This zone 2 station only operates Monday to Friday on the line between Moorgate and Hereford/Welwyn…read moreGarden City. Not super useful. However, the line also calls at Highbury & Islington and the platform it arrives in is adjacent to the Victoria line. Easy connection - happy days. The station has recently been upgraded but only has stair access to the platform - otherwise it is pretty standard - A-Ok!

Well, this is a major interchange station that probably became a major interchange station when the…read moreJubilee Line ended up going through here. However, like, it isn't one of the fanciest stations I have visited, and really has more of a brutalist atmosphere to it. Yeah, I can't say that it was all that great, except that it is very useful if you live in the area.

I used West Ham London Underground and DLR Station as a connecting station to get back to Tower…read moreHill from Stratford, with the station being on the Jubilee line as well as District and Circle. The station is fairly large and is one of the few stations on the network to not be "Underground", meaning the waiting area is much nicer and more pleasant than other stations. It is on multiple lines on the Underground - District - Circle - Hammersmith & City It is also on the DLR route with services going towards Stratford and towards Beckton or Woolwich Arsenal in both directions. C2C services on the London, Tilbury & Southend Line also run via this station, so it is served by a good number of services considering it isn't a highly attractive area of London to visit. The station isn't as busy as other nearby stations or the network altogether, with an average 2-3 million commuters passing through the station. Changing lines seemed straight forward and a much nicer process than at more central London stations, meaning I was off the Jubilee line and on my way back to my hotel on the District line in good time. The station didn't appear to be staffed, but as a step-free station, this didn't appear to be a problem. No facilities in the station in terms of places to eat drink or toilets, again this is pretty common and average for an Underground and DLR Station. 3* - Clean station, the decent overall feel and one of the nicer places to change trains if required when going into Stratford.

A pleasant enough Underground station on the Northern Line's High Barnet branch, between Archway…read moreand East Finchley, in Travelcard Zone 3. It is the last station that is actually underground on this line before it exits into the open air. Therefore, no wifi or mobile signal here. Interesting factoid: American TV host Jerry Springer was born in this station.

Highgate is a major station on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, serving both Highgate…read moreand part of Crouch End to the east, as well as Southwood hospital. It is used by just under 4.5 million passengers a year. The station has a complex but interesting history. The first station here opened in 1867, on a branch of the Great Northern Railway from Finsbury Park to Edgware. The station at Highgate was in a deep cutting necessary because of the hilly terrain with tunnels at either end. In 1872 a branch was built to the pleasure gardens at Alexandra Palace, diverging just north of the station. Thus it remained until the 1930s, when as part of the planned tube extensions in north London known as the 'Northern Heights' Highgate was connected to Archway (then the terminus of the Northern line) by a pair of deep level tunnels, which emerged north of the station to connect with the Edgware line just before East Finchley. Services began in 1939, although the station did not come into operation until 1941. Part of the plan had also been to bring the Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace line into the tube network, linking it at Finsbury Park to the line to Moorgate. A new 'High Level' station was built at Highgate to act as an interchange. However, economies after the Second World War meant that the unfinished elements of the 'Northern heights' plan were abandoned, and the line from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Park continued to be operated by steam until 1954, when it closed to passenger traffic. Parts of the branch were retained until 1971 for freight and empty stock movements. Highgate station today comprises the low level platforms only, served by trains to High Barnet and Mill Hill East. The entrances (to Shepherd's Hill and Priory Gardens) are rather modest, and accessed by paths and steps from the surrounding streets which are mostly at a higher level: the area is heavily planted with mature trees, giving it an almost rural feel (and making it slightly spooky at night). There are escalators to a high level exit on Archway Road close to the junction of Muswell Hill Road, but this is not always open. However, the High Level platforms, together with the original 1867 tunnel entrance towards East Finchley are in very good condition and are clearly visible - from the footpaths, especially in winter when there is less vegetation. Their remains are a testament to what could have been!

