Roding Valley is a London Underground station. It is situated in Buckhurst Hill in the Epping Forest district of Essex. The station is on the Hainault loop of the Central line between Chigwell and Woodford stations. However, geographically it is midway between Woodford and Buckhurst Hill stations. The station is located between Station Way and Cherry Tree Rise (off Buckhurst Way). It has been in London fare zone 4 since 2 January 2007.

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). 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. 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. Because of this, it is normally quicker to travel to Woodford and change there, As of 2025 it is also the only tube station on the London Underground network to have a single ticket machine, as opposed to the minimum of two elsewhere. The station underwent refurbishment in 2006 by Metronet.

Services

Roding Valley station is on the Hainault loop of the Central line between Chigwell to the east and Woodford to the west. 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:

  • 3 tph to Hainault
  • 3 tph to Woodford

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

Connections

London Buses route W14 serves the station.

References

  • London Transport Museum Photographic Archive