Piccadilly line

The Piccadilly line (/ˌpɪkəˈdɪli/) is a London Underground line that runs between Cockfosters in suburban north London and Acton Town in the west, where it divides into two branches: one of these runs to Heathrow Airport and the other to Uxbridge in northwest London, with some services terminating at Rayners Lane.

Piccadilly line
A Piccadilly line train at Russell Square
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	London Underground
Stations	53
Ridership	210.169 million (2011/12)[1] passenger journeys
Colour on map	Dark blue
Website	tfl.gov.uk
Operation
Opened	15 December 1906
Last extension	2008
Character	Deep Tube
Depot(s)	Cockfosters Northfields
Rolling stock	1973 Stock
Technical
Line length	71 km (44 mi)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Transport for London rail lines London Underground Bakerloo Central Circle District Hammersmith & City Jubilee Metropolitan Northern Piccadilly Victoria Waterloo & City Other systems Crossrail DLR London Overground London Trams TfL Rail

Coloured dark blue (officially "Corporate Blue", Pantone 072) on the Tube map, it is the fourth-busiest line on the Underground network with over 210 million passenger journeys in 2011/12. It is partly a deep-level line, but has a number of surface sections, mostly in its westernmost parts. It is named after Piccadilly, the street under which it runs between Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly Circus. Some of its stations are shared with the District line (between South Kensington and Ealing Common) and some are shared with the Metropolitan line (from Rayners Lane to Uxbridge), making it the only deep-level line to share tracks with sub-surface routes. It is the second-longest line on the system (after the Central line) and runs to the system's second-largest number of stations (after the District line).

The Piccadilly line serves many of London's key tourist attractions, including the British Museum (Russell Square), the numerous museums around South Kensington, Harrods (Knightsbridge), Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace (within walking distance of Green Park station), Leicester Square (with its own station) and Covent Garden (also with its own station).

History

For detailed histories of the Great Northern, Piccadilly & Brompton Railway (GNP&BR), the Great Northern & Strand Railway (GN&SR), and the Brompton & Piccadilly Circus Railway (B&PCR), see Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway.

The Piccadilly line began as the Great Northern, Piccadilly & Brompton Railway (GNP&BR), one of several railways controlled by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL), whose chief director was Charles Tyson Yerkes,[2] although he died before the first section of the line opened.

The GNP&BR was formed from the merger of two earlier, but unbuilt,[3] tube-railway companies taken over in 1901 by Yerkes' consortium: the Great Northern & Strand Railway (GN&SR) and the Brompton & Piccadilly Circus Railway (B&PCR).[4] The GN&SR's and B&PCR's separate routes were linked with an additional section between Piccadilly Circus and Holborn. A section of the District Railway's scheme for a deep-level tube line between South Kensington and Earl's Court was also added in order to complete the route.[note 1] This finalised route, between Finsbury Park and Hammersmith stations, was formally opened on 15 December 1906.[7] On 30 November 1907, the short branch from Holborn to the Strand (later renamed Aldwych) opened; it had been planned as the last section of the GN&SR before the amalgamation with the B&PCR.[8]

Initial ridership growth was low due to the popularity of new electric trams and motor buses. Financial stability was an issue, and as a result the company heavily promoted their railways via a new management team. UERL also agreed with other independent railway companies such as the Central London Railway (CLR) to jointly advertise a combined network known as the Underground.[9][10] On 1 July 1910, the GNP&BR and the other UERL-owned tube railways (the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway and the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway) were merged by private Act of Parliament[11] to become the London Electric Railway Company (LER).[note 2] The Underground railways still suffered financial issues,[13] and to address this, the London Passenger Transport Board was established on 1 July 1933.[14][15]

There were a number of notable station layout changes in the 1910s and 1920s. On 4 October 1911, Earl's Court had new escalators installed connecting the District and Piccadilly lines. They were the first to be rolled out on the Underground.[12][16] On 10 December 1928, a rebuilt Piccadilly Circus station, designed by Charles Holden,[17] was opened. This included a new booking hall relocated below-ground and eleven escalators, replacing the original lifts.[18][note 3]

One of the shafts at Holloway Road station was used as an experiment for spiral escalators, but was abandoned since 1911.[20]

Extension to Cockfosters

Main article: Piccadilly line extension to Cockfosters

One of the ventilation panels at Wood Green station platforms.

While early plans to serve Wood Green (specifically Alexandra Palace) existed since the 1890s as part of the GN&SR,[21][22] this short section to Finsbury Park was later dropped from the GNP&BR proposal in 1902 when the company was bought over.[23][24] In 1902, as part of an agreement for buying over the GN&SR, The Great Northern Railway (GNR) imposed a sanction on Yerkes to abandon the section north of Finsbury Park and they would construct the terminus below ground.[24][25][26][27] Finsbury Park remained as an overcrowded terminus of the line, and was described as "intolerable". Many passengers had to change onto buses, trams, and suburban rail services to complete their journeys up north.[28][note 4] The GNR attempted to address this issue by considering electrification frequently, but to no avail due to shortage of funds. Meanwhile, the LER proposed an extension in 1920 but was overruled by the GNR, which was widely regarded as "unreasonable". In 1923, a petition by the Middlesex Federation of Ratepayers to repeal the 1902 parliamentary act emerged. It was reported that "fierce exchange of arguments" occurred during a parliament session in March 1924 to request for this change.[29][27] Frank Pick, as the new Assistant Managing Director of the Underground, distributed photographs of the congestion at Finsbury Park to the press. All of this pressure finally prompted the government to initiate "The North and North-East London Traffic Inquiry", with initial reports only recommending a one-station extension to Manor House. The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), being the successor of the GNR, was placed in the position of electrifying its own services or withdrawing its veto to an extension of the Piccadilly line. With again insufficient funds to electrify the railway, the LNER reluctantly gave into the latter decision.[26] An extension was highly likely at this stage, based on a study in October 1925 by the London & Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee.[30][31]

Pick, together with the Underground board began working on the extension proposal. Much pressure was also received from a few districts such as Tottenham and Harringay, but it was decided that the optimal route would be the midpoint of the GNR and the Hertford Line.[note 5] This was backed by the Committee, and parliamentary approval for the extension was obtained on 4 June 1930, under the London Electric Metropolitan District Central London and City and South London Railway Companies Act, 1930.[32][33][note 6] Funding was obtained from legislation under the Development (Loan Guarantees and Grants) Act instead of the Trade Facilities Act. The extension would pass through Manor House, Wood Green and Southgate, ending at East Barnet (now Oakwood);[35] based on the absence of property development along the line. In November 1929, the projected terminus was later shifted further north to Cockfosters to accommodate a larger depot. Ridership was estimated to be 36 million passengers a year on the extension, costing £4.4 million.[34] Stations were designated at Southgate, Arnos Grove, Bounds Green, Wood Green, Turnpike Lane, and Manor House, in addition to East Barnet. St. Ann′s Road or Harringay Green Lanes was originally part of the scheme, but was dropped to maintain high average speeds in between stations.[note 7] This also compensated for a more expensive provision for construction of a third track between Finsbury Park and Wood Green.[37][33]

