West Hampstead Thameslink railway station

West Hampstead Thameslink
New station building which opened in November 2011
West Hampstead Thameslink Location of West Hampstead Thameslink in Greater London
Location	West Hampstead
Local authority	London Borough of Camden
Managed by	Thameslink
Station code	WHP
DfT category	E
Number of platforms	4
Accessible	Yes
Fare zone	2
OSI	West Hampstead [1] West Hampstead
National Rail annual entry and exit
2008–09	2.318 million[2]
— interchange	0.139 million[2]
2010–11	2.576 million[2]
— interchange	0.413 million[2]
2011–12	2.778 million[2]
— interchange	0.533 million[2]
2012–13	2.817 million[2]
— interchange	0.510 million[2]
2013–14	3.289 million[2]
— interchange	0.678 million[2]
Railway companies
Original company	Midland Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 March 1871	Opened as West End for Kilburn and Hampstead
1 July 1903	Renamed West End
1 April 1904	Renamed West End and Brondesbury
1 September 1905	Renamed West Hampstead
25 September 1950	Renamed West Hampstead Midland
16 May 1988	Renamed West Hampstead Thameslink
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
London Transport portal UK Railways portalCoordinates: 51°32′54″N 0°11′35″W / 51.5484°N 0.1930°W

West Hampstead Thameslink is a National Rail station on the Midland Main Line and is served by Thameslink trains as part of the Thameslink route between Kentish Town and Cricklewood. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2. East Midlands Trains InterCity services from Leeds, Sheffield and Leicester run through at high speed, but do not stop. Interchange with InterCity services can be made at Luton and St Pancras International.

History

First Capital Connect EMU 319368 calls with a Sutton Loop service.

The station was built by the Midland Railway on its extension to St. Pancras, to serve the newly developed area around the hamlet of West End. It opened on 1 March 1871, and was originally named West End for Kilburn and Hampstead.^[3]

For a short period from 1878 the station formed part of the Super Outer Circle, Midland trains running through from St Pancras to Earl's Court via Acton Central and Turnham Green.^[4]

It was renamed several times: to West End on 1 July 1903; to West End and Brondesbury on 1 April 1904; to West Hampstead on 1 September 1905; West Hampstead Midland on 25 September 1950; and finally West Hampstead Thameslink on 16 May 1988.^[3] It was popular for many years for people taking a day out on Hampstead Heath and those visiting the chalybeate springs in Hampstead itself.^[5]

Oyster Pay as you go was introduced in late 2007.

From March 2009, Southeastern and Thameslink began running some peak hour trains from Sevenoaks to Luton,^[6] though in the off-peak these services turn back at Kentish Town.

Stations in West Hampstead
Legend
Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham LU Jubilee and Metropolitan lines Thameslink and Midland Main Line North London Line to Richmond London Overground station Thameslink station West Hampstead(on West End Lane) LU Jubilee line station Finchley Road OSI: Finchley Road(MR) (1868-1927) Finchley Road & Frognal OSI: North London Line to Stratford Thameslink and Midland Main Line LU Jubilee and Metropolitan lines Chiltern Main Line to Marylebone
OSI = Out of station interchange

Proposed developments

West Hampstead station linkage

The present arrangement of three separate stations (Thameslink, Overground and Jubilee line) means that passengers wishing to change lines must walk along or cross West End Lane, a busy main road. A redevelopment proposal was put forward in 2004 by Chiltern Railways which would link the three West Hampstead stations with subterranean walkways. New platforms would be built for the Chiltern Main Line, and possibly also for the Metropolitan line, and the Thameslink and London Overground (formerly Silverlink) stations would be relocated on the east side of West End Lane.^[7] The redevelopment would involve demolishing existing buildings and the redevelopment of West End Lane as "a tree-lined boulevard".^[8][9] The plans were put on hold in 2007 due to uncertainty over the North London Line rail franchise.^[10]

Additional Thameslink services

Additional trains from destinations across the larger Thameslink network may call at the station from 2018.^[11]

Connections

London Buses routes 139, 328 and C11 serve the station.

Services

As its name suggest, West Hampstead Thameslink is on the Thameslink route, operated by Thameslink. The station is served at all times of the day with an hourly service at night between Bedford and Three Bridges. Off peak, six trains per hour calls, four running between Luton/St Albans to Sutton plus a half-hourly Bedford to Brighton service. At peak hours some Sevenoaks, Rochester and Ashford International trains also serves the station operated jointly by Thameslink. There is also an hourly service to Sevenoaks during the off peak starting from West Hampstead Thameslink.^[12]

References

1. "Out of Station Interchanges" (Microsoft Excel). Transport for London. May 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12.
2. "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
3. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 245. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
4. "Circle Line". Clive's UndergrounD Line Guides. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
5. Radford, B., (1983) Midland Line Memories: a Pictorial History of the Midland Railway Main Line Between London (St Pancras) & Derby London: Bloomsbury Books
6. Train Times - Thameslink Route (PDF). First Capital Connect. March–May 2009. p. 52. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
7. "Planning Framework for West Hampstead Interchange Area Appendix 2". London Borough of Camden. 19 April 2005. p. 25. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
8. "West Hampstead Interchange". AlwaysTouchOut.com. 11 January 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
9. "West Hampstead Interchange Draft Planning Framework". London Borough of Camden. 19 April 2005. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
10. "Station interchange plans put on hold". Camden New Journal. 15 March 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
11. Thameslink Programme: FAQs
12. First Capital Connect: Thameslink Route Timetable B Retrieved 6 January 2014