Kensal Green station

London stations
name = Kensal Green


manager = London Underground [Transport for London - " [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/3736.aspx Safety boost as London Underground to take control of 11 Silverlink stations] " - 5 December 2006.]
zone = 2
locale = Kensal Green
borough = London Borough of Brent
years=1916
events=Opened (LNWR & Bakerloo)
platforms=2
tubeexits05=2.000
tubeexits07=2.387
railcode=KNL
railexits0405 = 0.932
railexits0506 = 0.881
railexits0607 = 0.387

Kensal Green station is a station served by London Underground Bakerloo line and London Overground trains. On both services, the station is between Willesden Junction and Queen's Park stations. It is located in Kensal Green on Mortimer Road close to the junction with Harrow Road. It is in Travelcard Zone 2.

History

The station opened on 1 October 1916 on the existing London and North Western Railway (LNWR) tracks from Euston to Watford.cite web |url=http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/bakerloo.html#dates |title=Bakerloo Line, Dates |work=Clive's Underground Line Guides |accessdate=2008-07-22]

Bakerloo line services had been running between Queen's Park and Willesden Junction since 10 May 1915. It is close to the older Kensal Rise station on the North London Line, which was itself named "Kensal Green" until 1890.

The station was in the news early in 2006, as it was the last station visited by Thomas ap Rhys-Price before he was murdered in a robbery in Kensal Green. The two main suspects had also visited the station that same night, a short time before the murder, and mugged a man on the platform. A suspect also tried to use ap Rhys-Pryce's Oyster Card a day after the incident at the station, and was picked up on CCTV, aiding the Police investigation.

This incident sparked a major public discussion on station safety and security, mainly because the station was un-staffed when the passenger was mugged. The only security present was CCTV cameras, and the ticket barriers were left open allowing the suspects to enter the station freely. Many high-profile politicians spoke on the issue of station safety and called on train companies to provide security or staff the station until the last train had left the station. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, became personally involved in this, and publicly attacked Silverlink, the then operator of the station, for not providing staffing or security throughout the station's opening hours. He also stated that any company that wanted to bid for the subsidy to run the train line would have commit to staffing the station until the last train had left.Eventually, towards the last quarter of 2006, Silverlink hired a private security firm to patrol the station, and also had speakers installed in the ticket hall to deter gangs of youths from loutering.

Since November 2007, main line services have been operated by Transport for London under its London Overground brand.

Gallery

References

ee also

*Kensal Rise railway station
*Murder of Tom ap Rhys Pryce

External links

* [http://photos.ltmcollection.org London Transport Museum Photographic Archive]
**ltmcollection|15/9889115.jpg|Station building, 1928
* [http://www.livedepartureboards.co.uk/ldb/summary.aspx?T=KNL Train times] and [http://nrekb.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/index.html?a=findStation&station_query=KNL station information] for Kensal Green railway station from National Rail (Station code: KNL)

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