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Highbury & Islington station facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Highbury & Islington London Underground London Overground National Rail
Highbury and Islington station MMB 29 378224 378202.jpg
Location Highbury & Islington
Local authority London Borough of Islington
Managed by London Underground
Station code HHY
DfT category C2 (Great Northern platforms)
F1 (London Overground)
Number of platforms 8
Accessible Yes  (Overground platforms only)
Fare zone 2
Key dates
1850 Opened (NLR)
1904 Opened (GN&CR)
1968 Opened (Victoria line)
1975 Closed (Northern line (Highbury branch))
1976 Opened (Northern City Line)
Feb 2010 Overground platforms rebuilt
June 2010 North London Line platforms re-opened
March 2011 East London Line platforms opened
Other information
Lists of stations
Other websites
  • Departures
  • Layout
  • Facilities
  • Buses

Highbury & Islington station is a busy train station in North London. It serves the areas of Highbury and Islington. People often call it just Highbury.

This station is a major hub. It connects three different train networks:

It is located in Travelcard Zone 2.


What Trains Use Highbury & Islington?

Highbury & Islington station is a key stop for several train lines.

Victoria Line (London Underground)

The Victoria line is part of the London Underground. At Highbury & Islington, it runs between Finsbury Park and King's Cross St. Pancras. This line is one of the busiest on the Tube network.

Great Northern (National Rail)

The station also serves the Northern City Line. These trains are part of the Great Northern network. They connect Highbury & Islington to other parts of London.

London Overground Services

Highbury & Islington is an important station for London Overground trains.

Station Layout and History

Highbury & Islington station has many platforms. It has been around for a long time.

Highbury tube station layout
Plan of the deep platforms at Highbury & Islington. This shows how they changed when the Victoria Line opened.

The first part of the station opened in 1850. This was for the North London Railway. Later, in 1904, another part opened for the Great Northern & City Railway. The Victoria line platforms were added much later, in 1968.

Over the years, the station has changed. Some lines closed and new ones opened. For example, a branch of the Northern line closed in 1975. The Northern City Line then opened in 1976.

In 2010, the London Overground platforms were rebuilt. This was to prepare for the East London line extension. The East London Line platforms opened in March 2011. This made Highbury & Islington the northern end of this line.

What's Next for the Station?

The local council, Islington Council, is thinking about future plans for the station area. They are looking at ways to improve Highbury Corner. This might include building new offices above the North London Line tracks.

Images for kids

  • Highbury & Islington stn Victoria northbound look south

    Victoria Line platform looking south

  • Highbury & Islington stn Victoria southbound look north

    Victoria Line platform looking north

  • Highbury & Islington stn Victoria roundel

    A roundel sign on the Victoria Line platform

  • Highbury & Islington stn Great Northern northbound look south

    Great Northern platform looking south

  • Highbury & Islington stn Great Northern southbound look north

    Great Northern platform looking north

  • Highbury & Islington stn Great Northern signage1

    Platform sign from the 1980s

  • Highbury & Islington stn Great Northern signage2

    Tunnel sign from a previous train company

  • Highbury & Islington stn Overground look east

    Overground platforms looking east

  • Highbury & Islington stn Overground look west

    Overground platforms looking west

  • Highbury & Islington stn Overground signage

    Overground platform sign from 2008

  • Highbury & Islington stn special platform 7 look east

    Platform 7, mostly used by freight trains

  • Islington-and-Highbury-Station-1873

    The Horne station building in 1873

  • Highbury & Islington station building

    The station building as it looks today (built in the 1960s)

  • Unit 378135 at Highbury & Islington station

    A London Overground Class 378 train in 2019

  • Great Northern 313038 at Highbury & Islington - 16 March 2017

    A Great Northern Class 313 train in 2017

  • 66/9887066.jpg

    The Great Northern & City Railway station building in 1933

  • 67/9887067.jpg

    Side entrance to the GN&CR building in 1934

  • 34/9861934.jpg

    The ticket hall of the GN&CR station in 1935

  • Mv/i00002mv.jpg

    The combined ticket hall in 1970

  • 2x/i000022x.jpg

    Northern City Line southbound platform in 1975

  • Fb/i0000jfb.jpg

    The combined ticket hall in 2005

  • Fc/i0000jfc.jpg

    Station entrance in 2005 (note part of the original building)

Preceding station   Underground no-text.svg London Underground   Following station
towards Brixton
 Victoria line
London Overground National Rail London Overground
Caledonian Road & Barnsbury
towards Richmond
 North London Line
Canonbury
towards Stratford
National Rail
Essex Road   First Capital Connect
Northern City Line
Monday-Friday only		   Drayton Park
    From Early 2011    
Terminus   London Overground
East London Line		   Canonbury