(Image: Urban Ghosts; abandoned eastbound platform at South Kensington tube station)
Nowadays, South Kensington tube station on the London Underground is served by the sub-surface District and Circle lines, as well as the deeper Piccadilly line. But at one point in not-too-distant history, the station was shared by the Metropolitan Railway and the Metropolitan District Railway. Today, travellers passing through South Kensington can still glimpse the relics of these defunct lines, most notably the abandoned platform, devoid of track, opposite the current eastbound Platform 2 of the District and Circle lines. This had once been the eastbound platform of the old Metropolitan Railway, which closed after the Metropolitan and District Railways were incorporated into the broader London Underground network.
(Image: Urban Ghosts; a train approaches the active platform)
The track that once ran alongside the platform has now been lifted, though the latter still comes in handy for advertising boards targeting those waiting for trains on Platform 2. Perhaps one day it’ll be pressed back into use, though at the time being there seems little reason to do so.
(Image: Urban Ghosts)
To date, Urban Ghosts has documented numerous abandoned London Underground stations (see also Part 2). The ghost platform at South Kensington tube station, however, demonstrates how abandonment can take many forms. On a network as complex as the London Underground, which has changed a great deal over the years and constantly evolves, entirely abandoned stations are rare. But there are many silent platforms that haven’t been used in years. Unlike this open air example, many of them lie well and truly hidden deep beneath the city, away from the public gaze.
(Image: DavidCane; layout of South Kensington station then and now)
Fan of ghost stations and other lost railway history? If so, don’t miss 10 eerily abandoned subways around the world.
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