Canada Water tube station
Encyclopedia
Canada Water station is a London Underground
and London Overground
station in Rotherhithe
, in south London
, UK
. It takes its name from Canada Water
, a lake which was created from a former dock
in the London Docklands.
The station is located on the Jubilee Line
between and stations and on the London Overground
between and stations, and provides an interchange point between the two lines. It is in Travelcard Zone 2
.
London Overground
services commenced on the East London Line on 27 April 2010, as the replacement extension of the historic tube line
.
to Thamesmead
. The extension was never built, but Canada Water became the only projected Fleet Line Extension station to be realised on the Jubilee Line Extension.
The station is a wholly new building on a derelict site formerly occupied by Albion Dock, part of the old Surrey Commercial Docks
. The station was one of the first designed for the Jubilee Line Extension
. The contract for the station's construction was initially awarded to Wimpey
in 1993 for the sum of £21.3 million and was later taken over by Tarmac
(now Carillion). Construction began in 1995. It proved extremely challenging, requiring the excavation (by cut-and-cover) of a void 150 m (492.1 ft) long, 23 m (75.5 ft) wide and 22 m (72.2 ft) deep. The building of the East London Line station required a separate slot at right angles, 130 m (426.5 ft) long, 13 m (42.7 ft) deep and tapering in width, incorporating a Victorian railway tunnel. Construction was complicated by the high water table on the site, which is located on the Thames flood plain; extensive deep-well dewatering was required to lower the water table before the enclosure to the excavations could be built. A total of 120,000 m³ (4,237,760 ft³) of spoil had to be excavated. An additional complication was the location of the excavation site, near the foundations of two existing 22-storey tower blocks and the northern end of the former Canada Dock, now the ornamental lake Canada Water
. The section of East London line running through the station was completely reconstructed, with the 19th-century brick railway tunnel being dismantled and the track relaid over a new structure bridging the Jubilee line tracks below. As the East London line had to be closed for this work, London Underground took the opportunity to carry out other remedial works such as repairs to the Thames Tunnel
, a short distance to the north.
It was opened on 19 August 1999, served initially by East London line trains. The Jubilee line passenger service from the station began on 17 September 1999
MTR
's chief architect Roland Paoletti as "the only station on the JLE that has been built to the strict engineering economies of the specification of a Hong Kong interchange station." Above ground, its most salient feature is a striking glass "drum" 25 m (82 ft) across, which covers a deep opening descending almost to the Jubilee Line platforms, 22 m (72.2 ft) below the surface. This feature was designed to allow natural light to reach deep into the station, a design principle common to many of the stations on the Jubilee Line Extension. The drum was designed and constructed by Buro Happold
. It is notably similar to the brick drum designed by Charles Holden
for station on the Piccadilly Line
in the 1930s, but is much more oriented towards the entry of daylight.
The drum is accompanied by a glass-roofed bus station
designed by Eva Jiřičná
which serves as a hub for services in the Rotherhithe
and Bermondsey
areas. The bus station was designed to fit in a relatively small site between the station drum, the railway's ventilation openings, a high wall and the adjoining tower blocks. Its most distinctive feature is a row of 16 m (52.5 ft)-long roof spans cantilevered from a row of central columns supporting a 100 m (328.1 ft)-long glass and aluminium canopy. This provides acoustic protection to the residential blocks and shelters passengers waiting below.
Below ground, the station is dominated by a huge concrete box, large enough to accommodate one of the Canary Wharf
skyscrapers on its side. It is lined by a series of huge concrete pillars designed to take the weight of a planned nine-storey building on the surface as well as the roadway and bus station. The station has four lifts and eight escalators with an average rise of about 6.5 m (21.3 ft) to connect the lower parts of the station with street level. It is built on three levels: the ticket office and shops lie immediately below ground, the two north-south East London line platforms are situated on the second level 11 m (36.1 ft) below the ground, and the two east-west Jubilee line platforms are on the lowest level 22 m (72.2 ft) down.
The station was the winner of the Civic Trust
Building of the Year Award for 2000, and the Interchange Awards' Medium Size Project of the Year award for 2001.
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
and London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
station in Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
, in south London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It takes its name from Canada Water
Canada Water
Canada Water is a freshwater lake and wildlife refuge in Rotherhithe in the Docklands in south-east London. Canada Water tube and bus station is named after the lake, and lies immediately to the north, while Surrey Quays Shopping Centre is also adjacent, sitting immediately to the south...
, a lake which was created from a former dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
in the London Docklands.
The station is located on the Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
between and stations and on the London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
between and stations, and provides an interchange point between the two lines. It is in Travelcard Zone 2
Travelcard Zone 2
Fare zone 2 is an inner zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services.-Background:...
.
London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
services commenced on the East London Line on 27 April 2010, as the replacement extension of the historic tube line
East London Line
The East London Line is a London Overground line which runs north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London.Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London...
.
History
Canada Water was originally intended to be a stop on the aborted Fleet Line ExtensionJubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
to Thamesmead
Thamesmead
Thamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
. The extension was never built, but Canada Water became the only projected Fleet Line Extension station to be realised on the Jubilee Line Extension.
The station is a wholly new building on a derelict site formerly occupied by Albion Dock, part of the old Surrey Commercial Docks
Surrey Commercial Docks
The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe on the south bank of the Thames in South East London. The docks operated in one form or another from 1696 to 1969...
