The station is served by London Underground's District, Hammersmith & City and Jubilee lines, the Stratford International branch of the DLR, and c2c National Rail services.

In the late 1990s, the station was rebuilt and significantly expanded as part of the Jubilee Line Extension, fully opening in 1999.

The company board approved this in February 1898 and Mowlem's was given the contract to build a four platform station, which allowed for the proposed quadrupling of the line with the completion of the Whitechapel and Bow Railway.

The North London Railway had run a daily service to Plaistow via the Bow-Bromley curve since 18 May 1869 and when West Ham opened it used the northern platforms.

The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway trains from Fenchurch Street used the southern platforms when the Metropolitan District services began but stopping was reduced to a few a week in 1908 and to nil in 1913.

Julius Stephen, the driver of the train, was shot dead at the scene when he attempted to pursue the fleeing bomber.

[21][22] The station was temporarily modified to allow it to cope with an increase in passenger numbers during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

[24] A double-ended centre siding east of West Ham was constructed to compensate for lost reversing capacity caused by the rebuilding of Whitechapel station as part of Crossrail work.

[26] The Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway was constructed north to south through West Ham, linking Stratford with Canning Town in 1846.

Platforms were constructed on the line at West Ham and opened on 14 May 1979 when the Crosstown Linkline service began between Camden Road and North Woolwich.

In the 1990s, the station was comprehensively rebuilt as part of the Jubilee Line Extension, designed by van Heyningen and Haward Architects.

[29] As part of the TwelveTrees development on the former Parcelforce distribution depot, a new station entrance is being built to connect to the upper Jubilee line concourse.

[18] The station design was considered to evoke work by Charles Holden in the 1930s, with use of brick and glass blocks, as well as a clock tower.

[33] Critics called the station "effortlessly elegant"[33] and an "impressive architectural essay in brick, concrete and glass".

The station building and connecting passageways are finished in a mixture of red brick, concrete and glass, inspired by Charles Holden.

[39] Services at West Ham are operated by c2c, Docklands Light Railway and London Underground on the District, Hammersmith & City and Jubilee lines.