Embankment tube station

Embankment
Entrance toVilliers Street
Embankment Location of Embankment in Central London
Location	Victoria Embankment/Charing Cross
Local authority	City of Westminster
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	6
Fare zone	1
OSI	Charing Cross Waterloo East Waterloo Embankment Pier
London Underground annual entry and exit
2018	21.16 million
2019	20.96 million
2020	4.06 million
2021	8.25 million
2022	15.13 million
Key dates
30 May 1870	Opened (DR)
1 February 1872	Started "Outer Circle" (NLR)
1 August 1872	Started "Middle Circle" (H&CR/DR)
30 June 1900	Ended "Middle Circle"
10 March 1906	Opened (BS&WR)
31 December 1908	Ended "Outer Circle"
6 April 1914	Opened (CCE&HR)
13 September 1926	Extended (Northern line)
1949	Started (Circle line)
Other information
External links	TfL station info page
Coordinates	51.507°N 0.122°W/51.507; -0.122
London transport portal

Embankmentis aLondon Undergroundstation in theCity of Westminster,known by various names during its history. It is served by theBakerloo,Circle,DistrictandNorthernlines. On the Bakerloo line and the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line, the station is betweenCharing CrossandWaterloostations. On the Circle and District lines, it is betweenWestminsterandTemplestations. It is located inTravelcard Zone 1.The station has two entrances, one onVictoria Embankmentand the other onVilliers Street.The station is adjacent toVictoria Embankment Gardensand is close toCharing Cross station,Embankment Pier,Hungerford Bridge,Cleopatra's Needle,theRoyal Air Force Memorial,theSavoy ChapelandSavoy Hoteland thePlayhouseand New Players Theatres.

The station is in two parts: sub-surface platforms opened on 30 May 1870 by theDistrict Railway(DR) as part of the company's extension of theInner Circleeastwards from Westminster toBlackfriarsand deep-level platforms opened in 1906 by theBaker Street and Waterloo Railway(BS&WR) and 6 April 1914 by theCharing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway(CCE&HR). A variety of underground and main line services have operated over the sub-surface tracks and the CCE&HR part of the station was reconstructed in the 1920s.

History

Sub-surface station

The station was opened on 30 May 1870 by the DR (now the District line) when the railway extended its line from Westminster to Blackfriars.The construction of the new section of the DR was planned in conjunction with the building of the Victoria Embankment and was achieved by thecut and covermethod of roofing over a trench. Due to its proximity to theSouth Eastern Railway's Charing Cross station, the station was originally calledCharing Cross.

Section through Victoria Embankment at Charing Cross showing sub-surface railway

Sub-surface platforms at Embankment station looking west

The DR connected to the MR (now theMetropolitan line) atSouth Kensingtonand, although the two companies were rivals, each company operated its trains over the other's tracks in a joint service known as theInner Circle.On 1 February 1872, the DR opened a northbound branch from its station atEarl's Courtto connect to theWest London Extension Joint Railway(WLEJR, now theWest London Line) atAddison Road(now Kensington (Olympia)).From that date theOuter Circleservice began running over the DR's tracks. The service was run by theNorth London Railway(NLR) from its terminus atBroad Street(now demolished) in theCity of Londonvia theNorth London LinetoWillesden Junction,then the West London Line to Addison Road and the DR toMansion House– at that time the eastern terminus of the DR.

From 1 August 1872, theMiddle Circleservice also began operations through South Kensington, running fromMoorgatealong the MR's tracks on the north side of the Inner Circle to Paddington, then over theHammersmith & City Railway(H&CR) track toLatimer Road,then, via a now demolished link, on the WLEJR to Addison Road and the DR to Mansion House. The service was operated jointly by the H&CR and the DR.

On 30 June 1900, the Middle Circle service was shortened to terminate at Earl's Court,and, on 31 December 1908, the Outer Circle service was withdrawn from the DR tracks.In 1949, the Metropolitan line-operated Inner Circle route was given its own identity on thetube mapas the Circle line.

Deep-level station

In 1897 the DR obtained parliamentary permission to construct adeep-level tuberailway running betweenGloucester RoadandMansion Housebeneath the sub-surface line. The new line was to be an express route using electric trains to relieve congestion on the sub-surface tracks. Only one intermediate station was planned, at Charing Cross, 63 feet (19 m) below the sub-surface platforms.No immediate work was carried out on the deep-level line, and the subsequent take over of the DR by theUnderground Electric Railways Company of London(UERL) and the resignalling and electrification of the DR's routes between 1903 and 1905 meant that congestion was relieved without needing to construct the deep-level line. The plan was dropped in 1908.

On 10 March 1906, the BS&WR (now the Bakerloo line) opened with its deep-level platforms beneath and at ninety degrees to the platforms of the DR.Although an interchange was provided between the two separate railways, the BS&WR named its station differently asEmbankment.

Section through station showing the layout in 1914

On 6 April 1914, the CCE&HR (now a part of the Northern line) opened a one stop extension south from its terminus atCharing Cross.The extension was constructed to facilitate a better interchange between the BS&WR and CCE&HR.Both lines were owned by the UERL which operated two separate and unconnected stations at the northern end of main line station –Trafalgar Squareon the BS&WR andCharing Crosson the CCE&HR (both now part of a combined Charing Cross station). The CCE&HR extension was constructed as a single track tunnel running south from Charing Cross as a loop under theRiver Thamesand back. A single platform was constructed on the northbound return section of the loop,and escalators were installed between both sets of deep-level platforms and the sub-surface station. The interchange time was reduced from three minutes fifteen seconds to one minute and forty-five seconds.

