Ealing Common tube station
Encyclopedia
Ealing Common is a London Underground
station on the Uxbridge
branch of the Piccadilly Line
, and on the Ealing Broadway
branch of the District Line
. Eastbound the next station is Acton Town
, westbound the next station is North Ealing
on the Piccadilly Line and Ealing Broadway
on the District Line.
The station is located on Uxbridge Road
(A4020) about 450m east of the junction with Gunnersbury Avenue and Hanger Lane
(A406
, North Circular Road). It is in Travelcard Zone 3
.
(MDR, now the District line
) on its extension from Turnham Green
to Ealing Broadway. From 1886 until 1 March 1910 the station was known as Ealing Common and West Acton after which it changed to its current name.
On 23 June 1903 the MDR opened an extension of the tracks from north of Ealing Common. The extension initially reached as far as Park Royal & Twyford Abbey
(closed and replaced by Park Royal
in 1931), where the Royal Agricultural Society
's Park Royal
show grounds had been recently opened, before being opened to South Harrow
on 28 June 1903.
This new extension was, together with the existing tracks between Ealing Common & Acton Town, the first section of the Underground's surface lines to be electrified
and operate electric
instead of steam
trains. 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. Electric trains started running on the section of line between Ealing Common and Ealing Broadway on 1 July 1905.
During 1930 and 1931 a new station building was constructed to replace the 1879 building. The new building, by Charles Holden
in a style reminiscent of his designs for the 1926 Morden extension
of the City & South London Railway
(now part of the Northern Line
), was constructed in Portland stone and features a tall heptagonal ticket hall with glazed screens to all sides. The new building opened on 1 March 1931 and is very similar to the reconstructed station at Hounslow West
built at the same time, also by Heaps and Holden.
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. From Ealing Common to South Harrow, the District line was replaced by the Piccadilly line and, from this date, District line trains west from Ealing Common ran to Ealing Broadway only.
enter service here. This is usually in the early morning, and in the westbound direction (towards Ealing Broadway Station).
Although it is possible for trains to enter the depot directly from platform one (the westbound platform), this rarely happens except for a few empty trains after the station is closed at night. However at times of disruption it is possible for trains to arrive on platform one and empty of passengers, then it would have to shunt forward in order to reverse and enter the depot. The train would then stable, or reverse into platform two in order to re-enter service and continue eastbound.
To the east of platform two there are two siding roads. Those stop approximately half way along the adjacent main-line road. They are separated from the platforms by a cement wall (which viewing is possible) and a wooden locked door from the platform. These roads are not connected directly to the mainline, but to Ealing Common Depot
and are used for shunting and reversing trains within the depot.
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station on the Uxbridge
Uxbridge tube station
Uxbridge is a London Underground station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, north-west London. The station is the terminus of the Uxbridge branches of both the Metropolitan Line and the Piccadilly Line. The next station towards London is Hillingdon. The station is 15.5 miles west of...
branch of the Piccadilly Line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
, and on the Ealing Broadway
Ealing Broadway station
Ealing Broadway is an east-west National Rail and London Underground station in Ealing in west London. The station is located in Haven Green , at the termination of The Broadway, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-Services:...
branch of the District Line
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
. Eastbound the next station is Acton Town
Acton Town tube station
Acton Town is a London Underground station in Acton, west London, served by the Piccadilly and District lines. The station is at the junction of Gunnersbury Lane and Bollo Lane and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-Services:...
, westbound the next station is North Ealing
North Ealing tube station
North Ealing is a London Underground station on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly Line between Ealing Common and Park Royal. The station is located on Station Road, a short distance from the junction of Queens Drive and Hanger Lane...
on the Piccadilly Line and Ealing Broadway
Ealing Broadway station
Ealing Broadway is an east-west National Rail and London Underground station in Ealing in west London. The station is located in Haven Green , at the termination of The Broadway, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-Services:...
on the District Line.
The station is located on Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell....
(A4020) about 450m east of the junction with Gunnersbury Avenue and Hanger Lane
Hanger Lane
Hanger Lane is a major road in the Ealing and Park Royal areas of London. It forms the westernmost part of the A406 North Circular as it runs north from Gunnersbury Avenue as it crosses the A4020 Uxbridge Road at Ealing Common to meet the A40 Western Avenue at the Hanger Lane Gyratory System...
(A406
A406 road
The A406 or the North Circular Road is a road which crosses North London, UK, linking West and East London. It, together with the South Circular Road, forms a ring road through the inner part of Outer London...
, North Circular Road). It is in Travelcard Zone 3
Travelcard Zone 3
Fare zone 3 is a zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services...
.
History
Ealing Common station was opened on 1 July 1879 by the Metropolitan District RailwayMetropolitan District Railway
The Metropolitan District Railway was the predecessor of the District line of the London Underground. Set up on 29 July 1864, at first to complete the "Inner Circle" railway around central London, it was gradually extended into the suburbs...
(MDR, now the District line
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
) on its extension from Turnham Green
Turnham Green tube station
Turnham Green is a London Underground station in Chiswick in west London. The station is located on Turnham Green Terrace, but the actual green is much closer to Chiswick Park station. The station is served by the District and Piccadilly Lines although Piccadilly Line trains normally only stop at...
to Ealing Broadway. From 1886 until 1 March 1910 the station was known as Ealing Common and West Acton after which it changed to its current name.
