Piccadilly line

The Piccadilly line is a deep level London Underground line running from the north to the west
of London. It has two branches, which split at Acton Town, and serves 53 stations. The line is known
for serving Heathrow Airport, and is near popular attractions such as Buckingham Palace.
The District and Metropolitan lines share some sections of tracks with the Piccadilly line. Coloured
dark blue (officially "Corporate Blue", Pantone 072) on the Tube map, it is the fourth-busiest line on
the Underground network with over 210 million passenger journeys in 2011/12.
The first section, between Finsbury Park and Hammersmith, was opened in 1906 as the Great
Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR). The station tunnels and buildings were
designed by Leslie Green, featuring ox-blood terracotta facades with semi-circular windows on the
first floor. When Underground Electric Railways of London (UERL) took over the line, it was renamed
the Piccadilly line. Subsequent extensions were made to Cockfosters, Hounslow
West and Uxbridge in the early 1930s, when many existing stations on the Uxbridge and Hounslow
branches were rebuilt to designs by Charles Holden, part of the Adams, Holden & Pearson
architectural practice. These were generally rectangular, with brick bases and large tiled windows,
topped with a concrete slab roof. The western extensions took over existing District line services,
which were fully withdrawn in 1964.
Stations in central London were rebuilt to cater to higher volumes of passenger traffic. To prepare
for World War II, some stations were equipped with shelters and basic amenities; others were
equipped with blast walls. Construction of the Victoria line, the first section of which was opened in
1968, helped to relieve congestion on the Piccadilly line, but some sections of the Piccadilly had to
be rerouted for cross-platform interchange with the new line. Several plans were made to extend the
Piccadilly line to serve Heathrow Airport. The earliest approval was given in 1967, and the Heathrow
extension opened in stages between 1975 and 1977. This extension served only Terminals 2 and 3
and the former Terminal 1. The line was extended again twice, to Terminal 4 via a loop in 1986, and
to Terminal 5 directly from the main terminal station in 2008.
This line has two depots, at Northfields and Cockfosters, with a group of sidings at several
locations. Crossovers are at a number of locations, with some allowing for trains to switch onto
different lines. The Piccadilly line once had its electricity generated from Lots Road Power Station. It
was, however, taken out of use in 2003, leaving the line with supply from the National Grid Network.
The 1973 stock serves the tube line, where 78 of these are needed to have a 24 trains per hour (tph)
(a train every 2½ minutes) service during peak hours. These are due to be replaced by the New
Tube for London (NTfL) trains in the 2020s.
The Piccadilly line is a 45.96 mi (73.97 km) long North — West line, which consists of two branches
splitting at Acton Town, serving 53 stations.[1][3] Cockfosters is a four-platform three-track terminus,
and the line runs at-grade to just south of Oakwood. Southgate station is in tunnel, with tunnel
portals to the north and south. Due to the difference in terrain, a viaduct carries the tracks
through Arnos Park to Arnos Grove.[4] The line then descends into twin tube tunnels, passing
through Wood Green, Finsbury Park and central London. The lattermost area contains a few stations
that are close to popular attractions, such as the London Transport Museum, Harrods, Buckingham
Palace and Piccadilly Circus.[5][6] The 15.3km tunnel ends east of Barons Court, where the line
continues west, parallel to the District line, to Acton Town. A flying junction, in use since 10 February
1910, separates trains going to the Heathrow branch from the Uxbridge branch.[7][8]
The Heathrow branch remains at surface level until the eastern approach to Hounslow West station,
where it enters a cut-and-cover tunnel. West of Hatton Cross the line enters tube tunnels
to Heathrow Airport; via the Terminal 4 loop or through to Terminal 5.[9] On the Uxbridge branch, it
shares tracks with the District line between Acton Town and south of North Ealing. The line traverses
terrain with cuttings and embankments, and continues to Uxbridge, sharing tracks with
the Metropolitan line between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge.[10] The distance between Cockfosters and
Uxbridge is 31.6 mi (50.9 km).[11]