The station opened on 15 September 1840 as
Tottenham, on the
Northern & Eastern Railway (N&ER) line from Stratford in east London to in
Hertfordshire. The Northern and Eastern Railway was leased by the
Eastern Counties Railway in 1844 who took over operation of the line. Until 1868 Tottenham Hale was a railhead for cattle traffic from East Anglia. Trains were unloaded there, and the cattle driven miles down what is now the A10 road towards London. Four years later in 1872 the route via Clapton was opened, offering a slightly more direct route to Liverpool Street. In 1875, the suffix 'Hale' was added to the station's name; this was removed in November 1938, before being restored in 1968. In 1882 the line through Tottenham Hale became part of a major rail freight artery, with the opening of the
Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway. This provided a link for the Great Eastern from the coalfields in the north to London. This led to a second pair of running lines known as the Slow Lines being added in 1913. In 1963, the link from Tottenham South Junction to the Tottenham and Hampstead Line was closed to passengers, with the end of services to/from via Seven Sisters. On 14 July 1967, planning permission was granted for the addition of the London Underground
Victoria line station. The station was renamed Tottenham Hale on 1 September 1968, when it became an interchange station with London Underground on the opening of the first stage of the Victoria line. The Lea Valley line between Copper Mill Junction and Cheshunt was electrified at 25 kV in 1969. Many of the private goods sidings were removed at this time. In February 2012 operation of the station changed once again, with
Greater Anglia taking over the franchise.
Accidents and incidents • On 12 September 1858 a passenger train collided with some goods wagons that had been shunted onto the main line. Nobody was seriously injured. Eighteen months later on 20 February 1860 the station was the site of a serious railway accident when a locomotive derailed, killing the driver, fireman and seven passengers. • On 29 August 1913 a northbound mail train (carrying passengers) ran into the back of a freight train just south of the station at Tottenham South Junction. The cause was a signal passed at danger in foggy conditions. Two passengers were badly injured, 16 less so. • The area was always susceptible to flooding, one of the worst instances being between 18 and 22 February 1919 when the River Lea overflowed its banks and rail traffic was suspended. • On 12 February 1927 an express passenger train, hauled by
LNER Class D15 4-4-0 No. 8808, was in collision with a
lorry on a level crossing. Owing to foggy conditions, the train was not travelling at high speed. • On 4 October 1929, another accident occurred at Tottenham North Junction (just south of the station) when a goods train, hauled by
LNER Class J15 0-6-0 No. 7938, passed a signal at danger and was hit by a passenger train, which was hauled by
LNER Class B17 4-6-0 No. 2808
Gunton. There were no fatalities. • On 21 March 1944 (during World War Two), several incendiary bombs fell close to the station, destroying a lineside hut. == Passenger volume ==