West Ruislip tube station facts for kids
West Ruislip is a train station in Greater London, England. It's located between the areas of Ickenham and Ruislip. This station is special because it serves two different types of trains: London Underground (often called the Tube) and National Rail trains. They even have their own separate platforms!
West Ruislip is the very last stop (or "terminus") on the Central line's West Ruislip branch of the London Underground. The next Tube station towards central London is Ruislip Gardens. The London Underground manages the Central line platforms and the main ticket office. If you're looking for the Metropolitan line or Piccadilly line, the closest station is Ickenham, which is about 1.1 kilometers away.
For National Rail services, West Ruislip is on the Chiltern Main Line. From here, trains go to Denham in one direction and South Ruislip in the other.
The Station Today
West Ruislip station is built so that the tracks run mostly from east to west. The main station buildings are located on a bridge that goes over the railway lines at the western end of the station.
The station has four platforms in total. Two platforms are for London Underground trains, and two are for National Rail trains. The London Underground tracks are on the south side, and their platforms are on an "island" in the middle of the tracks. The National Rail platforms are on the outside of their tracks. There's also a separate building for the National Rail platforms, which is next to the car park.
You might notice that the Central line tracks continue a short distance past the station before they stop. This is because there were original plans to extend the line further to Denham, but this never happened. You can still see the wide, unused land next to the tracks where the extension was supposed to go.
East of West Ruislip station is the Central line's Ruislip depot. This is where Central line trains are stored and maintained. The depot has a special connection to the National Rail tracks, which allows new trains or materials to be delivered. The depot also connects to the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines' Uxbridge branch tracks, which pass under the Central line. This connection is mainly used for moving empty trains or work trains. There are also two extra tracks west of the station where work trains can wait.
At the main entrance to the station, you'll find ticket barriers. These barriers control who can go onto the Central line platforms from the street and from the walkway that connects the car park to the station. However, there are no ticket barriers for the Chiltern platforms, so you can reach them from the car park walkway without needing a ticket first.
Images for kids
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A 1914 map showing railways near West Ruislip (called Ruislip & Ickenham on this map).
See also
In Spanish: Estación de West Ruislip para niños
