Northern line
1995 Stock emerging from the tunnel north of Hendon Central
Overview
Stations52
Colour on mapBlack
Websitetfl.gov.uk
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemLondon Underground
Depot(s)
    • Golders Green
    • Morden
  • stabling sidings:
    • Highgate
    • Edgware
    • High Barnet[1]
Rolling stock1995 Stock
Ridership252.310 million passenger journeys (2011/12)[2]
History
Opened
  • 18 December 1890 (1890-12-18) (as City and South London Railway)
  • 28 August 1937 (1937-08-28) (renamed to Northern line)
Last extension20 September 2021 (2021-09-20)
Technical
Line length58 km (36 mi)
CharacterDeep-tube
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification630V DC
Operating speed45 mph (72 km/h)[3]
SignallingCBTC (SelTrac)
London Underground
Bakerloo
Central
Circle
District
Hammersmith & City
Jubilee
Metropolitan
Northern
Piccadilly
Victoria
Waterloo & City
Other TfL Modes
DLR
Elizabeth line
London Overground
London Trams

The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, two southern branches and two northern branches. Despite its name, it does not serve the northernmost stations on the Underground, though it does serve the southernmost station at Morden, the terminus of one of the two southern branches.

The line's northern termini, all in the London Borough of Barnet, are at Edgware and High Barnet; Mill Hill East is the terminus of a single-station branch line off the High Barnet branch. The two main northern branches run south to join at Camden Town where two routes, one via Charing Cross in the West End and the other via Bank in the City, continue and then join at Kennington in Southwark. At Kennington the line again divides into two branches, one to each of the southern termini – at Morden, in the borough of Merton, and at Battersea Power Station in Wandsworth.

For most of its length it is a deep tube line.[nb 1] The portion between Stockwell and Borough opened in 1890 and is the oldest section of deep-level tube line on the network. About 294 million passenger journeys were recorded in 2016/17 on the Northern line, making it the busiest on the Underground.[4] It has 18 of the system's 31 stations south of the River Thames. There are 52 stations in total on the line, of which 38 have platforms below ground.

The line has a complicated history. Its longtime structure of two main northern branches, two central branches, and southern unification, reflects its genesis as three separate railways, combined in the 1920s and 1930s. An extension in the 1920s used a route originally planned by a fourth company. Abandoned plans from the 1920s to extend the line further southwards, and then northwards in the 1930s, would have incorporated parts of the routes of two further companies. From the 1930s to the 1970s, the tracks of a seventh company were also managed as a branch of the Northern line.[nb 2] An extension of the Charing Cross branch from Kennington to Battersea opened on 20 September 2021, giving the line a second southern branch. There are also proposals to split the line into separate lines following the opening of the new link to Battersea.

History

Formation

City & South London Railway train, 1890

The core of the Northern line evolved from two railway companies: the City & South London Railway (C&SLR) and the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR).

The C&SLR, London's first electric hauled deep-level tube railway, was built under the supervision of James Henry Greathead, who had been responsible, with Peter W. Barlow, for the Tower Subway.[5] It was the first of the Underground's lines to be constructed by boring deep below the surface and the first to be operated by electric traction.[6] The railway opened in November 1890 from Stockwell to a now-disused station at King William Street.[7] This was inconveniently placed and unable to cope with the company's traffic so, in 1900, a new route to Moorgate via Bank was opened.[8] By 1907, the C&SLR had been further extended at both ends to run from Clapham Common to Euston.[9]

Formation of the Northern line (Northern Heights and Battersea extensions not shown)

The CCE&HR (commonly known as the "Hampstead Tube") was opened in 1907 and ran from Charing Cross (known for many years as Strand) via Euston and Camden Town (where there was a junction) to Golders Green and Highgate (now known as Archway).[10][11] It was extended south by one stop to Embankment in 1914 to form an interchange with the Bakerloo and District lines.[11][12] In 1913, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL), owner of the CCE&HR, took over the C&SLR, although they remained separate companies.[13]

Integration

During the early 1920s, a series of works was carried out to connect the C&SLR and CCE&HR tunnels to enable an integrated service to be operated. The first of these new tunnels, between the C&SLR's Euston station and the CCE&HR's station at Camden Town, had originally been planned in 1912,[14] but had been delayed by the First World War.[15] Construction began in 1922 and it opened in 1924.[11][15] The second connection linking the CCE&HR's Embankment and C&SLR's Kennington stations opened in 1926.[11][15] It provided a new intermediate station at Waterloo to connect to the main line station there and the Bakerloo line. The smaller-diameter tunnels of the C&SLR were also enlarged to match the standard diameter of the CCE&HR and the other deep tube lines.[16]

Extensions

In conjunction with the works to integrate the two lines, two major extensions were undertaken: northwards to Edgware in Middlesex (now in the London Borough of Barnet) and southwards to Morden in Surrey (then in the Merton and Morden Urban District, but now in the London Borough of Merton).

