Woolwich Arsenal - 10 years of DLR services

Earlier this month marked 10 years of Dockland Light Railway (DLR) services at Woolwich Arsenal. To celebrate I spent a day travelling on the DLR and visited Woolwich Arsenal for the first time.

The DLR is a an automated light metro system in East London that comprises of 45 stations over 38km of track, with nearly 120 million annual passengers. The DLR is infamous for minimal staffing, just five of the 45 stations are underground (Island Gardens, Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich, Bank, Stratford International and Woolwich Arsenal) and in order to comply with fire and safety requirements, these five stations are staffed.

The DLR extended from King George V under the River Thames to Woolwich Arsenal in January 2009. The station is also the only DLR station to be in Zone 4. In 2014 there was a petition to rezone the station from Zone 4 to Zone 3, however the Mayor of London at the time, Boris Johnson, ruled this out over concerns of financial losses.

The official opening of Woolwich Arsenal DLR station took place on 12 January 2009. Despite the line heading west towards Bank via. London City Airport, due to the curvature of the river Thames, DLR trains actually head east from Woolwich Arsenal before turning west back towards the City. 

The area of Woolwich has an interesting relationship with transport. Since 1889, a free vehicle ferry has operated from Woolwich to the south of the Thames, and North Woolwich to the north. However, the ferry has seen decreasing passenger figures since the DLR opened at nearby Woolwich Arsenal and the construction of a foot tunnel. Despite falling passenger numbers, there are currently no serious plans to withdraw the ferry.

Woolwich also currently has a Crossrail station under construction that was due to open in December 2018. Crossrail will take just 8 minutes to get from Woolwich to Canary Wharf, considerably quicker than the current 22 minutes journey time it takes to get from Woolwich Arsenal to Canary Wharf via. the DLR and Jubilee line. The DLR Woolwich Arsenal station, Woolwich Crossrail station and Woolwich Arsenal pier will all be within a short walking distance. Like most Crossrail stations, Woolwich will use natural light as much as possible and the entrance will connect to wider urban public realm. 

Woolwich is an exciting part of London, with the Thames Footpath and multiple transport modes to explore. I am looking forward to visiting the area again when Crossrail services open. 

Successful day out on the trains

Yesterday, Sunday 6 January 2019, I spent a whole day travelling on the London Underground network. During my travels, I used the Central line, Piccadilly line, Metropolitan line, Bakerloo line, Circle line and Victoria line, as well as the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Overground. 

I visited 16 new London Underground stations: Perivale, Greenford, Northolt, South Ruislip, Ruislip Gardens, West Ruislip, Ruislip, Ickenham, Hillingdon, Uxbridge, Ruislip Manor, Eastcote, North Harrow, Kenton, Harrow & Wealdstone and South Kenton. This now means I have visited 220 out of the 270 London Underground stations. Whilst I still have plenty of stations left, particularly on the Bakerloo line, Metropolitan line and Northern line, I have now completed five lines.

Central line

A main target for yesterday was to visit the stations between Perivale and West Ruislip on the Central line in order to finish visiting every station on the line. The Central line is a particular favourite of mine, with an interesting history, stations and architecture. I have also blogged a fair about the Central line, particularly in East London. 

However, after visiting the final stations I needed to visit, I have now entered or exited at all 49 stations. Some highlights from the Central line stations I visited yesterday include the incline lift at Greenford, the station building exterior at Perivale, and the ticket hall roof at South Ruislip. I ended my Central line quest by visiting West Ruislip, the end of the line. Instead of going home I decided to walk the 0.7 miles to another nearby station, Ruislip.

Piccadilly line

Ruislip is a charming station with an original station building from 1904, a classic footbridge and a well-preserved signal box. I then visited the stations between Eastcote and Uxbridge, to also complete visiting the Piccadilly line. After visiting all 53 Piccadilly line stations, I struggle to pick a favourite. Southgate, Sudbury Town, North Ealing and Uxbridge are particular favourites of mine. There are also some interesting things to look out for on the Uxbridge branch that I completed yesterday such as the winged wheels above Uxbridge station, the railway bridge outside Ruislip Manor that references the station, and the Hillingdon (Swakeleys) roundels at Hillingdon.  

