London Euston Station (EUS)

Address: Euston Road, London NW1 2RT
Opened: 20th July 1837
Station Code: EUS
Fare Zone: `1

London Overground Line(s) Served:

Watford DC Lines

Service Pattern(s):

4 trains per hour to Watford Junction

Interchange(s)

London Underground: Northern and Victoria Lines (OSI: Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines from Euston Square)
National Rail: Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway, Caledonian Sleeper

Station History

The original Euston station was planned by George and Robert Stephenson and designed by Philip Hardwick, before being built by William Cubitt and opened as their terminus by the London & Birmingham Railway on 20th July 1837.

The original terminus comprised two platforms with a wrought iron roof. The station facilities were expanded in 1846 after the London and Birmingham Railway was amalgamated with other companies to form the London and North Western Railway, including the construction of two additional platforms which opened that year and the Great Hall on 27 May 1849, replacing the existing trainsheds.

Further expansion was achieved in 1863 with the opening of a bay platform for services to Kensington (Addison Road), followed by another pair of mainline platforms opened in 1873.

The expansion continued following the growth of long-distance rail travel, with the station’s West side being extensively remodelled and extended in 1887, followed by another pair of platforms being added in 1891 and a further four, along with a booking office on Drummond Street, being opened on 1st July 1892.

Beginning in 1901, the lines from the station were doubled to Camden opening in 1906, before an extra pair of lines (which were to become the Watford DC Lines) were constructed as part of the ‘New Line’ project in 1912.

Grouping of the Railways following the Railways Act 1921 saw the LNWR absorbed into the new London Midland and Scottish Railway, commencing operation on 1st January 1923. The new entity quickly realised that Eustoin was becoming congested and set about finding a site for a new station. A site closer to Camden Town was identified and the LMS secured a Government loan guarantee to facilitate its construction in 1935.

Architect Percy Thomas was appointed to produce designs for the new station in 1937 with redevelopment works commencing on 12th July 1938. However, the project was shelved indefinitely due to the outbreak of World War II.

Nationalisation of the railways in 1948 saw the LMS become part of British Railways Midland Region. It was under BR that Euston was renovated in 1953 to repair some of the bomb damage inflicted during the war.

British Railways announced in 1959 that Euston would be completely rebuilt as part of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line. Permission for the rebuild was granted by the London County Council on the condition that the station’s Doric Arch be resited and restored to its original condition, however, British Railways considered the cost of the project made it unviable.

Demolition of the Arch and the Great Hall began on 6th November 1961 and was completed four months later. The new station was constructed to a design by the architects of the London Midland Region with construction commencing in the summer of 1962 and the newly constructed platforms opening on 3rd January 1966.

Further station development occurred in 1979 with the addition of three low-rise office blocks, a pedestrianised plaza and a bus station at the front of the station building.

Ownership of London Euston passed from British Rail to Railtrack in 1994 before passing to Network Rail in 2002 following Railtrack’s collapse.