Tunnel rings, cabling and concrete were produced in Northern England, while unemployed industrial workers there helped in the construction of the extension.[38] Construction of the extension started quickly, with the boring of the twin tube tunnels between Arnos Grove and Finsbury Park proceeding at the rate of a mile per month. 22 tunnelling shields were used for the tunnels,[38] and tunnel diameters were slightly larger than the old section, at 12ft. Sharp curves were also avoided to promote higher average speeds on the extension. 400 ft (120 m) long platforms were originally planned for each station to fit 8-car trains, but was cut short to 385 ft when built. Some stations were also built with wider platform tunnels to cater to expected high patronage. Connecting buses and trams interchange stations were fitted in with exits which led passengers directly to the bus terminal or tram stop from the subsurface ticket hall. The exits were purposed to improve connections which avoided chaotic passenger flow such as at Finsbury Park. Wood Green was an exception due to engineering difficulties, with the ticket hall at street level instead. Ventilation shafts were provided at Finsbury Park Tennis Courts, Colina Road and Nightingale Road, supplementing the existing fans within the stations. Provisions for future branch lines to Enfield and Tottenham were made at Wood Green and Manor House respectively, both to have reversing sidings. This had since changed, with only a reversing siding built at Wood Green and no provision for the branch line. Arnos Grove was built to have 4 platforms facing 3 tracks for trains to reverse regularly, with seven stabling sidings instead of one reversing siding and two platforms.[39][40][41]

Most of the tunneling works were completed by October 1931, with the Wood Green and Bounds Green station tunnels done by the end of the year.[33] The first phase of the extension to Arnos Grove opened on 19 September 1932, without ceremony. The line was further extended to East Barnet (then renamed Enfield West) on 13 March 1933 and finally to Cockfosters on 31 July 1933, again without ceremonies.[31][42] The total length of the extension was 12.3 km (7.6 mi).[43] Residents were distributed free tickets on first days of each extension. Initial ridership was 25 million at the end of 1933, and sharply increased to 70 million in 1951.[44] Despite having no official openings, the Prince of Wales visited the extension on 14 February 1933.[45][note 8]

Westward extensions

The Hounslow West (then Hounslow Barracks) extension of the Piccadilly line, together with the Uxbridge extension, aimed to improve services on the District line which at the time were serving both branches from Acton Town (then Mill Hill Park).[47][note 9] The Uxbridge extension followed along existing routes on the District Railway (DR) and Metropolitan Railway (Met). The Ealing & South Harrow Railway (E&SHR) was approved in 1894 and completed in 1899 after approximately a two-year construction period. Insufficient funds from the DR delayed its opening. On the other hand, the Harrow & Uxbridge Railway (H&UR) was proposed in 1896 and authorised a year later.[49] The Met offered to fund the line, with conditions to take over the Rayners Lane to Uxbridge section of the H&UR. Agreement was reached in 1899, with the Met also constructing the connection from South Harrow to Rayners Lane, whilst allowing up to three trains an hour from the DR between South Harrow and Uxbridge.[50] Construction began in 1901, and the Met opened its extension to Uxbridge on 30 March 1904.[49][51] Meanwhile, the DR opened a short spur from Ealing Common to Park Royal on 23 June 1903 to serve the Royal Agricultural Show. Five days later, it was open to South Harrow. Through trains of the DR were eventually extended to Uxbridge on 1 March 1910.[52]

Turnham Green station looking west. At present, Piccadilly line trains only serve this station at the start and end of the day.

The viaduct from Studland Road (now Studland Street) Junction west of Hammersmith to Turnham Green was quadrupled on 3 November 1911. The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) used the northern pair of tracks while the District Railway used the southern pair.[53] The LER proposed an extension in November 1912 to Richmond due to available capacity to the west and the fact that passenger interchanges were large at Hammersmith. It would connect with the L&SWR tracks at Turnham Green.[54] It was approved as the London Electric Railway Act, 1913 on 15 August 1913,[55] but the emergence of World War I resulted in no works done on the extension.[56] A Parliamentary report of 1919 recommended through running to Richmond and Ealing.[57] The Richmond extension plan was revived in 1922 by Lord Ashfield, the Underground's chairman. It was decided that the Piccadilly line extension was favourable over the Central London Railway's (CLR, now part of the Central line).[58][note 10] By 1925, the District line was running out of capacity west of Hammersmith, where services were headed to South Harrow, Hounslow Barracks, Richmond and Ealing Broadway. Demand was also low on the South Harrow branch because of infrequent services and competition among other rail lines within near vicinity of each station. This prompted the Piccadilly line extension to be an express service between Hammersmith and Acton Town, with the future Heathrow Airport extension kept in mind. The Piccadilly line would run on the inner pair of tracks, and the District on the outer.[57] Permission was granted to quadruple tracks to Acton Town in 1926 in conjunction with permit renewal for the extension. The Richmond extension never happened, but provisions allocated would allow this option to be revisited later. Extensions would instead be to Hounslow Barracks and South Harrow, taking over DR services to the latter, with an estimated cost of £2.3 million.[61][note 11] In 1930, unsuccessful negotiations were made between LER and the Met to extend Piccadilly line trains to Rayners Lane for passengers to change trains.[63]

In 1929, quadrupling was to extend to Northfields for express trains to terminate here. This work was completed on 18 December 1932. Overall works for the extension began in 1931, approximately a year after permission was granted and funded under the Development (Loan Guarantees and Grants) Act of 1929. The Studland Road Junction area was partially rebuilt, with some of the old viaducts retained to date. The junctions diverging to Richmond were reconfigured at Turnham Green. Reversing facilities were initially designated at the latter, but these were not built.[64] Trial runs of Piccadilly line trains began on 27 June 1932. On 4 July 1932, services were extended to South Harrow, which replaced DR services. Northfields services were introduced on 9 January 1933, and on 19 March, was extended to Hounslow West. On 1 July 1933, the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) was formed, which included the Met, the DR and LER.[14] The board decided that there is sufficient demand to run through trains to Uxbridge due to rapidly developing suburbs along the line. The Uxbridge extension opened on 23 October 1933, but with many trains still reversing at South Harrow. By then, most Piccadilly line trains continued beyond Hammersmith, and District line trains to Hounslow were reduced to off-peak shuttles to Acton Town. An enhanced off-peak Piccadilly line service was introduced on 29 April 1935, cutting off-peak District line services down to the Acton Town — South Acton shuttle.[65] South Harrow short trips proved to be an inconvenience. The solution was to move reversing facilities to Rayners Lane. Rayners Lane received a new reversing siding in 1935, which allowed some peak hour trains to terminate beginning in May 1936. Regular reversals were fully implemented in October 1943.[66] Peak-hour District line trains to Hounslow were fully withdrawn on 9 October 1964.[67]

