Russell Square tube station

Russell Square

Russell Square Location of Russell Square in Central London
Location	Russell Square
Local authority	Camden
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	1
London Underground annual entry and exit
2008	13.590 million
2009	14.045 million
2010	14.180 million
Original company	Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
15 December 1906	Station opened
Lists of stations	DLR · Underground · National Rail · Tramlink

Russell Square is a London Underground station on Bernard Street, Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden. It is a small but busy station, often used by office workers and by tourists who are staying in Bloomsbury's numerous hotels. The station is a Grade II listed building.

History

The station was opened by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway on 15 December 1906. The station was designed by Leslie Green.

Location

Russell Square Station is not far from the British Museum, the University of London's main campus, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Russell Square Gardens. Its location is adjacent to the Brunswick Centre. The station is located in Travelcard Zone 1, and is between Holborn and King's Cross St Pancras on the Piccadilly Line.

Access to trains

Russell Square station has three lifts but no escalators. The platforms can also be reached using a spiral staircase with 177 steps, although signs in the station indicate that there are 175 steps.

2005 London bombings

Ambulances at Russell Square following the attack.

On 7 July 2005, in a co-ordinated bomb attack, an explosion in a train travelling between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square resulted in the deaths of 26 people, making up nearly half of the total fatalities from the series of attacks and also causing damage to the tunnel. It was the last of the three bombs used in the attacks on the underground, although another bomb would later explode on a bus.

In popular culture

The Armchair Thriller story, The Girl Who Walked Quickly was filmed in the station. Locations included the outside of the station (which was largely obscured by scaffolding), the ticket area, stairs and platforms. Filming took place in January 1978.^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

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  Unique tilework in this station features squares

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  Station name tilework on westbound platform during refurbishment, July 2008

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  Russell Square platform, February 2004

Transport links

London bus route 7, 59, 68, 91, 168, 188, night route N7 and N91.

References

• Rose, Douglas (1999) [1980]. The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-219-4. 
• Wolmar, Christian (2005) [2004]. The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever. Atlantic Books. ISBN 1-84354-023-1. 

External links

• Russell Square Station listing on TFL website
• Open Guide

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Holborn towards Uxbridge or Heathrow Airport (Terminal 4 or Terminal 5)		Piccadilly line		King's Cross St. Pancras towards Cockfosters