Bakerloo line

After completing the Piccadilly line I then decided to head back home. However, because the Picadilly line shares the Uxbridge branch with the Metropolitan line, I decided to get the Metropolitan line back. However, when I got to Northwick Park I put the walk between Northwick Park and Kenton. You may have noticed on the latest tube map that dotted lines have appeared on the map to denote "under a 10-minute walk between stations". There is now a dotted line between Northwick Park and Kenton that I thought I must put to the test, and I can confirm that it is really easy to change between the two stations.

So whilst at Kenton I decided to take the Bakerloo line one stop north to the end of the line at Harrow & Wealdstone, and also visited South Kenton on my way back into central London. To finish the day I got the London Overground from Queen's Park to London Euston, and finally the Circle line and Victoria line back home. 

I still have 50 more London Underground stations to visit, and I still have exciting plans for 2019. If you have any challenges or ideas for a blog post, please get in touch. You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram where my name is Tubespottingdan. 

Boston T - The oldest transit subway in the United States

In late winter/early spring last year I visited the United States and I spent a lot of time in Boston. Not only would I regard Boston as one of my favourite cities, but it also has an interesting transport history. The Tremont Street railway opened in 1897 between Park Street and Boylston Street, making this section the oldest transit subway in the United States that is still in use. The subway in Boston is operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The MBTA operates heavy rail, light rail and bus transit services that is collectively known as the MBTA subway, or as Bostonians call it, the T. Although some Bostonians talk negatively about the T there are many aspects of the system that I like.

The T comprises of five lines, 133 stations and caters for over 350 million users a year. Three lines are classed as heavy rail, one is a light rail and one is a short light rail line. The Silver line also appears on the MBTA map, but this is a bus system, although some sections do run underground. Of the 133 stations, just 26 are underground.

Your first impression of the T will likely come from travelling the three miles from Boston Logan airport to Downtown Boston. The network appears old, however I find this charming. The current rolling stock was built from 1979, however, in recent years the MBTA have invested in new stock. In addition, the Green Line is currently being extended by 4.3 miles north of Downtown Boston. Phase 1 started in 2012 and the entire extension is due to be completed in 2021. With 230,000 daily users, the Green Line is the most heavily used light rail line in the United States. 

Using the T

Firstly, one of the things I like most about the T is how easy it is for tourists to understand. The five lines are named after colours; Green, Red, Orange and Blue. This is not a typo, somewhat confusingly the Ashmont to Mattapan high speed line is coloured red, but because it is not a heavy rail it is not part of the red line. However, to access this high speed line you need to catch a red line train to Ashmont. As much as I love the heritage of the London Underground with names for lines, it can be confusing for visitors.

Secondly, on the map of the MBTA each branch has a number or letter. This makes it is much easier to know which train to catch. Another aspect I like about the T is the platforms are named Inbound and Outbound. This can get slightly confusing in Downtown Boston, but it is still much more simpler than being in London and told to catch a train from the Westbound platform on the Northern Line.

Why do Bostonians talk negatively about the T? Boston is often hit by large snow storms during winter, and this can bring the system to a halt, especially the Green Line which outside of Downtown Boston is a tram. Also, outside of peak times, the service can be rather patchy. The system also operates largely at capacity and it can be difficult to find a seat.

Paying for the T

Boston has its own version of the Oyster Card, the CharlieCard. Single journeys cost $2.75 (or $2.25 if you use a CharlieCard), or you can purchase a daily and weekly pass for $12.00 or $21.75 respectively, which can also be loaded to a CharlieCard. A monthly link pass costs $84.50 and there are discounts for students. 

What to do in Boston

The first thing to do in Boston for all railway or transport enthusiasts is to visit Boylston station. Not only is Boylston a must visit station due to being, along with Park Street, the first station to open in Boston, historic Boston Trolleys are kept on display. PCC #3295 and Type 5 #5734 are often on display at Boylston. Boylston and Park Street stations have now been designated a National Historic Landmark. 

However, despite my love for railways and subways, the best way to explore Downtown Boston is by foot. Many stations in Downtown Boston are ridiculously close. For example, the first section to open in 1897 is just a five minute walk across Boston Common. One of Boston's best attractions is the Freedom trail, a 2.5 mile walk that comprises of 16 key locations in American history such as the Old South Meeting House, the organising point of the Boston Tea Party, the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in July 1776, and Faneuil Hall, also known as the Cradle of Liberty was where Samuel Adams often hosted talks to encourage independence from Great Britain.

