Acton Town tube station

Acton Town is a London Underground station in the south-west corner of Acton, West London, in the London Borough of Ealing, close to the border with the London Borough of Hounslow.[7] The station is served by the District and Piccadilly lines and is in Travelcard Zone 3.[8] On the District line, it is between Chiswick Park and Ealing Common stations, and on the Piccadilly line it is between Hammersmith (Turnham Green in the early mornings and late evenings) and Ealing Common on the Uxbridge branch & South Ealing on the Heathrow branch.[8]

This article is about the London Underground station on the District and Piccadilly lines. For other stations in Acton, see Acton station.

Acton Town
Station entrance
Acton Town
Location of Acton Town in Greater London
LocationActon
Local authorityLondon Borough of Ealing
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms4
AccessibleYes[note 1]
Fare zone3
London Underground annual entry and exit
2015 6.24 million[2]
2016 6.27 million[2]
2017 6.04 million[2]
2018 5.99 million[3]
2019 6.19 million[4]
Railway companies
Original companyDistrict Railway
Key dates
1 July 1879Opened as Mill Hill Park on the line to Ealing Broadway
1 March 1910Renamed Acton Town
4 July 1932Piccadilly line services commenced
Listed status
Listing gradeII[5]
Entry number1263471[6]
Added to list17 May 1994 (1994-05-17)[5][6]
Other information
External links
WGS8451.50278°N 0.28000°W / 51.50278; -0.28000
 London transport portal

Acton Town station was opened as Mill Hill Park on 1 July 1879 by the District Railway (DR, now the District line).[9] It remained as a terminus until on 1 May 1883 and 23 June 1903 the DR opened two branches from Acton Town to Hounslow Town and Park Royal & Twyford Abbey respectively. On 4 July 1932 the Piccadilly line was extended to Acton Town. District line services to both the Hounslow and Uxbridge branches were withdrawn completely on 9 and 10 October 1964 after which operations were provided by the Piccadilly line alone.

The original brick-built station was built in 1879 and in February 1910 the station building was reconstructed.[9] On 1 March 1910 the station was given its present name.[9] In 1931 and 1932 the station was rebuilt again in preparation for transferring the Uxbridge branch service from the District line to the Piccadilly line.[9] The new station was designed by Charles Holden[9] in a modern European geometric style using brick, reinforced concrete and glass.[6]

Location
Frank Pick House near the station, on Gunnersbury Lane

The station is at the junction of Gunnersbury Lane (A4000) and Bollo Lane.[10] To the south-west of the station is the former Acton Works,[10] central overhaul and engineering works for the London Underground.[11] It is now home to the London Transport Museum's reserve collection of rail and road vehicles[10] (as known as London Transport Museum Depot or Museum Depot). The museum depot is opened to the public on a number of weekends throughout the year.[12] To the north of the station is the District line's Ealing Common Depot.[10][13]

Frank Pick House is near the station, on Gunnersbury Lane.[10] It is named after Frank Pick, the London Passenger Transport Board's chief executive.[14] It is home to one of the engineering departments of the London Underground.[14]

History

Hounslow and Uxbridge branches

Acton Town station was opened as Mill Hill Park on 1 July 1879[15] by the District Railway (DR, now the District line) on its extension from Turnham Green to Ealing Broadway.[9][16] On 1 May 1883 the DR opened a branch from Acton Town to the now defunct Hounslow Town station, which developed into the Heathrow branch.[16] On 23 June 1903 the DR tracks extended north of Acton Town to a new station at Park Royal & Twyford Abbey which became the first of the Underground's surface lines to use electric traction instead of steam with the Acton Town – Ealing Common section also electrified.[16] The existing deep tube lines, (City and South London Railway, Waterloo & City Railway (now Waterloo & City line) and Central London Railway) had always been electrically powered.[17][18][19] Services on the Hounslow branch (now the Heathrow branch) and to Central London were electrified on 13 June 1905 and 1 July 1905 respectively.[16]

South Acton branch
Eastbound District line platform looking west with the remains of the branch on the right

On 13 June 1905, a passenger service began on the short branch to South Acton.[16][20] A short fifth platform for the single car train of the South Acton branch was provided to the north of the eastbound island platform.[20] At first the service ran to Hounslow West and to Uxbridge but it was later reduced to a shuttle between Acton Town and South Acton on 15 February 1932.[16][20][note 2] The South Acton branch was closed on 28 February 1959 due to low usage;[16] its platform at Acton Town has not been removed and is still visible. The platform is hidden behind advertising hoardings and not obvious to the casual observer. Much of the branch remains including a bridge support on the south side of Bollo Lane.[20] In the picture, the area behind the hoarding in the background is the location of the former branch platform (Platform 5) which was only ever very short, two carriages at most.

