Brixton is a London Underground station on Brixton Road in Brixton in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London. The station is the southern terminus of the Victoria line. The station is known to have the largest London Underground roundel on the network.[9] The next station is Stockwell.[10]

Brixton London Underground
Station entrance
Brixton is located in Greater London
Brixton
Brixton
Location of Brixton in Greater London
LocationBrixton
Local authorityLondon Borough of Lambeth
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2
AccessibleYes[1][2]
Fare zone2
OSIBrixton National Rail[3]
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019Increase 32.03 million[4]
2020Decrease 12.74 million[5]
2021Increase 12.83 million[6]
2022Increase 21.32 million[7]
2023Decrease 20.17 million[8]
Key dates
23 July 1971Opened (Victoria line)
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°27′45″N 0°06′54″W / 51.4626°N 0.1149°W / 51.4626; -0.1149
London transport portal

History

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The City and Brixton Railway had planned to link Brixton with Central London by underground railway in 1897 but was unable to raise funds for construction.

Brixton station on the Victoria line was opened on 23 July 1971 by the London Transport Executive.[11] It has high usage for an inner suburban station with 33.46 million entries and exits during 2016 making it the 19th busiest station by this measure.[12]

In the 2000s, the station was extensively refurbished and upgraded, with a new external façade and entrance lobby, installation of step-free access, together with refurbishment of a number of smaller retail outlets and the ticket office.[13] The refurbishment started in 2001, step-free access work was completed in 2005, and the station upgrade was completed in 2010.[14] The station was briefly closed for asbestos removal in 2006.[citation needed] The refurbishment works were a long drawn out process.[15] New panels and lighting have been installed in the escalator shaft.[15]

Design

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From the ticket hall, three escalators take passengers to and from the platforms. There are also passenger lifts between street level, the ticket hall and the platforms to provide step free access.[1][2] The station is laid out as a two-track terminus with a scissors crossover north of the station, and the line continues for a short distance south of the station platforms to form a pair of sidings.[16]

The 'Underground' logo, or otherwise known 'roundel' on the façade of the station building is the largest on the London Underground network

Artwork

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As with all Victoria line stations, the platforms feature tiled murals in the seat recesses – the work at Brixton by Hans Unger is a pun on the station name, suggesting a "ton of bricks".[17] Since 2018, Art on the Underground has used the header wall above the main staircase to the ticket hall for temporary murals, by artists such as Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Shanti Panchal and Joy Labinjo.[18] Artists are asked to consider the diverse local community, and as well as reflect the various Brixton murals painted in the local area in the 1980s.[19][20]

Location

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Map of rail & tube lines passing through Brixton, showing the location of East Brixton

The station is in Brixton Road and is about 100 m[21] from Brixton railway station[10] (on the London Victoria to Orpington line, operated by South Eastern). Although the route of the London Overground South London line also runs close to Brixton tube station, there is no station in Brixton on this route because it passes overhead on high railway arches.[22][23]

Services and connections

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Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally every 3–5 minutes between 05:55 and 00:18.[24]

London Bus routes 2, 3, 35, 37, 45, 59, 109, 118, 133, 159, 196, 250, 333, 355, 415, 432, P4 and P5,[25] and night routes N2, N3, N35, N109 and N133 serve the station.[26][27]

Preceding station   London Underground Following station
Terminus Victoria line Stockwell

References

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  1. ^ a b "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Step-free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. December 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Out-of-Station Interchanges" (Microsoft Excel). Transport for London. 2 January 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  9. ^ Laura Reynolds. "5 Things You Didn't Know About The TfL Roundel". Londonist. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. April 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  11. ^ Butt 1995, p. 45.
  12. ^ "Underground services performance". Transport for London. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  13. ^ Brixton Underground Station Redevelopment
  14. ^ "New lifts make Brixton Tube station step-free again". Transport for London. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2021. The old lifts, which were originally installed in 2005, had become unreliable and so it was vital they were replaced.
  15. ^ a b "Station Refurbishment Summary" (PDF). London Underground Railway Society. July 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  16. ^ Jarrier, Franklin. "Greater London Transport Tracks Map" (PDF) (Map). CartoMetro London Edition. 3.7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2018.
  17. ^ Wright, Daniel (27 April 2016). "The Many Murals of the Victoria Line (London, UK)". The Beauty of Transport. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  18. ^ Lawrence, India (6 November 2023). "Brixton tube station has a spectacular new public artwork". Time Out London. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Projects Archive". Art on the Underground. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  20. ^ Morris, Kadish (7 October 2019). "Brixton Blue: The Gripping Tale Behind Denzil Forrester's 'Art on the Underground' Mural". Frieze. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  21. ^ Google Maps – Brixton tube station
  22. ^ "East London Line Extensions – Loughborough Junction". AlwaysTouchOut. 9 November 2006. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2007.
  23. ^ "ELLG response to the South London Route Utilisation Strategy" (PDF). Network Rail. 26 October 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  24. ^ "Victoria line timetable: From Brixton Underground Station to Stockwell Underground Station". Transport for London. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  25. ^ "Buses from Brixton" (PDF). Transport for London. 15 July 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  26. ^ Brixton Station – Bus Archived 17 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ Brixton Water Lane – Bus

Bibliography

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