Hackney Central railway station is a London Overground station on the North London Line in an area of the London Borough of Hackney known as Hackney Central in east London. It is between Dalston Kingsland (to the west) and Homerton (to the east), in Travelcard Zone 2. The station and all trains serving it are operated by London Overground.
The station is a short walk from Hackney Downs, on the Abellio Greater Anglia route from Liverpool Street, and a direct passenger walkway linking the two stations (replacing an earlier such link) was opened in July 2015, meaning passengers do not have to exit on to the street in order to continue their onward journey.
The former station building is now a bar and music venue.
The North London Railway opened a station named Hackney on 26 September 1850, to the east of Mare Street. It closed on 1 December 1870 and was replaced the same day by a station to the west of Mare Street, also named Hackney. This station passed in due course to the London and North Western Railway and later on to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, which closed the entire North London Line east of Dalston Junction to passenger traffic in 1944.
On 12 May 1980 the station was reopened, this time named Hackney Central, a little to the west of the 1870 station. The 1870 station building is no longer in use by the railway, but is one of only two examples of North London Railway architecture still in situ, the other being Camden Road station, which is still open. Access to the modern Hackney Central station is from an alleyway adjacent to the 1870 building on Mare Street, as well as a more direct access from Amhurst Road.
As part of the programme to introduce four-car trains on the London Overground network, the North London Line between Gospel Oak and Stratford closed in February 2010, and reopened on 1 June 2010. This was to enable the installation of a new signalling system and the extension of platforms across the network. Engineering work continued until May 2011, during which reduced services operated and Sunday services were suspended.
London Bus routes 30; 38; 48; 55; 106; 236; 242; 253; 254; 276; 277; 394 and W15,[12] and night routes N38, N55 and N253[13] serve the station. In addition, bus routes 242 and 277 provide a 24-hour bus service.