Brixton Underground

[brixtongirl78]

Does anyone know where the tunnel at the end of Brixton underground goes to? Surely if the trains are stored in a depot at the other end, whats that tunnel for?

Where does it go?

It's lit up for a reason?

And is it true there is a platform at Buckingham Palace or has someone made that up?

 

[Crispy]

It goes past a set of points to switch trains between the tracks, then there's just dead ends. Train goes in, train goes out.

As for buck palace, I'm not sure if the viccy line gets close enough. Keep a look out of the window between Victoria and Green park. Or maybe Westminster and Green Park on the Jubilee.

There is a seperate exit/entrance to Westminster station from the houses of parliament though.

 

[trashpony]

Someone told me that the tunnel continues as far as Herne Hill in case of a runaway train but I don't know if that's true or bollocks (he was a Lambeth councillor though so he may have known what he was talking about)

Dunno about buck house - I bet it would be easy to find out if you google though

 

[Crispy]

Extend the victoria line now!

 

[Nanker Phelge]

There is a platform at Buckingham Palace. It's a smaller tunnel that used to function for the purpose of a mail train. I once had an interesting tour of Mount Pleasent Sorting office, which is one of the stops on the 'mini' mail underground. They even let me press the button to set the train off from the station (this was about ten years ago).

It had already stopped going to Buck Palace at that point.

I don't know if they have a 'people' sized platfrom there.

 

[Crispy]

After some googling, it appears that there are 'proposals' and 'plans' to extend the victoria line to herne hill in a loop (so there'd just be one set of rails, get on the train on one side, get off the train on the other) - this would speed up turnaround at Brixton which is a major bottleneck on the line.

Sounds like a good idea to me! Herne hill is a well connected railway station.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

It goes past a set of points to switch trains between the tracks, then there's just dead ends. Train goes in, train goes out.

As for buck palace, I'm not sure if the viccy line gets close enough. Keep a look out of the window between Victoria and Green park. Or maybe Westminster and Green Park on the Jubilee.

There is a seperate exit/entrance to Westminster station from the houses of parliament though.

I used to feel trains underneath me when I worked opposite the Palace.

The Westminster exit/entrance is only since they built Portcullis House though isn't it?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

After some googling, it appears that there are 'proposals' and 'plans' to extend the victoria line to herne hill in a loop (so there'd just be one set of rails, get on the train on one side, get off the train on the other) - this would speed up turnaround at Brixton which is a major bottleneck on the line.

Sounds like a good idea to me! Herne hill is a well connected railway station.

bad idea. We wouldn't all get seats if those Herne Hillites fill them up

 

[detective-boy]

Sounds like a good idea to me! Herne hill is a well connected railway station.

Only if you want to go to sarf east London ... and who in their right mind would want to do that ...

 

[Mrs Magpie]

bad idea. We wouldn't all get seats if those Herne Hillites fill them up

That was my first thought, I must admit.

 

[Crispy]

I used to feel trains underneath me when I worked opposite the Palace.

The Westminster exit/entrance is only since they built Portcullis House though isn't it?

No, it goes into the house. Friend of mine blundered into it by mistake once.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

That was my first thought, I must admit.

The train will be full of rich middle-class types filling the seats whilst the rest of us stand

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

No, it goes into the house. Friend of mine blundered into it by mistake once.

Really? I only ever noticed it when Portcullis House was built

 

[Crispy]

http://www.kudocities.com/cities/london/conversations/is-there-really-a-secret-underground-tunnel

Going back to Batfink’s comment about Westminster tube station, my ex-girlfriend sometimes does consultancy work at the Palace of Westminster/Houses of Parliament. One Winter evening, when she was about to leave the building after a fairly late stint and the weather was particularly ‘orrible, one of the security guards asked if she knew about the indoor route to Westminster tube station. She said she didn’t, so he led her to an underground door out of one of the Palace of Westminster buildings, which led straight out into the tube station. I guess that’s the door Batfink’s friend found from the other side.

