A fire on 20 December of that year saw these plans brought forward and work was started early in 1893.

The construction of the Whitechapel and Bow Railway allowed the District Railway (now known as the District line) to start serving the station in 1902, and initially steam services operated through to East Ham with some operating as far as Upminster.

Delayed by World War I,[11] electrified tracks were extended by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) to Upminster and through services fully resumed in 1932.

Another fire in February 1970 led to the demolition of the station buildings (dating from 1894) and a newer booking office opened on 11 June 1972.

[19] On 2 June 2008, an unexploded bomb from World War II was found near where the line crosses the Prescott Channel, not far from the station, causing disruption to trains.

[20] The station entrance is at a higher level than the platforms (being situated on the road bridge crossing the rail tracks) which are accessible by stairs and lifts.

[22] The station has four platforms, of which only two are currently in use; serving the District and Hammersmith & City lines, which share a track at this point, in both directions.

[29] In the BBC soap opera EastEnders, the fictional Walford East Underground station takes the place of Bromley-by-Bow.