North Acton tube station

North Acton tube station stands on the Central line in west London, between Hanger Lane and East Acton. It sits where zone two ends and zone three begins. The tracks here once carried freight trains north to White City until the 1960s. A single-track stretch of the old Great Central line still passes the station, used only by freight and one daily passenger train until 2018. The Underground station opened in 1923 on land once home to a short-lived halt from 1904. In 1992 a third platform was built on the site of an old freight line to improve operations. The station’s history reflects London’s changing transport needs. The Central London Railway first ran through here in 1920 after connecting to the Great Western Railway’s Ealing line. The Great Western built the stations at North Acton and West Acton, opening them together in 1923. Freight lines once ran parallel to the passenger tracks, removed when the Central line was extended to Greenford in 1947. A proposal to move the station east for an interchange with the North London Line has been discussed but never carried out. Visitors find a quiet Underground station with three platforms, one added in 1992. The third platform allows trains to terminate here when needed, improving service reliability. London buses 95, 218, 260, 266, 440, 487 and N266 stop nearby. A footpath beside the railway links Chase Road to Park Royal Road. The area around the station is mostly industrial and business parks, with little housing. The station remains a practical stop for those heading to Park Royal or central London without the crowds of busier interchanges.