A new station building was constructed thatSir John Betjemandescribed as "the most charming of all the Edwardian and neo-Georgian Renaissance stations."For the opening of the CCE&HR extension, the deep-level parts of the station were namedCharing Cross (Embankment)although the sub-surface platforms remained asCharing Cross.In 1915, this was rectified by changing the name of the whole station toCharing Cross.The CCE&HR station to the north was renamedStrandat the same time(causing a nearby station of theGNP&BRto change its name fromStrandtoAldwych).

In the 1920s, as part of the construction of what is now the Northern line, the CCE&HR was extended south toWaterlooandKenningtonwhere it was connected to theCity & South London Railway.The loop tunnel under the river was abandoned (although the present northbound Northern line platform follows its course) and two new tunnels were bored south.To this day the southbound Northern line platform is the only one of the four deep level platforms that is not connected to any of the others by deep level walkways, being accessible only from the "mid concourse level".The new extension was opened on 13 September 1926.

The southbound Northern line platform

The loop itself still exists, although it was penetrated by a bomb and flooded duringthe Blitzin theSecond World War.The loop had been sealed off years before.In September 1938, during theSudeten Crisis,when war appeared imminent, the Bakerloo and Northern line tunnels at Embankment were temporarily sealed with concrete to protect against flooding through bombing. The blockage was removed after little more than a week once the crisis had passed.At the outbreak ofWorld War IIin September 1939, the tunnels were blocked again until electrically powered emergency doors could be installed in the tunnel mouths. The tunnels reopened in December 1939.

On 4 August 1974, the station was once again renamedCharing Cross Embankment.Then, on 12 September 1976, it becameEmbankment,so that the mergedStrandandTrafalgar Squarestations could be namedCharing Cross.

In 1984–5 the station was upgraded, andpublic artin the form of coloured lines, by the artistRobyn Denny,were installed on the platforms and passageways of the station.

Embankment's northboundNorthern lineplatform remains the only place on the network where Oswald Laurence's 'Mind the gap' announcement can still be heard, having been reinstated in 2013 at the request of Laurence's widow.

Fatal accident

Main article:Charing Cross (District line) tube crash

At about 09:55 on 17 May 1938, an eastbound Inner Circle train collided with an eastboundEaling Broadway–BarkingDistrict line train to the east of the station. The Barking train had been stopped at an automatic signal on its way to Temple station. Six passengers were killed and 43 injured. The cause of the accident was a faulty signal, which showed a green "proceed" aspect to the second train even though the line ahead was not clear. This was a result of a wrong connection made during the previous night when some minor alterations to wiring were made.

Services

The station is inLondon fare zone 1.On the District and Circle lines, the station is between Westminster and Temple, and, on the Northern and Bakerloo lines, it is between Charing Cross and Waterloo. The Circle and District lines serve the same platforms at Embankment, but the Bakerloo and Northern lines each have their own platforms.

References

Bibliography

• Badsey-Ellis, Antony (2005).London's Lost Tube Schemes.Capital Transport.ISBN1-85414-293-3.
• Day, John R; Reed, John (2008) [1963].The Story of London's Underground.Capital Transport.ISBN978-1-85414-316-7.
• Harris, Cyril M. (2006) [1977].What's in a name?.Capital Transport.ISBN1-85414-241-0.
• Horne, Mike (2001).The Bakerloo Line.Capital Transport.ISBN1-85414-248-8.
• Horne, Mike (2006).The District Line.Capital Transport.ISBN1-85414-292-5.
• Rose, Douglas (1999) [1980].The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History.Douglas Rose/Capital Transport.ISBN1-85414-219-4.
• Wolmar, Christian(2005) [2004].The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever.Atlantic Books.ISBN1-84354-023-1.
• Woodhouse, Lt Col E (1938).Accident near Charing Cross(PDF).Ministry of Transport.Retrieved7 April2010.

External links

• The Charing Cross-Embankment-Strand conundrumexplains the various names of the tube stations in this area.
• London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
  • Victoria Embankment entrance, 1894
  • View of District platforms, 1894
  • View of District platforms, 1921
  • Entrance to station, 1927
  • Ticket hall, 1928
  • Ticket hall, 1929
  • Partially closed floodgate at the end of one of the Northern line platforms, 1943
  • View along District and Circle line platforms, 1988
  • Northern line platform showing decorative enamelled cladding panels, 1988
• More photographs and Google Street View imagery

Preceding station	London Underground			Following station
Charing Cross towardsHarrow & Wealdstone		Bakerloo line		Waterloo towardsElephant & Castle
Charing Cross towardsEdgware,Mill Hill EastorHigh Barnet		Northern line Charing Cross Branch		Waterloo towardsBattersea Power Station,MordenorKennington
Westminster towardsEdgware RoadviaVictoria		Circle line		Temple towardsHammersmithviaTower Hill
Westminster towardsWimbledon,RichmondorEaling Broadway		District line		Temple towardsUpminster
Abandoned plan
South Kensington towardsWimbledon,Richmond,Ealing BroadwayorHounslow West		District line Deep-level route (1898–1908)		Mansion House Terminus