Edgware Extension

The Edgware extension used plans dating back to 1901 for the Edgware and Hampstead Railway (E&HR)[17] which the UERL's subsidiary, the London Electric Railway, had taken over in 1912.[18] It extended the CCE&HR line from its terminus at Golders Green to Edgware in two stages: to Hendon Central in 1923 and to Edgware in 1924.[11][19] The line crossed open countryside and ran mostly on viaduct from Golders Green to Brent and then on the surface, apart from a short tunnel north of Hendon Central.[19] Five new stations were built to pavilion-style designs by Stanley Heaps, head of the Underground's Architects Office, stimulating the rapid northward expansion of suburban developments in the following years.[20]

Morden Extension

The engineering of the Morden extension of the C&SLR from Clapham Common to Morden was more demanding, running in tunnels to a point just north of Morden station, which was constructed in a cutting. The line then runs under the wide station forecourt and public road outside the station, to the depot. The extension was initially planned to continue to Sutton[21] over part of the route for the unbuilt Wimbledon and Sutton Railway, in which the UERL held a stake, but agreements were made with the Southern Railway to end the extension at Morden. The Southern Railway built the surface line from Wimbledon to Sutton in the 1930s, via South Merton and St. Helier.[nb 3] The tube extension itself opened in 1926, with seven new stations, all designed by Charles Holden in a modern style. Originally, Stanley Heaps was to design the stations, but after seeing these designs Frank Pick, Assistant Joint Manager of the UERL, decided that Holden should take over the project.[22]

With the exception of Morden and Clapham South, where more land was available, the new stations were built on confined corner sites at main road junctions in areas that had been already developed. Holden made good use of this limited space and designed striking buildings. The street-level structures are of white Portland Stone with tall double-height ticket halls, with the London Underground roundel made up in coloured glass panels in large glazed screens. The stone columns framing the glass screens are surmounted by a capital formed as a three-dimensional version of the roundel. The large expanses of glass above the entrances ensure that the ticket halls are bright and, lit from within at night, welcoming.[23] The first and last new stations on the extension, Clapham South and Morden, include a parade of shops and were designed with structures capable of being built above (like many of the earlier central London stations). Clapham South was extended upwards soon after its construction with a block of apartments; Morden was extended upwards in the 1960s with a block of offices. All the stations on the extension, except Morden itself, are Grade II listed buildings.

Great Northern & City Railway

After the UERL and the Metropolitan Railway (MR) were brought under public control in the form of the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) in 1933, the MR's subsidiary, the Great Northern & City Railway, which ran underground from Moorgate to Finsbury Park, became part of the Underground as the Northern City Line. In preparation for the Northern Heights Plan, it was operated as part of the Northern line, although it was never connected to the rest of the line.

Naming

The resulting line became known as the Morden–Edgware line, although a number of alternative names were also mooted in the fashion of the contraction of Baker Street & Waterloo Railway to "Bakerloo", such as "Edgmor", "Mordenware", "Medgeway" and "Edgmorden".[24] With Egyptology very much in fashion after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, there was also a proposal to call the line the Tootancamden Line as it passed through both Tooting and Camden.[25] It was eventually named the Northern line from 28 August 1937,[26] reflecting the planned addition of the Northern Heights lines.[27]

Northern Heights plan

Line map of the abandoned Northern Heights plan
Sign displaying the route of the Northern Heights extension

In June 1935, the LPTB announced the New Works Programme, an ambitious plan to expand the Underground network which included the integration of a complex of existing London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) lines north of Highgate through the Northern Heights. These lines, built in the 1860s and 1870s by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway (EH&LR) and its successors, ran from Finsbury Park to Edgware via Highgate, with branches to Alexandra Palace and High Barnet. The line taken over would be extended beyond Edgware to Brockley Hill, Elstree South and Bushey Heath with a new depot at Aldenham. The extension's route was that planned for the unbuilt Watford and Edgware Railway (W&ER), using rights obtained from the earlier purchase of the W&ER (which had long intended an extension of the EH&LR Edgware route towards Watford). This also provided the potential for further extension in the future; Bushey's town planners reserved space in Bushey village for a future station and Bushey Heath station's design was revised several times to ensure this option would remain available in the future.

The project involved electrification of the surface lines (operated by steam trains at the time), the doubling of the original single-line section between Finchley Central and the proposed junction with the Edgware branch of the Northern line, and the construction of three new linking sections of track: a connection between Northern City Line and Finsbury Park station on the surface; an extension from Archway to the LNER line near East Finchley via new deep-level platforms below Highgate station; and a short diversion from just before the LNER's Edgware station to the Underground's station of the same name.

Intended service levels

The peak-hour service pattern was to be 21 trains an hour each way on the High Barnet branch north of Camden Town, 14 of them via the Charing Cross branch and seven via the Bank branch. 14 would have continued on beyond Finchley Central, seven each on the High Barnet and Edgware branches. An additional seven trains an hour would have served the High Barnet branch, but continued via Highgate High-Level and Finsbury Park to Moorgate, a slightly shorter route to the City. It does not seem to have been intended to run through trains to the ex-Northern City branch from Edgware via Finchley Central. Seven trains an hour would have served the Alexandra Palace branch, to/from Moorgate via Highgate High-Level. In addition to the 14 through trains described, the ex-Northern City branch would have had 14 four-car shuttle trains an hour.

Progress of works

Work began in the late 1930s, and was in progress on all fronts by the outbreak of the Second World War. The tunnelling northwards from the original Highgate station (now Archway) had been completed, and the service to the rebuilt surface station at East Finchley started on 3 July 1939, but without the opening of the intermediate (new) Highgate Station, at the site of the LNER's station of the same name. Further progress was disrupted by the start of the war, though enough had been made to complete the electrification of the High Barnet branch onwards from East Finchley over which tube services started on 14 April 1940; the new (deep-level) Highgate station opened on 19 January 1941. The single track LNER line to Edgware was electrified as far as Mill Hill East, including the Dollis Brook Viaduct, opening as a tube service on 18 May 1941 to serve the barracks there, thus forming the Northern line as it is today. The new depot at Aldenham had already been built and was used to build Halifax bombers. Work on the other elements of the plan was suspended late in 1939.