Modernisation, World War II and Victoria line

In conjunction with the new extensions, seven stations were considered to be closed to increase overall line speeds. Down Street closed on 21 May 1932, Brompton Road on 29 July 1934, and York Road on 17 September 1932.[42][68] All three stations were lightly used, with Down Street and Brompton Road replaced by relocated entrances of Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge respectively. Notably, Knightbridge's new below ground ticket hall required stairwells from the entrance, one of which took over part of the Barclays Bank branch there. Both of the latter two stations retained their existing platforms, but the access from the surface was reconstructed with their entrances closer to the closed stations. These new entrances feature escalators, which replaced the lifts, improving passenger circulation. The Aldwych branch was deemed unprofitable, and in 1929 an extension to Waterloo which would have costed £750,000 was approved. No progress was made on the extension. Dover Street (now Green Park), Leicester Square and Holborn stations received new sets of escalators, with the latter most having four in a single shaft. These were completed in the early 1930s.[69][70][71] As part of the 1935–40 New Works Programme, Earl's Court was reconstructed largely at street level. At King's Cross St. Pancras, the Piccadilly and Northern lines were finally connected via new escalators, albeit its construction delayed due to financial difficulties.[72] As a result, Russell Square station retained its lifts.[73][note 12]

To prepare for World War II, several stations had blast walls added, others, such as Green Park, Knightsbridge and King's Cross St. Pancras had floodgates installed which resulted in temporary closures. The line was also involved in the evacuation of 200,000 children by transporting them to both ends of the line, then transferred to mainline trains where they continue their journeys to different country distribution hubs. Some underground stations were fitted in with bunk beds, toilets and first aid facilities, and sewage. Being disused, Down Street was converted to an underground bunker.[75] Other stations such as Holborn and Earl's Court had also essential wartime uses. The former had the Aldwych branch platforms as the wartime engineering quarters whilst the branch service was temporarily closed.[76] The latter produced torpedo sights at the transfer concourse between the District and Piccadilly lines.[77]

Proposals for a new line, known as "Route C",[78][79] which aimed to relieve congestion of several Underground lines was tabled since 1943.[80] Its name was eventually chosen — the Victoria line.[78] Cross-platform interchange was to be provided at a few stations, which included Finsbury Park on the Piccadilly line.[81] This meant that the Piccadilly line had to be realigned there, and the Northern City line platforms, being parallel to the existing Piccadilly line platforms, were to be transferred to the pair of lines. The Northern City line would be redirected to the surface platforms. The westbound Piccadilly line track would be rerouted onto one of these platforms, with the southbound Victoria line using the other. The northbound Victoria line would reuse the old westbound Piccadilly line platform and a part of the old tunnels, with the Piccadilly line diversion tunnels spanning 3,150 ft (960 m).[82]

Construction of the diversion began in October 1964, with the Northern City line having a temporary closure.[83] At the northern junction, step-plate junctions were built to divert the existing line when the new tunnels were complete. They were fitted into the original Northern City line tunnels which had a greater tunnel diameter until two running tunnels were able to merge. The old and unused running tunnel was disconnected and blocked off when the junction tunnel was near its completion. This was done carefully as live cabling and tracks were involved. Alteration of temporary points junctions and shifting of signals completed the diversion tunnels. In the south, the Piccadilly would be diverted to descend sharply under the northbound Victoria line tunnel, and then ascending to the original level which had a difference of 5ft approximately 200ft north of Arsenal station. The old westbound tunnel had to be supported on a trestle for works to be done. The trestle and old tracks were entirely removed once the diversion was ready for switchover. New tracks were laid at a rapid rate which were done in about 13 hours on 3 October 1965.[82] Both lines were connected via junctions south of Finsbury Park for stock movement and engineering trains. At King's Cross St. Pancras and Green Park, the ticket hall was reconstructed to accommodate new traffic on the Victoria line. It was intended for Green Park to have cross-platform interchange, but was deemed impossible due to the lines crossing at right angles. A substation for the Victoria line was installed at one of the old lift shafts of the latter station. The Victoria line opened on 1 September 1968 from Walthamstow Central to Highbury & Islington via Finsbury Park, and on 7 March 1969 to Warren Street via King's Cross St. Pancras,[84] providing relief to the Piccadilly line.[85]

During the planning stages of the Victoria line, a proposal was put forward to transfer Manor House station to the new line, and also to build new "direct" tunnels from Finsbury Park to Turnpike Lane station, thereby cutting the journey time in and out of central London. This idea was eventually rejected due to the inconvenience to passengers that would have been caused during rebuilding, as well as the costs of the new tunnels.[86]

Extension to Heathrow Airports

Inside a Piccadilly line carriage

To cater to the rapid growth of road traffic to Heathrow Airport, several rail lines were considered to serve the airport. An average increment of 1 million passengers a year between 1953 and 1973, and rising issues with airline coach services from major terminals due to location, traffic congestion, larger aircraft capacity and increasing leisure travel further arose the need for public transport connections. Other than the Piccadilly line extension from Hounslow West,[note 13] a Southern Railway spur (section now transferred to part of South Western Railway) from Feltham was also contemplated. These schemes were brought into parliamentary discussion in November 1966, and were approved with the Royal Assent as the London Transport Act 1967 and British Railways Act 1967 respectively on 27 July 1967.[88] Partial government funding was obtained in April 1972 for the 3.5 mi (5.6 km) Piccadilly line extension, and the estimated cost of construction was £12.3 million.[89]

On 27 April 1971, a construction ceremony was launched by Sir Desmond Plummer, leader of the Greater London Council by bulldozing "the first sod". Platforms at Hounslow West had to be relocated below-ground to the north of the existing for the new track alignment. The 1931 ticket hall was retained, with connections to the new platforms. A new cut-and-cover excavation method was used between Hounslow West and Hatton Cross, a new station on the extension. This 2-mile section had a shallow trench dug, with the tunnel walls supported by intersecting concrete piles. The line had to cross River Crane just east of Hatton Cross, therefore it emerges briefly on a bridge, with the two portals having concrete retaining walls. Deep tube tunnels were bore from Hatton Cross to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 (then named Heathrow Central). On 19 July 1975, the line was extended to Hatton Cross.[90][note 14] The Heathrow Central extension was inaugurated by the Queen around noon on 16 December 1977, with revenue services commencing at 3pm.[92]

In the 1970s, planning was already underway for a fourth terminal for the airport, and its location was to be to the southeast of the existing terminals. As the Piccadilly line's route to the existing terminals was out of place, a loop track was adopted as the best method to serve the new terminal. The westbound track between Hatton Cross and Heathrow Central would be retained for emergency services. Permissions for constructing for the loop was approved and received Royal Assent under the London Transport Act 1981 on 30 October 1981.[93] On 19 July 1982, the original location of the station and track alignment were altered to compensate for the British Airport Authority (BAA) to finish the fourth terminal building which was behind schedule. Construction of the 2.5 mi (4.0 km) extension began on 9 February 1983, with an estimated cost of £24.6 million. The loop was built rapidly, with tunneling completed in 17 months. It was expected that the extension would open with the new terminal. However, the terminal opening was delayed, with the loop service completed and commissioned on 4 November 1985. The terminal and station were finally opened a few months later on 1 April 1986, by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Regular traffic began 12 days later where trains serve Terminal 4 via a one-way loop, and then Terminals 1,2,3.[94] The station only has a single platform, and is the only one with this configuration on the Piccadilly line.[41]

