Editing Great Eastern Main Line (section)

===Great Eastern Railway (1862–1922)===

From November 1872, {{rws|Bishopsgate (Low Level)}} became a temporary terminus to relieve the main high level Bishopsgate station while the GER was building its new permanent terminus at {{stn|Liverpool Street}}. The latter opened in stages from February 1874, beginning with the first four platforms, until it was fully open from November 1875. At that time the original 1840 Bishopsgate station closed to passengers and was converted into a goods yard.

By the 1870s, suburbia in the Forest Gate area was developing quickly and in 1872 suburban trains (this was the first distinctive suburban service on the main line as previously main-line trains had performed this duty) terminated at a [[bay platform]] at {{rws|Forest Gate}}. These were followed by trains from Fenchurch Street in 1877.<ref group=Note>Fenchurch Street was served by GER and LTSR services at this time and GER services were routed via Bow Road</ref> By 1882, these services had been extended and were terminating at Ilford, Romford or Brentwood.

In 1877, a fourth track was added between Bow Junction and Stratford and two goods-only tracks were added between Stratford and [[Maryland railway station|Maryland Point]]. The four-track Bow Junction to Stratford section was extended back to James Street Junction (near Globe Road station which opened the same year) in 1884, but Bethnal Green to James Street did not follow until 1891. It was also in this year that two extra tracks were added between Bethnal Green and Liverpool Street which were for the use of [[West Anglia Main Line]] services. These tracks were built through the basement warehousing associated with Bishopsgate station located above.

The line was quadrupled to Ilford in 1895, and in 1899 out to {{rws|Seven Kings}}.

In 1902, the quadruple track was extended from Seven Kings to Romford, but it wasn't until 1913 that four-tracking out to {{rws|Shenfield}} was suggested and the First World War caused delay to this plan.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kay|first1=Peter|title=Great Eastern in Town and Country Volume 3|date=1996|publisher=Irwell Press|location=Clophill, UK|isbn=1-871608-74-0|pages=2–3}}</ref> In 1903, the [[Fairlop Loop]] opened and a number of services that had previously terminated at Ilford were extended onto it. These services generally looped round and back to the GEML at Stratford (on the Cambridge line platforms).