hello! and we're back out on the Tube once more
this time, on the dark blue line, of the tube
as we do, the least used station ...
... on the Piccadilly line
North Ealing, which is really located in east ealing opened in 1903
and was originally part of the District Railway
not becoming part of the Piccadilly until 1932
it sits in Zone 3 of the travel zones
and very much has a rural charm to it
which is in keeping, with its least-used status
if feel slightly odd, because the station
is tucked down this little side road here
there's a fairly busy road here
and then a very busy main road over there
so it certainly seems like its in a busy, suburban, urband area
but because it's tucked away
it has its least used charm about it
and before i went to the station, you can't help but notice
that its got a car park to the side of it
the thing abuot North Ealing car park is that it's really handy
this sound like an obvious thing, for getting into the centre of town
and by that i mean i know some people who definetely drive here
ferom Zone 6, 7, and beyond in south, south west London
but they cone to here, Zone 3
park the car
and then nip into Zone 1, centre of town
on the Piccadilly line,
Two thing! one ...
historicaly note, i want to make it known that in 2019
it cose £4.50 per day to park here
i feel like every year we should come back, and see how much it's gone up by
also, it MIGHT just be the only
tube station car park, to have an electric charging point
unless you know better? oh no ... Epping
i bet Epping's got one, but let me know in the comments
what other tube station car parks, have charging points for electric vehicles
i headed inside the station to check out North Ealing's facilities
and there's a gents toilets here
which is handy because i genuinely need to go, so whilst i do that
we'll have a look at what other faciltiies there are here
North Ealing is served by two bus routes, and also had a bike rack
Dot matrix indicators, multiple help points
and a solitary litter bin, sadly not blowing in the breeze
the platforms also have attractive hanging baskets with flowers in
and there's this nice old clock as well
the labyrinth, is also in an obvious spot
it's just screwed to a wall on the westbound platform
but what about this? what looks like, a heritage sign
one thing to note, going down to the westbound platform there's this
delightful sign here that says "to trains"
for Harrow and Uxbridge, but that is not
a Piccadilly line original, that is from the Metropolitan line
from about the 1910's
maybe the 1920's and it was moved here
much later, so that's a sign, from the Metropolitan line
not, from the Piccadilly
* Rumble of train *
noe neither of platforms at North Ealing are step free
but it is on the list of stations due to have an upgrade to become step free in the next few years
the most steps, are when you have to cross over to the eastbound platform
you have to go up, across, and down the steps, of the nice footbridge
and when you get to the other side ...
there's something even nicer waiting for you
there's also this, this charming ... i don't want to call it a waiting room
i'll call it a waiting shelter, that's on the eastbound platform
a lof of North Ealing's charm
comes from the fact that the line, from Rayners Lane Acton Town and beyond
was originally part of the district railway, now the district line
but then the piccadilly railway - now the piccadilly line later took it over
and all of the station buildings along that line so
like Sudbury Town, my favourite
going up to Rayners Lane, were all redesigned
and done as Charles Holden, or Charles Holden-eque type buildings, apart from this one
don't know why, North Ealing
retains it's like .. villagey backwater, station style building
and the waiting shelter like this
it's really nice
* birds chirping *
so in terms of service pattern, during the peak
monday to friday, it gets 12 trains in the morning peak
and 12 trains in the evening peak, in each direction
off peak and weekends, it drops to six trains an hour
more importantly ...
what does that do
to the passenger statistics, just HOW least used is ... North Ealing?
let's have a look
going by the service statistics we're using in this series
North Ealing gets 827,000 passengers a year
that's just over 2000 per day
and this is how it compares with the other lines
in this series
so there you go, the least used station on the piccadilly
getting very close to the end now
press subscribe, keep watching
and we will eventually get to
the least used station, on the whole of the Underground