Alperton tube station

Alperton was opened on 28 June 1903 by the District Railway (now the District line), with its name being "Perivale Alperton", on its new extension to South Harrow on electrified tracks from Park Royal & Twyford Abbey,[8][9] which it was opened five days earlier.[9] This new extension was, together with the existing tracks back to Acton Town, the first section of the Underground's surface lines to be electrified and operate electric traction instead of steam.[8] The deep-level tube lines open at that time (City & South London Railway, Waterloo & City Railway and Central London Railway) had been electrically powered from the start.

The station was subsequently renamed "Alperton" on 7 October 1910.[9]

On 4 July 1932, from Ealing Common to South Harrow, the District line service was replaced by the Piccadilly line.[8][9][10] Piccadilly line services were extended to run west of its original terminus at Hammersmith, sharing the route with the District.[8] It non-stops stations between Hammersmith and Acton Town, apart from Turnham Green, which the Piccadilly only calls during early mornings and late evenings. At Acton Town, the District and Piccadilly lines use separate platforms. They join back west of Acton Town towards Ealing Common.[10]

The original station building was a modest timber-framed structure built in 1910. In 1930 and 1931, this was demolished and replaced by a new station in preparation for the handover of the branch from the District line to the Piccadilly line. The new station was designed by Charles Holden in a modern European style using brick, reinforced concrete and glass.[12][13] Like other stations such as Sudbury Town and Sudbury Hill to the north and others that Holden designed elsewhere, and also for the east and west Piccadilly line extensions such as Acton Town and Oakwood, Alperton station features a tall block-like ticket hall rising above a low horizontal structure that contains station offices and shops. The brick walls of the ticket hall are punctuated with panels of clerestory windows and the structure is capped with a flat concrete slab roof.[14]

Alperton formerly shared with Greenford (on the Central line) the distinction of being one of the only two stations to have an escalator going up to the platforms.[note 1] In 1955, an up escalator was installed to the eastbound platform. It had originally been used at the South Bank exhibition of the Festival of Britain.[16] The escalator fell out of use in 1988,[17] and its machine remains in place behind a wall.[18]

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alperton tube station.

• London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
  • Alperton station, 1916
  • Ticket office, 1927
  • New station, 1933
  • Ticket hall, 1933. Showing structure of reinforced concrete roof
  • View of platforms and shelter, 1958
  • Alperton Station, 2001. With appearance marred by rooftop safety barriers

Preceding station	London Underground			Following station
Sudbury Town towards Uxbridge or Rayners Lane		Piccadilly line Uxbridge branch		Park Royal towards Cockfosters or Arnos Grove
Former services
Preceding station	London Underground			Following station
Sudbury Town towards South Harrow or Uxbridge		District line (1903–1931)		Park Royal & Twyford Abbey towards Upminster
		District line (1931–1932)		Park Royal towards Upminster