Piccadilly Line
From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.
The Piccadilly Line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is a deep-level line running from the north-east to the west of London. It runs from Cockfosters station to Heathrow Airport station or Uxbridge station.
Contents |
[edit] Infrastructure
[edit] Trains
Like all Underground lines, the Piccadilly Line is run by one type of train only. The Piccadilly Line is run by the 1973 tube stock, in the London Underground colours of blue, white and red. Seventy-six trains out of all together 88 are needed to run the line's peak service, and one unit was badly damaged by the terrorist attack of 7 July 2005. While the trains were recently renovated, it is going to be replaced within the next ten years.
The line was run by 1959 stock, 1956 stock, 1938 stock, standard tube stock and 1906 gate stock, before they were replaced by th 1973 stock.
The line has 2 depots, one at Northfields and one between Oakwood and Cockfosters. There are sidings at South Harrow, Arnos Grove, Rayners Lane, Down Street, Wood Green, Hyde Park Corner, Acton Town and Uxbridge.
[edit] Signalling
The signals of the line are controlled from the control centre at Earl's Court, which is also used by the District Line. There are plans to set up new signals because the existing signals are too old. This work is planned for 2014.
[edit] Services
The current services on the line are:
- 12tph Cockfosters - Heathrow Airport
- 3tph Cockfosters - Uxbridge
- 3tphh Cockfosters - Rayners Lane
- 6tph Arnos Grove - Northfields
tph means trains per hour, for example 3tph means that there is a train every 20 minutes). Half of the Uxbridge trains turn back at Rayners Lane - a 10-minute service runs between Acton and Rayners Lane, with a 20-minute service to Uxbridge (this part is also used by the Metropolitan line).
Other services operate at times, especially at the start and towards the end of the traffic day.
[edit] Map
[edit] Stations
(In order from east to west.)
[edit] Cockfosters branch
- Cockfosters, opened July 31, 1933.
- Oakwood, opened March 13, 1933 (as Enfield West); renamed Enfield West (Oakwood) May 3 1934; renamed September 1 1946.
- Southgate, opened March 13, 1933 (in deep-level tunnel).
- Arnos Grove, opened September 19, 1932.
Tunnel section
- Bounds Green, opened September 19, 1932.
- Wood Green, opened September 19, 1932.
- Turnpike Lane, opened September 19, 1932.
- Manor House, opened September 19, 1932.
[edit] Original Section
- Finsbury Park, opened December 15, 1906.
- Arsenal, opened December 15, 1906 (as Gillespie Road); renamed Arsenal (Highbury Hill) October 31 1932; the suffix was later dropped.
- Holloway Road, opened December 15, 1906.
- Caledonian Road, opened December 15, 1906.
- King's Cross, opened December 15, 1906 (as King's Cross); renamed King's Cross for St. Pancras 1927; renamed 1933.
- Russell Square, opened December 15, 1906.
- Holborn, opened December 15, 1906; renamed Holborn (Kingsway) May 22, 1933
- Covent Garden, opened April 11, 1907.
- Leicester Square, opened December 15, 1906.
- Piccadilly Circus, opened December 15, 1906.
- Green Park, opened December 15, 1906 (as Dover Street); renamed September 18, 1933.
- Hyde Park Corner, opened December 15, 1906.
- Knightsbridge, opened December 15, 1906.
- South Kensington, opened January 8, 1907.
- Gloucester Road, opened December 15, 1906.
- Earl's Court, opened December 15, 1906.
Tunnel section ends
- Barons Court, opened December 15, 1906.
- Hammersmith, opened December 15, 1906.
[edit] Extension to Hounslow and Uxbridge
- Turnham Green, opened January 1, 1869 by the London & South Western Railway; first served by the Piccadilly Line June 23, 1963.
- Acton Town, opened July 1, 1879 by the Metropolitan District Railway, later District Line; first served by the Piccadilly Line July 4, 1932.
The line splits here into two branches — the Heathrow branch and the Uxbridge branch.
[edit] Heathrow branch
(Continuing from Acton Town.)
- South Ealing, opened 1 May 1883 by the Metropolitan District Railway, later District Line; first served by the Piccadilly Line 29 April 1935.