Work on the extension from Edgware to Bushey Heath including work on a viaduct and a tunnel started in June 1939, but was stopped after war broke out.[28] After the war, the area beyond Edgware was made part of the Metropolitan Green Belt, largely preventing the anticipated residential development in the area, and the potential demand for services from Bushey Heath thus vanished. Passenger numbers also dropped on the then-BR's Mill Hill and Alexandra Palace branches, so it was useless to electrify them. Available funds were directed towards completing the eastern extension of the Central line instead, and the Northern Heights plan was dropped on 9 February 1954. Aldenham depot was converted into an overhaul facility for buses.

Close-up of a High Barnet-bound Northern line 1995 stock cab

The implemented service from High Barnet branch gave good access both to the West End and the City. This appears to have undermined traffic on the Alexandra Palace branch, still run with steam haulage to Kings Cross via Finsbury Park, as Highgate (low-level) was but a short bus ride away and car traffic was much lighter than it would become later. Consequently, the line from Finsbury Park to Muswell Hill and Alexandra Palace via the surface platforms at Highgate was closed altogether to passenger traffic in 1954. This contrasts with the decision to electrify the Epping-Ongar branch of the Central line, another remnant of the New Works programme, run as a tube-train shuttle from 1957. A local pressure group, the Muswell Hill Metro Group, campaigns to reopen this route as a light-rail service. So far there is no sign of movement on this issue: the route, now the Parkland Walk, is highly valued by walkers and cyclists, and suggestions in the 1990s that it could, in part, become a road were met with fierce opposition. Another pressure group has proposed using the track bed further north, as part of the North and West London Light Railway. The connection between Drayton Park and the surface platforms at Finsbury Park was opened in 1976, when the Northern City Line became part of British Rail.

1990s refurbishment and upgrade

In the 1980s, a southern extension of the line to Peckham was proposed, as part of a review of potential extensions of Underground lines. The proposal was not proceeded with.[29]

By the early 1990s, the line had deteriorated due to years of under-investment and the use of old rolling stock, most of which dated back to the early 1960s.[30] The line gained the nickname "Misery Line" due to its perceived unreliability.[31][32] In 1995, a comprehensive refurbishment of the line began – including track replacement, power upgrades, station modernisation (such as Mornington Crescent) and the replacement of older rolling stock with new 1995 Stock thanks to a public–private partnership deal with Alstom.[33][34]

Recent developments

Throughout the 2000s, no plans were considered for extending the Northern line, as the PPP to upgrade the Underground did not include provision for line extensions within the PPP contracts.[35][36] The Northern line was originally scheduled to switch to automatic train operation in 2012, using the same SelTrac S40 system[37] as used since 2009 on the Jubilee line and for a number of years on the Docklands Light Railway.[38] Originally the work was to follow on from the Jubilee line so as to benefit from the experience of installing it there, but that project was not completed until spring 2011. Work on the Northern line was contracted to be completed before the 2012 Olympics. It is now being undertaken in-house, and TfL predicted the upgrade would be complete by the end of 2014.[39] The first section of the line (West Finchley to High Barnet) was transferred to the new signalling system on 26 February 2013[40] and the line became fully automated on 1 June 2014 with the Chalk Farm to Edgware via Golders Green section being the last part of the line to switch to ATO.[41][42]

In January 2018, Transport for London announced that it would double the period during which it runs peak evening services in the central London section to tackle overcrowding. There would now be 24 trains an hour on both central London branches and the northern branches, as well as 30 trains an hour on the Kennington to Morden section between 5pm and 7pm.[4]

24-hour weekend service

Since the mid-autumn of 2016[43] a 24-hour "Night Tube" service has run on Friday and Saturday nights from Edgware and High Barnet to Morden via the Charing Cross branch; service is suspended on the Bank branch during these times.[44] Trains run every 8 minutes between Morden and Camden Town and every 15/16 minutes between Camden Town and Edgware/High Barnet. Labour disputes delayed the planned start date of September 2015.[45]

Battersea extension

In September 2021, the Northern line was extended to serve the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station. Partially funded by private developers, the £1.2bn[46] project extended the Charing Cross branch of the line for 3.2 km (2.0 mi) from Kennington to Battersea Power Station, with an intermediate stop at Nine Elms.[47][48] Approved by Wandsworth Council in 2010,[49] and Transport for London in 2014,[47] the construction of the line began in 2015. Tunnelling for the project was completed in 2017,[46] and the extension opened on 20 September 2021.[50][51] Provision has been made for a future extension to Clapham Junction railway station.[52]

Services

Peak

As of September 2021, morning peak southbound services are:[53]

  • 4 tph from Edgware to Kennington via Charing Cross
  • 2 tph from Edgware to Morden via Charing Cross
  • 12 tph from Edgware to Morden via Bank
  • 4 tph from High Barnet to Kennington via Charing Cross
  • 6 tph from High Barnet to Battersea Power Station via Charing Cross
  • 2 tph from High Barnet to Morden via Charing Cross
  • 8 tph from High Barnet to Morden via Bank
  • 1 tph from Mill Hill East to Kennington via Charing Cross
  • 1 tph from Mill Hill East to Battersea Power Station via Charing Cross
  • 2 tph from Mill Hill East to Morden via Bank

This service pattern provides 20 tph between Finchley Central and High Barnet, 4 tph between Finchley Central and Mill Hill East, 6 tph between Kennington and Battersea Power Station and 22 tph everywhere else on the line except between Kennington and Morden, between Camden Town and Finchley Central and on the Edgware branch where there will be 24 tph.