Well, this turns out to actually be underground, but that is because this section of the DLR…read moretravels under the Thames to the other side. Like, okay, it isn't anywhere near as fancy as the underground tube stations in other parts of the network, and just really feels like a rushed together tram stop that happens to be underground. Like, there isn't really any staffing here, but that is because of the nature of the DLR - namely it was built on the cheap and is basically automated.

Some people say that Motspur Park is just a station. That is an unfair accusation, but this tiny…read morestation probably has one of the best services into central London offered to any commuter belt area without large supermarkets, having the benefit of a town centre and still feeling like a village. Served by South West Trains, Motspur Park station is staffed. It has two platforms, one heading north to Raynes Park, Wimbledon, Clapham Junction, Vauxhall and terminating at London Waterloo. In the other direction the main destinations are Tolworth, Chessington South, Worcester Park, Epsom, Leatherhead, Dorking and Guildford. This means there is a train every 15 minutes into London. The station is zone 4 for London travelcards and Oystercards.

My friend recently moved a bit further west and from where I was in London, a quick jump to the…read moreMetropolitan Line and a ride out to Harrow was the easiest way to get there. It's a nice station that is a bit more "overground" than "underground", meaning that it just doesn't look like a Tube station. Pinner is in Travelcard Zone 5, between North Harrow and Northwood Hills on the Amersham/Chesham branch. Trains from here into London go to Baker Street and sometimes further. There is a staffed ticket booth and automated ticket vending machines as well as the usual ticket barricades and Oyster readers. Surprisingly, this station is completely step-free, which earns it a fourth star in my rating guidelines. Just outside and across the way is a full-size Sainsbury's and a mini-cab taxi office is attached to the station. Note that the Tube does not run all night. There is a last train into London,generally between 12:00-12:30 am on weeknights and 11:30-12:00 on Sunday's.

My local station. It serves the Metropolitan Line and is on the Watford/Amersham/Chesham branch…read more The station has been upgraded and boasts lifts thereby allowing step free access. During peak times,only All Stations or Semi-fast trains stops at Pinner so the frequency is but less compared to Harrow-on-the-hill but not a big issue. If I happen to get a slow train I jump into a fast at Harrow-on-the-hill. The southbound platform has a news agents and also toilet facilities reminding one of how stations were in the past. A good mix of old and new the station is a small two platform one. The main entrance to the station is to the south-bound however the northbound has an exit which is open during peak times which is convenient for me. The station car park is huge and is attached to a large Sainsbury's.

Trains to London Bridge are frequent and fast. Lack of pram and wheelchair access a major concern.read more

Level access is available from platforms 4 and 5 only which I imagine can be a bit annoying…read more Otherwise the station is fine but sadly never seems to have any ticket inspectors there, and since I know a lot of people come to and from town using the wrong travelcard (zone 1-2 instead of zone 1-3), it's a bit galling to those who do pay the full fare! Trains are frequent and fast, and the coffee stand on platform 5 is a nice treat in the morning.

Straightforward tube station. It's a typical "outside" tube…read morestation that you get at the top of the northern line with an over the track walkway, so if you do have issues with stairs get the right side of the station that you want to depart on. (There is a lift to get down to the actual platform.) Rarely queues at the ticket barriers, as not many tourists, so people don't mess about. A good sized car park with an average day rate. Tidy and not vandalised.

With a layout similar to the other tube (aka "Underground") stations on the north end of the…read moreNorthern Line, Finchley Central has the usual above ground platforms with a pedestrian bridge straddling the lines. The station itself is quite old and still looks a little Victorian. It was opened in 1867. Yes, 1867. There are two entrances/exits to the station. One is through the regular ticket hall on Chaville Way on the north side where the parking lot is located. The other is on the south side, leading on to Station Road. This second entrance does not have a ticket barricade, but there are Oyster readers for those who use such things. Trains are common enough during the peak hours. Some continue north to High Barnett, but Finchley Central is also the junction for the short Mill Hill branch. Interesting tidbit: Finchley Central was the home station of Harry Beck who designed the original Tube map in 1931. There is a plaque on the southbound platform.