Wembley Central station

Wembley Central London Underground London Overground National Rail
Wembley Central
Location of Wembley Central in Greater London
Location Wembley
Local authority London Borough of Brent
Managed by London Underground[1]
Owner Network Rail
Station code WMB
DfT category C2
Number of platforms 6 (4 in use)
Accessible Yes [2]
Fare zone 4
London Underground annual entry and exit
2012 Increase 5.18 million[3]
2013 Decrease 4.59 million[3]
2014 Increase 5.52 million[3]
2015 Increase 5.79 million[3]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2006–07 Decrease 0.751 million[4]
2007–08 Increase 1.007 million[4]
2008–09 Increase 1.125 million[4]
2009–10 Increase 1.619 million[4]
2010–11 Increase 2.213 million[4]
2011–12 Increase 2.655 million[4]
2012–13 Decrease 2.523 million[4]
2013–14 Increase 2.973 million[4]
2014–15 Increase 3.172 million[4]
Key dates
1842 Station opened as "Sudbury"
1 May 1882 Renamed "Sudbury & Wembley"
1 November 1910 renamed "Wembley for Sudbury"
16 April 1917 Bakerloo line
1948 Street level buildings reconstructed within shopping arcade
5 July 1948 renamed "Wembley Central"
24 September 1982 Bakerloo line service withdrawn
4 June 1984 Bakerloo line service re-instated
June 2008 Station building demolished for re-development
Other information
Lists of stations
External links
London Transport portal
UK Railways portalCoordinates: 51°33′09″N 0°17′48″W / 51.552633°N 0.29663°W / 51.552633; -0.29663

Wembley Central is an interchange station on a single major route served by London Underground Bakerloo line, London Overground, London Midland and Southern routes. It is on the modest-sized east-west High Road, high street of Wembley, in north-west London. LO trains (3 trains per hour) and Bakerloo line trains use the Watford DC Line platforms on the west side of the station (1 and 2). London Midland and Southern services use the slow line platforms on the east side (5 and 6). Many additional London Midland services stop here when there are events at Wembley Stadium.

History

Brief Details

Accidents and incidents

Services and operations

As of December 2015, the typical Monday-Saturday off-peak service is:[8]

Wembley Central has the appearance of an underground station due to the elevated position of the High Road (where the main entrance was until recently behind a 1940s shopping arcade) and the enclosed nature of the platforms below the raft upon which Station Square is built; it is actually generally at or above the local ground level, having been reconstructed by British Rail in its current form during the 1960s electrification of the West Coast Main Line. It is the first station out of Euston to have platforms on all three pairs of tracks and the combination of the confined space and through trains passing at speed on platforms 3-6 (the main line platforms) create a wind tunnel effect which can be dangerous for passengers.

As a result, the main line platforms (for Southern, London Midland, and Wembley Stadium additional services) are locked out of use for most of the day and entrance is only allowed 10 minutes before the trains are due, the Southern services, which use platforms 5 and 6 (on the slow main line). Passengers alighting from these services must make their way to the end of the platform and staff will lead them out of the station. Gates into these platforms open 10 minutes before the train is expected to arrive.

The station was modernised in 2006 with additional safety features.[9]

When a major event occurs at Wembley Stadium, all London Midland services call here always stopping at platforms 5 and 6. Virgin Trains' services are formed of trains which are too long for the platforms and take longer to set down and pick up. As a result, these services will make additional stops at Watford Junction or Milton Keynes, for customers to change onto London Midland or Southern services.

Fast London Midland services using platforms 5 & 6 are usually longer than the platforms. So, when trains are formed of more than six coaches, customers wishing to board and alight the train must do so from the front four coaches only. British Transport Police officers maintain a high presence on match days, particularly at this station and on all train services.

Station works

The passenger footbridge at the London end of the station, completed in late 2006 by civil engineers C Spencer Ltd, carries extra foot traffic to and from the platforms during event days at the nearby Wembley Stadium; the everyday access is at the "country" end of the platforms. In practice, this means the bridge is usually locked and out of use, only being opened when the stadium itself is in use.[10]

Other recent works include the resurfacing of platforms 1 and 2 complete with the installation of curved steel cladding panels also completed by contractor, C Spencer Ltd. The station's staff received refurbished messing facilities and new public toilets have also been installed.

In 2011-12, the station was made step-free, in preparation for the Olympics. A step-free route was provided between the station entrance and platforms 1 and 2 for the first time, with the installation of two new lifts and a stair lift. The toilets were refurbished to make them fully accessible. Two platforms were extended as well. This improvement scheme cost £2.5m.[11]

Re-development

In June 2008, the London Borough of Brent (the council of the local area where the station is) planned that the station was going to be demolished for re-development, as part of the Wembley Central Square plan, by St. Modwen construction company (although the plan also included new apartments, shops and open space surface).

Connections

A map of Wembley Stadium in relation to Olympic Way, Wembley Central, Wembley Stadium and Wembley Park stations, and the A406 North Circular road (bottom right)

London Buses routes 18, 79, 83, 92, 182, 204, 223, 224, 297 and H17 and night route N18 serve the station.

References

  1. "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Multi-year station entry-and-exit figures" (XLS). London Underground station passenger usage data. Transport for London. April 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  4. "One of the largest private development schemes of BR air rights in the London area is progressing at Wembley Central". Modern Railways: 351. June 1965.
  5. Earnshaw, Alan (1990). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 6. Penryn: Atlantic Books. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-906899-37-0.
  6. Hall, Stanley (1990). The Railway Detectives. London: Ian Allan. p. 132. ISBN 0 7110 1929 0.
  7. GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Tables 60, 66 & 176 (Network Rail)
  8. "wembleyway newsletter" (PDF). London Borough of Brent. November 2005. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  9. "Wembley Central Station Plan". Network Rail. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  10. "Wembley Central station to be step-free in time for the Olympics". 1 September 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wembley Central station.
Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
Bakerloo line
London Overground
Watford DC Line
towards Euston
National Rail
Harrow & Wealdstone   London Midland
London Euston-Tring
  London Euston
Harrow & Wealdstone   Southern
West London Route
  Shepherd's Bush
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