Alperton tube station

Alperton is a London Underground station in Alperton, north-west London. It is on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly line, between Sudbury Town and Park Royal stations. It is in London fare zone 4.<ref name=tubemap>Template:Cite map/Standard Tube Map</ref>

The station is located on Ealing Road (A4089), a short distance from the junction with Bridgewater Road (A4005), and is close to the Paddington branch of the Grand Union Canal.

History

Alperton was opened on 28 June 1903 by the District Railway (now the District line), with its name being "Perivale Alperton", on its new extension to South Harrow on electrified tracks from Park Royal & Twyford Abbey,<ref name=culgdistrict>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="DRose">Template:Cite book</ref> which it was opened five days earlier.<ref name="DRose" /> This new extension was, together with the existing tracks back to Acton Town, the first section of the Underground's surface lines to be electrified and operate electric traction instead of steam.<ref name=culgdistrict /> The deep-level tube lines open at that time (City & South London Railway, Waterloo & City Railway and Central London Railway) had been electrically powered from the start.

The station was subsequently renamed "Alperton" on 7 October 1910.<ref name="DRose" />

On 4 July 1932, from Ealing Common to South Harrow, the District line service was replaced by the Piccadilly line.<ref name=culgdistrict /><ref name="DRose" /><ref name=culgpiccadilly /> Piccadilly line services were extended to run west of its original terminus at Hammersmith, sharing the route with the District.<ref name=culgdistrict /> It non-stops stations between Hammersmith and Acton Town, apart from Turnham Green, which the Piccadilly only calls during early mornings and late evenings. At Acton Town, the District and Piccadilly lines use separate platforms. They join back west of Acton Town towards Ealing Common.<ref name=culgpiccadilly>Template:Cite web</ref>

The station was refurbished in 2006. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2025 it was announced that the station will get two lifts added and should be in use by Summer 2027.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Incidents and accidents

On 2 March 1944 during the Second World War, bomb damage prevented through services to and from Uxbridge for five days.<ref name="The Underground at War">Template:Cite web</ref>

Design

The original station building was a modest timber-framed structure built in 1910. In 1930 and 1931, this was demolished and replaced by a new station in preparation for the handover of the branch from the District line to the Piccadilly line. The new station was designed by Charles Holden in a modern European style using brick, reinforced concrete and glass.Template:Sfn<ref name=stnarchitecture>Template:Cite web</ref>

Alperton Station

Like other stations such as Sudbury Town and Sudbury Hill to the north and others that Holden designed elsewhere, and also for the east and west Piccadilly line extensions such as Acton Town and Oakwood, Alperton station features a tall block-like ticket hall rising above a low horizontal structure that contains station offices and shops. The brick walls of the ticket hall are punctuated with panels of clerestory windows and the structure is capped with a flat concrete slab roof.Template:Sfn Alperton formerly shared with Greenford (on the Central line) the distinction of being one of the only two stations to have an escalator going up to the platforms.<ref group="note">Greenford had the wooden up escalators, which was removed in 2014 to fit in new inclined lifts for step-free access. The left staircase will be replaced by an up escalator.<ref name=grfsfa>Template:Cite web</ref></ref> In 1955, an up escalator was installed to the eastbound platform. It had originally been used at the South Bank exhibition of the Festival of Britain.<ref name="ltm">Template:Cite web</ref> The escalator fell out of use in 1988,Template:Sfn and its machine remains in place behind a wall.<ref name="culg2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Services

Alperton station is on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly line between Sudbury Town to the west and Park Royal to the east.

The off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref>

• 6tph to Cockfosters (Eastbound)
• 3tph to Rayners Lane (Westbound)
• 3tph to Uxbridge via Rayners Lane (Westbound)

The peak time service in trains per hour (tph) is:<ref name="auto"/>

• 12tph to Cockfosters (Eastbound)
• 6tph to Rayners Lane (Westbound)
• 6tph to Uxbridge via Rayners Lane (Westbound)

During disruption on the District line, Piccadilly line trains have sometimes been used to provide a service to Ealing Broadway, either by diverting some trains bound for Rayners Lane and Uxbridge, or as a shuttle from Acton Town.<ref name=culgpiccadilly /> Trains may also run along the District tracks from Hammersmith to Acton Town in order to serve those stations with no platforms on the Piccadilly line.<ref name=culgpiccadilly />

Connections

London Buses routes 79, 83, 224, 245, 297, 483, 487 and night route N83 serve the station, with route 297 providing a 24-hour service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book
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Further reading

• Template:Butt-Stations
• Template:Jowett-Nationalised

External links

• London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
  • Template:LTM archive
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  • Template:LTM archive Showing structure of reinforced concrete roof
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  • Template:LTM archive With appearance marred by rooftop safety barriers