Charing Cross tube station

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Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox London station

Charing Cross (Template:IPAc-en; sometimes informally abbreviated as Charing +, Charing X, CHX or CH+) is a London Underground station at Charing Cross in the City of Westminster. The station is served by the Bakerloo and Northern lines, and provides an interchange with Charing Cross mainline station. On the Bakerloo line, the station is between Piccadilly Circus and Embankment stations. On its branch of the Northern line, it is between Leicester Square and Embankment stations. The station is located in London fare zone 1.

Charing Cross was originally two separate stations, known for most of their existence as Trafalgar Square (on the Bakerloo line) and Strand (on the Northern line). The Bakerloo line platforms were opened by the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway in 1906 and the Northern line platforms by the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway in 1907. In the 1970s, in preparation for the opening of the Jubilee line, the two earlier stations were connected together with new below ground passageways. When the Jubilee line platforms opened in 1979, the combined station was given the current name. Jubilee line services ended in 1999 when the line was extended to Stratford.

The station has entrances in Trafalgar Square, Strand, Villiers Street, Adelaide Street, William IV Street and in the mainline station. It is close to the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Admiralty Arch, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Canada House, South Africa House, the Savoy Hotel, The Mall, Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall.

As of Template:Tubeexits list, Charing Cross is the Template:Tubeexits list rank station on the London Underground with Template:Tubeexits list million passengers using it per year.<ref name="infobox_stats_ref_tube_2021" />

History

Planning

From the 1860s to the 1900s numerous schemes for underground railways through central London were proposed, often using similar routes.Template:Efn Many of the schemes submitted to Parliament for approval as private bills included proposals for lines through the Charing Cross area with stations serving the South Eastern Railway's (SER's) Charing Cross mainline terminus and the area around Trafalgar Square.

1860s and 1870s

Template:Multiple image The first proposal came before Parliament in 1864, a year after the opening of the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway, and the year the mainline station opened. The North Western and Charing Cross Railway (NW&CCR) proposed a line in a cut-and-cover tunnel between the London and North Western Railway's terminus at Euston and Charing Cross.Template:Sfn The Template:Abbr was to have its own station on the north side of Strand before it came to the surface alongside the main line station and connected to the Template:Abbr tracks on Hungerford Bridge. The railway was approved in July 1864.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

The following year, the Waterloo and Whitehall Railway (W&WR) received permission to construct a short railway between Waterloo station and a station at the western end of Great Scotland Yard at the junction with Whitehall. The line was to be a pneumatic railway with the carriages sucked and pushed through the tunnels like a piston by fans at Waterloo.Template:Sfn Construction works began for the ends of the cut and cover tunnels on each side of the River Thames and part of the cast-iron cylinder that was to be sunk into a trench dredged into the bed of the river.Template:Sfn

Progress on both railways was halted in the Panic of 1866, a major crash in the London and international markets that led to the collapse of a number of banks and prevented funds being raised to continue the works. The Template:Abbr was liquidated in 1868,Template:Sfn and the Template:Abbr plans were abandoned in 1869.Template:Sfn

The Template:Abbr plans were revived with minor changes by the Euston, St Pancras and Charing Cross Railway in 1870.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> A station was planned at the same location as the Template:Abbr. Parliamentary approval was granted in 1871 and the company changed its name to the London Central Railway, but the scheme was again unable to raise sufficient funds. It was abandoned in 1874.Template:Sfn

1880s

A map with coloured dots marking the proposed locations of stations
Map showing proposed station sites, 1880s

In 1881, the Central Metropolitan Railway proposed a cut-and-cover line running from Parliament Square to St Pancras. At the southern end, the line was to run under Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and St Martin's Lane, though the location of the station was not recorded. The section under Whitehall was opposed by the government and it was removed so that the line was to terminate at Charing Cross, but the whole scheme was rejected by Parliament in 1882.Template:Sfn