- Northfields, opened 16 April 1908 by the District (one of the two depots is here and some trains terminate here); first served by the Piccadilly Line 9 January 1933.
- Boston Manor, opened 1 May 1883 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line 13 March 1933.
- Osterley, opened 23 March 1934.
- Hounslow East: opened 2 May 1909 (as Hounslow Town) by the District renamed 1 December 1925; first served by the Piccadilly Line 13 March 1933.
- Hounslow Central, opened as 1 April 1886 (Heston-Hounslow) by the District, renamed 1 December 1925; first served by the Piccadilly Line 13 March 1933.
Tunnel section starts
- Hounslow West, opened 21 July 1884 (as Hounslow Barracks) by the District, renamed 1 December 1925; first served by the Piccadilly Line 13 March 1933.
- Hatton Cross, opened 19 July 1975.
- Heathrow Terminal 4, opened 12 April 1986.
- Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3, opened 16 December 1977 (as Heathrow Central); renamed Heathrow Central Terminals 1,2,3 3 September 1983; renamed 12 April 1986.
Just after Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 tube station, the line will go into a new section to serve Heathrow Terminal 5 tube station, which is being built.
[edit] Uxbridge branch
(continued from Acton Town)
- Ealing Common, first served July 4, 1932.
- North Ealing, opened June 23, 1903 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line July 4, 1932.
- Park Royal, opened July 6, 1931 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line July 4, 1932; renamed Park Royal (Hanger Hill) March 1, 1936; renamed 1947.
- Alperton, opened June 28, 1903 (as Perivale-Alperton) by the District; renamed October 7, 1910; first served by the Piccadilly Line July 4, 1932.
- Sudbury Town, opened June 28, 1903 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line July 4, 1932.
- Sudbury Hill, opened June 28, 1903 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line July 4, 1932.
- South Harrow, opened June 28, 1903 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line July 4, 1932; closed when re-located July 4, 1935; re-opened July 5, 1935.
- Rayners Lane, opened March 1, 1910 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line October 23, 1933 (from here to Uxbridge trains share track with Metropolitan Line, and some trains terminate here).
- Eastcote, opened March 1, 1910 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line October 23, 1933.
- Ruislip Manor, opened August 5, 1912 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line October 23, 1933.
- Ruislip, opened March 1, 1910 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line October 23, 1933 (some trains terminate here in Monday-Friday peak hours).
- Ickenham, opened March 1, 1910 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line October 23, 1933.
- Hillingdon, opened December 10, 1923 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line October 23, 1933; renamed Hillingdon (Swakeleys) April, 1934; the suffix was later dropped; closed when re-located December 5, 1992; re-opened December 6, 1992.
- Terminus: Uxbridge, opened March 1, 1910 by the District; first served by the Piccadilly Line October 23, 1933; closed when re-located December 3, 1938; re-opened December 4, 1938.
[edit] Closed stations
Some stations closed over time because new stations opened near them or not enough people used them. Here's a list: Aldwych opened on the 30 November 1907 as Strand. It was at the end of a branch line from the main line at Holborn. From 1917 onwards it was served only by a shuttle from Holborn. In the same year it was renamed Aldwych. It was closed in 1940 during World War II to be used as an air-raid shelter. It re-opened in 1946. It was finally closed on 30 September 1994.
Brompton Road opened 15 December 1906; closed 30 July 1934, between Knightsbridge and South Kensington.
Down Street opened 15 December 1906; closed 21 May 1932, between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner.
Osterley & Spring Grove first served 13 March 1933; closed 24 March 1934 between Boston Manor and Hounslow East. It was replaced by Osterley.
Park Royal & Twyford Abbey opened 23 June 1903; closed 5 July 1931. Although on the route of the current Piccadilly Line a short distance north of the present Park Royal station, it was never served by Piccadilly Line trains. It was opened by the District Line, the original operator of the line between Ealing Common and South Harrow, and was closed and replaced by the present Park Royal station before the Piccadilly Line started running trains to South Harrow in 1932.
York Road opened 15 December 1906; closed 19 September 1932, between King's Cross St Pancras and Caledonian Road.
