Walthamstow Central is a London Underground and National Rail station. It is the terminus of the Victoria line, and is on the Chingford Branch Line of the National Rail network operated by Greater Anglia (commuter trains in northeast London originating at Liverpool Street). It is a short walk from London Overground railway station Walthamstow Queen's Road.
The station was opened by the Great Eastern Railway (as Hoe Street) in 1870 when a line was opened from Lea Bridge to a temporary station called Shern Hall Street which was east of the Hoe Street station. The line that the Chingford branch uses today (2014) was opened two years later in 1872 with the branch being extended later to Chingford in 1873.
The up-side station building is a remarkably well preserved example of a mid-Victorian country station.
The underground station, like many stations on the Victoria line, was never completely finished. White ceiling panels were never fixed to the ceilings above the platforms; instead the steel tunnel segments were painted black and used to support the fixtures and fittings. This has had a detrimental effect on the lighting levels. There is a concrete stairway between the two escalators instead of a third escalator; this caused a hugely disruptive station closure for several weeks in 2004 when both escalators went out of service.
The main entrance to the above-ground station is on the down side and is opposite the local bus station, which was revamped in summer 2004. There are three staffed ticket windows and a number of ticket machines to serve the majority of the traffic that enters the station. The entrance to the tube was revamped in early 2006. There is a smaller entrance and ticket office on the up line, providing convenient access to the car park; however, the ticket office here is normally unstaffed outside peak hours.
A subway was built in 2005 under the busy Selborne Road linking a new bus station with a new Victoria line ticket office. The original plan was to fit out and open the new subway and ticket office in spring 2005 but problems with insufficient power capacity to supply two new lifts, together with planning and contractual errors, delayed the opening. The subway and ticket office were finally opened on 19 November 2007, albeit without the completion of the new lifts (completed in late 2008) and with unfinished building work.
Ticket barriers control access to the Victoria line platforms but the Lea Valley Line platforms are open.
London Buses Routes 20, 34, 48, 58, 69, 97, 212, 215, 230, 257, 275, 357, W11, W12, W15, W19, School Route 675 and Night Routes N26, N38 and N73 serve the station.