Whilst in Boston there is plenty to do. Boston is a city that loves sport, and is home to the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, New England Patriots (just outside of Boston) and perhaps most famously, the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox play at Fenway Park, and when tickets start from $30 it is well worth a visit. The nearest T station to Fenway Park is Kenmore on branches B, C and D of the Green Line.

Boston is also home to some amazing food, and especially sea food. There are two items of sea food you need try whilst you are in Boston; Boston Clam Chowder and Maine Lobster Roll. There are so many good places to get these items in Boston, but as a tourist you will likely end up at Quincy Market at some point, where there are plenty of opportunities to get both. The nearest station to Quincy Market is Aquarium on the Blue Line. Another area to get great food is the North End, which is famous for being home to Boston's Italian community. A Bostonian favourite is Mikes Pastry shop which sells amazing cannoli, Limoncello is my favourite flavour. The North End is home to numerous restaurants, and caters for different budgets. The nearest station to North End is Haymarket on the Orange Line and Green Line. Whilst you can get Dunkin Donuts everywhere on the east coast of America, Boston really does "run on Dunkin".

Boston is also home to the most photographed street in North America, Acorn Street. Acorn Street is located in the desirable district of Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill also features Charles Street, home to many boutique shops, the Massachusetts State House, and the Bull and Finch Bar, the inspiration and exterior shots for the comedy Cheers TV series. A stones throw away from Beacon Hill is Back Bay. Back Bay features one of America's best shopping avenues, Newbury Street. Back Bay is also home to cultural institutes such as the Berklee College of Music, the Boston Conservatory and Boston Public Library.

Finally, across the Charles River from Boston is Cambridge, MA, which is home to some of the world's most prestigous educational istitutes, including Harvard and M.I.T. Cambridge is well worth a visit and is easily accessible by the T. Harvard and Kendall stations, both on the Red Line, are the nearest T stations to Harvard and MIT respectively.  

2019 - What is coming up

Happy New Year to all my blog readers, old and new!

2019 marks another interesting year for the London Underground and transport in general for London. I have also devised a 'bucket list' of transport related things I want to do or celebrate in 2019.

1) Use a Class 345 train

The central core of Crossrail (the Elizabeth line) is due to open in Autumn this year. Liverpool Street to Shenfield and Paddington to Heathrow sections of Crossrail are already operational under the banner of TfL Rail. Crossrail will operate using the new Class 345 trains, and although the first Class 345 train entered in service on 22 June 2017 on TfL Rail, I still have not used a Class 345. By the end of the year, all trains will be nine cars in length. Each train is capable of carrying up to 1,500 passengers and nine car trains are 205m long, nearly twice as long as the 108m long as the 1973 stock on the Piccadilly line or 1995 stock on the Northern line. So my first task on my bucket list is to use a Class 345 train.

2) 150 years of the Metropolitan District Railway

24 December 2018 marked the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Metropolitan District Railway between South Kensington and Westminster, which is now the District line. TfL have plans throughout 2019 to celebrate the history of the District line. I will try and attend as many of these events as I can, as well as marking my own celebrations of the District line. I still need to visit nine of the 60 stations on the line. Some of the stations I need to visit include Kensington (Olympia), Upminster and Elm Park.

3) 40 years of the Jubilee line

The Jubilee line is one of just two lines that I have visited every station, the other line being the Waterloo & City line. The Jubilee line officially opened on 30 April 1979 by the Prince of Wales, with passenger services starting on 1 May 1979. In the Spring I will ride the entire length of the Jubilee line and explain why I am really fond of the line. Also, later on in 2019 will mark 20 years since the Jubilee line extended from Charing Cross (the Jubilee line platforms here are now abandoned but used as a film set) to Stratford.

4) Visit the Epping Ongar Railway

In September 1994, London Underground withdrew services at Ongar and North Weald stations. An additional stop between these two stations, Blake Hall, closed in 1981. However, you can still ride between Ongar and Epping Forest (a few hundred metres from Epping station), with a stop at North Weald. The Epping Ongar heritage railway is open most weekends during the summer, and you can catch a heritage bus from Epping station. 2019 also marks 70 years of London Underground services at Epping and Debden.

