West Ruislip station facts for kids
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| Location | Ruislip |
|---|---|
| Local authority | London Borough of Hillingdon |
| Managed by | London Underground |
| Owner | Transport for London |
| Station code | WRU |
| DfT category | F1 |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| Fare zone | 6 |
| OSI | Ickenham  |
| Key dates | |
| 2 April 1906 | Opened (GWR/GCR) |
| 21 November 1948 | Opened (Central line) |
| Other information | |
| Lists of stations | |
| Other websites |
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West Ruislip is a train station located on Ickenham High Road. It sits between the areas of Ickenham and western Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon. This part of Greater London was once known as Middlesex.
The station serves two types of trains: the London Underground (often called the Tube) and National Rail services. Each type of train uses its own separate platforms. West Ruislip is the very last stop, or "terminus," for the Central line's West Ruislip branch. The next Underground station towards central London is Ruislip Gardens. The Central line platforms and ticket office are managed by London Underground. The nearest station for the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines is Ickenham, which is about 1.8 kilometres (1.1 miles) away.
Contents
How West Ruislip Station Began
West Ruislip station first opened on 2 April 1906. It was originally named Ruislip & Ickenham. The station was built by a company called the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway (GW&GCJR). This railway line connected London to the Midlands through High Wycombe. It offered a different route from another main line that went through Aylesbury, Harrow, and Wembley.
Before World War II, there were plans to make the Central line longer. The London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) wanted to extend the Central line. It would run next to the Great Western Railway (GWR) tracks from North Acton to South Ruislip. From there, it would follow the GW&GCJR tracks all the way to Denham.
However, after the war, the Metropolitan Green Belt was created. This is a protected area of land around London. Because of this, the Central line extension was made shorter. It only went as far as West Ruislip. If the original plan had been completed, the next station would have been Harefield Road.
Work on this part of the extension started just before the war. You can still see a section of the railway path that was built for the extension. It is located west of the road bridge, beyond where the Central line tracks end.
Central Line Arrives
The GWR built the extra tracks for the LPTB. On 30 June 1947, the first part of the western extension opened. This section ran from North Acton to Greenford. On the same day, the station's name was changed to West Ruislip (for Ickenham).
Central line trains officially started running from West Ruislip on 21 November 1948. The main station building was built by British Railways for London Underground. It wasn't fully finished until the 1960s. Around that time, the "for Ickenham" part was removed from the station's name. Some older Central line signs still show the longer name on their maps.
The station's management was moved from the Western Region of British Rail to the London Midland Region on 24 March 1974.
In June 2011, the London Borough of Hillingdon announced a plan. They wanted to ask Transport for London to extend the Central line from West Ruislip to Uxbridge. This kind of project would need a strong business plan. It would also require upgrades to the signalling system on the Metropolitan line.
Train Services at West Ruislip
West Ruislip station offers services from both National Rail and London Underground.
National Rail – Chiltern Railways
During off-peak hours (not busy times) from Monday to Friday, trains run:
- One train per hour to London Marylebone
- One train per hour to Gerrards Cross
A special train, called a parliamentary train, used to run once a day on weekdays. It went from London Paddington to West Ruislip. Now, this train stops at High Wycombe and passes West Ruislip without stopping.
London Underground – Central Line
During peak times (06:30-09:30 and 16:00-19:00, Monday to Friday), trains run:
- 7 trains per hour (tph) to Epping
- 5 trains per hour (tph) to Debden
During off-peak hours, trains run:
- 9 trains per hour (tph) to Epping
Station Layout Today
West Ruislip station is generally laid out from east to west. The main station buildings are on the road bridge that crosses over the tracks at the western end of the station.
The station has four platforms:
- Two platforms are for London Underground trains. These are on an island platform (a platform with tracks on both sides).
- Two platforms are for National Rail services. These platforms are on the outside of their tracks.
There is also a separate station building for the National Rail platforms. It is north of the tracks and next to the car park. The Central line tracks continue a short distance beyond the station before ending. This is a reminder of the original plan to extend the line to Denham. You can see the wide, unused railway land south of the existing tracks. This shows where the unbuilt tracks would have gone.
The Central line's Ruislip depot is located east of West Ruislip station. A special track connects the depot to the Network Rail westbound track. This allows for trains and materials to be delivered. The depot also connects to the Uxbridge branch tracks of the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines. These lines pass under the Central line east of West Ruislip. This connection is only used for moving empty trains and for work trains. Two extra tracks west of the station are used for work trains to wait.
There are ticket barriers at the main entrance of the station. These control access to the Central line platforms from the street. They also control access from the walkway that links the car park to the station. You can reach the Chiltern platforms from the car park walkway without needing a ticket.
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Denham
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Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Main Line
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South Ruislip
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| Preceding station |  London Underground |
Following station | ||
| Terminus | Central line
West Ruislip Branch
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Ruislip Gardens | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
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South Harefield Halt
Line open, station closed
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Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway |
Ruislip Gardens
Line and station open
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| Great Western Railway
Uxbridge High Street branch
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Bus Connections
Several London Buses routes serve West Ruislip station. These include routes 278, U1, and U10.
Places Nearby
- Ruislip
- Ickenham
- Next to the station was the former site of RAF West Ruislip. Until 2006, this was a facility for the United States Navy and an elementary school. It was leased from the Ministry of Defence. This area has now been redeveloped into homes.
See also
In Spanish: Estación de West Ruislip para niños