Another proposal in 1881 was the Charing Cross and Waterloo Electric Railway (CC&WER). The proposal was similar to the Template:Abbr 17 years earlier; a short line running in iron pipes sunk into the river bed connecting Waterloo station to the north side of the river, this time to a station Template:Convert under Trafalgar Square.Template:Sfn The scheme was the first in the UK to propose the use of electric traction for its trains and was supported by Sir William Siemens whose electrical engineering company Siemens Brothers was to provide the electrical equipment.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn The Template:Abbr was approved in August 1882.Template:Sfn A proposal to extend the route to the City of London was submitted to Parliament later that year, but was withdrawn the following year as the company struggled to raise funds.Template:Sfn In 1883, the London Central Electric Railway, proposed an extension of the Template:Abbr; this time from the Charing Cross end with the line running to the General Post Office at St Martin's Le Grand. The plan was rejected.Template:Sfn William Siemens died in 1883 and the Template:Abbr plan was abandoned in 1885.Template:Sfn

In 1884, proposals were made for two cut-and-cover lines to link Charing Cross with one of the northern terminals. The first proposal, the Charing Cross and Euston Railway, proposed a line between those two stations.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> At Charing Cross a terminal station was to be provided under Villiers Street which was to be closed to allow a separate branch to rise to the surface to cross the river on a new bridge adjacent to Hungerford bridge before connecting to the Template:Abbr tracks south of the river.Template:Sfn The bill was withdrawn in February 1885.Template:Sfn The second proposal, the London Central Subway, proposed connecting Charing Cross and King's Cross.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> The station at Charing Cross was to be beneath the south side of Trafalgar Square Template:Convert below ground.Template:Sfn The government's Office of Works objected to the proposed alignment on the north side of Trafalgar Square because it believed the tunnels would compromise the foundations of the National Gallery. The bill was withdrawn in April 1885.Template:Sfn

Also in 1884, the King's Cross, Charing Cross and Waterloo Subway submitted a proposal to construct a line linking the three mainline terminals in its name.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Unlike the earlier schemes and those of the Charing Cross and Euston Railway and London Central Subway, the company planned to construct its line at a deeper level with the tunnels constructed using a tunnelling shield and lined with cast-iron segments. The stations were to be constructed using the cut-and-cover technique with one platform above the other.Template:Sfn Two stations were to be constructed close to Charing Cross: one to the south at the junction of Northumberland Avenue and Northumberland Street and one to the north in St Martin's Place.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn The bill was withdrawn in May 1885.Template:Sfn

In 1889, the North and South London Subway was proposed.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> It was to connect Camden Town and Elephant & Castle, and proposed a station north of the National Gallery at the junction of Charing Cross Road and Green Street (now Irving Street).Template:Sfn The bill was announced, but was not submitted to parliament.Template:Sfn

1890s

A map with coloured dots marking the proposed locations of stations
Map showing proposed station sites, 1890s

Following the successful opening in 1890 of the City and South London Railway (C&SLR), the first deep-level tube railway and the first underground railway using electric traction, a number of railways were proposed in London to be constructed and operated by similar means.Template:Sfn In 1891, two bills were submitted for tube railways that were to serve Charing Cross: the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway (BS&WR) and the Hampstead, St Pancras & Charing Cross Railway (HStP&CCR).<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

The Template:Abbr was to connect Baker Street and Waterloo station and the Template:Abbr was to connect Hampstead with Charing Cross with a branch to Euston, St Pancras and King's Cross. The former company's station was to be under Trafalgar Square and the latter's was to be at the junction of King William Street (now William IV Street) and Agar Street with a pedestrian subway under Strand to the forecourt of the mainline station.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn After a committee sat to consider these and the various other railways being proposed, the BS&WR was approved in March 1893 and the Template:Abbr, renamed to the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR), was approved in August 1893.Template:Sfn The Template:Abbr and the Template:Abbr would become the first two lines through Charing Cross to be completed, though it was several years before construction began on either line.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

