Brixton is a

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

station on Brixton Road in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

in the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London is at Frazi ...

, South

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It is the southern terminus of the

Victoria line The Victoria line is a London Underground line that runs between in South London, and in the east, via the West End of London, West End. It is printed in light blue on the Tube map and is one of the only two lines on the network to run comp ...

and the next station towards north is Stockwell. The station is known to have the largest London Underground roundel on the network.

History

The City and Brixton Railway had planned to link Brixton with Central London by underground railway in 1897 but was unable to raise funds for construction. Brixton station on the Victoria line was opened on 23 July 1971 by the

London Transport Executive The London Transport Executive was the organisation responsible for public transport in Greater London, England between 1948 and 1962. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand o ...

. It has high usage for an inner suburban station with 33.46 million entries and exits during 2016 making it the 19th busiest station by this measure. In the 2000s, the station was extensively refurbished and upgraded, with a new external façade and entrance lobby, installation of step-free access, together with refurbishment of a number of smaller retail outlets and the ticket office.Brixton Underground Station Redevelopment
/ref> The refurbishment started in 2001, step-free access work was completed in 2005, and the station upgrade was completed in 2010. The station was briefly closed for

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

removal in 2006. The refurbishment works were a long drawn out process. New panels and lighting have been installed in the escalator shaft.

Design

From the ticket hall, three escalators take passengers to and from the platforms. There are also passenger lifts between street level, the ticket hall and the platforms to provide step free access. The station is laid out as a two-track terminus with a scissors crossover north of the station, and the line continues for a short distance south of the station platforms to form a pair of sidings. The 'Underground' logo, or otherwise known 'roundel' on the façade of the station building is the largest on the London Underground network

Artwork

As with all Victoria line stations, the platforms feature tiled murals in the seat recesses – the work at Brixton by Hans Unger is a pun on the station name, suggesting a "ton of bricks". Since 2018,

Art on the Underground Art on the Underground, previously called ''Platform for Art'', is Transport for London's (TfL) contemporary public art programme. It commissions permanent and temporary artworks for London Underground, as well as commissioning artists to create ...

has used the header wall above the main staircase to the ticket hall for temporary murals, by artists such as Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Shanti Panchal and Joy Labinjo. Artists are asked to consider the diverse local community, and as well as reflect the various Brixton murals painted in the local area in the 1980s.

Location

The station is in Brixton Road and is about 100 m from Brixton railway station (on the London Victoria to Orpington line, operated by South Eastern). Although the route of the

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...

South London line also runs close to Brixton tube station, there is no station in Brixton on this route because it passes overhead on high railway arches.

Services

Brixton station is the southern terminus of the Victoria line and the next station is Stockwell to the north. Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally every 3–5 minutes between 05:55 and 00:18.

Connections

London Bus Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn ''omnibus'' service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London ...

routes 2, 3, 35, 37, 45, 59, 109, 133, 159,

196 Year 196 ( CXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Dexter and Messalla (or, less frequently, year 949 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 196 for this yea ...

, 250, 333, 355, 415, 432, P4 and P5, and night routes N2, N3, N35, N109 and N133 serve the station. Brixton Station – Bus
Brixton Water Lane – Bus
/ref>

References

Bibliography

External links

{{Victoria line navbox Victoria line stations London Underground Night Tube stations Tube stations in the London Borough of Lambeth Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1971 Tube station