The new Terminal 5 would require another extension, funded by BAA. However, its alignment caused some controversy. It was reported that London Underground was unhappy of its location on the old Perry Oaks sludge which was originally intended for Terminal 4. It is now impossible for all 3 terminals to be served on the same route, and the final solution was to have twin tunnels serving Terminal 5 from Terminals 1,2,3. From 7 January 2005 until 17 September 2006, the loop via Terminal 4 was closed to allow this connection to be built. Terminals 1,2,3 became a temporary terminus; shuttle buses served Terminal 4 from the Hatton Cross bus station.[95] Part of the junction between the through and loop tracks had to be rebuilt. The terminal 5 project team had to shut down two aircraft stands from Terminal 3 so that an access shaft could be constructed. The new junction was then built into a concrete box which connected all four underground tunnels.[96] The station and terminal were opened on 27 March 2008, which made Piccadilly line services split into two main services; one via the Terminal 4 loop, another direct to Terminal 5.[97][98]

Notable incidents and events, Aldwych branch closure

For detailed explanation of the Aldwych branch, see Aldwych tube station.

Although the Piccadilly Circus to City of London branch proposal of 1905 was never revisited after its withdrawal, the early plan to extend the branch south to Waterloo was revived a number of times during the station's life. The extension was considered in 1919 and 1948, but no progress towards constructing the link was made.[76]

In the years after the Second World War, a series of preliminary plans for relieving congestion on the London Underground had considered various east-west routes through the Aldwych area, although other priorities meant that these were never proceeded with. In March 1965, a British Rail and London Transport joint planning committee published "A Railway Plan for London", which proposed a new tube railway, the Fleet line (later renamed the Jubilee line), to join the Bakerloo line at Baker Street then run via Aldwych and into the City of London before heading into south-east London. An interchange was proposed at Aldwych and a second recommendation of the report was the revival of the link from Aldwych to Waterloo.[99][100] London Transport had already sought parliamentary approval to construct tunnels from Aldwych to Waterloo in November 1964,[101] and in August 1965, parliamentary powers were granted. Detailed planning took place, although public spending cuts led to postponement of the scheme in 1967 before tenders were invited.[102] By 1979, the cost was estimated as £325 million, a six-fold increase from the £51 million estimated in 1970.[103] A further review of alternatives for the Jubilee line was carried out in 1980, which led to a change of priorities and the postponement of any further effort on the line.[104] When the extension was eventually constructed in the late 1990s it took a different route, south of the River Thames via Westminster, Waterloo and London Bridge to provide a rapid link to Canary Wharf, leaving the tunnels between Green Park and Aldwych redundant.[105]

Memorial plaque of the King's Cross fire erected at the station itself.

With the Aldwych branch receiving no extensions, it remained a lightly used shuttle service from Holborn. The branch was considered for closure numerous times, but it survived.[106] Saturday services were fully withdrawn on 5 August 1962.[107] Maintenance costs of the station and aged lifts were high at over £3 million, which failed to meet safety standards at the time. In August 1993, a public inquiry was held for closure of the short branch line. On 30 September 1994, the branch was closed to traffic.[note 15] The disused station is now used for commercial filming and a training facility.[108]

Main article: King's Cross fire

On 18 November 1987, a massive fire broke out at King's Cross St. Pancras, where the incident was near the Northern / Piccadilly line escalators which killed 31 people.[109][110] As a result, wooden escalators were replaced at all Underground stations.[111][112][note 16] The Piccadilly line platforms remained opened, but with the escalators to the ticket hall closed for repairs. Access was temporarily via the Victoria line or Midland City platforms. New escalators were fully installed on 27 February 1989.[116]

Main article: 7 July 2005 London bombings

On 7 July 2005, a Piccadilly line train was attacked by suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay.[117] The blast occurred at 08:50 BST while the train was between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square. It was part of a co-ordinated Islamist terrorist attack on London's transport network, and was synchronised with three other attacks: two on the Circle line and one on a bus at Tavistock Square. The Piccadilly line bomb resulted in the largest number of fatalities, with 26 people reported killed. Owing to it being a deep-level line, evacuation of station users and access for the emergency services proved difficult.[118] Shuttle services had to be introduced between Hyde Park Corner and Heathrow loop, between Acton Town and Rayners Lane, and between Arnos Grove and Cockfosters. Full service was restored on 4 August, four weeks after the bomb.[109][98]

On 15 December 2006, a birthday card was revealed by Tim O'Toole, then London Underground Managing Director during a 100-year celebration of the Piccadilly line at Leicester Square station.[119]

Architecture

Most of the deep level stations opened in the first phase between Finsbury Park and Hammersmith were built to a design by Leslie Green.[120] This consisted of two-storey steel-framed buildings faced with dark oxblood red glazed terracotta blocks, with wide semi-circular windows on the upper floor. Earl's Court station was built with a red brick building by Harry Ford,[121] with semicircular windows on the second level and embedded names of the railways which operated through the station. This replaced a wooden hut building[122][123] and is listed as Grade II.[124]

Extensions of the Piccadilly line towards the west and north in the 1930s had new stations designed by the Adams, Holden & Pearson architectural practice of the Underground, with Charles Holden the main designer. These designs were inspired by modern architecture seen in a 1930 trip to a number of European Countries.[125][126]

Several stations on the western extension, which were opened by the District Railway, were to be reconstructed. The new designs were to use brick, concrete and glass, composing of simple geometrical shapes, such as cylinders and rectangles. The first prototype station was Sudbury Town station, which had the main structure a brick cuboid box, with tall windows above the entrances, then topped by a concrete slab roof. This was then replicated across many other station prototypes.[127] Some stations were designed by delegated architects of Holden due to workload, such as Stanley Heaps and Felix Lander.[128][129] Other stations had their original stations kept. South Ealing was an anomaly, where a temporary wooden station ticket hall was constructed when the line was quadrupled. A modern station was provided in the 1980s.[130][131][note 17] The northern extension stations also were part of the design schemes undertaken by this practice. Southgate was distinctively different, with a round base followed by a cylindrical panel of clerestory windows, topped by an illuminative feature with a bronze ball.[132] The ticket halls had passimeters, which functioned as free-standing ticket booths. Most of them went out of use post World War II, while some have been converted for retail use.[133] Many of these Holden-designed stations are listed buildings. Oakwood, Southgate, and Arnos Grove were a few of the early receivers of listed status, in 1971.[134][135][136][137]

Stations in Central London were modernised with a variety of changes. Green Park received a new shelter at the southern entrance; Piccadilly Circus had its ticket hall moved below street level. Both of these features were designed by Holden,[138] with the latter station ticket hall added with artwork commemorating Frank Pick in 2016.[139][140] Green Park was built with a new entrance at a corner of Devonshire House, which has Portland Stone clad steel frames.[141] It features Graeco Roman details, and is Grade II listed.[142]