In 1896, the City and West End Railway proposed a route running between Cannon Street in the City of London and Hammersmith via the West End and Knightsbridge.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A station for Charing Cross was to be provided at King William Street.Template:Sfn The company's east–west route would have been competition for a number of other lines that had been permitted but which had not yet opened: the under construction Central London Railway (CLR), the Metropolitan District Railway's (MDR's) proposed deep level line and the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus Railway's (B&PCR's) line.Template:Sfn Lobbying from these companies led to the City and West End Railway bill being rejected in April 1897.Template:Sfn

The final new scheme of the 1890s was the Paddington and Charing Cross Railway's proposal in 1897 to link these two mainline stations.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Its station at Charing Cross was to be under and parallel with Craven Street on the south side of the main line station.Template:Sfn When the bill was first considered in January 1898, the promoters failed to attend Parliament to support it and the bill was declared "dead".Template:Sfn

Also in 1897, the Template:Abbr submitted a bill to change the route of the final section of its line.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Instead of turning east at the end of Charing Cross Road to Agar Street and Strand, the route was revised to run south past Trafalgar Square to end at a station under Craven Street. The change was approved in July 1898 and the previous routing was abandoned.Template:Sfn

1900s

Like the opening of the Template:Abbr ten years earlier, the successful opening of the Template:Abbr in 1900 spurred another set of proposals for new lines with routes criss-crossing London.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

1901
A map with coloured dots marking the proposed locations of stations
Map showing proposed station sites, 1901

Proposals for the 1901 parliamentary session that planned to serve Charing Cross included three new lines and the extension of one already approved.Template:Sfn

The Charing Cross, Hammersmith and District Railway (CCH&DR) proposed a line from just north of Charing Cross to Hammersmith via Knightsbridge and Kensington.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Two stations were planned around Trafalgar Square: one to the north-east at Bedfordbury with its entrance probably to be located at the junction of Agar Street and Strand; the other on the south side of the Square.Template:Sfn

The Piccadilly and City Railway (P&CR) proposed a line from Piccadilly Circus to Cannon Street. It planned to connect to other companies' lines at each end.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>Template:Sfn The P&CR's station at Charing Cross was to be on the east side of Adelaide Street at the junction with Strand.Template:Sfn

The Victoria, City and Southern Electric Railway proposed a line from Pimlico to Peckham Rye connecting Victoria with the City, Southwark and south-east London.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Its tunnels would have run between Whitehall and Strand with a station to the south-west of the mainline station.Template:Sfn The promoters failed to appear before the parliamentary committee and the bill was declared "dead" in January 1901.Template:Sfn

The Template:Abbr submitted a bill for an extension of its approved route south from Charing Cross to Westminster and Victoria.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>Template:Sfn

To review all these bills and the others submitted for underground lines in London, Parliament established a joint committee under Lord Windsor.Template:Sfn By the time the committee had produced its report,Template:Efn the 1901 parliamentary session was almost over so the promoters of the bills were asked to resubmit them for the 1902 session.Template:Sfn

1902
A map with coloured dots marking the proposed locations of stations
Map showing proposed station sites, 1902

The 1902 session saw an increase in the number of bills submitted for tube railways in London.Template:Efn The Template:Abbr, Template:Abbr and Template:Abbr bills from 1901 were resubmitted along with new bills from the Template:Abbr, the Template:Abbr and the Template:Abbr and from a newcomer, the London United Electric Railway (LUER).Template:Sfn To manage the workload of reviewing all of the bills, two joint committees were established, one under Lord Windsor and the other under Lord Ribblesdale.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

The Ribblesdale Committee considered the Template:Abbr bills and rejected the extension to Victoria as being not in compliance with Commons standing orders.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn The new Template:Abbr bill proposed a short extension of the line southwards beneath the Template:Abbr station to the Template:Abbr Charing Cross station (now Embankment) to provide an interchange with that line and the Template:Abbr.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> It was approved in November 1892.Template:Sfn