5) Visit South Greenford

With just 26,502 passengers between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018, South Greenford is currently the least used railway station in London. South Greenford is situated on the Greenford branch line and is operated by Great Western Railway. The branch is served by one train that goes back and forth providing a train every half an hour in both directions.

6) 10 years of Woolwich Arsenal DLR

In January 2009, the Docklands Light Railway extended from King George V to Woolwich Arsenal. The DLR services officially opened on 12 January 2009. Due to the river Thames, DLR trains from Woolwich Arsenal depart in an eastbound direction. Although I am a predominantly a London Underground enthusiast, I do enjoy spending time riding on the DLR. I have visited 27 of the 45 DLR stations, in 2019 I will continue to visit more stations, including Woolwich Arsenal. 

7) Visit the trams

Although I have visited every London Underground south of the river Thames (just 27), I still have not visited the Tramlink that serves Croydon and other areas of South London. Comprising of 39 stations and 28km of track, Tramlink began operation in 2000. It has been something I have wanted to do for a while. In May 2017 when I visited stations on the Wimbledon branch, I nearly caught a tram but I decided to also do the Richmond branch in the same day. In 2019 it is a goal to use a Tramlink.





2019 will be another exciting year for my blog and transport in London in general. I have seven tasks to look forward to this year, as well as continuing to visit all 270 London Underground stations - I have currently visited 206. If you can think of any other exciting transport events coming up in 2019 or have a challenge for me to complete, please do not hesitate to get in touch! My twitter is @tubespottingdan or please comment below.

The London Underground and football

I recently visited the National Football Museum in Manchester and a London Transport poster from 1934 inspired me to write a blog post on how two of my favourite things, football and the London Underground, are interlinked. With 11 football league teams in London, 17 non-league teams in tiers 5-7, and Wembley stadium, between August and May it is almost impossible to use the London Underground without bumping into football fans. This post will point out the interesting history of how football has shaped the London Underground, and also how the London Underground has shaped football. So whether you are a London Underground enthusiast or user that hates football fans, or a football fan that dreads using the London Underground, you both have each other to thank. 

I start this journey dedicated to the beautiful game by talking about a team that infamously moved across London, Arsenal. In 1886, Dial Square, which later became Royal Arsenal and later Woolwich Arsenal, was founded in south-east London. However, in 1913, the club moved from south-east London to Highbury in north London and was simply named The Arsenal (however, The was gradually dropped). Arsenal's new ground in north London was located close to Gillespie Road on the Picaddilly line. However, in 1932 the Arsenal chairman, Herbet Chapman led a campaign to change the name of Gillespie Road to Arsenal (Highbury Hill), which by the 1960s became simply Arsenal. This means that Arsenal station is the only London Underground station to be directly named after a football club.

Why should you visit Arsenal station? I think there are two reasons you should visit. Firstly, the tilling on the platform still reads Gillespie Road. Secondly, all classic London Underground logos have the diamonds above and below the letters fall in between each letter, except at Arsenal, where the diamonds are evenly spread out and thus break this rule. Arsenal recently moved stadiums to The Emirates, which is close to Holloway Road station. On match days this station is closed before and after the game, but you should visit this station because bizarrely an experimental spiral escalator system was trailed here in the early 1900s, but it did not work. The remains of this escalator can be found at the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton.      

Moving across to west London, where we stop off at the capital's first football club, Fulham. Formed in 1879 as Fulham St. Andrew's Church Sunday School F.C., Craven Cottage on the banks of the river Thames has been Fulham's home since 1896. Craven Cottage is a short walk away from one of my favourite London Underground stations, Putney Bridge. The station opened in 1880 as Putney Bridge & Fulham when the District Railway extended their line from West Brompton. In 1898 the line extended to Wimbledon over a gorgeous railway bridge that is well worth checking out. The station features charming waiting rooms, original roundels and exits and entrances that are only used on Fulham match days. 

Just two stops north of Putney Bridge is Fulham Broadway, the nearest station to the only team in London to have won the Champions League, Chelsea. Chelsea have played all 113 years of their history at the nearby Stamford Bridge, a former FA Cup final venue. Despite their name suggesting they are in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Chelsea F.C. is located in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Fulham Broadway was originally called Walham Green and did not get its current name until 1952. 

