Alperton Station
Address: Ealing Rd, Wembley, Middlesex HA0 4LL
Opened: 28th June 1903
Station Code: ALP
Fare Zone: 4
London Underground Line(s) Served:
Piccadilly Line
Service Pattern(s):
Off-Peak
6 trains per hour to Cockfosters
3 trains per hour to Rayners Lane
3 trains per hour to Uxbridge
Peak
12 trains per hour to Cockfosters
6 trains per hour to Rayners Lane
6 trains per hour to Uxbridge
OSI:
N/A
Station History
With the desire of the District Railway to extend its network from Ealing to Harrow and Uxbridge, a route was surveyed to Roxeth (South Harrow) in 1892. Two years later, an Act of Parliament, namely the Ealing and South Harrow Railway Act 1894 was passed.
Construction of the new line commenced in 1897 and was completed, along with its stations by the end of 1899 although low traffic prospects meant that it remained unopened.
In fact, it was four years until the line, and ‘Perivale Alperton’ Station opened for traffic on 28th June 1903. From the start, services were provided by electric traction, the first non-deep level service to be operated this way.
On 7th October 1910, the station was renamed to Alperton.
Before the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the decision was taken to withdraw District Railway services from the line and replace them with the Piccadilly Line via an extension from the original terminus at Hammersmith. As part of this extension, the original District Railway station buildings were demolished and a replacement, designed by Charles Holden and Stanley Heaps, was constructed between 1931-2 with Piccadilly Line services commencing on 4 July 1932
The night of 2nd March 1944 saw heavy bombing by the German Luftwaffe across the local area, and severe damage was caused to the line just west of Alperton resulting in services through the station being withdrawn for five days.
At the end of the Festival of Britain in September 1951, one of the wooden escalators from the Dome of Discovery was dismantled, relocated and installed at the station from the ticket hall up to the Eastbound platform, opening in 1955.
After the King’s Cross fire in 1987, several recommendations were made to improve safety and fire protection. As a result of these recommendations, the escalator at Alperton was taken out of use in 1988. However, due to the costs associated, and the amount of work required, the escalator remains in place to this day, although it was bricked in and is only accessible via locked doors at either end.
More information about the station and its escalator can be found in the excellent Hidden London Hangouts video below.
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