Piccadilly line

On 4 July 1932, the Piccadilly line was extended west from its original terminus at Hammersmith and shared the route with the District line to Ealing Common.[9][13] From Ealing Common to South Harrow, the District line was replaced by the Piccadilly line, and from that date, District line trains from Acton Town ran only either to Hounslow West or to Ealing Broadway.[13] On 9 January 1933 Piccadilly line trains, sharing with the District line, began serving Northfields on the Hounslow branch, and their service was extended to Hounslow West on 13 March 1933 but Piccadilly line trains did not call at South Ealing until 1935.[13] District line services on the Hounslow branch were withdrawn on 9 and 10 October 1964 after which operations were provided by the Piccadilly line alone.[16]

Station building
View of the station with its distinguishing architecture. Note the famous London Underground Roundel sign sitting on the flat canopy.
Track layout
to Ealing Common
to South Ealing
to Ealing Common Depot
1
2
3
4
5
Acton Town
to South Acton
to Acton Works
to Chiswick Park
to Hammersmith
(Turnham Green off-peak hours)

The original brick-built station was built in 1879.[9] In February 1910 the station building was reconstructed and on 1 March 1910 the station was given its present name.[9] In 1931 and 1932 the station was rebuilt again in preparation for transferring the Uxbridge branch service from the District line to the Piccadilly line.[9] The new station was designed by Charles Holden[9] in a modern European geometric style using brick, reinforced concrete[6] and glass.

As other stations Holden designed,[21][note 3] Acton Town station features a tall block-like ticket hall rising above a low horizontal structure housing the station offices and shops.[6] The ticket hall has a projecting London Underground roundel sign over a canopy,[9] the brick walls of the ticket hall are punctuated with panels of clerestory windows[6] and the structure is capped with a flat concrete slab roof. From the ticket hall enclosed stairs descend to the platforms under integral concrete canopies on paired piers in alternating broad and narrow bay formation.[9] A part of the narrow bays is infilled by kiosks, integral poster boards, roundel signs and fixed seating.[9] The platforms are linked by a secondary bridge at the southern end.[9] Reinforced concrete platform canopies replaced the original timber canopies.[9] Since 17 May 1994, the station has been a Grade II Listed building.[5][6]

The stated reason for why it should be listed was:

"Reinforced concrete post and lintel construction with red brick infill, some load-bearing. Symmetrical almost square and double-height ticket hall flanked by kiosks on bridge, from which parade of shops descends to Bollo Lane with secondary entrance under stepped boxed lighting to the rear. Ticket hall gives on to complex access area with open frame construction, whence enclosed stairs descend to platforms under integral concrete. canopies - incorporating clerestory - on paired piers in alternating broad and narrow bay formation. The narrow bays part infilled by kiosks, integral poster boards, roundel signs and fixed seating. The platforms are linked by a secondary bridge at the southern end. All the frontage shops have their original bronzed glazing, particularly elaborate in the taller frontages to Bollo Lane and in the side passage. All shopdoors original save that to single shop east of station. The station windows metal with strong horizontal emphasis in their glazing bars. Ticket hall has projecting roundel sign over canopy, and three double-height paired windows to street frontage with similar windows at upper level to rear. Exposed concrete frame to ceiling, rendered upper walls with brown tiling below. Original tiled floors. Included as an important example of Holden's mature work for an interchange station."[5][6]

Services and connections

Services
A westbound Piccadilly line train stands on a westbound platform at Acton Town looking west. This platform is unique in being usable by trains of both the District and Piccadilly lines.

Between Acton Town and Hammersmith, District line trains serve all stations, but Piccadilly line trains run non-stop to Hammersmith except for calling at Turnham Green at the start and end of the day.[8] The run between Acton Town and Hammersmith spans nearly three miles – the longest distance between stops on the Piccadilly line.[23][24] West of Acton Town, District line trains go via Ealing Common to Ealing Broadway and Piccadilly line trains run either via South Ealing to Heathrow, or via Ealing Common to Uxbridge.[8]

District line

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

There is also a morning service every day from Acton Town (Ealing Broadway on Saturdays) to Edgware Road and a late evening service from Edgware Road to Ealing Broadway on Sundays only.[16]

Piccadilly line

Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 2–5 minutes eastbound,[27] Off-Peak = 3 tph to Uxbridge and 3 tph to Rayners Lane, Peak = 6 tph to Uxbridge and 6 tph to Rayners Lane, and every 2–7 minutes westbound to Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 and Terminal 5 or via the Heathrow Terminal 4 loop.[28] Since 16 December 2016, Acton Town is also served by Night Tube trains between Cockfosters and Heathrow Terminal 5.[29]

During occasional closures on the District line, the Piccadilly line provides additional services to serve destinations on the District line such as Ealing Broadway.[13] This is done either by diverting some trains bound for Rayners Lane and Uxbridge, or as a shuttle from Acton Town.[13] Also, Piccadilly line trains may also run on the District line tracks between Hammersmith and Acton Town to serve the District line stations with no platforms on the Piccadilly line,[13] namely Ravenscourt Park, Stamford Brook, Turnham Green and Chiswick Park.[note 4]

Connections

London Bus routes 70, E3, and night route N11 serve the station.

