East London Railway

East London Line
Class 378 train at Hoxton, with the City of London skyline in background
Overview
Type	Suburban rail, Rapid Transit
System	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Greater London
Termini	Highbury & Islington Dalston Junction New Cross Clapham Junction Crystal Palace West Croydon
Stations	23
Services	3
Operation
Opened	27 April 2010 (preview service) 23 May 2010 (full service)
Owner	Transport for London (TfL) Network Rail
Operator(s)	London Overground
Depot(s)	New Cross Gate
Rolling stock	Class 378 "Capitalstar"
Technical
Number of tracks	Double track; sections with four tracks
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	750 V DC third rail

The East London Line is part of the London Overground, running north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London. It was previously a line of the London Underground.

Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London Underground network in 1933. After nearly 75 years as part of the Underground network, it closed in December 2007 for an extensive refurbishment and expansion, reopening as part of the Overground network in April 2010. Phase 2, which links the line to the South London Line with a terminus at Clapham Junction, opened on 9 December 2012, creating an orbital railway around inner London.

The East London Railway was created by the East London Railway Company, a consortium of six railway companies: the Great Eastern Railway (GER), the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR), the South Eastern Railway (SER), the Metropolitan Railway, and the District Railway. The latter two operated what are now the Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines of the London Underground. The incorporation of the ELR took place on 26 May 1865 with the aim of providing a link between the LB&SCR, GER and SER lines.