Finsbury Park Railway Station
Finsbury Park is a train station in the London borough of the same name , which is part of the London Borough of Islington . The important local transport hub northeast of the city center is in the Travelcard tariff zone 2, at the intersection of four main streets. In 2013, 6.430 million passengers used the station and 27.07 million the underground station below.
investment
The five-track railway station, built on a viaduct , is located on the East Coast Main Line , has a counter hall that is independent of the subway and is served by First Capital Connect suburban trains. These run from King's Cross and Moorgate via Finsbury Park to Welwyn Garden City , Hertford , Peterborough and Cambridge .
The underground station is served by trains on the Piccadilly Line and Victoria Line . It is six meters below the surface and consists of two central platforms. Most passengers can change to the other line on the same platform. There are no elevators , only escalators and stairs that can be reached via narrow connecting tunnels. For this reason, the station is not barrier-free despite its shallow depth.
history
railroad
The southern section of the East Coast Main Line was created in stages during the 1840s and early 1850s by the Great Northern Railway (GNR). The tracks reached Finsbury Park in 1850 and initially ended in London in a temporary station on Maiden Lane. In 1852 the GNR extended the route to the definitive King's Cross main station . Finsbury Park Station opened on July 1, 1861 and was initially called Seven Sisters Road (Holloway) .
A few years later, the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway (EH&LR) began building a railway line from Finsbury Park to Edgware . Shortly before the opening on August 22, 1867, EH&LR was taken over by GNR. The station was given its current name on November 15, 1869. The platforms of the Edgware branch line were on both sides of the main line. In order to ensure smooth traffic, an intersection-free extension was created north of the station, with the main line crossing one of the Edgware tracks by means of a bridge. In 1923 the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) united all companies north-east of London.
After the Northern Line had taken over a large part of the railway line to Edgware in 1941, the eastern section between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace lost much of its importance. Passenger traffic was limited to rush hour in 1942 and stopped entirely on July 3, 1954. Freight trains ran until June 1, 1964. Until September 1970, London Underground used the route for occasional inbound and outbound journeys from the underground to the Highgate depot. The tracks on the Edgware line were removed in 1971 and the abandoned stations have since been demolished. The side platforms in Finsbury Park were also torn down and replaced with a pedestrian overpass to the east exit of the station.
Subway
The Great Northern & City Railway (GN&CR) built a largely underground railway line between Finsbury Park and Moorgate in the City of London . The route known as the Northern City Line was intended to serve as an alternative route for GNR trains. The tunnel was given a larger clearance profile than was customary on the London Underground of the time in order to accommodate the trains. Due to a dispute between the GN&CR and the GNR, the tunnel route could not be connected to the main line. After opening on February 14, 1904, there was only one shuttle train service between Finsbury Park and Moorgate. The Metropolitan Railway took over this route in 1913, and in 1933 operations were transferred to the Northern Line .
The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP & BR), the predecessor of the Piccadilly Line, opened on December 15, 1906. The trunk line ran from Finsbury Park to Hammersmith . As with the GN&CR, it was a subway, but it was built with a smaller tubular gauge. The platforms were built parallel to those of the GN&CR, below the station. On September 19, 1932, the Piccadilly Line was extended northwards towards Arnos Grove . On July 31, 1933, the northern terminus of Cockfosters was reached.
In 1935 the London Passenger Transport Board presented the New Works Program . The subway was to take over the LNER steam-powered branches from Finsbury Park to Edgware, High Barnet and Alexandra Palace (the so-called "Northern Heights" lines). It was planned to connect these routes with the Northern City Line. The electrification and track renewal work began a little later. The beginning of the Second World War led to the postponement of almost all plans. After the war there was no longer enough money and the routes planned for conversion were closed.
At the beginning of the 1960s, London Underground planned the construction of the Victoria Line . The route should lead via Finsbury Park and create new connections. For this reason, the two central platforms in Finsbury had to be reconfigured. In order for the Victoria Line to be able to use one of the platforms, operations on the Finsbury Park - Drayton Park section of the Northern City Line had to be stopped on October 3, 1964 .
The platform of the Northern City Line was converted to the south-facing platform of the Piccadilly Line and the Victoria Line. Two new tunnel sections were necessary in order to thread the Piccadilly Line without crossing. The former southward track of the Piccadilly Line became the northward track of the Victoria Line, the second track of the Northern City Line became the southward track of the Victoria Line. The former tunnel of the Northern City Line south of the station also went over to the Victoria Line. Finally, the first section of the Victoria Line was opened on September 1, 1968.
The shortened Northern City Line remained part of the subway network for another seven years. On October 4, 1975, the line was completely shut down in preparation for British Rail operations. The route between Drayton Park and Finsbury Park was rebuilt, but no longer in the tunnel, but above ground. This created a direct connection to the East Coast Main Line, as it had actually been planned at the beginning of the 20th century. The section was reopened on November 8, 1976.
Web links
- Departure times and travel information from National Rail
- Photo of the entrance to the underground station on Wells Terrace (1925)
- Photo of the subway counter hall (1934)
- Photo of the LNER train station (1935)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2013 annual entries and exits. (Excel, 228 kB) Transport for London, 2014, accessed on July 27, 2014 (English).
- ^ Estimates of station usage. (Excel, 1.1 MB) Office of Rail Regulation, 2014, accessed on July 27, 2014 (English).
- ↑ a b R.VJ Butt: The Directory of Railway Stations . Patrick Stephens Ltd., Yeovil 1995, ISBN 1-85260-508-1 , pp. 97, 208 .
- ↑ a b c Northern Line. Clive's Underground Line Guides, accessed January 22, 2013 .
- ↑ Piccadilly Line. Clive's Underground Line Guides, accessed January 22, 2013 .
- ^ Victoria Line. Clive's Underground Line Guides, accessed January 22, 2013 .
| Previous station | Transport for London | Next station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| arsenal | Piccadilly Line | Manor House | ||
| Seven Sisters | Victoria Line | Highbury & Islington | ||
| Previous station | National Rail | Next train station | ||
| King's Cross |
First Capital Connect East Coast Main Line |
Haringay | ||
| Drayton Park |
First Capital Connect Northern City Line (Monday-Friday only) |
|||
Coordinates: 51 ° 33 '51.7 " N , 0 ° 6' 22.1" W.