Willesden Junction station
Encyclopedia
Willesden Junction station is a Network Rail
station in Harlesden
, northwest London
, UK. It is served by both London Overground
and the Bakerloo line
of the London Underground
.
The station developed on three contiguous sites:
The main-line platforms were numbered from the south side (including one or two on the Kensington route) followed by the high level platforms and then the DC line platforms which thus had the highest numbers. Later the surviving platforms were re-numbered.
Willesden Junction was depicted as 'Tenway Junction' the site of the suicide of Ferdinand Lopez in Anthony Trollope's
novel The Prime Minister.
which lies immediately south-east of the station.
The high-level station consists of an island platform rebuilt in 1956, with faces as platforms 4 and 5, which are at street level of the area to the north of the station, serving the NLL and the West London Line
; trains on the latter reverse in a turnback siding on the NLL, to the east of the station, laid in the late 1990s to allow Royal Mail
trains to reach the Royal Mail depot at Stonebridge Park.
The low-level station, at the level of the area to the south, is an Edwardian island platform, with outer faces as platforms 1 and 3 and one face of the east-facing two-platform bay as platform 2, the other face of the bay now has no track. Platforms 1 and 3 are used by the Bakerloo line services, which began on 10 May 1915. and London Overground services between and . Until May 2008 north-bound Bakerloo line trains which were to reverse at depot (two stations further north) ran empty from Willesden Junction although the southbound service began at Stonebridge Park. This imbalance was as there were no London Underground staff beyond Willesden Junction to oversee passenger detrainment, but this changed after London Underground took over the staffing of stations on the line, including Stonebridge Park, from Silverlink
in November 2007, and trains bound for Stonebridge Park depot now terminate at Stonebridge Park station. Normally only the first and last NLL trains of the day, which start or terminate here, use the bay platform, though it is used for empty stock transfers between the depot and the North London and Gospel Oak to Barking
lines.
on a site on the south side of the main line to the west of the station, in 1873. This was enlarged in 1898. The London Midland and Scottish Railway opened an additional roundhouse
on the site in 1929. Both buildings were demolished when the depot was closed in 1965 by British Railways and replaced by a Freightliner depot. (The servicing of locomotives and multiple units was then undertaken by the present Willesden TMD
on the other side of the line.)
The steam depot had the shed code 1A and was a major depot for predominantly freight locomotives used on the West Coast Main Line
and for suburban passenger services from Euston
.
service at Willesden Junction is nine Bakerloo line
trains per hour (tph) between and .
All London Overground
services are operated by new Capitalstar units. The typical off-peak North London Line, West London Line and Watford DC Line services at the station in trains per hour are:
The station is on London bus routes 220, 224, 487 and PR2.
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Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
station in Harlesden
Harlesden
Harlesden is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, UK. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee....
, northwest London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK. It is served by both London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
and the Bakerloo line
Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from Elephant and Castle in the south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in the north-west of London. The line serves 25 stations, of which 15 are underground...
of the London Underground
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...
.
History
The station developed on three contiguous sites:
- The West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main LineThe West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
(WCML) station was opened by the London & North Western Railway on 1 September 1866 to replace the London and Birmingham RailwayLondon and Birmingham RailwayThe London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
's Willesden station of 1841 which was half a mile to the northwest. Passenger services ended in 1962 when the platforms were removed during electrification of the WCML to allow easing the curvature of the tracks. Later the bridges for the North London LineNorth London LineThe North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
(NLL) were rebuilt but it might be possible to re-instate the WCML platforms should a new service pattern require them.
- The High-Level station on the NLL was opened by the North London RailwayNorth London RailwayThe North London Railway was a railway company that opened lines connecting the north of London to the East and West India Docks. The main east to west route is now part the North London Line. Other lines operated by the company fell into disuse, but were later revived as part of the Docklands...
in 1869 on a track crossing the WCML roughly at right angles.
- The 'Willesden New Station' or Low-Level station on the "New LineWatford DC LineThe Watford DC Line is a commuter railway line from London Euston to Watford Junction. Services on the line are operated by London Overground....
" was opened in 1910 to the north of the main line with two outer through platforms and two inner bay platforms at the London end. The bay platforms were originally long enough for four-coach Bakerloo trains when such trains ran outside peak times, but were shortened in the 1960s when a new toilet block was installed.
