Whitechapel Station gets new Bengali signage
Ansar Ahmed Ullah
Contributing Editor,Shottobani
London: Bengali language signage has been installed at Whitechapel Station to acknowledge the contribution of the Bangladeshi community to east London.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs and the High Commissioner of Bangladesh Saida Muna Tasneem visited Whitechapel on 15 March to view the signage and tour the new-look station.
Tower Hamlets Council has funded dual language signs in English and Bengali outside and throughout the station. Transport for London (TfL) began installing the signs last week and is expecting them all to be in place by the end of April.
Tower Hamlets has the largest Bangladeshi community in the UK with around a third of residents of Bangladeshi heritage. Iconic areas and institutions near to Whitechapel station include Brick Lane and Banglatown. This year the borough has also been celebrating 50 years of independence for Bangladesh.
The improvements to Whitechapel station are part of the introduction of the Elizabeth line which has two stations in Tower Hamlets – Whitechapel and Canary Wharf. The Elizabeth line is due to open in the first half of this year and will mean people travelling from Whitechapel can get a direct train through central London to Paddington in just 15 minutes.
It is one of many major developments taking place in Whitechapel. Later this year, the Council will reopen the historic Grade II listed Royal London Hospital building as a new Town Hall. In November, Queen Mary University of London agreed a property deal with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) that paves the way for the development of a life sciences cluster with Barts NHS Trust.
John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said, “I am delighted that TfL has listened to our request to recognise the contribution our Bangladeshi community has made to Tower Hamlets and London as a whole. Whitechapel is one of London’s most famous places and we are now creating a new history with developments including the Elizabeth Line and renovating the former Royal London Hospital building. Following our successful year of celebrations to mark 50 years since of Bangladeshi independence, it is fantastic that the signs have been installed in time for Bangladesh Independence Day on Saturday 26 March.”
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said, “London’s diversity is its greatest strength. The revamped signs at Whitechapel station recognise and celebrate the vital contribution Bangladeshi Londoners have made in shaping the community in Tower Hamlets and throughout our city. I’m delighted that they have been installed ahead of Bangladesh Independence Day on Saturday 26th March. Whitechapel is an iconic part of the city which will soon see the arrival of a new London icon – the Elizabeth line. Once open, passengers will be able to travel from Whitechapel station to Paddington in just 15 minutes. The new line is one of the world’s most advanced railways and will play a crucial role in the city’s recovery from the pandemic, transforming travel across London and the South East.”
Whitechapel is also getting further investment through the £11m Whitechapel Road Improvement Programme, which covers the area of Whitechapel Road from the junctions with New Road and Vallance Road, to Cambridge Heath Road and Sydney Street this includes improved pavements, street lighting, greening and street furniture and new market stalls.