Ruislip Gardens is a London Underground station. It lies on the Central line, between West Ruislip and South Ruislip, in Travelcard Zone 5. The closest stations on the Metropolitan line and Piccadilly line are Ruislip and Ruislip Manor. The station serves RAF Northolt.
Ruislip Gardens  | |
|---|---|
 Station entrance on West End Road | |
  Ruislip Gardens Location of Ruislip Gardens in Greater London | |
| Location | Ruislip |
| Local authority | London Borough of Hillingdon |
| Managed by | London Underground |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| Fare zone | 5 |
| London Underground annual entry and exit | |
| 2019 |  1.11 million[1] |
| 2020 |  0.55 million[2] |
| 2021 | 0.48 million[3] |
| 2022 | 0.77 million[4] |
| 2023 | 0.81 million[5] |
| Key dates | |
| 2 April 1906 | Tracks laid (GW&GCR) |
| 9 July 1934 | Opened (GW&GCR) |
| 21 November 1948 | Started (Central line) |
| 21 July 1958 | BR platforms closed |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°33′37″N 0°24′37″W / 51.5602°N 0.4102°W |
 London transport portal | |
History
editThe tracks through the station were laid by part of the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway with services starting on 2 April 1906 although there was no station at Ruislip Gardens at that time. The station opened on 9 July 1934.[6]
As part of the 1935-40 New Works Programme, Central line services were projected westwards from a new junction, west of North Acton on the line to Ealing Broadway. The original intention was to extend the service as far as Denham, but work was delayed by World War II and the formation of the Metropolitan Green Belt after the war and so the terminus of the extension was cut back to West Ruislip, with services starting on 21 November 1948.[6]
The main line services stopping at Ruislip Gardens ceased on 21 July 1958 and the station closed, leaving only the Central line services in place. Until recently the entrance to a passenger stairwell was visible on the London-bound side of the Chiltern tracks.
The station today
editThe station has an island platform layout. Some services start or terminate here rather than West Ruislip, the trains leaving or entering the Central line depot to the west of the station, south of the running lines. There is a link from the Central line depot for stock movement to the Metropolitan line just to the west of Ruislip via a shunting neck.
A running link round the southern boundary of the depot has several times been proposed, to make a connection with the Metropolitan line. This would allow through running of Central line trains onwards from Ruislip Gardens to Uxbridge, but nothing has ever come of these suggestions.
| Preceding station |  London Underground
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ruislip Terminus
|
Central line Ruislip Branch
|
South Ruislip | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| West Ruislip | Great Central Railway Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway |
South Ruislip | ||
| Great Western Railway New North Main Line |
||||
Local places of note
editRAF Northolt and a Polish War Memorial are also close by.
In popular culture
editThe station achieved poetic immortality in John Betjeman's poem Middlesex:
- Gaily into Ruislip Gardens
- Runs the red electric train,
- With a thousand Ta's and Pardon's
- Daintily alights Elaine;
- Hurries down the concrete station
- With a frown of concentration,
- Out into the outskirt's edges
- Where a few surviving hedges
- Keep alive our lost Elysium – Rural Middlesex again.
Connections
editLondon Buses route E7 and school route 696 serve the station.
Gallery
edit
-
Station entrance July 2006 -
Island platform looking east with Chiltern Railways tracks visible on left -
Island platform looking west -
Roundel on westbound platform face
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Central Line, Dates". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Retrieved 11 October 2009.