Off-peak

As of November 2022, off-peak services are the similar to peak services, minus the four hourly trains that run from Morden to the northern branches via Charing Cross:[53]

  • 10 tph from Edgware to Kennington via Charing Cross
  • 10 tph from Edgware to Morden via Bank
  • 8 tph from High Barnet to Battersea Power Station via Charing Cross
  • 8 tph from High Barnet to Morden via Bank
  • 2 tph from Mill Hill East to Battersea Power Station via Charing Cross
  • 2 tph from Mill Hill East to Morden via Bank

This service pattern provides 16 tph between Finchley Central and High Barnet, 4 tph between Finchley Central and Mill Hill East, 10 tph between Kennington and Battersea Power Station and 20 tph everywhere else on the line.

Night

Since 2016, the Northern line has operated Night Tube services on Friday and Saturday nights between the Edgware and High Barnet termini and Morden, via the Charing Cross branch only. Trains run every 15 minutes on each of the northern branches, combining to give eight trains per hour between Camden Town and Morden. There is no Night Tube service on the Mill Hill East, Bank, or Battersea branches.[43]

  • 4 tph from High Barnet to Morden via Charing Cross
  • 4 tph from Edgware to Morden via Charing Cross

Map

Geographical path of the Northern line
Geographical path of the Northern line

Stations

Northern line
Bushey Heath
Aldenham Works
Elstree South
cancelled Bushey
Heath extension
Brockley Hill
Edgware
Edgware (LNER)
1867–1939
Edgware, Highgate
& London Railway
Edgware depot
proposed but
unbuilt connection
Burnt Oak
Mill Hill (The Hale)
 Mill Hill East
 High Barnet
Colindale
Dollis Brook Viaduct
 Totteridge & Whetstone
 Woodside Park
Burroughs tunnel
West Finchley
Hendon Central
Finchley Central
 East Finchley
 Alexandra Palace
Brent Cross
Muswell Hill
 Cranley Gardens
Muswell Hill branch
1873–1954
Golders Green
Highgate depot
Golders Green depot
Highgate north tunnel
 Highgate
not
completed
 North End
Archway
 Tufnell Park
Hampstead
Kentish Town Thameslink
Belsize Park
Edgware, Highgate
& London Railway
1867–1954
 South Kentish Town
1907–24
Chalk Farm
Crouch End
 Stroud Green
 Finsbury Park National Rail Piccadilly Line Victoria Line
Camden Town
Northern City Line
enlarge…
Drayton Park National Rail
Mornington Crescent
Highbury and Islington National Rail Victoria Line London Overground
National Rail Victoria Line Watford DC Line Euston
Essex Road National Rail
Victoria Line Warren Street
King's Cross
St Pancras
Circle line (London Underground) Hammersmith & City Line Metropolitan Line Piccadilly Line Victoria Line
National Rail Eurostar
Goodge Street
Angel
 City Road
1901–22
Central line (London Underground) Elizabeth Line
Tottenham
Court Road
Old Street National Rail
 Moorgate National Rail Circle line (London Underground) Hammersmith & City Line Metropolitan Line Elizabeth Line
Piccadilly Line Leicester Square
Lothbury
authorised
but not built
 Bank Central line (London Underground) Waterloo & City Line Docklands Light Railway (Monument Circle line (London Underground) District Line)
National Rail Bakerloo Line Charing Cross
King William Street
1890–1900
River Thames
Bakerloo Line Circle line (London Underground) District Line London River Services Embankment
London Bridge National Rail Jubilee Line London River Services
1914–25
Charing Cross
reversing loop
National Rail Bakerloo Line Jubilee Line Waterloo & City Line London River Services Waterloo
Borough
Elephant & Castle National Rail Bakerloo Line Thameslink
 Kennington
reversing loop
Oval
Stockwell depot
closed 1915
Nine Elms
Stockwell Victoria Line
Battersea Power Station
Clapham North
reserved route
Clapham Common
London Overground National Rail Clapham Junction
Clapham South
 Balham National Rail
 Tooting Bec
 Tooting Broadway
 Colliers Wood
 South Wimbledon
 Morden
Wimbledon & Sutton Rly
to Wimbledon
Morden depot
National Rail Morden South
proposed but
unbuilt connection
 South Morden
authorised
but not built
National Rail Sutton Common
Cheam
authorised
but not built
National Rail Sutton
Notice explaining about step-free access. This can be found inside every Northern line train.

