Kilburn tube station

Kilburn serves the area of the name itself, which is a moderate commercial district and dense residential suburb. The place was said to be named after Cylla, then a Saxon, or from the 1121 Saxon term "Cuneburna" for "the cattle stream".[6] The earliest settlements near the station date back to 1847.[7] The station is on the A5 Kilburn High Road or Shoot-up Hill. The road connects several stations including Brondesbury and Kilburn High Road. Nearby landmarks include the Red Lion, Kiln Theatre, Kilburn Grange Park, ICMP London and Kingsgate Primary School.[8]

The Metropolitan Railway (MR) first opened a separate line called the Metropolitan and St. John's Wood Railway (M&SJWR) from Baker Street to Swiss Cottage. Due to low passenger numbers, the MR was considering options to extend the M&SJWR further to provide new routes into Central London.[9][10][note 1] Permission was granted to extend the line up to Harrow via Kilburn in 1874.[13]

The station opened as Kilburn and Brondesbury on 24 November 1879[7] which formed part of the extension to Willesden Green.[14] As there was an increase in traffic, the tracks from Finchley Road to Harrow (now Harrow-on-the-Hill) were to be quadrupled. Four-track operation started between Finchley Road and Kilburn in 1913, extending to Wembley Park in 1915.[15] This created a bottleneck between Finchley Road and Baker Street.[16]

On 1 July 1933, the MR amalgamated with other Underground railways, tramway companies and bus operators to form the London Passenger Transport Board, and the MR became the Metropolitan line of London Transport.[17] Due to a bottleneck between Finchley Road and Baker Street, the Bakerloo line was to extend to Finchley Road and Stanmore to relieve congestion on the Metropolitan line. The extension would also take over the intermediate stations, including Kiburn. Construction began in 1936 and Kilburn became part of the Stanmore branch of the Bakerloo line on 20 November 1939,[18] at which time the station was extensively rebuilt.[6] Metropolitan line services through the station ceased on 7 December 1940, where services were fully transferred to the Bakerloo line.[19] The station was renamed to its current name on 25 September 1950.[6]

During World War II and throughout the 1950s and early 1960s consideration was given to various routes connecting north-west and south-east London via Central London. The Victoria line was given priority and it was not until after construction of that line started that detailed planning began for the new line. It was planned to run in an east–west direction along Fleet Street, and was to be named the Fleet line.[20] Lack of funding meant that only the first stage of the proposed line, from Baker Street to Charing Cross was approved in July 1969; funding was agreed in August 1971.[21][note 2] Construction began in 1972.[23] In 1977, the name of the line was changed to the Jubilee line, to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee that year.[24][note 3] Trial running of trains began in August 1978 and the Jubilee line opened on 1 May the next year.[26][27] The line had been officially opened by Prince Charles the previous day, starting with a train journey from Green Park to Charing Cross.[27] This replaced the Stanmore branch of the Bakerloo line, with the initial section operating between Stanmore and Charing Cross.[6][19][28][note 4]

The viaduct at Kilburn, spelling out the words "Metropolitan Railway".

One of the bridges just beyond the station which carries the four-track line over the A5 Kilburn High Road (then known as Watling Street) has the company name "METROPOLITAN RAILWAY" fixed on the sides of the viaduct. The numbers on the viaduct read "1914", around the time when the Metropolitan Railway quadrupled its tracks from Finchley Road to Harrow-on-the-Hill.[8][15][32]

In 2005, major refurbishing works took place, which involved the station being fully repainted, receiving a new CCTV system, better lighting, upgraded PA systems, new toilets, and new train indicator boards at the ticket hall and platform level. A lift was also installed at the station to provide step-free access from street to platform level. Heritage features were also retained throughout the refurbishment.[33][34]