Palace Gates Line

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Palace Gates Line

Legend

To Hertford Loop Line

Bounds Green Depot

End of Siding

Palace Gates (Wood Green)

Noel Park and Wood Green

West Green

Seven Sisters

To Lea Valley Lines

The Palace Gates Line was a short railway branch line in north London running from the main line at Seven Sisters station in Tottenham to Palace Gates (Wood Green) station in Wood Green.

Route of Palace Gates Line highlighted on a 1900 map

The line was constructed by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) and opened on 1 January 1878 with a temporary terminus at Noel Park and Wood Green station before being opened to Palace Gates (Wood Green) station on 7 October 1878. The line was opened in competition with the Great Northern Railway (GNR) line from Kings Cross station to provide passenger services from the GER's London terminus at Liverpool Street station to the recently opened Alexandra Palace and the developing suburb of Wood Green.

After the 1921 Railways Act amalgamated the GER, GNR and other railway companies into the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923, a connection to Bowes Park on the GNR Hertford Loop Line, which runs just north of the site of the terminus station, was made in 1929.

With the nearby GNR built stations at Alexandra Palace and Hornsey providing a more direct route to central London, the catchment areas for the line's stations were always fairly small and the opening in 1932 of the first section of the Piccadilly Line extension to Cockfosters with stations at Wood Green and Turnpike Lane diminished them further, crucially eroding the line's passenger traffic.

The 1960s rationalisation of British Railways to reduce unprofitable lines identified the Palace Gates line as one that was surplus to requirements and the line was closed to passengers on 7 January 1963. Goods services continued to run until 5 October 1964. Tracks were removed and the stations demolished and the route of the line has been almost entirely covered by new construction including Wood Green Shopping City. The only part of the line that remains is a short section of track within Bounds Green Depot where the line formerly connected to the Hertford Loop Line.