Being the closest stadium to central London has had an impact on the history of Fulham Broadway station. When Chelsea started playing at Stamford Bridge in 1905, Harry W Ford designed a new station building to accommodate for large crowds attending the football. In 2003 the station building closed as a new entrance was built in Fulham Broadway shopping centre, as well as the match day only entrance. On match days, if you are coming from central London, I suggest you board the rear of the train as this is nearer the matchday entrance. Due to the crowds of people, if you are at the front of the train you can still be trying to make your way down the platform as another train pulls up. The old station building has recently been converted as a new market space with plenty of food and drink. You can now buy a pint from an original ticket booth.  

Currently a non-league football club, Leyton Orient is the capitals second oldest football club. Despite playing in Homerton, Clapton and Lea Bridge, and having multiple names, the O's settled in Brisbane Road in 1937. Despite playing 112 years in the football league, Leyton Orient were infamously relegated to the national league in 2017. Brisbane Road, or the Breyer Group Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a charming stadium with plenty of character, and has often sold out this season. The nearest station to the Orient is Leyton on the Central line, which is located in the ward of Cathall. Leyton station on the outside appears quite boring, but I am rather fond of the platforms. There is also a great view of the station from the nearby footbridge on Langthorne Road. 

Another non-league club, Barnet are located close to Canons Park on the much loved Jubilee line. Barnet moved over five miles from Underhill Stadium to The Hive Stadium in 2013. In 1991, Barnet became the first team from London to be promoted from the football conference into the football league. Despite being located to a football stadium, with an average of 1.68m passengers a year, Canons Park is the least used station on the Jubilee line. 

Moving away from non-league to another London top-flight club is West Ham United. Like Barnet, West Ham United have recently moved into a new stadium. West Ham made the three miles move from the Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium in 2016, which is located a short walk from Stratford station, and Pudding Mill Lane on the DLR. Due to the London Stadium being located in short proximity to the busy Westfield Stratford shopping centre, West Ham will never play a home game on Boxing Day. Stratford is a busy station, being served by the Central line, terminus of the Jubilee line, DLR and TfL rail. This station also features the shortest escalator on the London Underground and is also one of only two examples of where you get an escalator up to a London Underground platform, the other being at Greenford. 

Taking the Central line from Stratford across London we end up at White City, another station located near to a Westfield shopping centre. Queen's Park Rangers were founded in 1882 and after 13 different home stadiums, the R's moved into Loftus Road in 1917 (QPR also played at the White City stadium, the 1908 Olympic stadium, in 1931-1933 and 1962-1963). This area of west London has an interesting history with multiple stations. White City was opened in 1947 after replacing the former Wood Lane station a short walk away. A new Wood Lane station opened in 2008 on the Hammersmith and City line, and the Circle line in 2009, and is the latest station to open on the network. In 2009 White City won a National Railway Heritage Award for the modernisation works that were completed in 2008, preserving heritage and architectural features. 

Staying in west London, Brentford have spent 114 of their 129-year history at Griffin Park. Griffin Park is famous for having a pub in each of its four corners. Griffin Park is located a short walk from three stations on the Piccadilly line; South Ealing, Northfields and Boston Manor. Despite South Ealing being the closest London Underground station, Boston Manor has painted the platform poles to black and yellow as a reference to Brentford's nickname, The Bees. Brentford is looking at moving from Griffin Park to the Brentford Community Stadium that is currently under construction. Brentford would likely be sharing this ground with the rugby club London Irish, and the 17,250 seater stadium is due to be opened in 2020. This stadium is located near Kew Bridge national rail station. The London Borough of Hounslow Council have been pushing for an extension of Crossrail to Hounslow to incorporate the stadium with a stop at Kew Bridge. 

At the time of writing Tottenham Hotspur currently play their home matches at Wembley Stadium. This is due to their new 62,000 capacity stadium still being under construction.  The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is on the site of the club's former home for 118 years, White Hart Lane. Seven Sisters is the nearest London Underground station to the ground. The station got its name from seven elm trees which stood near Page Green and opened 50 years ago this year in 1968. Seven Sisters station also features wayfinding directions on the platform for 'Tottenham Hotspur football ground' and 'Trains to White Hart Lane'. White Hart Lane London Overground station is about 200m to the ground, closer than  Seven Sisters. There are plans to introduce a new entrance and improve the ticket hall area to cope with increased crowd numbers. There are also ongoing talks by the club to rename the station to 'Tottenham Hotspur'. 

