Uxbridge tube station

Uxbridge is a London Underground station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, north-west London. The station is the terminus of the Uxbridge branches of both the Metropolitan Line and the Piccadilly Line. The next station towards London is Hillingdon. The station is 15.5 miles (25 km) west of Charing Cross and is in Travelcard Zone 6. The closest station on the Chiltern Line and Central Line is West Ruislip, accessible by the U1 and U10 buses. The closest station on the First Great Western line (in future Crossrail) is West Drayton, accessible by the U1 and U3 buses.

History
The Harrow and Uxbridge Railway (later merged into the Metropolitan Railway) first opened a station in Uxbridge on 4 July 1904 on Belmont Road, a short distance to the north of the existing station. The station was situated on a different track alignment, now used as sidings. The original service from central London was provided by steam-drawn trains but electrification took place the following year.

The London United Tramways extension from Shepherds Bush was opened a few weeks before the underground station: the manager, as reported in a local newspaper at the time, commented on the high prices of the underground journey: the tram journey, though, took well over an hour to reach Shepherds Bush.

On 1 March 1910, an extension of the District line from South Harrow to connect with the Metropolitan Railway at Rayners Lane was opened, enabling District line trains to serve stations between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge. The original Belmont Road station had two platforms, and after the introduction of shared operation one platform was used by each line.

On 23 October 1933 District line services to Uxbridge were replaced by Piccadilly line trains.

On 4 December 1938 the current station was opened on a new alignment.

The London Borough of Hillingdon announced in June 2011 that it would be lobbying Transport for London to have the Central line extended from West Ruislip station to Uxbridge. Such a project would require a business case approved by TfL and the completion of signal upgrade work on the Metropolitan line.

Design
The station was designed by Charles Holden with L H Bucknell and features a red brick facade with paired sculptures by Joseph Armitage over the entrance representing stylised "winged wheels" with leaf springs. A tall concrete canopy arches over the tracks with a row of clerestory windows above the platforms. The canopy at Uxbridge is similar to the one at Cockfosters, the terminus at the other end of the Piccadilly Line.

The stained glass panels by Erwin Bossanyi at the booking hall end of the platforms reflect the area's heraldic associations. The crown and three seaxes on a red background are the arms of Middlesex County Council and the chained swan on a black and red background is associated with Buckinghamshire. The centre shield is possibly the arms of the local Basset family; a downward pointing red triangle on a gold background was borrowed from the Bassett arms for use on the arms of Uxbridge Urban District Council in 1948.

The forecourt of the new station was originally laid out to provide a turning circle for trolleybuses, which replaced trams in 1936. Ticket barriers are in operation.

Transport connections
Transport for London Bus routes:
 * 222 (Uxbridge to Hounslow)
 * 331 (Uxbridge to Ruislip)
 * 427 (Uxbridge to Acton Old Town Hall)
 * A10 (Uxbridge to Heathrow Central)
 * U1 (Ruislip to West Drayton)
 * U2 (Uxbridge to Brunel University)
 * U3 (Uxbridge to Heathrow Central)
 * U4 (Uxbridge to Hayes Bourne Avenue)
 * U5 (Uxbridge to Hayes & Harlington)
 * U7 (Uxbridge to Hayes Sainsbury's)
 * U9 (Uxbridge to Harefield)
 * U10 (Uxbridge to Ruislip Heathfield Rise)
 * Express route 607 (Uxbridge to White City limited stop)
 * Night route N207 (Uxbridge to Holborn)

In addition non-TfL bus services include:
 * First Berkshire route 58 (Uxbridge to Britwell)
 * Arriva Shires & Essex/Carousel Buses route 305 (Uxbridge to High Wycombe)
 * Carousel Buses route 580 (Uxbridge to High Wycombe)
 * Carousel Buses route 581 (Uxbridge to Beaconsfield) - branded as Buckinghamshire County Rider
 * Redline Buses route 583 (Uxbridge to Hedgerley)
 * Carousel Buses route 740 (High Wycombe to Uxbridge)
 * Carousel Buses route A30 (Chesham to Heathrow)
 * Carousel Buses route A40 (High Wycombe to Heathrow)
 * Magpie Travel route CC1 (Uxbridge to Newland Park College Campus)
 * Red Rose route R21 (Uxbridge to Mount Vernon Hospital)
 * Arriva East Herts & Essex route 724 (Harlow to Heathrow) - branded as Green Line

Services

 * 6tph (trains per hour) to Aldgate via Wembley Park (Metropolitan line)
 * 3tph to Cockfosters via Hammersmith (Piccadilly line)