Open stations

High Barnet branch

StationImageOpenedBranchAdditional information
High Barnet Disabled access1 April 1872High Barnet branchTerminus. Northern line introduced 14 April 1940map 1
Totteridge & WhetstoneNorthern line introduced 14 April 1940 map 2
Woodside Park Disabled accessNorthern line introduced 14 April 1940map 3
West Finchley Disabled access1 March 1933Northern line introduced 14 April 1940map 4
Mill Hill East Disabled access22 August 1867Mill Hill branchClosed 11 September 1939, reopened 18 May 1941map 5
Finchley Central Disabled accessHigh Barnet & Mill Hill branchesFirst Northern line train was 14 April 1940map 6
East FinchleyHigh Barnet branchFirst Northern line train was 3 July 1939map 7
Highgate19 January 1941Disused surface station opened 22 August 1867map 8
Archway22 June 1907Originally named Highgatemap 9
Tufnell Parkmap 10
Kentish Town Thameslink National RailMainline station opened 13 July 1868. Change for National Rail services.map 11

Edgware branch

StationImageOpenedAdditional information
Edgware Disabled access18 August 1924Terminusmap 12
Burnt Oak27 October 1924Opened with its current name, then renamed as "Burnt Oak (Watling)" approximately four years after its opening; was reverted to its original name in 1950.map 13
Colindale18 August 1924Used as a terminus for some trains travelling north.map 14
Hendon Central Disabled access19 November 1923map 15
Brent CrossOpened as "Brent"; renamed 20 July 1976.map 16
Golders Green Disabled access22 June 1907Originally a terminus; remains a terminus for some trains.map 17
HampsteadOriginally proposed to be named "Heath Street"; this name can still be seen on wall tilings on station platform walls.map 18
Belsize ParkOne of eight London Underground stations that have deep-level air-raid shelters underneath them. The shelter was constructed in the Second World War to provide safe accommodation for service personnel.map 19
Chalk Farmmap 20

Camden Town

StationImageOpenedBranchAdditional information
Camden Town22 June 1907Edgware, High Barnet, Charing Cross and Bank branches[lower-alpha 1]The junctions connecting the two northern branches of the Northern line to the two central branches are just south of Camden Town station. The station has a pair of platforms on each of the two northern branches, and southbound trains can depart toward either Charing Cross or Bank from either of the two southbound platforms without crossing over.map 21

Charing Cross branch

StationImageOpenedAdditional information
Mornington Crescent22 June 1907Was planned to be named "Seymour Street", but this was changed. It was closed on 23 October 1992 to replace the lifts and was reopened on 27 April 1998.map 22
Euston (Charing Cross branch) London Overground National RailChange for southbound Northern line service via Bank from platform 6, Victoria line, London Overground and National Rail servicesmap 23
Warren StreetChange for Victoria linemap 24
Goodge StreetOpened as "Tottenham Court Road"; renamed 3 September 1908map 25
Tottenham Court Road Disabled access Elizabeth LineChange for Central line and Elizabeth line.
Leicester SquarePiccadilly line opened 15 December 1906 map 27
Charing Cross National RailBakerloo line opened as Trafalgar Square 10 March 1906. Stations combined 1 May 1979. Change for Bakerloo line and National Rail servicesmap 28
Embankment (London River Services Embankment Pier)6 April 1914District Railway opened 30 May 1870. Northern line extension from Charing Cross opened 6 April 1914. Extension from Kennington opened 13 September 1926. Change for Bakerloo, Circle and District linesmap 29
Waterloo National Rail (London River Services Waterloo Pier, Festival Pier)13 September 1926Waterloo and City line opened 8 August 1898. Extension from Kennington opened 13 September 1926. Change for Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines and National Rail servicesmap 30

Bank branch

StationImageOpenedAdditional information
Euston (Bank branch) London Overground National Rail12 May 1907Change for southbound Northern line service via Charing Cross from platform 2, Victoria line, London Overground and National Rail servicesmap 23
King's Cross St Pancras Disabled access Thameslink National Rail Eurostar (Airport interchange Trains Gatwick and Luton)Metropolitan Railway station opened 10 January 1863. Change for Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Piccadilly and Victoria lines, National Rail services and Eurostarmap 31
Angel17 November 1901Has the longest escalator on the entire Underground networkmap 32
Old Street National RailNorthern line platforms opened February 1904. Connects with National Rail services.map 33
Moorgate National Rail Elizabeth line25 February 1900Metropolitan Railway station opened 23 December 1865. Change for Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines and National Rail services.map 34 Has an interchange with the Elizabeth line via Liverpool Street station.
Bank Disabled access Docklands Light RailwayLinked with Monument by escalator 18 September 1933, change for Central, Circle, District and Waterloo & City lines and Docklands Light Railway.map 35
London Bridge Disabled access Thameslink National Rail (Airport interchange Trains to Gatwick and Luton) (London River Services London Bridge City Pier)Change for Jubilee line and National Rail servicesmap 36
Borough18 December 1890map 37
Elephant & Castle National Rail ThameslinkChange for Bakerloo line and National Rail servicesmap 38

Kennington

StationImageOpenedBranchAdditional information
Kennington18 December 1890Charing Cross, Bank, Battersea and Morden branches[lower-alpha 2]The station has four platforms arranged in two pairs: one pair for northbound services to each central branch of the Northern line, the other pair for southbound services from each central branch. The junctions connecting the central branches to the southern branches are just south of Kennington station. Southbound trains from the Charing Cross branch can terminate at this station, which has a reversing loop, or join either southern branch; southbound trains from the Bank branch can proceed onto the Morden branch but not the Battersea branch.map 39

Battersea branch

StationImageOpenedAdditional information
Nine Elms Disabled access20 September 2021
Battersea Power Station Disabled accessTerminus