The other football league clubs in London, Crystal Palace, Millwall, Charlton and AFC Wimbledon, are significantly closer to national rail or London Overground stations than London Underground stations. It comes as no surprise that all of the football league clubs that are not near London Underground stations are located in south London as just 29 of the 270 Lonon Underground stations are south of the river Thames. 

Finally, I could not write a blog post about how railways have shaped football, and how football has shaped railways, without mentioning Wembley Park station and the iconic Wembley Stadium. There would not have been a 90,000 seater stadium, the Wembley Arena, the home of national football, a university or a box park (that opened in December 2018) in north-west London if it was not for Sir Edward Watkin and the Metropolitan Railway. Watkin was the chairman of the Metropolitan Railway and eight other railway companies, and he wanted to increase passenger numbers by giving people a reason to travel by railway, so he created Wembley Park. Wembley Park was a pleasure garden with lake, cricket pitches and waterfalls. The park opened in 1894 and attracted over 100,000 visitors within the first three months. Wembley Park station officially opened in 1894, however, it received a Saturday only service from October 1893 so people could access the sports facilities. 

However, a park was not ambitious enough for Watkin. Inspired by major engineering project involving steel such as Tower Bridge, Blackpool Tower, Crystal Palace and the Eiffel Tower, Watkins lead the construction of Watkins Tower. This octagonal tower was designed to be 370m tall and to rival the Eiffel Tower. Due to costs instead of having eight legs as originally planned, it was to have four. However, by September 1894 Watkin retired due to ill health and due to the tower having fewer legs than originally planned, the structure started sinking. By 1899 the company financing the project goes into liquidation and by 1902 it was deemed unsafe and by 1907 the tower was completely demolished. But it is not all bad news, the park continued to thrive, with the addition of more facilities and even a golf course in 1912. After World War One, the British Empire wanted to host an exhibition about the empire, they decided to pick Wembley as the host, which lead to the construction of the Empire Stadium. The stadium had a capacity of 127,000, was iconic for the twin towers and was on the site of the demolished tower. The stadium opened in 1923 but was later renamed to Wembley Stadium and has hosted numerous events such as being the home of the FA Cup final, the 1948 Olympics, 1966 World Cup Final, Euro 96 Final and Live Aid. 

Wembley Stadium closed in 2000 to allow for the construction of a new stadium. Whilst constructing the new Wembley Stadium they found the foundations of Watkin's Tower. The new Wembley Stadium has a capacity of 90,000, the largest in the United Kingdom, is still the host of the FA Cup Final, hosted football for the 2012 Olympics, hosted the 2011 and 2013 Champions League Final's, and will host the semi-finals and finals of Euro 2020. The Stadium is still served by Wembley Park and would not be there if it was not for the railways and Sir Edward Watkin. 

23/270 - Stanmore

Since 1932, Stanmore has been the terminus for three different London Underground lines; the Metropolitan, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines. With 3.92m exits in 2017, Stanmore is the second least used zone 5 terminating station, with Cockfosters only receiving 1.93m exits in the same time. 

Stanmore station opened as the terminus of the Stanmore branch of the Metropolitan line in December 1932. The station building was designed by Charles W. Clarke, who spent two decades designing 25 stations on the Metropolitan line. Five of these stations are now listed buildings, including Farringdon. Clarke mastered the architectural difference between central London stations and the more rural stations on the Metropolitan line in the suburban Metro-land. At the time of opening, Stanmore was classed as a rural station, which is now hard to believe if you visit. 

In November 1939, despite plans to extend the Metropolitan line further north, an alternative to the northern heights extension,  the Stanmore branch and the stations between Wembley Park and Finchley Central were transferred to being operated by the Bakerloo line. In May 1979 the Jubilee line opened as a result of congestion in the Baker Street area due to two branches of the Bakerloo line, this subsequently led to Stanmore being the terminus of a third line. In October 2016, Stanmore started receiving Night Tube services, with six trains per hour travelling into London. 

Stanmore has spent the majority of its history with just two platforms. However, in 2005 TfL began the construction of a third platform to increase the number of services on the busy Jubilee line. Despite having just 27 stations, the Jubilee line is, in fact, the third busiest line, connecting North West London with the city, the west end, busy stations such as Waterloo and London Bridge, the financial district of Canary Wharf and Stratford. Construction work of the third platform was finally completed in 2009 but was not open for usage until 2011 due to new signalling works. 