  • A row of London Underground D78 stock trains in old painted livery at Acton Depot viewed from Gunnersbury lane
  • Electric locomotive at Acton Town. This shows an example of the class of 20 electric locomotives introduced by the Metropolitan Railway from 1922 onwards. The example shown here is No. 12, Sarah Siddons.

Notes and references

Notes
  1. Page 1: Acton Town – Lift access between street and platform[1]
  2. The branch was also known as the "There and back while the kettle boils" branch because of the short distance and quick turnaround at South Acton.[16]
  3. Sudbury Town, the first station to be rebuilt in 1931, formed a template for many of the other new stations that followed, including Acton Town: a tall rectangular brick box with a flat concrete slab roof and panels of vertical glazing to allow light into the interior. Holden called them his "brick boxes with concrete lids".[22] The Sudbury Town pattern was reproduced with adaptations at Alperton, Eastcote, Northfields, Oakwood, Rayners Lane, Sudbury Hill and Turnpike Lane. However, Alperton station is not a listed building.
  4. Ravenscourt Park has four platforms, two platforms for each line[16] but the Piccadilly line platforms are rarely used.[13] Stamford Brook has three platforms, one island and one side platform.[16] The island platform is used by westbound District and Piccadilly line services while the side platform is used by eastbound District line services only.[16] Note that the Piccadilly line platform is also not frequently used.[13] Piccadilly line services call at Turnham Green in the early mornings and late evenings only.[8][13]

References
  1. "Avoiding stairs Tube guide" (PDF). Transport for London. May 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 September 2019.
  2. "Multi-year station entry-and-exit figures (2007–2017)" (XLSX). London Underground station passenger usage data. Transport for London. January 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  3. "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  5. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1263471)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  6. Historic England. "Acton Town London Regional Transport Underground Station (1263471)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  7. "Initial Consultation on Possible Residents' Parking Schemes – Acton Town and Chiswick Main line station areas" (PDF). Hounslow Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  8. Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. May 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  9. Historic England. "Detailed Result:Acton Town Station (508142)". PastScape. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  10. "Acton Town Tube Station". Google Maps. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  11. "Research Guide No 18: Transport for London and Predecessors Non-Operational Premises Post 1933" (PDF). TfL Corporate Archives Research Guides. Transport for London. 18 March 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  12. "What's On – Museum Depot". London Transport Museum. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  13. Feather, Clive. "Piccadilly line". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  14. "Frank Pick House, Acton". flickr. 8 October 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  15. Glinert 2012.
  16. Feather, Clive. "District line". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  17. Greathead 1896, p. 7.
  18. Feather, Clive. "Waterloo & City line". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  19. Day & Reed 2008, p. 56.
  20. "District line – South Acton to Acton Town". Abandoned Stations. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  21. "16 London Underground Stations Listed at Grade II". English Heritage. 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015.
  22. Orsini 2010.
  23. "Stations that it takes the longest to travel between". Tube Facts and Figures. Geofftech. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  24. Spittles, David (28 April 2014). "Map your house hunting future: new homes hotspots along the Piccadilly line". Evening Standard. London. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  25. "District line timetable: From Acton Town Underground Station to Chiswick Park Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  26. "District line timetable: From Acton Town Underground Station to Ealing Common Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  27. "Piccadilly line timetable: From Acton Town Underground Station to Arnos Grove Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  28. "Piccadilly line timetable: From Acton Town Underground Station to South Ealing Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  29. Standard Night Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Transport for London. May 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2020.

Further reading
  • Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
  • Day, John R.; Reed, John (2008) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground (10th ed.). Harrow: Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-316-7.
  • Glinert, Ed (2012). The London Compendium. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0-71819-203-7.
  • Greathead, James Henry (1896). "The City and South London Railway". with some Remarks Upon Subaqueous Tunnelling by Shield and Compressed Air. With an abstract of the discussion upon the paper. London: The Institution of Civil Engineers. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  • Jowett, A. (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas. Atlantic Publishing. ISBN 0-906899-99-0.
  • Orsini, Fiona (2010). Underground Journeys: Charles Holden's designs for London Transport (PDF). V&A + RIBA Architecture Partnership. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
District line
Piccadilly line
Early morning and late evening service only
towards Cockfosters
towards Cockfosters
Piccadilly line
Early mornings and late evenings service only
towards Cockfosters
towards Cockfosters
  Former services  
Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
Terminus   District line
South Acton branch
(1905–1959)		   South Acton
Terminus
District line
Hounslow branch
(1883–1964)
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