West Hampstead tube station explained

Symbol:underground
West Hampstead
Fare Zone:2
Years1:30 June 1879
Years2:20 November 1939
Years3:1 May 1979
Years4:1 May 1979
Events1:Opened (MR)
Events2:Start (Bakerloo line)
Events3:End (Bakerloo line)
Events4:Start (Jubilee line)
Platforms:2
Tubeexits05:6.892
Tubeexits06:7.466
Tubeexits07: 7.459
Tubeexits08: 7.360
Tubeexits09: 7.44-->
Coordinates:51.5469°N -0.1906°W

West Hampstead is a London Underground station in West Hampstead. It is located on West End Lane between Broadhurst Gardens and Blackburn Road and is situated in Travelcard Zone 2. It is on the Jubilee line between Kilburn and Finchley Road stations. It is from West Hampstead station on the London Overground North London line and from West Hampstead Thameslink station. Metropolitan line trains also pass through the station, but do not stop.

History

The station was opened on 30 June 1879 by the Metropolitan Railway (now the Metropolitan line) when it extended its tracks from Swiss Cottage. The station acted as the temporary terminus of the branch until it was further extended to Willesden Green on 24 November that year. The original station had two tracks with facing platforms; the booking office was to the south of the current surface building location with separate stairs to each platform. Consequential to the extension of the Great Central Railway displacing the Metropolitan Railway toward the north, this construction was replaced by an island platform overlapping the position of the previous Up platform.[1]

On 20 November 1939, most stopping services were transferred to the Bakerloo line when it took over operations on the Stanmore branch; at this time the platform was rebuilt in the Underground's standard style, but the station building was retained. Stopping services were transferred to the Jubilee line on 1 May 1979. Metropolitan line services run past the station on their own tracks either side of the Jubilee Line having not served the station (a few trains in the early morning and late at night) since the connection between the Metropolitan and Jubilee Lines at Finchley Road was removed as part of the preparation for automatic operation of the Jubilee Line.

Access and interchanges

Due to stairs leading from the ticket hall to the platform, the station is not accessible. Facilities include an automatic ticket machine, two quick ticket machines, a ticket booth, countdown timers, a waiting room and both male and female toilets.

Most maps show the three stations as connections. Through ticketing is allowed.

Development

There have been proposals since before 1990 for a new West Hampstead interchange linking all three stations in the area and additionally serving two further lines that currently pass through the site.In 2008 it was proposed that the North and West London Light Railway could serve the station.[2]

Connections

London Buses routes 139, 328 and C11 serve the station.

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Ordnance Survey 1:1056 mapping, 1893-1895 accessed via National Library of Scotland (nls.ac.uk)
  2. Web site: Reducing Car Use: Proposals for a Brent Cross Railway. London Campaign for Better Transport. 2008 . 16 December 2009.