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Kensington (Olympia) station

Coordinates: 51°29′55″N 0°12′39″W / 51.4986°N 0.2108°W / 51.4986; -0.2108
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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by NeutralZoneUltra (talk | contribs) at 11:27, 15 April 2019 (→Opening: addition of 'and'). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other places with the same name, see Kensington station (disambiguation).

Kensington (Olympia) London Underground London Overground National Rail
Southbound view from Platform 2
Kensington (Olympia) is located in Greater London
Kensington (Olympia)
Kensington (Olympia)
Location of Kensington (Olympia) in Greater London
LocationOlympia
Local authorityRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Managed byLondon Overground
Station code(s)KPA
DfT categoryC2
Number of platforms3 (2 National Rail)
(1 London Underground)
AccessibleYes[1]
Fare zone2
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019Decrease 0.11 million[2]
2020Decrease 0.04 million[3]
2021Decrease 0.03 million[4]
2022Increase 2.10 million[5]
2023Increase 2.30 million[6]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2013–14Increase 7.291 million[7]
2014–15Decrease 7.249 million[7]
2015–16Increase 10.905 million[7]
2016–17Decrease 4.118 million[7]
2017–18Decrease 4.049 million[7]
Railway companies
Original companyWest London Railway
Pre-groupingWest London Railway
Post-groupingWest London Railway
Key dates
27 May 1844first station opened
1 Dec.1844first station closed
2 June 1862second (present) station opened
1940station closed
1946station reopened
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°29′55″N 0°12′39″W / 51.4986°N 0.2108°W / 51.4986; -0.2108
London transport portal

Kensington (Olympia) is a combined rail and Tube station between Kensington and West Kensington in west London. It is managed and served by London Overground and served by Southern and London Underground. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. On the Underground it is the terminus of a short District line branch, built as part of the Middle Circle, from Template:LUL stations; on the main-line railway it is on the West London Line from Clapham Junction to Template:LUL stations, by which many trains bypass Central London. The station's name is drawn from its location in Kensington and the adjacent Olympia exhibition centre.

Location

The station is located alongside the namesake Olympia and forms a borough boundary, shared by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, the platforms accessed by Russell Road and Olympia Way respectively.[8] London Buses routes 9, 23, 27, 28, 49, 391, C1; night routes N9, N28 routes and Green Line Coaches services 701 and 702 call and pass the station.[9]

Name

The station appears in some National Rail maps and timetables as Kensington Olympia but on London Underground and London Overground maps and station signage as Kensington (Olympia) (also used on the latest National Rail "London Connections" map).[10] The variant with brackets is in the London Railway Atlas, published by Ian Allan in 2009.[11] On the automated announcements[12] and the dot matrix indicators on District line trains, the station is shown as Olympia. 'Addison Road Station' appears sculpted into a wall on the eastern pedestrian exit from the station.

History

Opening

A station was opened by the West London Railway as its southern terminus on 27 May 1844 as Kensington, just south of Hammersmith Road. The line was not popular and it was closed on 1 December that year due to the losses made, but a scant and erratic goods service continued.[13][14] The line was re-opened to passengers on 2 June 1862, with a new station, also called Kensington, to the north of Hammersmith Road.[13] Great Western Railway trains started serving the station in 1863, with London & North Western Railway trains arriving in 1872.[15] A link to the Hammersmith & City Railway enabled the Middle Circle service to operate via Paddington to the north and South Kensington to the south.[16][17] The station was renamed Kensington Addison Road in 1868.[13]

From 1869, the London & South Western Railway operated trains from Richmond to London Waterloo via Addison Road, until their branch via Shepherd's Bush closed in 1916.[18] By 1907 the Middle Circle had been replaced by a link to Hammersmith.[19] The station appears on the first 'London Underground' map in 1908 with Metropolitan and District Railway services.[20]