Morden branch

StationImageOpenedAdditional information
Oval18 December 1890map 40
StockwellChange for Victoria line. Original terminus until 1900, when the line was extended to Clapham Common. The station platforms were resited south of the original island platform. Formerly a depot existed here; it was branched off from the current southbound track. It is one of the eight stations that have a deep level air-raid shelter. map 41
Clapham North3 June 1900One of the two remaining stations to have an island platform underground. It is also one of the eight stations that have a deep level air-raid shelter.map 42
Clapham CommonTerminus from 1900 to 1926. It is also one of the two remaining stations to have an island platform underground. It is also one of the eight stations that have a deep level air-raid shelter.map 43
Clapham South13 September 1926One of the eight stations that have a deep level air-raid shelter.map 44
Balham National Rail6 December 1926Change for National Rail servicesmap 45
Tooting Bec13 September 1926Opened as "Trinity Road"; renamed 1 October 1950map 46
Tooting BroadwayUsed as a terminus for some trains heading southmap 47
Colliers Woodmap 48
South WimbledonOpened as "South Wimbledon (Merton)". The suffix gradually fell out of use, but still can be seen on some platform signage.map 49
Morden Disabled accessTerminusmap 50

Closed stations

Permanently closed stations

Resited stations

  • Stockwell – new platforms resited immediately to the south of its predecessor with the 1922–1924 upgrade of the line.
  • London Bridge – the northbound tunnel and platform converted into a concourse, and a new northbound tunnel and platform built in the late 1990s to increase the platform and circulation areas in preparation for the opening of the Jubilee line.

Abandoned plans

Northern Heights stations not transferred from LNER
Bushey Extension stations not constructed

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

A High Barnet-bound Northern line train arriving at Finchley Central

When the line opened, it was served by 1906 Stock. This was replaced by 1938 stock as part of the New Works Programme, later supplemented with identical 1949 Stock. When the Piccadilly line was extended to Heathrow Airport in the 1970s, its 1959 Stock and 1956 Stock (prototypes of the 1959 Stock) trains were transferred to the Northern line. As there were not enough 1956 and 1959 Stock trains to replace the Northern line's 1938 Stock fleet, they were supplemented with newly built 1972 Mark 1 Stock trains, which all served the line at the same time. A few 1972 Mark 2 stock trains also ran on this line until going to the Jubilee line; they were then moved to the Bakerloo line, where they remain in service. The few 1956 Stock trains were briefly replaced by 1962 Stock transferred from the Central line in 1995, before the entire Northern line fleet was replaced with 1995 Stock between 1997 and 1999.

Today, all Northern line trains consist of 1995 Stock in the Underground livery of red, white and blue. In common with the other deep-level lines, the trains are the smaller of the two loading gauges used on the system. 1995 stock has automated announcements and quick-close doors. If the proposed split of the line takes place (initial estimates of 2018 having been abandoned to focus on completion of the Battersea and Nine Elms extension work), 19 new trains will be added to the existing fleet of 106 trains,[54] though additional trains beyond the extra 19 trains may be required to provide a full service for the new Battersea extension.

Tunnels

Although two other London Underground lines operate fully underground, the Northern line is unusual in that it is a deep-level tube line that serves the outer suburbs of South London yet there is only one station above ground (Morden tube station) while the rest of this part of the line is deep below ground. The short section to Morden depot is also above ground. This is partly because its southern extension into the outer suburbs was not done by taking over an existing surface line as was generally the case with routes such as the Central, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines. Apart from the core central underground tunnels, part of the section between Hendon and Colindale is also underground. As bicycles are not allowed in tunnel sections (even if no station is in that section) as they would hinder evacuation, they are limited to High Barnet – East Finchley, the Mill Hill East branch, Edgware – Colindale and Hendon Central – Golders Green.[55] There are also time-based restrictions for the sections where bicycles are allowed.[55]

The tunnel from Morden to East Finchley via Bank, 17 miles 528 yards (27.841 km),[1] was for a time the longest rail tunnel in the world. Other tunnels, including the Channel Tunnel that links the UK and France, are now longer.

Depots

The Northern line is serviced by four depots. The main one is at Golders Greenmap 51, adjacent to Golders Green tube station, while the second, at Morden,map 52 is south of Morden tube station and is the larger of the two. The other two are at Edgware and Highgate. The Highgate depot is on the former LNER branch to Alexandra Palace. There was originally a depot at Stockwell, but this closed in 1915. There are sidings at High Barnet for stabling trains overnight.

Future

Northern line split

Since the 2000s, TfL has aspired to split the Northern line into two separate routes.[56][57] Running trains between all combinations of branches and the two central sections, as at present, means only 24 trains an hour can run through each of the central sections at peak times, because merging trains have to wait for each other at the junctions at Camden Town and Kennington.[58] Completely segregating the routes could allow 36 trains an hour on all parts of the line, increasing capacity by around 25%.[56][58]

TfL has already separated the Charing Cross and Bank branches during off-peak periods; however, four trains per hour still run to and from Morden via Charing Cross in the peak; the northern branches to Edgware and High Barnet cannot be separated until Camden Town station is upgraded to cope with the numbers of passengers changing trains.[59] The extension to Battersea would allow the Charing Cross branch to terminate at Battersea Power Station.[60][61]

Camden Town station upgrade and expansion

The proposed split of the Northern line would require Camden Town station to be expanded and upgraded, as the station is already severely overcrowded at weekend peak times, and a split would increase the number of passengers wishing to change trains at the station.[62][63][59] In 2005, London Underground failed to secure planning permission for a comprehensive upgrade plan for Camden Town tube station that would have involved demolition of the existing station entrance and several other surface-level buildings, all within a conservation area.[64][65] New redevelopment plans were first announced in 2013 by TfL, which proposed avoiding the existing station entrance and the conservation area by building a second entrance and interchange tunnels to the north, mostly on the site of a subsequently vacated infant school.[66] In 2018, plans to upgrade and rebuild Camden Town station were placed indefinitely on hold, due to TfL's financial situation.[67] As of 2022, there is currently no plan to split the line.