On 23 June 1903 the MDR opened an extension of the tracks from north of Ealing Common. The extension initially reached as far as Park Royal & Twyford Abbey
Park Royal & Twyford Abbey tube station
Park Royal & Twyford Abbey is a closed station on the route of the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. It was located near Twyford Abbey Road a short distance north of the current Park Royal station which replaced it on 6 July 1931....
(closed and replaced by Park Royal
Park Royal tube station
Park Royal is a station on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. It is between and and is in Travelcard Zone 3. It is situated on the south side of the east-west Western Avenue , surrounded by residential Ealing and industrial Park Royal...
in 1931), where the Royal Agricultural Society
Royal Agricultural Society
The Royal Agricultural Society of England was established in the United Kingdom in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science". The RASE aim is to promote the scientific development of agriculture. The society received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840.From its early days the society...
's Park Royal
Park Royal
Park Royal is an area in northwest London, UK. It is the largest industrial and business park in London, occupying about , and is promoted commercially by the Park Royal Partnership...
show grounds had been recently opened, before being opened to South Harrow
South Harrow tube station
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 . The station is in Travelcard Zone 5...
on 28 June 1903.
This new extension was, together with the existing tracks between Ealing Common & Acton Town, the first section of the Underground's surface lines to be electrified
Electrification
Electrification originally referred to the build out of the electrical generating and distribution systems which occurred in the United States, England and other countries from the mid 1880's until around 1940 and is in progress in developing countries. This also included the change over from line...
and operate electric
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
instead of steam
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
trains. The deep level tube lines open at that time (City & South London Railway
City & South London Railway
The City and South London Railway was the first deep-level underground "tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use electric traction...
, Waterloo & City Railway and Central London Railway
Central London Railway
The Central London Railway , also known as the Twopenny Tube, was a deep-level, underground "tube" railway that opened in London in 1900...
) had been electrically powered from the start. Electric trains started running on the section of line between Ealing Common and Ealing Broadway on 1 July 1905.
During 1930 and 1931 a new station building was constructed to replace the 1879 building. The new building, by Charles Holden
Charles Holden
Charles Henry Holden, Litt. D., FRIBA, MRTPI, RDI was a Bolton-born English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, for Bristol Central Library, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadway and for the...
in a style reminiscent of his designs for the 1926 Morden extension
Morden tube station
Morden is a London Underground station in Morden in the London Borough of Merton. The station is the southern terminus for the Northern line and is the most southerly station on the Underground network. The next station north is...
of the City & South London Railway
City & South London Railway
The City and South London Railway was the first deep-level underground "tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use electric traction...
(now part of the Northern Line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
), was constructed in Portland stone and features a tall heptagonal ticket hall with glazed screens to all sides. The new building opened on 1 March 1931 and is very similar to the reconstructed station at Hounslow West
Hounslow West tube station
Hounslow West is a London Underground station in Hounslow in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line, between Hatton Cross and Hounslow Central stations. The station is located on Bath Road about 600m from the junction of Bath Road, Great West Road and Great...
built at the same time, also by Heaps and Holden.
On 4 July 1932 the Piccadilly line was extended to run west of its original terminus at Hammersmith
Hammersmith tube station (Piccadilly & District Line)
Hammersmith tube station is a London Underground station in Hammersmith. It is on the District Line line between Barons Court and Ravenscourt Park, and on the Piccadilly Line between Barons Court and Acton Town or Turnham Green at very early morning and late evening hours...
sharing the route with the District line to Ealing Common. From Ealing Common to South Harrow, the District line was replaced by the Piccadilly line and, from this date, District line trains west from Ealing Common ran to Ealing Broadway only.
The station today
The two platforms serve all District and Piccadilly line services. There is a shop/kiosk available at times in the station booking hall area. Many trains leaving Ealing Common DepotEaling Common Depot
Ealing Common Depot is a London Underground railway depot on the District Line, located between Acton Town Station and Ealing Common Station. It is accessed by road on Granville Gardens, off the Uxbridge Road in Ealing Common. From the main-line it is accessed at Ealing Common by a junction...
enter service here. This is usually in the early morning, and in the westbound direction (towards Ealing Broadway Station).
Although it is possible for trains to enter the depot directly from platform one (the westbound platform), this rarely happens except for a few empty trains after the station is closed at night. However at times of disruption it is possible for trains to arrive on platform one and empty of passengers, then it would have to shunt forward in order to reverse and enter the depot. The train would then stable, or reverse into platform two in order to re-enter service and continue eastbound.
To the east of platform two there are two siding roads. Those stop approximately half way along the adjacent main-line road. They are separated from the platforms by a cement wall (which viewing is possible) and a wooden locked door from the platform. These roads are not connected directly to the mainline, but to Ealing Common Depot
Ealing Common Depot
Ealing Common Depot is a London Underground railway depot on the District Line, located between Acton Town Station and Ealing Common Station. It is accessed by road on Granville Gardens, off the Uxbridge Road in Ealing Common. From the main-line it is accessed at Ealing Common by a junction...
and are used for shunting and reversing trains within the depot.