There was an Express Dairies creamery and milk bottling plant close to the station served by milk trains from the Great Western Railway from Old Oak Common to a siding adjacent to the station.[21]

Decline

In 1940, Addison Road and the link to the Metropolitan line at Latimer Road closed along with the other West London Line stations after the line was bombed and not considered effective to rebuild.[22] Due to its ability to access all lines radiating from London, and its close location to SHAEF headquarters as well as its relative quietness compared to the main London termini, it became the preferred embarkation point for US Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II.[23]

On 19 December 1946, the station was renamed Kensington (Olympia)[13] and became the northern terminus of a peak-hour shuttle service to Clapham Junction, which was mainly for workers at the Post Office Savings Bank (later National Savings Bank) in nearby Blythe Road.[24][25] There was also a District line shuttle to Earl's Court, as the station had been left without a dedicated Underground connection.[26] The service originally only ran when there was an exhibition at the centre, but a permanent platform opened on 3 March 1958.[27]

The West London Line has always been a main freight route from north of London to the south-east of England, but passenger services at Kensington (Olympia) were minimal, although it was used briefly as a terminus during reconstruction and upgrading of mainline London terminal stations.[28] Until 1986, the only British Rail trains were the peak-hour shuttle service to Clapham Junction (operated by Western Region diesel trains) on the Southern Region. This service, known as the "Kenny Belle" was unadvertised, reportedly because it served traffic for the Post Office Savings Bank which was under the Official Secrets Act. The line was recommended for closure in the Beeching Report.[29]

Cold War

Kensington (Olympia) was included in Cold War plans to ensure continuity of government in the event of hostilities. If the government took the decision to active its Central Government War Headquarters in Wiltshire civil servants tasked with manning the facility would have been directed to join trains at this station; These trains would have connected with buses at Warminster for further transfer to the headquarters facility.[30]

The link to the Great Western Main Line at North Pole Junction, 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north, avoiding Paddington station, meant that the station was to play an important role in the Cold War should a nuclear exchange have seemed likely.[31] Secret plans entailed use of the station, in the prelude to a nuclear war, to evacuate several thousand civil servants to the Central Government War Headquarters underground bunker (codenamed "Burlington") in Wiltshire.[32][33][34]

Motorail

The former Motorail terminal, seen here in 2009. Since Motorail services here ceased, the building has been designated "Olympia Motorail Car Park P4".

In 1966, Kensington (Olympia) became the main London terminus for British Rail Motorail trains, which carried passengers and vehicles across Britain.[35] In the London Midland Region timetable for 1970–71 services are shown to Perth, Stirling, Carlisle, St Austell, Totnes, Newton Abbot and Fishguard (connecting with the ferry for Rosslare).[36] This facility closed in 1981 with operations transferred to Paddington, Euston and King's Cross.[37]

The car park for the service is now used by Earls Court Olympia for exhibition vehicles, and Europcar for car rental and is called "Olympia Motorail Car Park P4".[38][39]

Revival

From 12 May 1986, services at the station were greatly enhanced. The London Underground shuttle service started to run to a regular daily schedule, and the inter-regional services from the Midlands and northern England were increased in frequency and now stopped at the station. Southern Region destinations included Brighton and Dover Western Docks.[40] As part of this the footbridge was painted in InterCity colours.[41] These were operated by the InterCity division of British Rail, then after privatisation by Virgin CrossCountry and later CrossCountry. Destinations included Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley, but by the time these services were withdrawn in October 2008 only two daily Brighton–Manchester journeys were operated.[42][43] The station was part of the London Station Group, accepting "London Terminals" tickets, until it was delisted May 1994.[44] The same year, a full passenger service between Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction was reinstated after a gap of 54 years.[11]

There were two bay platforms on the south-eastern side mainly used by services from Clapham Junction. In the early 1990s these were filled in and the southbound platform loop closed, with a shorter platform on the southbound main line built over the loop – longer southbound trains now cross to the northbound loop to stop. The land behind the southbound platform was sold for redevelopment.[citation needed] One of the former platforms is now Olympia Garden, a community garden with 89 vegetable plots.[45]

