Rayners Lane tube station

Rayners Lane is a London Underground station in the district of Rayners Lane in north west London, amid a 1930s development originally named Harrow Garden Village. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan Line, between Eastcote and West Harrow stations, and the Piccadilly Line, between Eastcote and South Harrow stations. The station is located to the west of the junction of Rayners Lane, Alexandra Avenue and Imperial Drive (A4090). It is in Travelcard Zone 5. The railway line here is considered to be the border of North Harrow and South Harrow. This is also where both the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines share track to Uxbridge and separate going towards Central London.

The Metropolitan Railway (Harrow & Uxbridge Railway) constructed the line between Harrow on the Hill and Uxbridge and commenced services on 4 July 1904 with, initially, Ruislip being the only intermediate stop. At first, services were operated by steam trains, but track electrification was completed in the subsequent months and electric trains began operating on 1 January 1905.

Progressive development in the north Middlesex area over the next two decades lead to the gradual opening of additional stations along the Uxbridge branch to encourage the growth of new residential areas. Rayners Lane opened as "Rayners Lane Halt" on 26 May 1906.

On 1 March 1910, an extension of the District Line was opened from South Harrow to connect with the Metropolitan Railway at Rayners Lane junction east of the station enabling District Line trains to serve stations between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge from that date. On 23 October 1933 District Line services were replaced by Piccadilly Line trains. The station was rebuilt in the early 1930s to a design by Charles Holden which features the large cube-shaped brick and glass ticket hall capped with a flat reinforced concrete roof and geometrical forms typical of the new stations built in this period.

To the west of the station, there is a reversing siding between the running tracks and, during the day, half of the Piccadilly line service reverses here. Two sidings are located south of the station but these are no longer used: there is no connection with the running lines.

Transport connections

Bus routes 398, 615, H9, H10 and H12 serve the station.

External links

* [http://photos.ltmcollection.org London's Transport Photographic Archive]
** ltmcollection|9n/i0000k9n.jpg|Platforms at Rayners Lane station, 1934 One platform shows a London Underground style roundel name board, the other a Metropolitan Railway Diamond name board.
** ltmcollection|6r/i000026r.jpg|New station building, 1938
** ltmcollection|85/i0000i85.jpg|View of platforms, 1938

Gallery