Piccadilly line: Difference between revisions

Stations in central London were rebuilt to cater for a higher volume of passenger traffic. To prepare for the [[Second World War]], some stations were equipped with shelters and basic amenities, and others with [[blast wall]]s. Construction of the [[Victoria line]], the first section of which opened in 1968, helped to relieve congestion on the Piccadilly line; some sections of the Piccadilly had to be rerouted for [[cross-platform interchange]] with the new line. Several plans were made to extend the Piccadilly line to serve Heathrow Airport. The earliest approval was given in 1967, and the Heathrow extension opened in stages between 1975 and 1977. This served only Terminals 2 and 3 and the former Terminal 1. The line was extended again twice, to Terminal 4 via a loop in 1986, and to Terminal 5 directly from the main terminal station in 2008.

 

==Route==

The Piccadilly line is a {{convert|73.97|km|mi|2|abbr=on|order=flip}} long north–west line, with two western branches splitting at [[Acton Town tube station|Acton Town]], serving 53 stations.<ref name=tubemap/><ref name=culgcalculations>Calculations were based on the mileage given in the reference. {{cite web |url=http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/piccadilly.html#layout |title=Piccadilly Line – Layout |work=Clive's Underground Line Guides |last=Feather |first=Clive |date=8 May 2020 |access-date=5 August 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726113358/http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/piccadilly.html |archive-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> At the northern end, [[Cockfosters tube station|Cockfosters]] is a four-platform three-track terminus, and the line runs at surface level to just south of [[Oakwood tube station|Oakwood]]. [[Southgate tube station|Southgate station]] is in a tunnel, with tunnel portals to the north and south. Due to the difference in terrain, [[Arnos Park Viaduct|a viaduct]] carries the tracks through [[Arnos Park]] to [[Arnos Grove tube station|Arnos Grove]].{{sfn|Horne|2007|pp=78–79}} The line then descends into twin tube tunnels, passing through [[Wood Green tube station|Wood Green]], [[Finsbury Park tube station|Finsbury Park]] and central London. The central area contains stations close to tourist attractions, such as the [[London Transport Museum]], [[Harrods]], [[Buckingham Palace]] and [[Piccadilly Circus]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://media.timeout.com/images/105275094/image.jpg |title=Out and about on the Piccadilly line |publisher=[[Transport for London]] |access-date=4 October 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004100724/https://media.timeout.com/images/105275094/image.jpg |archive-date=4 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com.my/maps/place/Leicester+Square+Station/@51.5482801,-0.329954,28158m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487604cd91e8c0f7:0xde0fdd0b8f9a7fcb!8m2!3d51.511451!4d-0.1281439?hl=en |title=Piccadilly line |access-date=4 October 2020}}</ref> The {{convert|15.3|km|mi|2|abbr=on|order=flip}} tunnel ends east of [[Barons Court tube station|Barons Court]], where the line continues west, parallel to the [[District line]], to Acton Town. A [[flying junction]], in use since 10 February 1910, separates trains going to the [[Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 tube station|Heathrow]] branch from the [[Uxbridge tube station|Uxbridge]] branch.{{sfn|Horne|2007|p=46}}<ref name=piccfactstfl>{{cite web |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/keyfacts/13175.aspx |title=Piccadilly line facts |publisher=[[Transport for London]] |access-date=20 August 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210035233/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/keyfacts/13175.aspx |archive-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>