Farringdon station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Farringdon | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Clerkenwell |
| Local authority | London Borough of Islington |
| Operations | |
| Station code | ZFD |
| Managed by | London Underground |
| Owned by | London Underground |
| Platforms in use | 4 |
| Live departures and station information from National Rail | |
| Transport for London | |
| Zone | 1 |
| 2004 annual usage | 14.392 million † |
| 2007 annual usage | 18.285 million † |
| History | |
| Key dates | Opened 1863 |
| Transport for London List of London stations: Underground | National Rail |
|
| † Data from Transport for London [1] | |
Farringdon station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Clerkenwell, just north of the City of London in the London Borough of Islington.
Contents |
[edit] Services
It is on the Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, between King's Cross St. Pancras station and Barbican. The station is served by First Capital Connect trains which run from Brighton to Bedford, calling en route at Gatwick Airport, or from Luton to Sutton. Some First Capital Connect trains also run into Moorgate and terminate there rather than continuing south via City Thameslink. Farringdon is in Transport for London's Travelcard Zone 1.
[edit] History
The station was opened on 9 January 1863 as the terminus of the original Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground metro line. The station, initially named Farringdon Street, was originally located a short distance from today's building. The line ran from Farringdon to Paddington, a distance of 4 miles (6 km). The station was relocated on 23 December 1865 when the Metropolitan Railway opened an extension to Moorgate. It was renamed Farringdon and High Holborn on 26 January 1922, and its present name on 21 April 1936.[1]
The lines from Farringdon to King's Cross stations run alongside the now culverted Fleet River, which was above ground here until 1812. The station building is an unusually well-preserved piece of early 20th-century London Underground architecture; it still has its original signage (with the name "Farringdon and High Holborn" on the facade) and other indications of the Metropolitan Railway's ambitions to be like the main line companies, with a sign for a "Parcel Office" surviving on the exterior wall.
[edit] Plans
The station drastically requires expansion and is very busy at peak times. There have been plans to increase the station's passenger capacity for several years, as part of the Thameslink 2000 project, though these have yet to come to fruition. If, as is planned, Crossrail line 1 calls here, substantial upgrade works may be required.
The station is due to become one of the most important transport interchanges in central London, when the Crossrail 1 project is developed. Under current plans, the Crossrail station will be located between Farringdon Road and Charterhouse Square, south of the existing ticket hall. The Farringdon ticket hall will be located at the junction of Farringdon Road and Cowcross Street. The area between the current and new stations is intended to be pedestrianised. A further ticket hall will be located to provide an additional interchange with Barbican tube station[2].
Authority to build Crossrail is still before Parliament, but is anticipated to become law in 2008. Completion is not anticipated until 2017[3].
[edit] Dual supply
Farringdon Station is also notable because the First Capital Connect trains, whilst standing at the platform, switch between the 25kV AC overhead supply used to the north of London, and the 750V DC third rail supply used to the south, though the trains travelling to Moorgate use 25kV AC throughout.
The Underground trains use the four-rail 630V DC system.
[edit] Nearest places
[edit] Gallery
 The station was named Farringdon & High Holborn from 1922-36 [1] |
 Platforms looking north, Underground (Circle/Met/H&C) on the right |
 View from north. The building on the right is built on the site of the Metropolitan Railway goods depot |
 Thameslink platforms looking north |
 Thameslink platforms looking south |
 Third rail ends at the northern end of the Thameslink platforms |
 Just south of the Thameslink platforms, the Moorgate branch veers left, shadowing the Underground route, whilst the City Thameslink branch veers to the right before heading due south. |
 Roundel on westbound Underground platform (Circle/Met/H&C) |
 Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City line platforms looking clockwise |
 Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City line platforms looking anticlockwise |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Rose, Douglas (1999). The London Underground: A diagrammatic history. Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 1854142194.
- ^ Crossrail - Farringdon (PDF). 28 October 2006
- ^ Crossrail website accessed 09 Dec 2007
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Farringdon station from National Rail
- Farringdon station is at coordinates Coordinates:
| Preceding station |  London Underground |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
towards Baker Street
|
Circle line |
towards Tower Hill
|
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|
towards Hammersmith
|
Hammersmith & City line |
towards Barking
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| Metropolitan line |
towards Aldgate
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| National Rail | ||||
| London St Pancras | First Capital Connect Thameslink (Moorgate Branch) |
Barbican | ||
| First Capital Connect Thameslink |
City Thameslink | |||
| Preceding station |  Crossrail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
toward Maidenhead or Heathrow Airport
|
Crossrail |
toward Abbey Wood or Shenfield
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