This platform features one of London Underground's most interesting waiting rooms. This is not because it is glamours like at Barkingside, but because Stanmore simply does not need a waiting room. Because Stanmore is a terminating station, and with three platforms, there is almost always a train about to depart into London, therefore passengers will head towards a train and not need to use the waiting room. 

Overall, Stanmore is an interesting station that has been the terminating station of three different lines throughout its 86 year history. Come to Stanmore and see if you can spot somebody using the waiting room?

22/270 - Walthamstow Central

There is more to Walthamstow Central than being the northern terminus of the Victoria line. Walthamstow Central has become a station that I now frequently use in recent months, and with over 22 million passengers using the station in 2016, it is the most used zone 3 terminus station on the network. 

Welcome to Walthamstow. Walthamstow was originally Wilcumestowe, meaning the holy place with a welcome. There has been a railway station here since April 1870, originally called Hoe Street, when the Great Eastern Railway opened a line from Lea Bridge to the temporary station, Shern Hall Street. Shern Hall Street was replaced by the present day Wood Street station when the Great Eastern Railway gradually introduced a line from Bethnal Green to Chingford between 1872 and 1873, through the station at Hoe Street. The line was then electrified in the 1960s, but the spur from Lea Bridge station was removed in 1967 due to low passenger numbers.

Lea Bridge is an interesting station too. The station building was built on a road bridge across the railway in the 1840s and is thought to be the first of its kind. Originally opened as Lea Bridge Road in September 1840, by 1841 it was renamed Lea Bridge. In the 1930s the station received services from Liverpool Street, via. Stratford, to Hetford East and Palace Gardens. The station was damaged by a fire in March 1944, and by 1976 the station was unstaffed. By this time services were removed and the only service that served the station was from Tottenham Hale to North Woolwich, via Stratford, when this service was withdrawn, the station was closed and the station building was demolished. A new service in 2005 from Stratford saw regular passenger trans passing through the closed station, and the station was reopened in May 2016 and saw over 350,000 passengers in the 2016-17 figures. 

However, back in Walthamstow, as Lea Bridge closed, a major infrastructure project was about to open, the Victoria Line. In September 1967, the Victoria Line opened between Highbury & Islington and the newly renamed Walthamstow Central. The Victoria Line was extended to Brixton by 1971. Walthamstow Central was never supposed to be the terminus of the Victoria line, the original plans were to have the terminating station at Wood Street. However, in 1961 before construction began, it was decided that Walthamstow Central was to become the terminating station. 

This new line linked five mainline stations and seven London Underground lines across the city, and in 2018 the only station on the line that does not link with any national rail, London Underground lines or London Overground services is Pimlico.

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Victoria line, and it is safe to say it is a very popular line, in terms of usership and tube enthusiasts. Despite Victoria line stations looking similar in terms of layout, each station has an individual tile motif. The motif at Walthamstow Central is inspired by William Morris, an artist, textile designer, poet and social activist  who was born in Walthamstow. You can visit his childhood home in nearby Lloyd Park where this is an art gallery dedicated to his life and work. 

I also need to mention the nearby Walthamstow Queen's Road station. Observant passengers may have noticed that on the tube map, Walthamstow Central also linked with Walthamstow Queen's Road. A station was opened 300 meters away from Hoe Street, called Walthamstow, in July 1894 and is part of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, commonly known as the GOBLIN. To avoid confusion, the station was reamed in May 1968 just before the Victoria line opened. The two stations are now connected by a footpath that opened in 2014 called Ray Dudley Way, named after a member of the Barking-Gospel Oak Line User Group who campaigned for a link between the two stations.

If you are a tube enthusiast who also enjoys the London Overground and railways, then I highly recommend visiting Walthamstow where you can enjoy all three easily. For more information on transport in the area, visit the Walthamstow Pump House museum where there is an original 1968 Victoria line tube car, a model London 'B' type bus (which was built in Walthamstow) and a machine workshop. With the nearby William Morris Gallery in Lloyd Park, the Walthamstow Wetlands, the longest outdoor street market in Europe and Waltham Forest being the first Borough of Culture in 2019, there is plenty to do in the area as well.