Essex Road station is a Network Rail station in Islington. It is on the Northern City Line served by WAGN, between Old Street and Highbury & Islington. The original name was Canonbury and Essex Road, but "Canonbury" was dropped sometime in the 50s or 60s. It opened in 1903, with the rest of the line, originally called the Great Northern and City. In the 60s, this became the first station on that branch (considered part of the Northern Line at the time) to be closed on the weekends, as this was the least cared for station on what in effect was the least cared for line. It also closed one day before the rest of the line in 1975 when the London Underground ended service on the line altogether. It opened again in 1976 as part of the British Rail network. Network Rails logo Network Rail is a British not for dividend Company Limited by Guarantee that owns the fixed assets of that part of the British railway system that formerly belonged to British Rail, the now defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ... Islington Town Hall. ... The Northern City Line is the railway line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park in London. ... A Wagn outer suburban electric unit Wagn is a franchise operator of commuter train services out of London Kings Cross and Moorgate stations. ... Old Street station entrance and (inset) its shopping arcade Old Street station is a London Underground and railway station just north of the City, lying on the border between Islington and Hackney. ... Highbury & Islington station is a mainline and London Underground zone 2 station, to the north of London. ... The Northern Line is a deep-level tube line of the London Underground, coloured black on the Tube map. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Slight modifications to the famous London Underground roundel indicate the name of each station on platform and outdoor signs. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system, from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ...

Above ground it is situated in an old building, perhaps the original, at the junction of Essex Road and Canonbury Road. The railway at this point is of a deep-level tube type although able to take full-size carriages, with access to the platforms by lift. There is also a spiral staircase through a dimly lit shaft that provides an alternative, which is behind a fire-door at ground level. Inside the old building, the first thing one notices is that there aren't the gates that most London Underground and Network Rail stations have. There is only a ticket counter, the door to the staircase, and the lifts. It would almost resemble an office building, if not for the fact that one goes down, not up. Slight modifications to the famous London Underground roundel indicate the name of each station on platform and outdoor signs. ... Network Rails logo Network Rail is a British not for dividend Company Limited by Guarantee that owns the fixed assets of that part of the British railway system that formerly belonged to British Rail, the now defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ... Stairs, staircase, stairway, flight of stairs are all names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps. ...

At the bottom of the lifts/staircase, one goes through a cylindrical underground passage, walks up a short staircase, and then arrives between the two platforms. These are now served by WAGN class 313 EMUs, but this was once part of the Underground, as can be evidenced by the fourth rail, which is unused and rusty, but still there. Signs at platform level still mention Network SouthEast, even though it is now WAGN that serves this station. A train in NSE livery Network SouthEast (NSE) was a sector of British Rail that principally operated commuter trains in the London area. ...

External links

• Train times (http://www.livedepartureboards.co.uk/ldb/summary.aspx?T=EXR) for Essex Road station from National Rail
• Street map (http://www.multimap.com/map/places.cgi?client=public&lang=&advanced=&quicksearch=N12SU) and aerial photo (http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&lang=&pc=N12SU) of Essex Road station from Multimap.com

National Rail uses the BR double arrow logo National Rail is a brand name describing the passenger rail service previously provided by British Rail, the now defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ... Multimap. ... National Rail uses the BR double arrow logo National Rail is a brand name describing the passenger rail service previously provided by British Rail, the now defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ... Highbury & Islington station is a mainline and London Underground zone 2 station, to the north of London. ... A Wagn outer suburban electric unit Wagn is a franchise operator of commuter train services out of London Kings Cross and Moorgate stations. ... Old Street station entrance and (inset) its shopping arcade Old Street station is a London Underground and railway station just north of the City, lying on the border between Islington and Hackney. ...