Stations on the northern extension had particular biscuit (square) tiles on platform walls, with different freize colours at each station. A few stations like Southgate and Bounds Green have art deco uplighters on escalators and the lower landings.[136][143] Floodlighting was used considerably to provide a spacious ambience. Ventilation ducts were by the platforms walls, sealed with bronze art deco style grilles.[144] Oakwood was built with a concrete canopy with rooflights and cylindrical light fittings, designed by Heaps.[137] Older stations such as Caledonian Road have platform tilings with semicircular rings clad along the tube tunnels and signage decorations which spelt out the station name.[145]

A variety of architecture on Piccadilly line stations

Sudbury Town, the example station

Russell Square, by Leslie Green

Southgate's unique roof by Holden

Arnos Grove with passimeter

Infrastructure

Signalling

The line from Cockfosters to Heathrow and South Harrow is controlled from a control centre at South Kensington, but until early 2019 it was controlled from Earl's Court, which is shared with the District line controlling the line from Ealing Broadway, Kensington (Olympia) and Parsons Green to High Street Kensington and Tower Hill.[146] Rayners Lane signal cabin is responsible for signalling the Piccadilly line from just NW of South Harrow to Uxbridge, as well as the Metropolitan line joining at Rayners Lane.[147] The signalling infrastructure is scheduled to be upgraded. This has partially happened with the PICU (Piccadilly Interim Control Upgrade) signalling system, which removes the necessity for manual control of the signals for each train and allows a computer to follow the timetable for each train unless edited by the Line Controller or Service Operator (formally known as the signaller). This system however is intended as a temporary upgrade, and new signalling was scheduled to be introduced alongside the new trains in 2023; however budgetary restrictions currently make this upgrade unlikely.

Service pattern

Piccadilly line train at Eastcote station

Piccadilly line services are generally as follows:[148]

• Peak services at 24 tph in the core section between Acton Town and Arnos Grove:
  • 6 tph Cockfosters / Arnos Grove – Heathrow Terminals 4 & 2,3
  • 6 tph Cockfosters / Arnos Grove – Heathrow Terminals 2,3 & 5
  • 12 tph Cockfosters / Arnos Grove – Rayners Lane (with every other service continuing to Uxbridge)
• Off-Peak services at 21 tph in the core section between Acton Town and Arnos Grove:
  • 6 tph Cockfosters – Heathrow Terminals 4 & 2,3
  • 6 tph Cockfosters – Heathrow Terminals 2,3 & 5
  • 6 tph Cockfosters – Rayners Lane (3 tph continue to Uxbridge)
  • 3 tph Arnos Grove – Northfields
• Night Tube:
  • 6 tph Cockfosters – Heathrow Terminals 2,3 & 5

Often late evening services terminate at Oakwood instead of Cockfosters to make use of this entrance to the depot.

Trains also make an additional stop at Turnham Green in the early morning and late evening, but do not call there during the main part of the day due to capacity constraints with signalling.

Other services operate at times, especially at the start and towards the end of the traffic day.

Since 16 December 2016, there is a 24-hour Night Tube service on Friday and Saturday nights from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Cockfosters, but not from Uxbridge to Acton Town or the Heathrow Terminal 4 loop.[149]

Map

Geographically accurate path of the Piccadilly line

Rolling stock

Piccadilly line trains of 1973 stock at Rayners Lane in 2005

Like the other Underground lines, the Piccadilly line is operated by a single type of rolling stock, in this case the 1973 tube stock, in the standard London Underground livery of blue, white and red. Seventy-nine trains out of a fleet of 86 are needed to run the line's peak service. One unit (166-566-366) was severely damaged by the terrorist attack of 7 July 2005.

The stock was refurbished by Bombardier Transportation between 1995 and 2000.[150] Changes included the removal of transverse seating, strap hangers replaced with grab bars, new floor material and a full repaint into London Underground's corporate livery.[151]

The line was previously worked by 1959 stock, 1956 stock, 1938 stock, standard tube stock and 1906 gate stock.

The line has two depots, at Northfields^{map 55} and Cockfosters.^{map 54} There are sidings at Oakwood, South Harrow, Arnos Grove, Rayners Lane, Down Street, Wood Green, Acton Town, Ruislip and Uxbridge.

In November 2018, Siemens was awarded a £1.5 billion contract to build 94 Inspiro trainsets for the Piccadilly line, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2023 ahead of entry into service in 2024.[152]

List of stations

Piccadilly line
Cockfosters   Cockfosters depot   Oakwood Southgate Arnos Grove Arnos Grove sidings Bounds Green Wood Green Turnpike Lane Manor House Finsbury Park link with Victoria line Arsenal Holloway Road Caledonian Road York Road King's Cross St Pancras link with Northern line Russell Square Holborn Aldwych Covent Garden Leicester Square Piccadilly Circus Green Park Down Street Hyde Park Corner Knightsbridge Brompton Road South Kensington Gloucester Road Earl's Court District line to Edgware Road Barons Court Hammersmith Non-stop section Non-stop section Ravenscourt Park () Stamford Brook () Turnham Green () limited Piccadilly line services District line to Richmond Chiswick Park () Acton works Acton Town Ealing Common Depot Ealing Common Great Western Main Line to London Paddington to Bristol Central line via Bank to Ealing Broadway District line to Ealing Broadway North Ealing Park Royal Central line via Bank to West Ruislip Acton–Northolt Line   Park Royal & Twyford Abbey River Brent Grand Union Canal (Paddington branch) Alperton Sudbury Town Sudbury Hill Chiltern Main Line to Marylebone via South Ruislip South Harrow Metropolitan line to Aldgate Rayners Lane joint with Metropolitan line joint with Metropolitan line Eastcote Ruislip Manor Ruislip Chiltern Main Line via West Ruislip to Marylebone Central line to West Ruislip via Bank to Ruislip Central line depot Ickenham Hillingdon Uxbridge depot Uxbridge (original site) Uxbridge South Ealing Northfields Northfields depot Boston Manor M4 motorway Grand Junction Canal Brentford Branch Line Osterley & Spring Grove Osterley Hounslow East │ Hounslow Town Hounslow Central Hounslow West River Crane Hatton Cross Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 Heathrow Terminal 4 Heathrow Terminal 5

Notice found inside all Piccadilly line trains explaining step-free access

Notice found inside all Piccadilly line trains explaining alternative routes to Covent Garden