The other bills affecting Charing Cross were considered by the Windsor Committee. Several of these involved tunnels between Charing Cross and Piccadilly Circus and, either independently or in conjunction with other companies' proposals, formed parts of routes connection Charing Cross to Hammersmith. Although it did not plan a station in the vicinity of Strand or Trafalgar Square, the Template:Abbr proposal for a short line to connect its planned station at Piccadilly Circus and the Template:Abbr planned deep-level platforms at its Charing Cross station would have required tunnels to run one above the other, south under Adelaide Street and Craven Street on the south-west side of the mainline station before turning east into Northumberland Avenue and north under Victoria Embankment to connect to the Template:Abbr planned tunnels.Template:Efn The link was rejected on engineering grounds.Template:Sfn

The Template:Abbr proposal was for a second line to connect its two existing termini at Shepherds' Bush and Bank via a more southerly route to form a deep-level loop.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn At Charing Cross, the new line would have run under Strand, then north-west past Trafalgar Square towards Piccadilly Circus.Template:Sfn The Template:Abbr bill reintroduced its Charing Cross to Hammersmith scheme from the previous year and proposed an additional connection to the Template:Abbr at Agar Street.Template:Sfn The entirety of the Template:Abbr scheme and the majority of the Template:Abbr scheme, including all of the southern loop line, were rejected by parliament.Template:Sfn

The Template:Abbr proposal was amended from the previous year to run beyond Piccadilly Circus to Hammersmith. This required its platforms at Charing Cross to be deeper than in its previous scheme.Template:Sfn The Template:Abbr was promoted by the London United Tramways (LUT) and also planned to run between Hammersmith and Charing Cross. Approaching from the west beneath The Mall, at Charing Cross the line was to form a loop running from the Duke of York Column at the south end of Waterloo Place, under Trafalgar Square to the corner of Duncannon Street and Strand before turning south to run under the mainline station to the junction of Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall Place before running west to complete the loop. Its station would have been located on the loop.Template:Sfn

Mergers and amalgamations led to the Template:Abbr and the Template:Abbr routes being joined into a combined scheme, the London Suburban Railway (LSR).Template:SfnTemplate:Efn The Template:Abbr proposals were modified in a number of ways before bills were ready at the end of July 1902 for a third and final reading.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn At Charing Cross, a station building to be shared with the Template:Abbr was to be located on the north side of Strand at the junction with Adelaide Street with a pedestrian subway under Strand connecting to the mainline station.Template:Sfn While the bills were awaiting their final readings, the Template:Abbr was taken over by Speyer Brothers, the financiers of the rival Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL).Template:SfnTemplate:Efn The Template:Abbr planned route was similar to that of the Template:Abbr-owned Template:Abbr.Template:Efn Under Speyer Brothers' control, the Template:Abbr withdrew the Template:Abbr bill and the remainder of the Template:Abbr proposals failed.Template:Sfn

1903–1906

Fewer tube railway bills were proposed for the 1903 parliamentary session. Three bills included Charing Cross in their plans and were submitted by the Template:Abbr, the Template:Abbr and the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR).Template:SfnTemplate:Efn The Template:Abbr bill provided for the purchase of additional land for its station.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>Template:Sfn The Template:Abbr resubmitted its previous loop line bill unaltered expecting that the collapse of the Template:Abbr plans would improve its chance of success.Template:Sfn

The Template:Abbr proposed a modification of the previous year's Template:Abbr for a branch southwards from Piccadilly Circus. This time the branch would run under Leicester Square with platforms under King William Street and a station building at the junction of Agar Street and Strand. The tunnels would then turn eastwards under Strand to continue to Mansion House in the City of London where it would connect to the Template:Abbr deep-level line.Template:Sfn Between Piccadilly Circus and Ludgate Circus, the route was similar to the Template:Abbr loop line proposal.Template:Sfn

