Oakleigh Park railway station

Oakleigh Park railway station serves Oakleigh Park in the London Borough of Barnet, north London, England. It is 8 miles 30 chains (13.5 km) down the line from London King's Cross,[2] in Travelcard Zone 4. The station is managed and served by Great Northern.

Oakleigh Park
Oakleigh Park
Location of Oakleigh Park in Greater London
LocationOakleigh Park
Local authorityLondon Borough of Barnet
Managed byGreat Northern
OwnerNetwork Rail
Station codeOKL
DfT categoryD
Number of platforms4
Fare zone4
National Rail annual entry and exit
2015–16 1.043 million[1]
2016–17 1.042 million[1]
2017–18 1.018 million[1]
2018–19 0.967 million[1]
2019–20 0.965 million[1]
Key dates
1866Platforms constructed
1873Station opened
1891/2Station rebuilt
Other information
External links
WGS8451.6379°N 0.1667°W / 51.6379; -0.1667
 London transport portal

Oyster pay as you go can now be used to and from this station as well as on the majority of National Rail services in Greater London. Customers should touch in and touch out at the validators provided to ensure they are charged the correct fare.

History

In 1866 the Whetstone Park Company, promoters of the Whetstone Park Estate, reached an agreement with the Great Northern Railway (GNR) to construct a new station to serve the development. The station - to be known as Whetstone - would open once 25 houses were complete, although the GNR built the two station platforms immediately (they were completed by June 1866).

Contact between the developer and the GNR took place in January 1869, then again in summer 1871 by which time the development had been renamed to the Oakleigh Park Estate, but it was not until January 1873 that the developer was able to inform the GNR that the 25th house was complete. Accordingly, the GNR authorised the station to be completed, now to be known as Oakleigh Park. It opened to passenger traffic on 1 December 1873.[3] The estate office was situated in Chandos Avenue; a contemporaneous sign advertising "Oakleigh Park on main line. Detached residences - gravel soil - open country - large plots - moderate prices" is displayed in the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden.

As part of works to increase the number of tracks from two to four, the station was completely rebuilt in 1891/2 with two island platforms, a new footbridge and booking office. The 1873 station footbridge at the extreme north end of the station was retained as a public footpath, but with the stairs to the station removed.

The station remained largely unchanged until around 1975, when alterations were made in readiness for electrification. By the 1930s the station had gained the suffix For East Barnet, which remained until at least the 1970s.[4] The first holes were bored near the station for the overhead powerline in order to electrify the East Coast Main Line.[5]

Facilities

In Autumn 2008, a new SHERE self-service ticket machine, accepting both cash and credit cards, was installed here (and similarly at other local FCC stations). The station is made up of two island platforms, with platforms 1 and 2 serving southbound trains to Moorgate and King's Cross and platforms 3 and 4 serving northbound trains to Welwyn Garden City.

Services

Great Northern Train Services

The service to Moorgate is now operated using class 717 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service is three trains an hour to Moorgate, reduced to two after 7:00 pm. Night and weekend trains run every 30 minutes. There are three trains an hour to Welwyn Garden City, reduced to two in the late evenings and at weekends.[6] A few additional weekday peak trains to and from King's Cross are provided for commuters (into London in the morning, returning in the evening).

Bus Services

Transport for London bus route 383 stops directly outside Oakleigh Park railway station, as well as operating a Hail and Ride service along Netherlands Road and Oakleigh Park North/Athenaeum Road. Buses run towards Barnet (the Spires) or towards Woodside Park tube station, every 30 minutes Mondays to Saturdays except late evenings. There is currently no service on this route on Sundays or public holidays, though there is some local demand for one that may be catered to in the future.

Connections

London Buses route 383 serve the station.

Nature reserve

Immediately to the south of the station is Oakleigh Park Rail Cutting, a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation.

Line
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Great Northern
Great Northern stopping

References
  1. "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  2. Padgett, David (October 2016) [1988]. Brailsford, Martyn (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 2: Eastern (4th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 14B. ISBN 978-0-9549866-8-1.
  3. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 176. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  4. London Railway Record, number 62 - January 2010, Connor & Butler, ISSN 1355-8013
  5. The Flying Scotsman, DVD, Video 125, UK, copyright 1999/2000
  6. Table 24 National Rail timetable, May 2016
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