Open stations

Main branch

Station	Image	Opened	Additional information
Cockfosters		31 July 1933	One of the two depots is located here^map 1
Oakwood		13 March 1933	Opened as Enfield West; renamed Enfield West Oakwood 3 May 1934; renamed 1 September 1946^map 2; Trains can enter and exit Cockfosters depot here.
Southgate		13 March 1933	In deep-level tunnel^map 3
Arnos Grove		19 September 1932	Trains may terminate here: there are 7 sidings for stabling trains^map 4
Tunnel section starts
Bounds Green		19 September 1932	^map 5
Wood Green		19 September 1932	^map 6
Turnpike Lane		19 September 1932	^map 7
Manor House		19 September 1932	^map 8
Finsbury Park		15 December 1906	^map 9
Arsenal		15 December 1906	Opened as Gillespie Road; renamed Arsenal (Highbury Hill) 31 October 1932; the suffix was later dropped in 1960^map 10
Holloway Road		15 December 1906	^map 11
Caledonian Road		15 December 1906	^map 12
King's Cross St. Pancras		15 December 1906	Opened as King's Cross; renamed King's Cross for St. Pancras 1927; renamed 1933^map 13
Russell Square		15 December 1906	^map 14
Holborn		15 December 1906	Renamed Holborn (Kingsway) 22 May 1933; the suffix was later dropped.^map 15
Covent Garden		11 April 1907	^map 16
Leicester Square		15 December 1906	^map 17
Piccadilly Circus		15 December 1906	^map 18
Green Park		15 December 1906	Opened as Dover Street; renamed 18 September 1933^map 19
Hyde Park Corner		15 December 1906	In the event of disruption, trains may reverse here via a crossover^map 20
Knightsbridge		15 December 1906	^map 21
South Kensington		8 January 1907	^map 22
Gloucester Road		15 December 1906	^map 23
Earl's Court		15 December 1906	^map 24
Tunnel section ends
Barons Court		15 December 1906	^map 25
Hammersmith		15 December 1906	^map 26
Turnham Green		1 January 1869	Originally the London and South Western Railway; first served by the Piccadilly line 23 June 1963^map 27; trains only call here early in the morning and after 22:30 each evening.
Acton Town		1 July 1879	Originally the District Railway, later District line; first served by the Piccadilly line 4 July 1932^map 28

Heathrow branch

Continuing from Acton Town
Station	Image	Opened	Piccadilly line service began	Additional information
South Ealing		1 May 1883	29 April 1935	^map 29
Northfields		16 April 1908	9 January 1933	^map 30
Boston Manor		1 May 1883	13 March 1933	^map 31 Trains can enter and exit Northfields depot on the west side of Boston Manor station
Osterley		23 March 1934	–	^map 32
Hounslow East		2 May 1909	13 March 1933	Opened as Hounslow Town by the District line, renamed 1 December 1925^map 33
Hounslow Central		1 April 1886		Opened as Heston-Hounslow by the District line, renamed 1 December 1925^map 34
Start of tunnel section
Hounslow West		21 July 1884	13 March 1933	Opened as Hounslow Barracks by the District line, renamed 1 December 1925; resited 19 July 1975^map 35
Hatton Cross		19 July 1975	–	^map 36
Heathrow Terminal 4		12 April 1986	–	^map 37
Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3		16 December 1977	–	Opened as Heathrow Central; renamed Heathrow Central Terminals 1, 2, 3 on 3 September 1983; renamed Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 on 12 April 1986; renamed Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 in January 2016^map 38
Heathrow Terminal 5		27 March 2008	–	^map 39
Just beyond Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 tube station, the line goes into a new section to serve Heathrow Terminal 5 tube station, which opened in March 2008. Half of all Heathrow trains use the loop and serve Terminal 4 and the other half omit Terminal 4 and serve Terminal 5.[153]

Uxbridge branch

Continuing from Acton Town
Station	Image	Opened	Piccadilly line service began	Additional information
Ealing Common		1 July 1879	4 July 1932	^map 40
North Ealing		23 June 1903		^map 41
Park Royal		6 July 1931		Renamed Park Royal (Hanger Hill) 1 March 1936; renamed 1947^map 42
Alperton		28 June 1903		Opened as Perivale-Alperton by the District line; renamed 7 October 1910^map 43
Sudbury Town		28 June 1903		^map 44
Sudbury Hill ( Sudbury Hill Harrow)		28 June 1903		^map 45
South Harrow		28 June 1903		closed when relocated 4 July 1935; reopened 5 July 1935; there are 6 sidings here for trains to stable^map 46
Rayners Lane		1 March 1910	23 October 1933	from here to Uxbridge trains share track with Metropolitan line, and some trains terminate here^map 47
Eastcote		1 March 1910		^map 48
Ruislip Manor		5 August 1912		^map 49
Ruislip		1 March 1910		some trains terminate here in Monday-Friday peak hours^map 50
Ickenham		1 March 1910		^map 51
Hillingdon		10 December 1923		renamed Hillingdon (Swakeleys) April 1934; the suffix was later dropped; closed when relocated 5 December 1992; re-opened 6 December 1992^map 52
Uxbridge		1 March 1910		Terminus. closed when relocated 3 December 1938; re-opened 4 December 1938^map 53

Closed stations

The Aldwych branch

• Aldwych opened on 30 November 1907 as the Strand tube station. It was at the end of a branch line from the main line at Holborn. An evening through-northbound 'Theatre' train ran until 1910. From 1917 onwards, it was served by a shuttle from Holborn. In the same year it was renamed Aldwych when Charing Cross on the Northern line was renamed Strand. It was temporarily closed in 1940 during World War II to be used as an air-raid shelter. It re-opened in 1946. The possibility of extending the branch to Waterloo was discussed, but the scheme never proceeded.[154] Aldwych was closed on 30 September 1994; the level of use was said to be too low to justify the £1 million in estimated costs of a complete replacement of the lifts. The station is regularly used by film makers.
• 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. It has been suggested[155] that this station may be reopened to serve new developments on the nearby Kings Cross railway lands, but this idea is not being progressed at present. The road the station served, 'York Road', has since been renamed 'York Way'.

Future upgrades

The Piccadilly line is to be upgraded under the New Tube for London scheme, involving new trains as well as new signalling, increasing the line's capacity by some 24% and reducing journey times by one fifth.[156] Bids for new rolling stock were originally submitted in 2008. However, after the acquisition of Tube Lines by Transport for London in June 2010, this order was cancelled and the upgrade postponed.[157]

LUL then invited Alstom, Bombardier and Siemens Mobility to develop a new concept of lightweight, low-energy, semi-articulated train for the deep-level lines, provisionally called "Evo" (for 'evolution'). Siemens publicised an outline design featuring air-conditioning and battery power to enable the train to run on to the next station if third and fourth rail power were lost. It would have a lower floor and 11% higher passenger capacity than the present tube stock.[158] There would be a weight saving of 30 tonnes, and the trains would be 17% more energy-efficient with air-conditioning included, or 30% more energy-efficient without it.[159] Siemens Mobility was awarded a £1.5 billion contract in June 2018 to produce the new trains at a planned factory in Goole, East Yorkshire.[160]

The intention is for the new trains to eventually operate on the Bakerloo, Central, Piccadilly and Waterloo & City lines.[161] On current plans, resignalling work on the Piccadilly line will begin in 2019,[162] and new trains are due to enter service in 2023.[160]

There have previously been some proposals, predominantly by Slough Borough Council, to extend the line towards Slough railway station from Heathrow Terminal 5 station.[163] A number of routes have been proposed, and the main ones pass very close to but do not call at Windsor.[163] The current thinking, and most viable options are to support a western access link diverging from the Great Western Main Line just east of Langley station.

