.07421°E / 51.61749; 0.07421Coordinates: 51°37′03″N 0°04′27″E / 51.61749°N 0.07421°E / 51.61749; 0.07421

Chigwell is a London Underground station at Chigwell in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located on the Hainault Loop of the Central line, between Grange Hill and Roding Valley stations. Since 2 January 2007, the station is in Travelcard Zone 4.

The station was opened on 1 May 1903 by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) on its Woodford to Ilford line (the Fairlop Loop). As a consequence of the 1921 Railways Act, the GER was merged with other railway companies in 1923 to become part of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER).

The Woodford to Ilford loop was largely integrated into the London Underground Central line as part of the London Passenger Transport Board's "New Works Programme" of 1935 - 1940, which saw an extension of electric tube services into north-east London. As part of this work the station closed on 29 November 1947. Electric Underground trains served the station from 21 November 1948.

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. 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. Some Victoria line (1967 Stock) trains were also used to operate this section and named FACT, "Fully Automatic Controlled Train". The separate operation has now been abolished, the 1960 Stock withdrawn and through trains to Central London now operate, albeit via Hainault. Because of this, it is normally quicker to travel to Woodford and change there, 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. This is done for operating convenience but passenger demand for these services is particularly high.