Alexandra Palace railway station
Encyclopedia
Alexandra Palace railway station (originally named Wood Green and later Wood Green (Alexandra Park)) is in the London Borough of Haringey
in north London
, and is in Travelcard Zone 3
. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by First Capital Connect
. Oyster card
readers were installed at the station during 2008 and activated on 2 January 2010 for use with the Oyster Pay As You Go System.
It is the only surviving station of three that have served Alexandra Palace
. Alexandra Palace
, sited actually at the palace, was on the Highgate - Alexandra Palace line, and Palace Gates (Wood Green)
was on the Palace Gates Line
.
In Autumn 2008, a new SHERE self-service ticket machine
, accepting both cash and credit cards, was installed here (and similarly at other local FCC stations).
Just outside the station to the north is Bounds Green Depot
, used for storage and maintenance of the high speed trains used on the East Coast Main Line
. A line adjacent to the station platforms is used by shunters moving carriages and engines around in the depot.
(GNR) on 1 May 1859 as Wood Green, being renamed to Wood Green (Alexandra Park) in 1864. The GNR became part of the London and North Eastern Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. The line then passed on to the Eastern Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948. The station reverted to its original name of Wood Green on 18 March 1971, but was again renamed, this time to Alexandra Palace, on 17 May 1982.
Under plans approved in 1897, the station was to be the northern terminus for the Great Northern and Strand Railway (GN&SR), a tube railway supported by the GNR which would have run underground beneath the GNR's tracks to Finsbury Park
and then into central London. The next GN&SR station to the south would have been Hornsey
. The GN&SR route and stations north of Finsbury Park were cancelled in 1902 when the GN&SR was taken over by Charles Yerkes'
consortium which planned to merge it with the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus Railway to form the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
from Finsbury Park to Hammersmith
(now part of the London Underground's
Piccadilly line
).
When sectorisation
was introduced, the station was served by Network South East until the Privatisation of British Rail
.
Platform 1 is on the up slow line to London (served from either the Welwyn or Hertford directions), platform 2 is the up fast line, with few scheduled departures. The down fast is a through road, without a platform face. Platform 3 is used by northbound trains on the ECML slow line and trains on the Hertford Loop Line
use platform 4. Note that trains to/from Hertford must use the outer platform lines.
and Finsbury Park station
, the latter being between Barnet
Chesterfield Road and Turnpike Lane
. This station is a short walk away from Wood Green
and Alexandra Palace
.
on weekdays until about 10.00pm, and into London Kings Cross after 10.00pm Mondays to Fridays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Normally the service uses class 313
EMUs, as these are the only units cleared to Moorgate, although on weekends sometimes class 317
EMUs are used instead. Early mornings and late nights see a couple of four car (class 317 or class 365
) trains scheduled to call (to/from Cambridge
or Peterborough
).
North of the station, the line divides, with half the trains running to Welwyn Garden City
and the other half running to Hertford North
or Letchworth Garden City. The typical Monday to Friday off-peak service frequency is:
On Saturdays and Sundays (when there is no engineering work) this drops to:
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
in north 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...
, and 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...
. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
. Oyster card
Oyster card
The Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London including London Underground, buses, the Docklands...
readers were installed at the station during 2008 and activated on 2 January 2010 for use with the Oyster Pay As You Go System.
It is the only surviving station of three that have served Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
. Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace railway station (Muswell Hill branch)
Alexandra Palace railway station is a former station in the grounds of Alexandra Palace in the Muswell Hill area of north London...
, sited actually at the palace, was on the Highgate - Alexandra Palace line, and Palace Gates (Wood Green)
Palace Gates (Wood Green) railway station
Palace Gates railway station was a railway station on the Palace Gates Line in Wood Green, north London. It was located on the corner of Bridge Road and Dorset Road....
was on the Palace Gates Line
Palace Gates Line
The Palace Gates Line was a short railway branch line in north London running from the main line at Seven Sisters station in Tottenham to Palace Gates station in Wood Green....
.
In Autumn 2008, a new SHERE self-service ticket machine
Ticket machine
A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine , is a vending machine that produces tickets. For instance, ticket machines dispense train tickets at railway stations and tram tickets at some tram stops and in some trams...
, accepting both cash and credit cards, was installed here (and similarly at other local FCC stations).
Just outside the station to the north is Bounds Green Depot
Bounds Green TMD
Bounds Green TMD is situated in North London. The depot is operated by East Coast. The depot code is BN.-Allocation:*Class 08*Class 91*HSTs may also, be seen, However rarely-References:...
, used for storage and maintenance of the high speed trains used on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. A line adjacent to the station platforms is used by shunters moving carriages and engines around in the depot.
History
The station was opened by the Great Northern RailwayGreat Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
(GNR) on 1 May 1859 as Wood Green, being renamed to Wood Green (Alexandra Park) in 1864. The GNR became part of the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The line then passed on to the Eastern Region of British Railways
Eastern Region of British Railways
The Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
on nationalisation in 1948. The station reverted to its original name of Wood Green on 18 March 1971, but was again renamed, this time to Alexandra Palace, on 17 May 1982.
Under plans approved in 1897, the station was to be the northern terminus for the Great Northern and Strand Railway (GN&SR), a tube railway supported by the GNR which would have run underground beneath the GNR's tracks to Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park station
Finsbury Park Station is a busy transport interchange in North London. The interchange consists of an interconnected National Rail station, London Underground station and two bus stations. The main entrances are by the eastern bus station on Station Place...
and then into central London. The next GN&SR station to the south would have been Hornsey
Hornsey railway station
Hornsey railway station is a suburban railway station located in Haringey, north London. It is in Travelcard Zone 3. The station is operated by First Capital Connect on behalf of Network Rail, and is situated next to the Hornsey train depot....
