West Hampstead Thameslink railway station
Encyclopedia
West Hampstead Thameslink is a National Rail
station on the Midland Main Line
and is served by First Capital Connect
trains as part of the Thameslink
Line service between Kentish Town
and Cricklewood
. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2
. East Midlands Trains
InterCity services from Leeds
, Sheffield
and Leicester
run through at high speed, but do not stop. Interchange with InterCity services can be made at Luton
and St Pancras International
.
in 1871 on its extension to St. Pancras
, to serve the newly-developed area around the hamlet of West End.
For a short period from 1878 the station formed part of the Super Outer Circle, Midland trains running through from St Pancras
to Earl's Court via Acton Central
and Turnham Green
.
It became West End and Brondesbury in 1904 and West Hampstead in 1905. It was popular for many years for people taking a day out on Hampstead Heath
and those visiting the chalybeate
springs in Hampstead itself.
Oyster
Pay as you go was introduced in late 2007.
From March 2009, Southeastern
and First Capital Connect began running some peak hour trains from Sevenoaks to Luton, though in the off-peak these services turn back at Kentish Town.
the platforms are being extended to allow trains of twelve carriages and also a new larger enclosed station footbridge with lifts to all platforms accessible from Iverson Road to the south. A new ticket office is being constructed, due to open by late 2011, and the pavement along Iverson Road and onto West End Lane has been widened with the removal of pedestrian pinch-points.
which would link the three West Hampstead stations with subterranean walkways. New platforms would be built for the Chiltern Main Line
, and possibly also for the Metropolitan line
, and the Thameslink and London Overground (formerly Silverlink) stations would be relocated on the east side of West End Lane.
The redevelopment would involve demolishing existing buildings and the redevelopment of West End Lane as "a tree-lined boulevard". The plans were put on hold in 2007 due to uncertainty over the North London Line
rail franchise.
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
station on the Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
and is served 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...
trains as part of the Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
Line service between Kentish Town
Kentish Town station
Kentish Town station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Kentish Town in the London Borough of Camden. It is at the junction of Kentish Town Road and Leighton Road...
and Cricklewood
Cricklewood railway station
Cricklewood railway station is in the London Borough of Barnet in North London. The station lies on the north-south Midland Main Line where it crosses Cricklewood Lane. It is served by First Capital Connect services as part of the Thameslink service...
. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2
Travelcard Zone 2
Fare zone 2 is an inner 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.-Background:...
. East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
InterCity services from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
run through at high speed, but do not stop. Interchange with InterCity services can be made at Luton
Luton railway station
Luton railway station is located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is near to the town centre, about three minutes' walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by First Capital Connect.-History:...
and St Pancras International
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
.
History
It was built as West End by the Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
in 1871 on its extension to St. Pancras
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
, to serve the newly-developed area around the hamlet of West End.
For a short period from 1878 the station formed part of the Super Outer Circle, Midland trains running through from St Pancras
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
to Earl's Court via Acton Central
Acton Central railway station
Acton Central railway station is on the North London Line, between and , in Travelcard Zone 3. It is also where trains change power supply from OHLE to 3rd Rail or from 3rd rail to OHLE depending on direction of travel.-History:...
and Turnham Green
Turnham Green tube station
Turnham Green is a London Underground station in Chiswick in west London. The station is located on Turnham Green Terrace, but the actual green is much closer to Chiswick Park station. The station is served by the District and Piccadilly Lines although Piccadilly Line trains normally only stop at...
.
It became West End and Brondesbury in 1904 and West Hampstead in 1905. It was popular for many years for people taking a day out on Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...
and those visiting the chalybeate
Chalybeate
Chalybeate waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.-Name:The word "chalybeate" is derived from the Latin word for steel, "chalybs", which follows from the Greek word "khalups"...
springs in Hampstead itself.
Oyster
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...
Pay as you go was introduced in late 2007.
From March 2009, Southeastern
Southeastern (train operating company)
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
and First Capital Connect began running some peak hour trains from Sevenoaks to Luton, though in the off-peak these services turn back at Kentish Town.
Current developments
As part of the Thameslink ProgrammeThameslink Programme
The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, is a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London without requiring passengers to change...
the platforms are being extended to allow trains of twelve carriages and also a new larger enclosed station footbridge with lifts to all platforms accessible from Iverson Road to the south. A new ticket office is being constructed, due to open by late 2011, and the pavement along Iverson Road and onto West End Lane has been widened with the removal of pedestrian pinch-points.
West Hampstead station linkage
The present arrangement of three separate stations (Thameslink, Overground and Jubilee line) means that passengers wishing to change lines must walk along or cross West End Lane, a busy main road. A redevelopment proposal was put forward in 2004 by Chiltern RailwaysChiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
which would link the three West Hampstead stations with subterranean walkways. New platforms would be built for the Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
, and possibly also for the Metropolitan line
Metropolitan Line
The Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in Transport for London's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening as the Metropolitan Railway on 10 January 1863...
, and the Thameslink and London Overground (formerly Silverlink) stations would be relocated on the east side of West End Lane.
The redevelopment would involve demolishing existing buildings and the redevelopment of West End Lane as "a tree-lined boulevard". The plans were put on hold in 2007 due to uncertainty over the North London Line
North London Line
The 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...
rail franchise.