Incidents and accidents

In October 2003, a train derailed at Camden Town.[68] Although no one was hurt, points, signals and carriages were damaged. Concern was raised about the safety of the Tube, given the derailment at Chancery Lane earlier in 2003.[69] A joint report by the Underground and its maintenance contractor Tube Lines concluded that poor track geometry was the main cause, and therefore extra friction arising out of striations (scratches) on a newly installed set of points had allowed the leading wheel of the last carriage to climb the rail and derail. The track geometry at the derailment site is a very tight bend and tight tunnel bore, which precludes the normal solution for this sort of geometry of canting the track by raising the height of one rail relative to the other.[70]

In August 2010, a defective rail grinding train caused disruption on the Charing Cross branch, after it travelled four miles in 13 minutes without a driver. The train was being towed to the depot after becoming faulty. At Archway station, the defective train became detached and ran driverless until coming to a stop at an incline near Warren Street station. This caused morning rush-hour services to be suspended on this branch. All passenger trains were diverted via the Bank branch, with several not stopping at stations until they were safely on the Bank branch.[71][72]

  • In his debut novel Ghostwritten, David Mitchell characterises the Northern line as "the psycho of the family".[73]
  • The Bloc Party song "Waiting For the 7.18" references the Northern line as "the loudest".[74]
  • As part of a series of twelve books tied to the twelve lines of the London Underground, A Northern Line Minute focuses on the Northern line.[75]
  • The Nick Drake song "Parasite" references the Northern Line.[76]
  • It is also referred to in The New Vaudeville Band song "Finchley Central" and the Squeeze song "853-5937"
  • The 1982 Robyn Hitchcock song "Fifty Two Stations" begins, "There's fifty-two stations on the Northern Line/None of them is yours, one of them is mine."[77]

Maps

See also

Explanatory footnotes

  1. ↑ Charing Cross and Bank branches start immediately south of the station
  2. ↑ Morden and Battersea branches start immediately south of the station

References

Notes

  1. ↑ A "tube" railway is an underground railway constructed in a cylindrical tunnel by the use of a tunnelling shield, usually deep below ground level.
  2. ↑ The seven companies were 1. the City & South London Railway, 2. the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway, 3. the Edgware, Highgate & London Railway, 4. the Edgware & Hampstead Railway, 5. the Watford & Edgware Railway, 6. The Wimbledon & Sutton Railway and 7. the Great Northern & City Railway.
  3. ↑ The stations that the C&SLR were to serve on the W&SR, would not have included all those subsequently built by the Southern Railway. South Morden (not built), Sutton Common, Cheam (not built) and Sutton, would have been served, but Morden South, St Helier and West Sutton were not part of the UERL's plan.