Also suggested is the Piccadilly to take over District line services to Ealing Broadway, meaning District line trains would divert to the Richmond branch, and the Piccadilly could stop at Turnham Green and Chiswick Park stations.[164]

In 2005 a business case was prepared to re-open the disused York Road Underground station, to serve the Kings Cross Central development and help relieve congestion at King's Cross St Pancras.[165] York Road station closed in September 1932 and was about 600 m (660 yd) north of King's Cross St Pancras.[166]

See also

• Fourth rail
• Leslie Green – architect of the Great Northern, Piccadilly & Brompton Railway's early stations

Maps

• ^map 1 Cockfosters – 51°39′06″N 000°08′56″W
• ^map 2 Oakwood – 51°38′51″N 000°07′54″W
• ^map 3 Southgate – 51°37′57″N 000°07′41″W
• ^map 4 Arnos Grove – 51°36′59″N 000°08′01″W
• ^map 5 Bounds Green – 51°36′25″N 000°07′27″W
• ^map 6 Wood Green – 51°35′49″N 000°06′36″W
• ^map 7 Turnpike Lane – 51°35′25″N 000°06′10″W
• ^map 8 Manor House – 51°34′15″N 000°05′46″W
• ^map 9 Finsbury Park – 51°33′53″N 000°06′23″W
• ^map 10 Arsenal – 51°33′31″N 000°06′21″W
• ^map 11 Holloway Road – 51°33′11″N 000°06′43″W
• ^map 12 Caledonian Road – 51°32′54″N 000°07′07″W
• ^map 13 King's Cross St. Pancras – 51°31′49″N 000°07′27″W
• ^map 14 Russell Square – 51°31′23″N 000°07′28″W
• ^map 15 Holborn – 51°31′03″N 000°07′12″W
• ^map 16 Covent Garden – 51°30′47″N 000°07′27″W
• ^map 17 Leicester Square – 51°30′41″N 000°07′41″W
• ^map 18 Piccadilly Circus – 51°30′36″N 000°08′02″W
• ^map 19 Green Park – 51°30′24″N 000°08′34″W
• ^map 20 Hyde Park Corner – 51°30′10″N 000°09′10″W
• ^map 21 Knightsbridge – 51°30′06″N 000°09′39″W
• ^map 22 South Kensington – 51°29′39″N 000°10′26″W
• ^map 23 Gloucester Road – 51°29′41″N 000°10′59″W
• ^map 24 Earl's Court – 51°29′29″N 000°11′41″W
• ^map 25 Barons Court – 51°29′26″N 000°12′49″W
• ^map 26 Hammersmith – 51°29′39″N 000°13′30″W
• ^map 27 Turnham Green – 51°29′43″N 000°15′18″W
• ^map 28 Acton Town – 51°30′10″N 000°16′48″W
• ^map 29 South Ealing – 51°30′04″N 000°18′26″W
• ^map 30 Northfields – 51°29′58″N 000°18′51″W
• ^map 31 Boston Manor – 51°29′45″N 000°19′30″W
• ^map 32 Osterley – 51°28′53″N 000°21′08″W
• ^map 33 Hounslow East – 51°28′23″N 000°21′23″W
• ^map 34 Hounslow Central – 51°28′17″N 000°21′59″W
• ^map 35 Hounslow West – 51°28′25″N 000°23′08″W
• ^map 36 Hatton Cross – 51°28′01″N 000°25′24″W
• ^map 37 Heathrow Terminal 4 – 51°27′32″N 000°26′46″W
• ^map 38 Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 – 51°28′16″N 000°27′07″W
• ^map 39 Heathrow Terminal 5 – 51°28′20″N 000°29′17″W
• ^map 40 Ealing Common – 51°30′37″N 000°17′17″W
• ^map 41 North Ealing – 51°31′03″N 000°17′19″W
• ^map 42 Park Royal – 51°31′37″N 000°17′03″W
• ^map 43 Alperton – 51°32′27″N 000°17′59″W
• ^map 44 Sudbury Town – 51°33′03″N 000°18′56″W
• ^map 45 Sudbury Hill – 51°33′25″N 000°20′11″W
• ^map 46 South Harrow – 51°33′53″N 000°21′08″W
• ^map 47 Rayners Lane – 51°34′31″N 000°22′17″W
• ^map 48 Eastcote – 51°34′36″N 000°23′49″W
• ^map 49 Ruislip Manor – 51°34′24″N 000°24′45″W
• ^map 50 Ruislip – 51°34′17″N 000°25′16″W
• ^map 51 Ickenham – 51°33′43″N 000°26′31″W
• ^map 52 Hillingdon – 51°33′14″N 000°27′00″W
• ^map 53 Uxbridge – 51°32′45″N 000°28′42″W
• ^map 54 Cockfosters Depot – 51°38′56″N 000°08′25″W
• ^map 55 Northfields Depot – 51°29′50″N 000°19′14″W

Notes and references

Notes

1. The original District Railway tube line was to be from Earl's Court to Mansion House, It was intended to be an express route from South Kensington to Mansion House, with an intermediate station at Embankment.[5][6]
2. The merger was carried out by transferring the assets of the CCE&HR and the BS&WR to the GNP&BR and renaming the GNP&BR as the London Electric Railway.[12]
3. The old street level station building closed on 21 July 1929.[19][18]
4. The diagram in the reference shows bus or tram routes in the north which were in close proximity to Finsbury Park.
5. An interchange at Manor House was provided instead for connecting trams to Edmonton, Tottenham and Enfield East.[30]
6. LNER continued to oppose the decision, and promised to electrify the line if the extension was rejected.[34][27]
7. Bounds Green station was almost cancelled due to the same reason.[36]
8. He travelled from Piccadilly Circus to Wood Green, and back to Hyde Park Corner for inspection.[46]
9. The Hounslow & Metropolitan Railway originally opened a shuttle service between Mill Hill Park and Hounslow Town on 1 May 1883, with a single-track branch to Hounslow Barracks which opened on 21 July 1884. The route to Hounslow Town eventually closed on 2 May 1909. The District Railway took over the branches in 1903.[48]
10. The CLR also had its Richmond extension proposal passed on the same day as the LER's. Nothing was done either.[59] The L&SWR section ceased operation in 1916 and its ownership was transferred to the Southern Railway in 1923.[60][58]
11. The District line will instead focus on running trains to Richmond, Ealing Broadway and Wimbledon, with the South Harrow to Uxbridge and Acton Town to South Acton shuttles to remain. In October 1930, provision was also made to have rush hour DR services to South Harrow.[62]
12. The four escalators led passengers down from the ticket hall to the new Central line concourse, and a further three to the Piccadilly line concourse.[74]
13. The four-tracking extension to Hounslow East from Northfields was considered in the 1940s to allow Heathrow express trains to run fast into central London. Another express rail link planned by LPTB would terminate at Hyde Park or Earl's Court, which would have costed £5–12 million.[87]
14. Several coach services were redirected to this station from Hounslow West.[91]
15. The Epping to Ongar section of the Central line also closed on 30 September.[42]
16. All except the two at Greenford station were replaced. These have since been decommissioned on 20 March 2014,[113][114] being replaced with an inclined lift and an up metal escalator the following year.[115]
17. Sources differ by year. Horne's mentioned 1989, while Wallingers' mentioned 1983.