Neither of the bills proceeded as the Royal Commission on London Traffic was established on 10 February 1903 to consider future development of transport in London. During its deliberations consideration of any new proposals was suspended.Template:Sfn After the Commission issued its report on 17 July 1905,Template:Sfn an attempt was made to revive a bill that had been submitted too late for the 1903 session and had been waiting parliament's consideration since February 1903. The Hammersmith, City & North East London Railway (HC&NELR) was a re-presentation of the Template:Abbr and Template:Abbr schemes running from Hammersmith to Palmers Green. A station was planned between Agar Street and Bedford Street.Template:Sfn The bill was rejected for not complying with standing orders in 1905,Template:Sfn and resubmitted for the 1906 session with the station moved to the junction of Agar Street and Strand.Template:Sfn Again the bill was rejected for procedural reasons and it was not presented again.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

Construction and opening

Template:Multiple image Construction of the Template:Abbr began in August 1898,Template:Sfn with the boring of the tunnels under the River Thames beginning in February 1899.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn At the end of 1900, the collapse of the Template:Abbr parent company, London & Globe Finance Corporation, put the railway company in financial difficulties.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn Tunnelling stopped in May 1901 with most of the running tunnels complete between Waterloo and the south end of Regent Street. At Trafalgar Square, the station tunnels had been excavated.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In March 1902, the Template:Abbr was taken over by a consortium of investors led by Charles Yerkes.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Works restarted under the new owners and 80 per cent of the tunnels were complete by March 1903.Template:Sfn

Construction of the Template:Abbr began in September 1903.Template:Sfn Tunnelling under the mainline station was done in compressed air to prevent any damage from ground movements.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn The railway had permission to construct the underground station's ticket hall under part of the Template:Abbr station's forecourt, but it was to be done from below to avoid disrupting the station. In December 1905, the roof of the mainline station collapsed and the station closed for three months for rebuilding. During this period, the Template:Abbr was given permission to excavate the forecourt for six weeks. Works to construct a lift shaft and form the walls around the ticket hall were carried out with a grid of steel beams placed across the site onto which the forecourt surface was reconstructed. Excavation of the ticket hall and a second lift shaft were carried out from the roofed-over space.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Trafalgar Square station was provided with two Template:Convert long platforms.Template:Sfn There was nowhere to place a surface building, so the station had a sub-surface ticket hall under the square.Template:Sfn The ticket hall had three entrances: one at the south-east corner of the central area of the square, one on the corner of Strand and one on the east side of the square.Template:Sfn Lifts manufactured by the Otis Elevator Company and a spiral stair connected the platforms and ticket hall.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Platform tiling at Trafalgar Square station was started in early 1904.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn The Template:Abbr station had two Template:Convert long platforms with the lifts again provided by Otis.Template:Sfn

Trafalgar Square station opened when the Template:Abbr opened between Baker Street and Kennington Road on 10 March 1906. Charing Cross station opened as the southern terminus of the Template:Abbr on 22 June 1907.Template:Sfn

Extension and modifications

Template:Stack begin

Changes in Station Names
  Charing CrossTemplate:Sfn EmbankmentTemplate:Sfn
style="background:#Template:Rcr;color:white;"| Bakerloo style="background:#Template:Rcr;color:white;"| Northern style="background:#Template:Rcr;color:white;"| Jubilee style="background:#Template:Rcr;color:white;"| District style="background:#Template:Rcr;color:white;"| Bakerloo style="background:#Template:Rcr;color:white;"| Northern
1870       Charing Cross    
1906 Trafalgar Square Embankment
1907 Charing Cross
1914 Charing Cross
(Strand) 		Charing Cross
(Embankment)
1915 Strand Charing Cross
1973  Strand 
Template:Small
1974 Charing Cross Embankment
1976 Embankment
1979 Charing Cross
1999 Charing Cross  Charing Cross 
Template:Small

