Ludgate Circus was a planned
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
station that would have formed part of "phase 2" of the
Fleet line
The Jubilee line is a London Underground line that runs between in east London and in the suburban north-west, via the Docklands, South Bank and West End. Opened in 1979, it is the newest line on the Underground network, although some secti ...
(now called the Jubilee line) had it been completed. Taking its name from the nearby
Ludgate Circus
Ludgate Circus is a road junction in the City of London where Farringdon Street/New Bridge Street (the A201) crosses Fleet Street/Ludgate Hill. (Ludgate Hill is a gentle rise to St Paul's Cathedral.)
Fleet Street was the only direct road betwe ...
in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
financial district, preliminary preparation work was begun in the 1970s, but the plan was later postponed due to lack of funds.
When the Jubilee line was extended in the late 1990s, it took a different route south of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
and the "phase 1" portion of the line from to was taken out of passenger use.
A
National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the p ...
station was eventually constructed near the Ludgate Circus site, but to serve the north–south
Thameslink route, using the Snow Hill tunnel, rather than the originally envisaged east–west line. It used the previously redundant line that used to form the National Rail line terminating at Holborn Viaduct station. This station was not named Ludgate Circus, but rather St. Paul's Thameslink, later changed to to avoid confusion with the nearby
St Paul's tube station
St Paul's is a London Underground station located in the City of London financial district. The station, which takes its name from the nearby St Paul's Cathedral, is on the Central line, between Bank and Chancery Lane stations, and is in far ...
. It was, however, built in such a way as to allow for an underground east–west aligned station to be easily integrated; this can be seen in the wide spaces at the Holborn end of the station, where large doors open on to a corridor intended to lead to escalators to an underground concourse level. It is still known today as the "LUL corridor" by staff.
Future plans
As of 2015, there are no plans or suggestions to build an Underground station at Ludgate Circus. However, there are long-term proposals to build an extension of the
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London, England and provides a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of Londo ...
(DLR) from
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
to Charing Cross, with stations planned at Ludgate Circus and
Aldwych
Aldwych (pronounced ) is a street and the name of the List of areas of London, area immediately surrounding it in central London, England, within the City of Westminster. The street starts Points of the compass, east-northeast of Charing Cros ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludgate Circus Tube Station
Unbuilt London Underground stations
Tube stations in the City of London
Proposed London Underground stations
Railway stations located underground in the United Kingdom