Before the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was proposed in 1996, Kensington (Olympia) was planned to be expanded to accommodate a car terminal for international services. The line would have run via the West London and South Eastern Main Lines to Folkestone Central before entering the tunnel.[46] The planned Regional Eurostar and Nightstar services were to call at platform 2 to undertake border control procedures. The services to Plymouth and Swansea were scheduled to change motive power from a British Rail Class 92 to a Class 37/6 here.[citation needed] Before Eurostar transferred in November 2007 to St Pancras International, Eurostar trains passed through the station going from Waterloo International station to North Pole depot, and the station was a backup terminus for the services should Waterloo International have become unusable with immigration facilities maintained there.[47][48]

In June 2011, Transport for London (TfL) announced that the District line shuttle between Kensington (Olympia) and Earl's Court would close on weekdays at the end of the year.[49][50] The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea unsuccessfully protested against the closure, and general weekday services ceased in December 2011. Some special weekday continue to run on the District line when there is an exhibition on.[51] In 2012, TfL announced plans introduce ticket gates at the station to combat fare dodgers, which would remove access to the footbridge used by local residents for years. Both the councils within whose boundaries this station falls challenged this loss of an established right of way. The plan was abandoned the following year.[52]

Services

National Rail

London Overground Class 378 at Kensington Olympia

National Rail services are provided by London Overground and Southern.

The London Overground services in trains per hour are:

Southern operate between Milton Keynes Central and East Croydon, typically once an hour.[54]

District line

The District line shuttle to Earl's Court and High Street Kensington runs at weekends and a very limited service also operates during the early morning and evening each weekday. There is no service New Year's Eve or New Year's Day when these days fall on or partly on a weekend.[55]

  • Post Office workers' train from Clapham Jct, 1968
    Post Office workers' train from Clapham Jct, 1968
  • Looking north 1968
    Looking north 1968
  • London Underground work train heads south to Lillie Bridge, 1968
    London Underground work train heads south to Lillie Bridge, 1968
  • Former station entrance sign, showing the original Addison Road name
    Former station entrance sign, showing the original Addison Road name
  • Kensington Olympia in 1988
    Kensington Olympia in 1988
  • Silverlink EMUs 313122 and 313123 at Olympia
    Silverlink EMUs 313122 and 313123 at Olympia
  • Aerial view
    Aerial view
  • Current (right) and former (left) southbound platforms
    Current (right) and former (left) southbound platforms
  • Main-line platforms
    Main-line platforms
  • Overground platform signage, installed 2007.
    Overground platform signage, installed 2007.
  • Underground platform signage
    Underground platform signage
  • Overground station roundel
    Overground station roundel

