Alexandra Palace railway station

Alexandra Palace Great Northern
Station code	AAP
DfT category	D
Number of platforms	4
Fare zone	3
National Rail annual entry and exit
2018–19	1.844 million[1]
– interchange	53,381[1]
2019–20	1.736 million[1]
– interchange	53,005[1]
2020–21	0.409 million[1]
– interchange	23,507[1]
2021–22	0.969 million[1]
– interchange	49,994[1]
2022–23	1.340 million[1]
– interchange	43,873[1]
Key dates
1 May 1859	Opened as Wood Green
1 August 1864	Renamed Wood Green (Alexandra Park)
18 March 1971	Renamed Wood Green
17 May 1982	Renamed Alexandra Palace
Other information
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
Coordinates	51°35′54″N 0°07′11″W / 51.5983°N 0.1197°W / 51.5983; -0.1197
London transport portal

Alexandra Palace railway station is on the

It is proposed that the station should be a terminus on Crossrail 2.^[3]

History

The station was opened by the

When sectorisation was introduced, the station was served by Network SouthEast until the privatisation of British Rail.

In Autumn 2008, a new Shere FASTticket self-service ticket machine, accepting both cash and credit cards, was installed here (and similarly at other local First Capital Connect stations). Oyster card readers were installed at the station during 2008 and activated on 2 January 2010 for use with the Oyster Pay As You Go System.

In May 2013 it was announced that the station would be a terminus on the latest proposed route for Crossrail 2.^[7]

Station layout

The station has old buildings on Buckingham Road, which house a refreshment kiosk and ticket machines, with a modern footbridge connection to the platforms and across the tracks to Bedford Road. On the platforms there are only rudimentary modern buildings for public use.

On 9 December 2012 the old platforms 1 and 2 were closed for reconstruction. A temporary new platform 1 was provided to the east of the up slow line. All up (London-bound) trains which stop (served from either the Welwyn or Hertford directions) did so at this platform face. On 2 April 2013 the reconstructed platform 1 opened, on the west of the up slow line as before, now numbered as platform 2. This new platform is narrower than the former and the track has been moved to the west. The old platform 2 is permanently closed and has a fence along the edge. This work is part of a scheme to provide greater segregation of stopping, semi-fast and high-speed services in the section between Alexandra Palace and Finsbury Park, to allow a greater quantum of services.

The up fast line now has no platform face at this station. The down fast is a through road, without a platform face. Platforms 3 and 4 are faces on an island platform and provide for northbound local services. Platform 3 is used by northbound trains on the ECML down slow line and trains on the

Connections

All services at Alexandra Palace are operated by Great Northern using Class 387 and 717 EMUs

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:^[9]

• 2 tph to London King's Cross (calls at Finsbury Park only)
• 4 tph to Moorgate (all stations)
• 2 tph to Stevenage via Hertford North
• 2 tph to Welwyn Garden City
• 2 tph to Letchworth Garden City of which 1 continues to Cambridge

Additional services call at the station during the peak hours.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Great Northern Route Semi-fast Services		Potters Bar
Great Northern Route Stopping Services		New Southgate
		Hertford Loop Line		Bowes Park
	Abandoned Plans
Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Hornsey towards Strand		Great Northern & Strand		Terminus

Friends of Ally Pally Station

In 2016, local volunteers established the Friends of Ally Pally Station. The group has created a station community garden of over forty planters across the platforms, as well as collaborative art projects in the foyer with Studio 306, The Friends of Alexandra Park, Alexandra Palace and young local origami artist, Eddie Holden. They encourage collaboration in the community with all forms of stakeholders - garden centres, schools, artists, businesses, the Palace, the council and GNR.

The Friends have won several awards since their inception, including from the Community Rail Network ('It's Your Station' Silver and Gold Certificates 2017 and 2018, and Winner of Small Projects 2018 for 'Hop on a Train'), Rail Partnerships Small Projects winner 2018 for 'Sleepers Awake', building benches along with a Bach workshop led by local pianist Stephen Barron, and Haringey in Bloom (2017 and 2020). Much work was done in raising their profile and telling their story by Giles Christian, who died in 2019. A memorial was held for Christian on 31 March 2019, and a healing herb garden in his memory is situated on Platform 1, next to the Back Yard.

As well as holding monthly Gardening Parties and other events, the Friends are also a Rail User Group, representing passengers' needs. In 2020–21, they worked closely with GNR and Groundwork to guide deployment of the Passenger Benefit fund, enhancing shelters and adding significant new planters to Platforms 3 & 4.

In 2020 the Friends used lockdown to create the Bedford Rose Garden^[10] on a section of land given to them for community use by Network Rail. The garden has been built up with countless donations from locals, often passing by on their daily walks. It contains a great variety of roses, trees, climbing plants, fruit and vegetables and a pond.

References

• OL 11956311M
  .
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers.
  OCLC 228266687
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexandra Palace railway station.

• Train times and station information for Alexandra Palace railway station from National Rail