Ghost Stations of the London Underground

PinchDuck writes "Check out this site to get a tour of London Underground stations that have been abandoned during the century+ history of the commuter system. You can apparently still get to some of them! (though not by taking the Tube, obviously). I wish I had found this site 2 weeks ago, when I went to London, but now my geeky explorations must wait until my next visit (having just flown back in to Detroit today)."

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[ekrout]

The Tube has nearly 256 miles of track and, per the following link, nearly 40 old ghost stations that are no longer in service.

I found this old article on The Tube's Web site that really gives a nice overview of things. I actually read that a few weeks ago, so it's kind of ironic that this /. article was just posted.

Re:Very interesting

[coryboehne]

Honestly... Urban decay is a fascinating subject, really imagine what New York City would look like after no human inhabitants had been there for five hundred years or more... Or even what would be left of this civilization in three or four thousand years when no-one remembers who the presidents of the United States of America were, or what wars were fought and why... Even more interesting are the conclusions about our society that would be made from the inferences that future researchers may take from any possible small piece of evidence...

NYC abandoned stations.

[mrsam]

For more of the same, here's a great web site about abandoned stations in the New York City subway system, including a just gorgeous station directly underneath City Hall that sadly cannot be returned to service due to some minor technical issues (in addition to it being considered a security risk in this day and age).

Re:Very interesting

[telstar]

If you're interested in urban decay and the subterranian life of NYC, I'd highly recommend the documentary Dark Days by Marc Singer. It's truly a wonderfully done documentary of the underworld of poverty and despair in the abandoned and not abandoned NYC subway tunnels.

Neverwhere

[Anonymous Coward]

Some of these London stations are used to great effect in Neil Gaiman's book "Neverwhere".

Very cool book, IMHO

Berlin - pre unification

[John Whorfin]

In 1983 I was in Berlin and a reponsible adult (?) took us out on the S-Bahn and for whatever reason on that night the train took a spin through (under) East Berlin and through 3 stations that had been closed for 40 years.

It was wierd as hell, the stations looked... well... bombed out and there was debris everywhere. At each station there was a lone bare bulb and a lone polizei with an AK-47. The air was extremly stale too. The train wasn't allowed to stop, it just slowed.

Like a litle tram trip through the Twilight Zone.

I can only assume that all that is a memory and those stations have been re-built now and are operational, no? Any Berliners care to comment?

Re:Lots of info on these tunnels:

[Maudib]

Beneath columbia university and the surrounding area in new york there is a system of tunnels that span several square blocks. Originally I was under the impression that the university just used a few of them for maintenance and hiding the work men from tour groups, however one evening after getting a little stoned a few of us embarked on an expedition to chart them.

Seems the tunnels do connect a number of Columbia and buildings, but it also links up to the 116th street train station and a number of other non columbia facilities. Whats really odd is the total lack of security and the equipment being housed.

Most of the power generatos and phone switches for columbia seem to be located down there, and there isnt much keeping one from going from the ny subway system into the tunnels housing Columbia's equipment.

Re:He missed one oddity on the Victoria line

[mestoph]

I personally have always watched for oddities on the tube network. Ever since i saw the same platform when i was about 10 as we travelled about london. And asked my father what it was, he answered (being a bright man, and knowing where in london we were at the time), oh it must be something to do with the Queen, and it will give you something to look up later. Since those days, i've been many times and travelled up and down the same piece of track to get a better view of it. After much looking, staring and pondering, i got to see quite alot over time. I've seen trains in the platform, lights on and off, and the odd person down there as well. So it for sure is used to some extend. Which now i know why, after now working for a major rail operator for the past 2 years. If they didn't run a train up and down every week or so, the track for rust to the point it would seize the wheels on the first one that tryed. To reopen a section of unused rail is quite a long process, as it usually means laying new track. Also you have the problem of rats in the underground. And wires+rats dont mix :).

On other stations there is also a station at parliment as well, that is only for use in war situations, that i've seen from time to time. And when they refurbed Embankment i'm sure i notice a line that is not used today. But this seems the best time to find things, when they have to close stations for varying reasons. Take this year when flooding closed large areas of the network in early september. I got to use stairwells that obviously had not seen the human foot of the normal passenger in some time.