References

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2. Horne 2007, p. 15.
3. Horne 2007, pp. 6,8.
4. Horne 2007, p. 10.
5. "No. 26797". The London Gazette. 22 November 1896. pp. 6764–6767.
6. Horne 2007, p. 7.
7. Wolmar 2004, p. 181. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWolmar2004 (help)
8. Horne 2007, pp. 9,13,19.
9. Horne 2007, p. 32.
10. Badsey-Ellis 2005, pp. 282–283.
11. "No. 28311". The London Gazette. 23 November 1909. pp. 8816–8818.
12. Horne 2007, p. 33.
13. Wolmar 2004, pp. 259–262. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWolmar2004 (help)
14. Wolmar 2004, p. 266. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWolmar2004 (help)
15. "No. 33668". The London Gazette. 9 December 1930. pp. 7905–7907.
16. Wolmar 2004, p. 182. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWolmar2004 (help)
17. Historic England. "Piccadilly Circus Underground Station Booking Hall Concourse and Bronzework to Pavement Subway Entrances (1226877)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
18. Horne 2007, p. 39.
19. Lee 1966, p. 23.
20. Horne 2007, p. 23.
21. "No. 27025". The London Gazette. 22 November 1898. pp. 7040–7043.
22. "No. 27105". The London Gazette. 4 August 1899. pp. 4833–4834.
23. Badsey-Ellis 2005, p. 131.
24. Horne 2007, p. 11.
25. Badsey-Ellis 2005, p. 138.
26. Martin 2012, pp. 182–183.
27. Dean, Deadre. "Part One". The Piccadilly Line Extension. Hornsey Historical Society. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
28. Horne 2007, p. 91.
29. "London and North Eastern Railway Bill (By Order)". Hansard Parliament UK. 15 March 1924. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
30. Horne 2007, p. 65.
31. Wolmar 2005, pp. 227–231.
32. "No. 33613". The London Gazette. 6 June 1930. p. 3561.
33. Dean, Deadre. "Part Two". The Piccadilly Line Extension. Hornsey Historical Society. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
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35. Horne 2007, pp. 65–66.
36. Horne 2007, p. 70.
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47. Horne 2007, p. 42.
48. Horne 2007, pp. 42,46.
49. Simpson 2003, p. 97.
50. Horne 2003, p. 26.
51. Horne 2007, pp. 42–43.
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53. Horne 2007, pp. 46–47.
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55. "No. 28747". The London Gazette. 19 August 1913. pp. 5929–5931.
56. Horne 2006, p. 56.
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58. Horne 2007, pp. 48–49.
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60. Horne 2006, p. 55.
61. Horne 2007, pp. 50–51,66.
62. Horne 2006, pp. 52,56.
63. Horne 2007, p. 58.
64. Horne 2007, p. 52.
65. Horne 2006, p. 60.
66. Horne 2007, pp. 54,57–58.
67. Horne 2006, p. 88.
68. Lee 1966, p. 22.
69. Badsey-Ellis 2016, p. 212.
70. "Underground Journeys: Leicester Square". Royal Institute of British Architects. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
71. "Architectural Plan and Elevation". London Passenger Transport Board. 1933. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
72. Day & Reed 2010, p. 131.
73. Horne 2007, pp. 92–96.
74. Horne 2007, p. 96.
75. Connor 2006, p. 33.
76. Connor 2001, pp. 98–99.
77. Horne 2007, pp. 103–106.
78. Day & Reed 2010, p. 153.
79. Klapper 1976, p. 123.
80. Day & Reed 2010, p. 143.
81. HMSO 1959, p. 13.
82. Horne 2007, p. 113.
83. Day & Reed 2010, p. 163.
84. Day & Reed 2010, p. 166.
85. Horne 2007, p. 114.
86. Gelder, Sam (1 September 2018). "Victoria line turns 50: How North London artery brought about a Renaissance for the London Underground". Islington Gazette. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
87. Horne 2007, pp. 117–118.
88. "No. 44377". The London Gazette. 1 August 1967. p. 8450.
89. Horne 2007, pp. 115–120.
90. Day & Reed 2008, p. 178.
91. Horne 2007, p. 121.
92. Horne 2007, pp. 120–121.
93. "No. 48785". The London Gazette. 5 November 1981. p. 14033.
94. Horne 2007, pp. 125–126.
95. Horne 2007, pp. 137–138.
96. "Tube One Step Closer for Heathrow Terminal 5" (Press release). Transport for London. 14 September 2006. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
97. "First Piccadilly Line Passengers Travel to Heathrow Terminal 5" (Press release). Transport for London. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
98. Feather, Clive (8 May 2020). "Piccadilly Line". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
99. Horne 2000, pp. 31–33. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHorne2000 (help)
100. British Railways Board/London Transport Board (March 1965). A Railway Plan for London (PDF). p. 23.
101. "Parliamentary Notices". The Times (56185): 2. 3 December 1964. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012.
102. Connor 2001, p. 99.
103. Horne 2000, pp. 35 & 52. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHorne2000 (help)
104. Horne 2000, p. 53. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHorne2000 (help)
105. Horne 2000, p. 57. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHorne2000 (help)
106. Connor 2001, pp. 98–,99.
107. Horne 2007, p. 134.
108. Horne 2007, pp. 134–135.
109. Horne 2007, p. 132.
110. Day & Reed 2010, p. 191.
111. Paul Channon (12 April 1989). "King's Cross Fire (Fennell Report)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. col. 915–917. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
112. "Sir Desmond Fennell". The Daily Telegraph. 5 July 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
113. Mann, Sebastian (11 March 2014). "Tube's only wooden escalator to carry last passengers". London 24. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
114. Fact 121 in the reference. Attwooll, Jolyon (9 January 2017). "London Underground: 150 Fascinating Tube Facts". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
115. "Incline lift at Greenford Tube Station is UK First" (Press release). Transport for London. 20 October 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
116. Croome & Jackson 1993, pp. 259,262.
117. "Image of Bombers' Deadly Journey". BBC News. 17 July 2005. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
118. North, Rachel (15 July 2005). "Coming together as a city". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
119. Horne 2007, p. 140.
120. Wolmar 2005, p. 175.
121. Wallinger et al. 2014, p. 155.
122. Day & Reed 2010, p. 24.
123. Martin 2012, p. 79.
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External links

Template:Attached KML/Piccadilly line

KML is from Wikidata

• "Piccadilly line facts". London Underground — Key Facts. Transport for London. Archived from the original on 10 February 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
• "The Piccadilly Line – History". www.krysstal.com. KryssTal. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
• "Underground Journeys: Changing the face of London Underground Illustrated history of the Piccadilly line 1920-1930s". www.architecture.com. Royal Institute of British Architects. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
• Piccadilly line on Twitter