The station was built by the East London Railway Company in 1884 and was known as Deptford Road until 1911. It was renamed Surrey Docks in reference to the nearby, now closed, Surrey Commercial Docks, and further renamed Surrey Quays in 1989, following the construction of the nearby Surrey Quays shopping centre. This was a somewhat controversial move and was unpopular with many of the local community, who felt that their heritage was being erased. However, the name stuck and the Surrey Docks area is now widely known as Surrey Quays.
EAST LONDON LINE: The line is closed to enable works to upgrade it to be part of the new London Overground network. Four replacement bus services operate.
Replacement buses operate as follows:
ROUTE ELC: Canada Water - Surrey Quays - New Cross - New Cross Gate
ROUTE ELP: Canada Water - Rotherhithe
ROUTE ELS: Whitechapel - Shoreditch, Mon - Fri peak hours and Sunday until 1500