. The GN&SR route and stations north of Finsbury Park were cancelled in 1902 when the GN&SR was taken over by Charles Yerkes'
Charles Yerkes
Charles Tyson Yerkes was an American financier, born in Philadelphia. He played a major part in developing mass-transit systems in Chicago and London.-Philadelphia:...
consortium which planned to merge it with the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus Railway to form the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway , also known as the Piccadilly tube, was a railway company established in 1902 that constructed a deep-level underground "tube" railway in London. The GNP&BR was formed through a merger of two older companies, the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus...
from Finsbury Park to Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
(now part of the London Underground's
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...
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...
).
When sectorisation
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
was introduced, the station was served by Network South East until the Privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
.
Station layout
The station has old buildings on Buckingham Road, with a modern footbridge connection to the platforms and across the tracks to Bedford Road. On the platforms there are only rudimentary modern buildings but during 2004 a station refreshment kiosk opened at Alexandra Palace.Platform 1 is on the up slow line to London (served from either the Welwyn or Hertford directions), platform 2 is the up fast line, with few scheduled departures. The down fast is a through road, without a platform face. Platform 3 is used by northbound trains on the ECML slow line and trains on the Hertford Loop Line
Hertford Loop Line
The Hertford Loop Line is a branch of the East Coast Main Line, providing a commuter route to London for Hertford and other Hertfordshire towns...
use platform 4. Note that trains to/from Hertford must use the outer platform lines.
Local Connections
This station is served by the W3 and 184 buses. The former runs between Northumberland Park railway stationNorthumberland Park railway station
Northumberland Park railway station is located in Northumberland Park, London, United Kingdom. The stations and all trains servicing it are operated by National Express East Anglia.-Overview:...
and Finsbury Park station
Finsbury Park station
Finsbury Park Station is a busy transport interchange in North London. The interchange consists of an interconnected National Rail station, London Underground station and two bus stations. The main entrances are by the eastern bus station on Station Place...
, the latter being between Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
Chesterfield Road and Turnpike Lane
Turnpike Lane
Turnpike Lane is the name of a street in Haringey, north London.The road is characterised by independent retailers with flats above their shops...
. This station is a short walk away from Wood Green
Wood Green
Wood Green is a district in north London, England, located in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated north of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London.-History:...
and Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
.
Services
Services from the station run to MoorgateMoorgate station
Moorgate station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground station on Moorgate in the City of London; it provides National Rail services by First Capital Connect for Hertford, Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth and also serves the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan Lines and...
on weekdays until about 10.00pm, and into London Kings Cross after 10.00pm Mondays to Fridays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Normally the service uses class 313
British Rail Class 313
British Rail Class 313 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York Works between February 1976 and April 1977 and were the first second-generation EMUs to be constructed for British Rail...
EMUs, as these are the only units cleared to Moorgate, although on weekends sometimes class 317
British Rail Class 317
The British Rail Class 317 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches, from 1981-82 and 1985-87. They were the first of several classes of British Rail EMU to be based on the all-steel Mark 3 bodyshell, departing from the "PEP"-aluminium design which had...
EMUs are used instead. Early mornings and late nights see a couple of four car (class 317 or class 365
British Rail Class 365
The British Rail Class 365 "Networker Express" are dual-voltage 25 kV AC and 750 V DC) electric multiple units built by ABB at York from 1994 to 1995. These were the last units to be built at the York factory before it closed...
) trains scheduled to call (to/from Cambridge
Cambridge railway station
Cambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located at the end of Station Road, off Hills Road, 1 mile south-east of the city centre...
or Peterborough
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
).
North of the station, the line divides, with half the trains running to Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
and the other half running to Hertford North
Hertford North railway station
Hertford North railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Hertford in Hertfordshire, England with the other being Hertford East railway station....
or Letchworth Garden City. The typical Monday to Friday off-peak service frequency is:
- 6tph (trains per hour) (xx00/xx10/xx20/xx30/xx40/xx50) to MoorgateMoorgate stationMoorgate station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground station on Moorgate in the City of London; it provides National Rail services by First Capital Connect for Hertford, Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth and also serves the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan Lines and...
, calling at , , Finsbury ParkFinsbury Park stationFinsbury Park Station is a busy transport interchange in North London. The interchange consists of an interconnected National Rail station, London Underground station and two bus stations. The main entrances are by the eastern bus station on Station Place...
, , Highbury & IslingtonHighbury & Islington stationHighbury & Islington station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the London Borough of Islington in north London. It is served by the Victoria line, London Overground's East and North London Lines and First Capital Connect's Northern City Line....
, and Old StreetOld Street stationOld Street station is a central London National Rail and London Underground station located at the junction of Old Street and City Road just north of the City of London. It lies close to the border between the boroughs of Islington and Hackney... - 3tph (xx00/xx20/xx40) to , calling at , , , , , , and
- 3tph (xx10/xx30/xx50) to , calling at , , , , , , , and . Of these, the xx10 departures are extended to , , and
On Saturdays and Sundays (when there is no engineering work) this drops to:
- 4tph (xx10/xx25/xx40/xx55) to London Kings Cross, calling at Hornsey, Harringay and Finsbury Park
- 2tph (xx17/xx47) to Welwyn Garden City
- 2tph (xx02/xx32) to Hertford North, with the xx32 departures extended to Stevenage.