Sorry for the rather dull explanation – I much prefer the idea of an illicit cognac and cigars club for off-duty tube drivers…

Batfink's me

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

http://www.kudocities.com/cities/london/conversations/is-there-really-a-secret-underground-tunnel


Batfink's me

This is the entrance/exit I'm talking about

Batfink’s friend almost certainly found the pass-holder’s entrance to the palace of Westminster – it’s no secret, you walk past it if you following the signs to “Palace of Westminster” from inside the tube station. Mind you, for concierge read ‘policeman’, and for panelled walls read ‘concrete walls and two glass revolving doors’.

Is this the one you're thinking of?

 

[twistedAM]

The train will be full of rich middle-class types filling the seats whilst the rest of us stand

and Harriet Harman

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

and Harriet Harman

and Fathers for Justice protestors

 

[jpm]

This is the entrance/exit I'm talking about



Is this the one you're thinking of?

It is the only one. At the bottom of the escalator leading up to Portcullis House, the other direction is the tunnel that goes under Bridge Street to the Palace.

 

[Ms T]

The train will be full of rich middle-class types filling the seats whilst the rest of us stand

I'd just walk to Herne Hill instead of Brixton. Same distance from my house.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

It is the only one. At the bottom of the escalator leading up to Portcullis House, the other direction is the tunnel that goes under Bridge Street to the Palace.

So if it goes directly into Portcullis House, then you must have to go in a sort of circle to go into the Palace... or not?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I'd just walk to Herne Hill instead of Brixton. Same distance from my house.

and take away a seat from one of the true Brixton dwellers. Why don't you just get on your horse

 

[Crispy]

Here's a question - there's signage on Electric Lane for Brixton Underground, and an entrance that is obviously being used by the contractors for the refurbishment. Are there any plans to use it for passenger access? Would be a much better connection for the railway station.

 

[Ms T]

and take away a seat from one of the true Brixton dwellers. Why don't you just get on your horse

Don't you have to get a bus to Brixton station as you're practically in Streatham? At least I'm walking distance.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Here's a question - there's signage on Electric Lane for Brixton Underground, and an entrance that is obviously being used by the contractors for the refurbishment. Are there any plans to use it for passenger access? Would be a much better connection for the railway station.

It was an arcade of shops and access to the tube station. The tube station access was basically a cut-through to the present station entrance. The people with a flower stall by the tube had a really great café there which I miss.

 

[colacubes]

It was an arcade of shops and access to the tube station. The tube station access was basically a cut-through to the present station entrance. The people with a flower stall by the tube had a really great café there which I miss.

Last I heard (about a year ago from metronet so may have been shelved ) was that they would be reinstating it with shops etc. once the work has been finished. About time too - I could do with cutting my journey time to the tube down

 

[agricola]

http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/victoria.html

 

[Crispy]

I've just checked out the most recent planning application for the building
http://planning.lambeth.gov.uk/publ...val=JGZYIUBOO7000&searchtype=PROPERTY&module=
and it looks like the arcade will be preserved, but it'll just be a straight passageway, with one retail unit at the Electric Lane end. There will also be a new retail unit on the right hand side as you look at the main entrance. The rest of the ground floor will be LUL accomodation (admin, dining, toilets)

 

[brixtongirl78]

Answers!

Done some research, and yes it's a complete dead end at Brixton. Also the tunnel can not be extended as there are other tunnels running in its path.

This means that this rumour about Herne Hill or the proposed Streatham-Croydon extension can not posibly go ahead . Is this true?

And yes there is a mail train heading to Buckingham Palace, but could you get into the palace grounds through there?

Also, is there any sort of tour you can go on to see the secret underground tunnels? Apparently there are two hidden platforms at Stockwell!

 

[Kid_Eternity]

There is a seperate exit/entrance to Westminster station from the houses of parliament though.

Yep. There's a couple of random exits from that place.

 

[supercity]

I think the mail train closed down a few years ago (at least from Mount Pleasant); anyone with a day or two to spare and an interest in tunnels should check out the unfeasibly vast subbrit, whose members occasionally get to wander around abandoned stations and so on.

Stockwell has quite a bit of history. The station was moved south from its original location when they got rid of the original island platform (as at Clapham North), and there's the deep tube shelter in the middle of the roundabout. Squint carefully as you head north and you might catch a glimpse of tiling from the original City and South London Railway station.