. The station was one of the first designed for the Jubilee Line Extension
Jubilee Line Extension
The Jubilee Line Extension is the extension of the London Underground Jubilee line from to through south and east London. An eastward extension of the Jubilee line was first proposed in the 1970s and a modified route was constructed during the 1990s...
. The contract for the station's construction was initially awarded to Wimpey
George Wimpey
George Wimpey was formed in 1880 and, based in Hammersmith, operated largely as a road surfacing contractor. The business was acquired by Godfrey Mitchell in 1919 and he developed it into the UK’s pre-eminent construction and housebuilding firm. In 2007, Wimpey merged with Taylor Woodrow to create...
in 1993 for the sum of £21.3 million and was later taken over by Tarmac
Tarmac (company)
Tarmac is a company that is based in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom and operates internationally. The company produces aggregates and road-surfacing materials, including tarmacadam, from which the company's name is derived...
(now Carillion). Construction began in 1995. It proved extremely challenging, requiring the excavation (by cut-and-cover) of a void 150 m (492.1 ft) long, 23 m (75.5 ft) wide and 22 m (72.2 ft) deep. The building of the East London Line station required a separate slot at right angles, 130 m (426.5 ft) long, 13 m (42.7 ft) deep and tapering in width, incorporating a Victorian railway tunnel. Construction was complicated by the high water table on the site, which is located on the Thames flood plain; extensive deep-well dewatering was required to lower the water table before the enclosure to the excavations could be built. A total of 120,000 m³ (4,237,760 ft³) of spoil had to be excavated. An additional complication was the location of the excavation site, near the foundations of two existing 22-storey tower blocks and the northern end of the former Canada Dock, now the ornamental lake Canada Water
Canada Water
Canada Water is a freshwater lake and wildlife refuge in Rotherhithe in the Docklands in south-east London. Canada Water tube and bus station is named after the lake, and lies immediately to the north, while Surrey Quays Shopping Centre is also adjacent, sitting immediately to the south...
. The section of East London line running through the station was completely reconstructed, with the 19th-century brick railway tunnel being dismantled and the track relaid over a new structure bridging the Jubilee line tracks below. As the East London line had to be closed for this work, London Underground took the opportunity to carry out other remedial works such as repairs to the Thames Tunnel
Thames Tunnel
The Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet high and is 1,300 feet long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river's surface...
, a short distance to the north.
It was opened on 19 August 1999, served initially by East London line trains. The Jubilee line passenger service from the station began on 17 September 1999
Architecture
The station, which was the first to be designed in the Jubilee Line Extension project, has been described by the Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
's chief architect Roland Paoletti as "the only station on the JLE that has been built to the strict engineering economies of the specification of a Hong Kong interchange station." Above ground, its most salient feature is a striking glass "drum" 25 m (82 ft) across, which covers a deep opening descending almost to the Jubilee Line platforms, 22 m (72.2 ft) below the surface. This feature was designed to allow natural light to reach deep into the station, a design principle common to many of the stations on the Jubilee Line Extension. The drum was designed and constructed by Buro Happold
Buro Happold
Buro Happold is a professional services firm providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of buildings, infrastructure and the environment, with its head office in Bath, Somerset...
. It is notably similar to the brick drum designed by Charles Holden
Charles Holden
Charles Henry Holden, Litt. D., FRIBA, MRTPI, RDI was a Bolton-born English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, for Bristol Central Library, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadway and for the...
for station on the Piccadilly Line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
in the 1930s, but is much more oriented towards the entry of daylight.
The drum is accompanied by a glass-roofed bus station
Canada Water bus station
Canada Water bus station serves the Surrey Quays area of the London Borough of Southwark, London, England. The station is owned and maintained by Transport for London....
designed by Eva Jiřičná
Eva Jiricná
Eva Jiřičná CBE is a renowned Czech architect, and designer, active in London and Prague. She is known for her attention to detail and work of a distinctly modern style...
which serves as a hub for services in the Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
and Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
areas. The bus station was designed to fit in a relatively small site between the station drum, the railway's ventilation openings, a high wall and the adjoining tower blocks. Its most distinctive feature is a row of 16 m (52.5 ft)-long roof spans cantilevered from a row of central columns supporting a 100 m (328.1 ft)-long glass and aluminium canopy. This provides acoustic protection to the residential blocks and shelters passengers waiting below.
Below ground, the station is dominated by a huge concrete box, large enough to accommodate one of the Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
skyscrapers on its side. It is lined by a series of huge concrete pillars designed to take the weight of a planned nine-storey building on the surface as well as the roadway and bus station. The station has four lifts and eight escalators with an average rise of about 6.5 m (21.3 ft) to connect the lower parts of the station with street level. It is built on three levels: the ticket office and shops lie immediately below ground, the two north-south East London line platforms are situated on the second level 11 m (36.1 ft) below the ground, and the two east-west Jubilee line platforms are on the lowest level 22 m (72.2 ft) down.
The station was the winner of the Civic Trust
Civic Trust
The Civic Trust of England was a charitable organisation founded in 1957. It ceased operations in 2009 and went into administration due to lack of funds/...
Building of the Year Award for 2000, and the Interchange Awards' Medium Size Project of the Year award for 2001.