 Central station was opened on 3 August 1880.It had few passenger services, which ceased in 1940 due to wartime bombing, while the goods line ceased operation with the closure of the Royal Docks.With the redevelopment of the Docklands area in the 1980s and 1990s, the line was replaced in 1994 by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Beckton.