The main-line platforms were numbered from the south side (including one or two on the Kensington route) followed by the high level platforms and then the DC line platforms which thus had the highest numbers. Later the surviving platforms were re-numbered.
Willesden Junction was depicted as 'Tenway Junction' the site of the suicide of Ferdinand Lopez in Anthony Trollope's
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...
novel The Prime Minister.
The station today
There are no platforms on the West Coast Main Line, which is separated from the low level station by the approach road to Willesden DepotWillesden TMD
Willesden TMD is a railway locomotive Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Willesden, north London. The depot is visible from the West Coast Main Line, to the south-east of Willesden Junction, on the way into London's Euston Station...
which lies immediately south-east of the station.
The high-level station consists of an island platform rebuilt in 1956, with faces as platforms 4 and 5, which are at street level of the area to the north of the station, serving the NLL and the West London Line
West London Line
The West London Line is a short railway in inner West London which links lines at in the south to lines near Willesden Junction in the north. It has always been an important cross-London link especially for freight services...
; trains on the latter reverse in a turnback siding on the NLL, to the east of the station, laid in the late 1990s to allow Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
trains to reach the Royal Mail depot at Stonebridge Park.
The low-level station, at the level of the area to the south, is an Edwardian island platform, with outer faces as platforms 1 and 3 and one face of the east-facing two-platform bay as platform 2, the other face of the bay now has no track. Platforms 1 and 3 are used by the Bakerloo line services, which began on 10 May 1915. and London Overground services between and . Until May 2008 north-bound Bakerloo line trains which were to reverse at depot (two stations further north) ran empty from Willesden Junction although the southbound service began at Stonebridge Park. This imbalance was as there were no London Underground staff beyond Willesden Junction to oversee passenger detrainment, but this changed after London Underground took over the staffing of stations on the line, including Stonebridge Park, from Silverlink
Silverlink
Silverlink Train Services Ltd was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operated routes in North London and from London to Northampton...
in November 2007, and trains bound for Stonebridge Park depot now terminate at Stonebridge Park station. Normally only the first and last NLL trains of the day, which start or terminate here, use the bay platform, though it is used for empty stock transfers between the depot and the North London and Gospel Oak to Barking
Gospel Oak to Barking line
The Gospel Oak – Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak in North London and Barking in East London as part of the London Overground network. It is sometimes known as the Goblin , although this is a nickname rather than an official title...
lines.
Development
As part of a London Overground project to lengthen platforms on the North London line to permit 4-car trains, as of December 2009 the high-level platforms are being extended to the north east over the low-level Bakerloo line tracks, and an additional link path being added to the low-level platforms. The low-level bay platform is also being extended.Motive Power Depot
The LNWR opened a large locomotive depotMotive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
on a site on the south side of the main line to the west of the station, in 1873. This was enlarged in 1898. The London Midland and Scottish Railway opened an additional roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
on the site in 1929. Both buildings were demolished when the depot was closed in 1965 by British Railways and replaced by a Freightliner depot. (The servicing of locomotives and multiple units was then undertaken by the present Willesden TMD
Willesden TMD
Willesden TMD is a railway locomotive Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Willesden, north London. The depot is visible from the West Coast Main Line, to the south-east of Willesden Junction, on the way into London's Euston Station...
on the other side of the line.)
The steam depot had the shed code 1A and was a major depot for predominantly freight locomotives used on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and for suburban passenger services from Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
.
Services
The typical off-peak London UndergroundLondon 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...
service at Willesden Junction is nine Bakerloo line
Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from Elephant and Castle in the south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in the north-west of London. The line serves 25 stations, of which 15 are underground...
trains per hour (tph) between and .
All London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
services are operated by new Capitalstar units. The typical off-peak North London Line, West London Line and Watford DC Line services at the station in trains per hour are:
- 3 northbound to .
- 3 southbound to .
- 4 westbound to .
- 6 eastbound to (4 from Richmond, 2 from Clapham Junction).
- 4 southbound to .
The station is on London bus routes 220, 224, 487 and PR2.
External links
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- Willesden Junction, SubBrit stations project