Between King’s Cross and Uxbridge on the Metropolitan Line

INTRODUCTION

I made this journey a week ago en route to the Anna Kennedy Autism Expo at Brunel University. The journey divides naturally into several segments…

KING’S CROSS TO GREAT PORTLAND STREET

For this section of the route the Metropolitan line shares tracks with the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, although on the day I travelled it those latter two lines were closed west of Baker Street, one reason why I did not have to wait long for a train to Uxbridge.

BAKER STREET TO FINCHLEY ROAD

For this section of the route the Metropolitan is directly above the Jubilee line (the Jubilee rises to the surface just beforc Finchley Road, and it and the Metropolitan run together for a time thereafter).

FINCHLEY ROAD TO WEMBLEY PARK

This is the section where the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines run side by side, tjhe Jubilee stopping at intermediate stations while the Metropolitan runs non-stop between Finchley Road and Wembley Park (with some ‘fast’ services running non-stop all the way to Harrow-on-the-Hill).

WEMBLEY PARK TO RAYNERS LANE

This is the section that is Metropolitan line only (with a connection to Chiltern Railways at Harrow-on-the-Hill).

RAYNERS LANE TO UXBRIDGE

This branch is shared by the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines (the Piccadilly having taken over the running of Uxbridge services from the District line in the 1930s).

The Archaeology of the Elizabeth Line (nee Crossrail) – Video

INTRODUCTION

The good folk at the Museum of London, easily walkable from St Pauls (Central line) and Moorgate (Northern, Circle, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan and mainline railways) are running an exhibition on the the archaeology of the Elizabeth line, which is built on an East-West axis through London and because of its depth also cuts vertically through millennia of fascinating history. As an introduction to this new exhibition they have produced a spectacular…

VIDEO

A FINAL LINK

For more about this fascinating new exhibition and about tunnel archaeology please visit the appropriate page on the Museum of London’s website by clicking here.

The Institute of Education

INTRODUCTION

This post features a London landmark which is particularly well served by public transport. There will be links to several other posts in appropriate places, and I have a couple of satellite maps to share as well.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE

Although it was independent for a long time, the Institute of Education is now part of University College London’s (UCL) seemingly ever expanding empire (UCL owned/ run buildings nowadays occupy a significant proportion of Bloomsbury). More information about what is generally available at this particular site can be found here. Although I visited the institute a few times in connection with an autism research project for which I was a subject my main involvement with the place has been by way of the Marxism Festival which has made use of this building for all save a few of the years since I first attended it (in 1995, when I was on the team). Back then we used only three venues in the building for meetings, the Logan, Jeffery and Elvin halls. This year, when the institute was one of only two buildings used for the festival (the other bieng the Royal National Hotel, across Bedford Way) these venues were augmented as meeting rooms by Clarke Hall, Nunn Hall, and various rooms on the upper floors (including one set aside as a designated quiet space). For more about the most recent incarnation of this festival click here.

THE TRANSPORT CONNECTIONS

While the closest station by some margin is Russell Square on the Piccadilly line, Euston and Euston Square are both also within ten minutes walk (Northern, Victoria, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, London Overground and National Rail between them), with Warren Street (Northern and Victoria) and Goodge Street (Northern) also near at hand, and King’s Cross comfortably walkable (as I can confirm from experience). In addition to the above, Euston station has out front what is effectively a bus station, and buses travel from there to most parts of London.

TWO SATELLITE VIEWS

To end this post here are two satellite views obatined by use of google maps, first one showing the transport connections in the close vicinity of the building:

And a closer view shwoing the building in more detail:

The institute numbers its floors (or levels as they call them), starting at 1 and ascending. Bedford Way adjoins level three, while the courtyard on the other side gives access to level four.

Route Maps and Rolling Stock

INTRODUCTION

I was in London last Saturday for a conference at the National Autistic Society’s HQ and made use of London Underground after the conference, travelling on Northern and Metropolitan line trains. The rest of this post will largely be pictures showing this.

THE NORTHERN LINE

Catching a Northern line train at Angel means using the longest escalator in London (bear in mind that when I took the photo below I was already a few steps down):

Aboard the train at Angel I took this picture of the on-train route map of the Northern line…

Changing trains at Moorgate I got this enamel map of the relevant parts of the Northern Line…

THE METROPOLITAN

At Moorgate (and elsewhere between Liverpool Street and Great Portland Street) the Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith and City lines share a set of tracks, hence this enamelled route map:

The Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines all now have new rolling stock which is articulated rather than comprising old style carriages. The difference between the two types of stock is that the stock used on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines has a lot of doors and comparatively little seating space owing to the fact that it is mainly used for short journeys within central London, while the Metropolitan line stock, to be suitable for longer journeys over less densely used track has much more seating and fewer doors.

Looking along a new Metropolitan line train.

Here is the internal route map from this same train:

Share petition · Transport For London: Step free access in Mile End station. · Change.org

Please sign and share this petition.

Source: Share petition · Transport For London: Step free access in Mile End station. · Change.org

Special Post: Whitechapel

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this latest addition to my series “London Station by Station”. This particular post is also a tribute to the East End Women’s Museum project. I hope that you will all enjoy it and that some of you at least will share it.

WHITECHAPEL – NOT ALL ABOUT THE RIPPER

Whitechapel, which today serves the District and Hammersmith and City lines with a quirky interchange to London Overground, first opened in 1884, although the current station dates only from 1913. The quirkiness of the interchange to London Overground lies in the fact that the direction of travel from London Underground to London Overground is downwards.

A while back a museum was given planning permission on the grounds that it would be dedicated to women of the East End. It turned out that the person behind it had been lying through their teeth and the museum was actually dedicated to Jack the Ripper. A petition having been launched against the Ripper museum, a determined group of people are now setting out to create a museum that genuinely is dedicated to the women of the East End, featuring stories like the one in this book:

I finish this brief post with some map pics…

Special Post: Aldgate and Aldgate East

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the latest post in my series “London Station by Station”. I hope you will enjoy this post and will be encouraged to share it.

A FOUR WAY TRIANGLE

I am treating two stations together because they are so close to one another that one can stand o the platforms of one and watch trains pulling into the other. The title refers to the number of current lines using this segment of the system and the shape it very roughly resembles. Aldgate opened in 1876 and has been open ever since. The first Aldgate East station opened in 1884 and was closed in 1938, with the current station opening the very next day.

The confluences and divergences are as follows: at Liverpool Street the triple route of Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines diverge, with the H&C going to Aldgate East and the other two to Aldgate, where the Met terminates. At Tower Hill the District and Circle part ways the Circle continuing round to Aldgate and the District going to Aldgate East where it joins the H&C.

To assist with orientation and to finish this brief post here are my usual map pics…