Template:Stack end The Template:Abbr and Template:Abbr stations were not connected below ground. To make interchanging between the lines easier, on 6 April 1914, the Template:Abbr was extended south under the mainline station to provide an interchange with the Template:Abbr and the Template:Abbr.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn For the opening of the extension, the Template:Abbr station was renamed Charing Cross (Strand) with the new station to the south being named Charing Cross (Embankment).Template:Efn On 9 May 1915,Template:Sfn these were changed again with the former Charing Cross station becoming Strand (causing a nearby station of the Template:Abbr to change its name from Strand to Aldwych) and the other becoming Charing Cross.Template:Sfn

Beginning in 1924, a number of central London stations were modernised with escalators being provided to replace lifts.Template:Sfn At Trafalgar Square, two Otis escalators came into use on 13 April 1926, doubling the capacity of the station.Template:Sfn<ref name=escalators>Template:Cite news</ref> The ticket hall was modernised and extended to use the space previously occupied by the lifts and a passage was constructed to a new entrance in Cockspur Street on the south side of the square.<ref name=escalators/>Template:Sfn The improvements to the ticket hall included the installation of automatic ticket machines.<ref name=tickets>Template:Cite news</ref> Strand station retained its lifts.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

War and new plans

In September 1938 during the Sudeten Crisis, when it appeared that war with Germany was imminent, the tunnels of the Bakerloo and Northern lines under the River Thames were closed and sealed with concrete to protect the system from flooding that might be caused by a bomb falling in the river and breaching the tunnels. As a consequence, between 27 September 1938 and 8 October 1938 both Trafalgar Square and Strand stations were closed.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn After the crisis was resolved and the concrete seals were removed, works began on installing flood gates to protect the lines each side of the river. Following Germany's ultimatum to Poland on the Polish Corridor, the Northern line tunnels were again plugged on 1 September 1939 and were not reopened until 17 December 1939, once the flood gates had been installed.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

On 12 October 1940, a German bomb fell on Trafalgar Square station killing seven people sheltering from the Blitz.Template:Sfn

Template:Multiple image In 1944, The County of London Plan recommended replacing the mainline station with one below ground served by two routes: Route A, running between Clapham and New Cross via Victoria station, Blackfriars, Cannon Street and Wapping and Route B, a loop line linking Waterloo, Charing Cross, Blackfriars, Cannon Street and London Bridge.Template:Sfn The location of the station was not specified.

A post-war report in 1946 rejected the idea of moving the mainline station entirely underground,Template:Sfn but did propose several new lines running in tunnels within the central area including two serving Charing Cross.Template:Efn Route 5 (running between Hither Green and Old Oak Common) and Route 9 (running between Raynes Park and Clapton) were mainline routes proposed to connect to existing surface lines to allow main line trains to cross London without using the terminals. A third route, Route 12A, was a London Underground route running between Golders Green and Waterloo.Template:Sfn It was to run beneath the existing Northern line tunnels to relieve congestion on the line.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

None of these proposals were developed by the mainline railway companies, the London Passenger Transport Board or their successor organisations.Template:Efn

In 1956, the London County Council planned to construct pedestrian subways from the ticket hall of Strand station under Strand to Duncannon Street and Adelaide Street with a travelator in the main passage from the station and escalators from the subways to street level. A separate subway from the north side of Strand to the ticket hall and another to connect to the subways from Trafalgar Square station were also proposed. The works were not carried-out.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Reconstruction and integration for the Jubilee line

A large space covered with dark floor tiles and strip lighting. Ticket machines in the distance and posters on display boards
Northern line and Jubilee line ticket hall in its 1979 colour scheme

