South Harrow tube station

South Harrow

Southern entrance
South Harrow

Location of South Harrow in Greater London
Location South Harrow
Local authority London Borough of Harrow
Managed by London Underground
Number of platforms 2
Fare zone 5
London Underground annual entry and exit
2007 2.177 million[1]
2008 2.190 million[1]
2009 2.272 million[1]
1903 Opened as terminus (MDR)
1910 Becomes through station
1932 Start (Piccadilly line, terminus)
1932 End (District line, eastbound)
1933 Start (Piccadilly line to Uxbridge)
1932 End (District line)
3 April 1954 Goods yard closed[2]
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South Harrow is a London Underground station on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly Line. The station is between Sudbury Hill and Rayners Lane. It is located on Northolt Road (A312). The station is in Travelcard Zone 5. There is a bus stand outside the station.

Contents

History

South Harrow station was opened on 28 June 1903 by the Metropolitan District Railway (MDR, now the District Line) as the terminus of its new extension from Park Royal & Twyford Abbey.[3]

This new extension was, together with the existing tracks back to Acton Town, the first section of the Underground's surface lines to be electrified and operate electric instead of steam trains.[4] The Deep level tube lines open at that time (City & South London Railway, Waterloo & City Railway and Central London Railway) had been electrically powered from the start.

On 1 March 1910, the MDR was extended north to meet the Metropolitan Railway (MR, now the Metropolitan Line) tracks at Rayners Lane and services commenced over the MR's tracks to Uxbridge.[3] North of the station the line crosses the Roxeth Marsh; the viaduct over it between South Harrow and Rayners Lane was an engineering feat of the time.

On 4 July 1932, the Piccadilly Line was extended to run west of its original terminus at Hammersmith sharing the route with the District Line to Ealing Common.[3] From Ealing Common to South Harrow, the District Line was replaced by the Piccadilly Line. From South Harrow north, an isolated District Line service continued to operate to Uxbridge until 22 October 1933 when the Piccadilly Line took over the service to Uxbridge.[3]

The original station building was located approximately 170m south of the existing station and was accessed from South Hill Avenue. It is similar to the building still in use at North Ealing and remains, adjacent to the eastbound platform, in the car park on the north side of the tracks. On 5 July 1935, a new station was opened accessed from Northolt Road.[3] The new station building was designed by Charles Holden as a graduated structure stepping up on each side to the platforms of the high level tracks. The brick walls and bands of horizontal glazing are capped with a series of flat concrete slab roofs.

Services

The typical off-peak service is a train in each direction every ten minutes. Half of northbound trains terminate at Rayners Lane tube station and the other half continue to the terminus of the line at Uxbridge.

Transport links

London bus routes 114, 140, 258, 395, 398, 487, H9, H10 and H12.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Customer metrics: entries and exits". London Underground performance update. Transport for London. 2003-2010. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/performance/default.asp?onload=entryexit. Retrieved 8 May 2011. 
  2. ^ Hardy, Brian, ed (March 2011). "How it used to be - freight on The Underground 50 years ago". Underground News (London Underground Railway Society) (591): 175–183. ISSN 0306-8617. 
  3. ^ a b c d e Rose, Douglas (1999). The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-219-4. 
  4. ^ Clive's Underground Line Guides, District Line, Dates

External links

Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
Piccadilly line
towards Cockfosters