References

Citations

  1. ^ "TFL: Standard Tube Map" (PDF). Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  2. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  8. ^ "Royal Borough Map" (PDF). Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Kensington Olympia". Transport for London. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  10. ^ "National Rail Enquiries — Maps". Nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  11. ^ a b London Railway Atlas, J. Brown (Ian Allan, 2009)
  12. ^ Brackschulze, Kai. "Announcements London Underground District line". haltestellenansage.de. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d Butt 1995, p. 130.
  14. ^ Wolmar 2012, p. 67.
  15. ^ Davies & Grant 1983, pp. 116–117.
  16. ^ Day & Reed 2010, p. 20.
  17. ^ Bruce 1983, p. 11.
  18. ^ Davies & Grant 1983, pp. 86, 120.
  19. ^ Day & Reed 2010, p. 80.
  20. ^ Wolmar 2012, Facing p. 162.
  21. ^ "The Torrington Milk Train". SVS Films. 21 January 2012.
  22. ^ Davies & Grant 1983, p. 120.
  23. ^ "Special GWR Train Used by Eisenhower, June 1944 – JONES, Gwyn Briwnant". National Museum Wales.
  24. ^ Glover 2012, pp. 35–36.
  25. ^ Cherry, B.; Pevsner, N. (2002). The Buildings of England, London 3: The North West. London: Yale University Press. p. 223.
  26. ^ Horne 2006, p. 73.
  27. ^ "Latimer Road – Uxbridge Road and Single Line to Olympia" (PDF). London Underground Railway Society. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  28. ^ Davies & Grant 1983, p. 86.
  29. ^ "A Beeching Epilogue: The Curious Case of the Clapham Junction Ghost Train". London Reconnections. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  30. ^ Government War Book (1962), volume 2, Appendix B. Available at the National Archives as CAB 175/13
  31. ^ "1960s: Cold War cabinet seeks headquarters to withstand nuclear war". The Times. 30 December 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "Page 5". Subbrit.org.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  33. ^ U.K. Government War Book 1962 National Archives Reference CAB 175/13.
  34. ^ Hennessy, Peter (2010). The Secret State : Preparing for the Worst 1945–2010 (2nd ed.). London: Penguin Books. p. 275. ISBN 9780141044699.
  35. ^ "When Trains Take The Strain : Why Motorail needs a UK Comeback". The Independent. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  36. ^ London Midland Passenger Timetable 4 May 1970 – 2 May 1971, pp.51–53.
  37. ^ "In brief" Railway Gazette International January 1982 page 20
  38. ^ kpmarek No real name given + Add Contact (2 May 2009). "Olympia Motorail Car Park | Flickr – Photo Sharing!". Flickr. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  39. ^ "London Kensington Car Rental". Europcar. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  40. ^ "BR launches service to skirt London". The Times. 10 May 1986. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  41. ^ "London Underground Ltd and Rapid Transit: Kensington Olympia". Journal of the Transport Ticket Society (266). Luton: Transport Ticket Society: 78. February 1986. ISSN 0144-347X.
  42. ^ Elliott, Emily-Ann (12 October 2008). "Train services from Brighton withdrawn". The Argus. Newsquest Media Group. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ "The Rise and Fall of Cross Country Train Services to and from Brighton". Andy Gibbs. 15 December 2014. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ NFM 57. National Fares Manuals. London: British Railways Board. May 1994. Section A.
  45. ^ "Olympia Garden". Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  46. ^ Gourvish, Terry (2006). The Official History of Britain and the Channel Tunnel. Routledge. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-134-16544-5.
  47. ^ "Belgian Branch Line News 1996". Ccl.kuleuven.be. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  48. ^ The Committee Office, House of Commons. "House of Commons – Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs – Fifth Report". Parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ "Save the Earl's Court to Olympia District line service". Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  50. ^ "London Underground announces plan for new District line timetable". Transport for London. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  51. ^ Kensington Olympia Exhibition Centre travel (PDF) (Report). Transport for London. September 2013. p. 3. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  52. ^ "Pedestrian access maintained across Kensington Olympia Station footbridge". Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  53. ^ Table 59 & 176 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  54. ^ Table 66 & 176 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  55. ^ Matters, Transport for London | Every Journey. "Tube, Overground, TfL Rail, DLR & Tram status updates". Transport for London.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kensington Olympia station.
Preceding station   London Overground   Following station
Template:LOG lines
National Rail National Rail
Shepherd's Bush   Southern
West London Route 		  Template:LUL stations
Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
TerminusTemplate:LUL lines
Olympia branch (limited)
  Disused Railways  
National Rail National Rail
Template:LUL stations
Line open, station closed 		  West London Line   Template:LUL stations
Line and station open
Shepherd's Bush
Line and station closed 		  L&SWR   Template:LUL stations
Line and station open
Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
Template:LUL stations
towards Template:LUL stations 		style="background:#Template:LUL color; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   Metropolitan line style="background:#Template:LUL color; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   Terminus

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