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s consideration was given to various routes connecting north-west and south-east London via the West End and the City of London including proposals to extend the Bakerloo line south-east from Elephant & Castle to Camberwell and beyond.Template:Sfn Planning of the Victoria line had the greater priority and it was not until after construction of that line started that detailed planning began for the new line, first called the Fleet line in 1965 as it was planned to run in an east–west direction along Fleet Street to the City of London and then south of the River Thames to Lewisham.Template:Sfn Lack of funding meant that only the first stage of the proposed line, from Baker Street to Charing Cross, received royal assent in July 1969; funding was agreed in August 1971.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

Tunnelling began in February 1972 and was completed by the end of 1974.Template:Sfn In 1977, during construction of the stations, the name of the line was changed to the Jubilee line, to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee that year.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

At Charing Cross, the tunnels for the Jubilee line were aligned east–west beneath Strand with the running tunnels passing under the Bakerloo line and Northern line tunnels and the new Jubilee line platforms between the two. A cross-over junction to the west of the platforms enabled trains to terminate and start from both platforms. In preparation for the second stage of the line continuing to Aldwych and beyond, the running tunnels were continued east of the new platforms at Charing Cross, running beneath Strand to end at Wellington Street.Template:Sfn The original Strand station ticket hall beneath the forecourt of the mainline station was enlarged under the forecourt and under Strand itself.Template:Sfn To enable this, piles were installed in the forecourt in January 1973 to support a steel umbrella structure erected over the area during the Easter weekend in 1973.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The foundations of the Eleanor cross in the station forecourt also needed to be underpinned to avoid it being damaged during the excavations.Template:Sfn With the enlargement of the ticket hall, linking subways were constructed to new entrances in Villiers Street, on the north side of Strand, in Adelaide Street and in William IV Street.Template:Sfn

A long corridor with tiled floor and walls and a curved ceiling. The walls are lined at regular intervals with large posters framed behind glass
The passage connecting the Bakerloo and Northern line platforms

The new platforms were connected to both of the original stations, forming one new station.Template:Sfn Strand station closed on 16 June 1973 so that an escalator shaft could be constructed diagonally through the original lift shafts down to an intermediate concourse.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn From here passages to and from the Northern line platforms branch off and a second set of three escalators descend to the eastern end of the Jubilee line platforms,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn which are Template:Convert below street level. At Trafalgar Square station, the existing concourse at the bottom of the 1926 escalator shaft was enlarged to connect to a new passage which ran eastwards towards another concourse at the top of a second set of two escalators and a fixed stair down to the western end of the Jubilee line platforms.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn To carry out the work on the station and the running tunnels, a site on the north-western corner of Trafalgar Square at Whitcomb Street was used to construct a pair of access shafts Template:Convert deep from which long passages were excavated beneath Trafalgar Square to the existing below ground concourses.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Although not originally intended for passenger use, part of one of these became the interchange passage between the Bakerloo and Northern lines.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn A new electrical sub-station to supply the line was installed at the bottom of one of Strand station's redundant escalator shafts.Template:Sfn Once the structural work to enlarge the ticket hall was completed, the umbrella structure was removed in October 1975.Template:Sfn

Work on fitting out the tunnels and stations began at the end of 1975, but serious delays in the progress of the work prevented the line from opening in 1978 as intended. Tracks and signals were commissioned and trial running of trains on the line began on 14 August 1978, but work on the station was delayed by industrial action at the escalator contractor.Template:Sfn

The official opening of the line by Prince Charles took place on 30 April 1979, starting with a train journey from Green Park to Charing Cross.Template:Sfn The Jubilee line opened to the public on 1 May 1979. On the same day the Northern line service was reinstated and the combined station was named Charing Cross.Template:Sfn

The new Northern line and Jubilee line ticket hall was decorated in lime green and blue moulded plastic panels with black tiles.Template:Sfn Lime green was also used for the wall tiling of the Jubilee line platforms which was combined with decorative panels featuring images of Lord Nelson and Trafalgar Square by David Gentleman.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Gentleman also designed the decorative scheme for the Northern line platforms. These have panels featuring a continuous mural illustrating, in the style of black and white woodcuts, the construction of the Eleanor Cross.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The Bakerloo line platforms and ticket hall were not redecorated at the same time as those of the other two lines. This was carried out in 1983 when decorative panels for the platforms featuring artwork from the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery were installed.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Template:Multiple image