Citations

  1. 1 2 "Northern line facts". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  2. ↑ LU Performance Data Almanac (Report). Transport for London. 2011–2012. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "City Metric". Centre for Cities. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 Smith, Rebecca (29 January 2018). "Northern Line passengers to get quicker and more frequent journeys as TfL boosts services to tackle crowding on busiest Tube line". City A.M. London. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  5. ↑ Badsey-Ellis 2005, p. 35.
  6. ↑ Wolmar 2005, pp. 4 & 135.
  7. ↑ Horne 2009, p. 10.
  8. ↑ Horne 2009, p. 14.
  9. ↑ Horne 2009, pp. 16–18.
  10. ↑ Horne 2009, p. 26.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Rose 2016.
  12. ↑ Horne 2009, p. 27.
  13. ↑ Wolmar 2005, p. 205.
  14. ↑ "No. 28665". The London Gazette. 22 November 1912. p. 8798.
  15. 1 2 3 Horne 2009, p. 32.
  16. ↑ Horne 2009, pp. 32–33.
  17. ↑ "No. 27380". The London Gazette. 26 November 1901. p. 8200.
  18. ↑ Horne 2009, p. 28.
  19. 1 2 Horne 2009, p. 29.
  20. ↑ Day & Reed 2010, p. 91.
  21. ↑ "No. 32770". The London Gazette. 24 November 1922. pp. 8314–8315.
  22. ↑ "Underground Journeys: Moving Underground". www.architecture.com. Royal Institute of British Architects. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  23. ↑ "Underground Journeys: South Wimbledon". www.architecture.com. Royal Institute of British Architects. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  24. ↑ Wolmar 2005, p. 225.
  25. ↑ Graves & Hodge 1940, p. 126.
  26. ↑ Rails through the Clay; Croome & Jackson; London; 2nd ed; 1993; p228
  27. ↑ "London Tubes' New Names – Northern and Central Lines". The Times (47772): 12. 25 August 1937. Retrieved 18 May 2009.(subscription required)
  28. ↑ Beard 2002, pp. 90–92.
  29. ↑ "Strategic Review 1988 – New Lines and Extensions - Northern Line Southern Extension" (PDF). What Do They Know. London Underground. 1988. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  30. ↑ "Northern Line (Hansard, 17 March 1994)". api.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  31. ↑ Pearce, Mike (22 June 1989). "Northern Line driverless trains". YouTube. Thames Television, Thames News. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
  32. ↑ "Call for action on Northern Line". BBC News. 12 October 2005. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  33. ↑ "Tubular hell". The Independent. 6 January 1997. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  34. ↑ "Northern line modernisation". London Transport. 2000. Archived from the original on 16 June 2000. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  35. ↑ "Details of Tube modernisation plans unveiled". Tube Lines. 8 January 2003. Archived from the original on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  36. ↑ Shawcross, Valerie; Livingstone, Ken (7 March 2005). "Transport Plan – Southward Extensions". Mayor's Question Time. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  37. ↑ Corfield, Gareth (9 August 2016). "London's 'automatic' Tube trains suffered 750 computer failures last year". The Register. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  38. ↑ "Network Tests for New Signalling Systems" (Press release). Tube Lines. 24 August 2005. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008.
  39. ↑ "Operational and Financial Performance Report and Investment Programme Report – Third Quarter, 2012/13" (PDF). Transport for London. 6 February 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  40. ↑ "Northern line upgrade one step closer" (Press release). Transport for London. 26 February 2013.
  41. ↑ "Mayor of London – Transport Commitments" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 May 2021.
  42. ↑ Kessell, Clive. "LU Northern line goes CBTC". Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  43. 1 2 "The Night Tube". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  44. ↑ "The Night Tube". Transport for London. n.d. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  45. ↑ Topham, Gwyn (27 August 2015). "London night tube plan suspended". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  46. 1 2 Collier, Hatty (8 November 2017). "Tunnelling work to extend Tube's Northern Line to Battersea completed". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  47. 1 2 "Northern line extension to Battersea gets go-ahead" (Press release). Transport for London. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  48. ↑ "Northern line extension". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  49. ↑ "Battersea Power Station scheme approved" (Press release). London Borough of Wandsworth. 11 November 2010. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  50. ↑ Prynn, Jonathan; Sleigh, Sophia (21 December 2018). "TfL under fire as Battersea Tube extension is delayed". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  51. ↑ "Northern line extension: Two new Tube stations open". BBC News. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  52. ↑ Henderson, Jamie (23 June 2013). "Clapham Junction next for Northern Line says London Assembly member". Wandsworth Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  53. 1 2 "Twin Peaks: Timetable Changes on the Northern Line". London Reconnections. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  54. ↑ Abbot 2010, pp. 57–58.
  55. 1 2 "Bicycle on Tube map" (PDF). Transport for London. June 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  56. 1 2 "Transport 2025: Transport vision for a growing world city". November 2006. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.135.5972. A segregation of services would deliver simpler service patterns on the line. This will allow more trains to be run through both the West End and City branches – enabling 30tph services on the central London branches. This will provide roughly 25 per cent extra capacity and crowding relief on these busy sections. With the core infrastructure being capable of supporting these service patterns, the main requirements are some additional trains (and stabling) and station capacity improvements at Camden Town.
  57. ↑ Lydall, Ross (12 May 2010). "Northern line service divided in £312m bid to end overcrowding". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  58. 1 2 "Twin Peaks: Timetable Changes on the Northern Line". London Reconnections. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  59. 1 2 "We Need To Talk About Camden: The Future of the Northern Line". London Reconnections. 6 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  60. ↑ "Permanent split for the Northern line". Your Local Guardian. 15 May 2010. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  61. ↑ "Plans to split Northern Line in two move forward another step". Rail Technology Magazine. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  62. ↑ "Plans to split Northern Line in two move forward another step". Rail Technology Magazine. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  63. ↑ "Improving capacity at Camden Town station". Transport for London. 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018. Detailed report, with updated timeline etc.
  64. ↑ "Camden Town Redevelopment". Alwaystouchout.com. 25 January 2006. Archived from the original on 11 November 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  65. ↑ Bull, John (14 October 2015). "Second Time Lucky: Rebuilding Camden Town Station". London Reconnections. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  66. ↑ "Improving capacity at Camden Town station". Transport for London. 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018. Detailed report, with updated timeline etc.
  67. ↑ Topham, Gwyn (11 December 2018). "Major tube upgrades shelved as TfL struggles to balance books". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  68. ↑ "Second Tube train derailed". BBC News. 19 October 2003. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  69. ↑ "Thirty hurt after Tube crash". BBC News. 25 January 2003. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  70. ↑ "Track design flaws may have led to Camden Town Tube derailment". New Civil Engineer. 4 December 2003. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  71. ↑ "Runaway train on London Tube's Northern Line". BBC News. 13 August 2010. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  72. ↑ Runaway of an engineering train from Highgate 13 August 2010 (Technical report). RAIB. 2011. 09-2011.
  73. ↑ TJ Dawe. "Literary Excerpt: David Mitchell and the Character of the London Underground Lines". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  74. ↑ "BlocParty.net - Waiting For The 7.18". Archived from the original on 15 April 2013.
  75. ↑ "A Northern Line Minute, The Northern Line by William Leith". Penguin. 7 March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  76. ↑ "Parasite". Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  77. ↑ "Fifty Two Stations". Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.

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