There are two stations in north west London that appear as they do not have a lot in common. They are on different lines, opened 11 years apart and one was nearly closed permanently in the 1980s. Despite being two completely different stations, Kenton and Northwick Park have one thing in common, they share an OSI.
An Out of Station Interchange (OSI) occurs when two separate stations are geographically located close enough it is deemed that if a journey requires you to change between the two stations on foot, that is still classed as one journey. For example, the quickest way to travel from Harrow-on-the-Hill to South Kenton would be to take the Metropolitan line to Northwick Park, walk to Kenton station, and take the Bakerloo line (or London Overground) to South Kenton. Despite this being two separate journeys, because Transport for London have classified this as an OSI, it will only cost you one journey.
TfL have recently done more to promote OSI's and on foot interchanges, most notably in the December 2018 tube map where little dashed black lines appeared dotted around London to highlight "Under a 10 minute walk between station". The dashed lines have received criticism. Some critics suggest from a first glance the lines look similar to the northern line, suggesting numerous branch lines. I also believe that TfL have missed some stations that are within close enough proximity to require a connection on the map, especially West Ruislip to Ickenham. 
The first railway in the area opened in 1837, the London and Birmingham Railway, which would be within close proximity with Kenton station. Four decades later in 1880 the Metropolitan Railway extended from Kilburn (now on the Jubilee line) to Harrow (now named Harrow-on-the-Hill), which passes through the location of Northwick Park station. Kenton station opened in 1912 when the London and North Western Railway opened their 'New Line' from London Euston to Watford Junction. The 'New Line' ran alongside the London and Birmingham Railway. Bakerloo line services started serving Kenton in 1917. Northwick Park station opened on the Metropolitan line in 1923 as Northwick Park and Kenton.
Kenton station is a quiet station with just over 2 million passengers using the station each year. The station entrance is barely noticeable from the A4006, the roundel and signage is on the opposite side of the road. The Bakerloo line and London Overground share the tracks through this section from Queen's Park to Harrow & Wealdstone. Kenton station closed in September 1982 as Bakerloo line services were closed north from Stonebridge Park. The closure was short-lived and Kenton station reopened in July 1984. 
A short walk away, Northwick Park is also barely noticeable. Access to the station can be achieved by a passage from Northwick Avenue, or a series of paths on the other side of the station. Despite only being served by 'slow' Metropolitan line services, last year Northwick Park was used by nearly 2 and a half million more passengers than nearby Kenton. It takes less than 20 minutes to travel from Northwick Park to Baker Street on the Metropolitan line, where as it takes over half an hour from Kenton to Baker Street on the Bakerloo line. Considering the close proximity this could be a factor in the disparity in the passenger usage figures.
Why not travel to north west London and experience one of London's classic Out of Station Interchanges. If you are planning on doing the tube challenge visiting all 270 stations in 24 hours, this interchange is a classic tactic. For more London transport trivia, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @TubeSpottingDan
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