Closure of Jubilee line platforms

Although permission had been granted in 1971 and 1972,Template:Sfn work on the Fleet line's stages 2 and 3 did not proceed and it was not until 1992 that an alternative route was approved.Template:Efn The Jubilee line extension took the line south and east of the River Thames via Waterloo and Canary Wharf. Due to the tightness of the curves required and speed restrictions that would have been needed it was impractical to reach Waterloo from Charing Cross.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn New tunnels branching from the original route south of Green Park would be constructed, and the line to Charing Cross would be closed.Template:Sfn Tunnelling began in May 1994 and the new extension opened in stages starting at Stratford in the east, with services to Charing Cross ending on 19 November 1999 and the final section between Green Park and Waterloo opening the following day.Template:Sfn The Jubilee line platforms were closed and walls constructed across the intermediate concourses at the top of the two banks of escalators.

The Jubilee line platforms are still used by Jubilee line trains as sidings to reverse trains from southbound to northbound. To do so southbound trains terminate and disembark passengers at Green Park station and run empty to one of the Charing Cross platforms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> London Transport Museum runs guided tours of the disused platforms, corridors, and concourse as part of its Hidden London programme, which takes the public to closed-off parts of the Underground network.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Proposal for connection to Docklands Light Railway

In July 2005, a report, DLR Horizon 2020 Study, for the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) examined "pragmatic development schemes" to expand and improve the DLR network between 2012 and 2020. One of the proposals was an extension of the DLR from Bank to Charing Cross. The unused tunnels under Strand would be enlarged to accommodate the larger DLR trains.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2011, the DLR published a proposal to continue the extension to Victoria via Green Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> No further work has been done on these proposals.

Ticket hall refurbishment and closure of subways

A large bright space with tiled floor and suspended ceiling with occasional lights. A row of ticket gates are on the left
Northern line ticket hall after refurbishment

In 2016 and 2017, the two ticket halls were separately closed for refurbishment. In each one, interior finishes and lighting were replaced and new ticket barriers were installed. The Northern line ticket hall closed in September 2016 and was scheduled to reopen in July 2017,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but reopened a month earlier.<ref name=NightTube>Template:Cite news</ref> Following its reopening, Northern line Night Tube services began stopping at the station on 30 June 2017. They had been introduced on the line in November 2016,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but did not serve Charing Cross until the Northern line ticket hall reopened.<ref name=NightTube/>

In June 2020 a planning approval was granted to close the subways to Adelaide Street, William IV Street and the north side of Strand and convert the space to office and retail use linked to the building above.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Use in media

As the Jubilee line platforms and track are maintained by TfL for operational reasons, they can be used by film and television makers requiring a modern Underground station location.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Films, television productions and music videos that have been shot at Charing Cross include:

Services and connections

A narrow stair surrounded by decorative railings curves down from the pavement. The London Underground logo forms part of sign above. Large stone buildings line the street in the background
Pedestrian subway entrance from the corner of Trafalgar Square to the Bakerloo line ticket hall at the station.

Services

Bakerloo line

On the Bakerloo line, Charing Cross station is between Piccadilly Circus to the north and Embankment to the south. The typical off-peak service on the Bakerloo line in trains per hour (tph) is as follows: <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Northern line

On its branch of the Northern line, Charing Cross station is between Leicester Square to the north and Embankment to the south. The typical offpeak service on the Northern line in trains per hour (tph) is as follows: <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

There is also a crossover to the north of the station to allow trains to terminate and turn around.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Furthermore, on Friday and Saturday nights, Night Tube services operate on the Northern line through this station. The typical Night Tube service on the Northern line in trains per hour is as follows:

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Connections

Notes and references

Notes

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References

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Bibliography

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