The Northern City line

The Northern City line is unique in London - an underground railway not operated by TfL. Sure, it's not the only one - Thameslink ever so briefly goes underground at City Thameslink - but it spans five stations and is maintained by Network Rail, which is rather impressive when you consider most mainline railways are above ground. 

It was opened in 1904 by the Great Northern Railway, with the tunnels built wide enough to accommodate mainline trains - this is why trains, much like those on Thameslink services, can be seen funneling through the tunnels daily. The line used to be part of the Tube until 1975, and is currently served by Great Northern, who happen to be owned by the same people who own Thameslink, which might explain the train situation. Yet you still get the odd TfL-esque route maps on the platforms.

Moorgate

If you're ever bored with a group of rail anoraks, play a game where you must name all the London termini. I'm certain Moorgate will be one of the last ones to be mentioned.

Next door to the grander Liverpool Street, Moorgate's role as a terminus only makes sense in the context of the Underground. The Northern line runs alongside the Northern City line from here to Old Street, though one really has to question if you need two options during this short strait.

Moorgate opened in 1865 as part of the first extension of the Metropolitan Railway from Farringdon. Initially called Moorgate Street, it later became Moorgate in 1924, by which point the Northern City line had firmly established itself as a fixture. Set in the heartland of financial London, where glass buildings and various banks reign supreme, it's somewhat odd to see the cosy old Moorgate amongst them. Moorgate has a respectable 8 million National Rail passengers annually, but I suspect this is mainly due to the Elizabeth line, which facilitated an almost mega-station between Moorgate and Liverpool Street where you can walk from one to the other underground, since in 2020-21, this number was at merely 1 million.

 

I can't discuss Moorgate and the Northern City line without mentioning the devastating crash that occurred in 1975, which saw the deaths of 43 passengers, and 74 injuries - the worst accident on the Tube in peacetime. As a train arrived at Moorgate on 28th February, it overrode the terminus at 30-40 mph at 08:46, with the cause of the crash unknown. The crash led to the end of tube services on the Northern City line come October that same year.

There is a remembrance plaque outside the station in memory of those who lost their lives. For further reading, here are some articles by Rail Magazine and the London Fire Brigade about the crash and recovery efforts.

Old Street

Down the road from Moorgate is Old Street. How old, you ask? Well in 1200, it was recorded as Ealdestrate, so I imagine it's quite old if it already had that moniker back then. 

Compared to Moorgate, Old Street is far flashier, more glassy, and less claustrophobic, owing to a redevelopment in 2014. It's centred in the middle of the Old Street roundabout, which is surrounded by various tech headquarters like satellite business Inmarsat, which has led to the area being coined as the Silicon Roundabout. I had to learn about it at GCSE geography, though have also forgotten most of it. 

    

6 million passengers use Old Street for the Northern City line annually, which is a far more respectable figure. Perhaps that's due to the nearby Moorfields Eye Hospital, which is often referenced on transport lines when at Old Street:

This is Old Street. Change for Moorfields Eye Hospital and National Rail services.

As the oldest and largest centre for ophthalmic treatment in Europe, one can't deny Moorfields deserves this. 

At this point, we also leave the City of London, with Moorgate, and enter the borough of Islington. Aside from a brief track detour in Hackney, the Northern City line remains in Islington for the remainder of its existence.

Essex Road

This is the true anomaly on the rail network in London - the only deep-level underground station not served by the Tube. 597,000 passengers use the station annually, which is somewhat confusing as it's the only station within a near 800m radius. It doesn't even have ticket barriers (maybe that's why)!

   

Situated at the crossroads of two main roads, not far from the heart of Canonbury, Essex Road opened alongside the rest of the railway. I will add that I got off the train at this point to see more of the area around me, and on my brief walk up to the next station, there are things to see if you're willing to look for them:

• St Stephens Church is quite lovely with its gorgeous spire that's actually been restored recently.  It was built from 1838 to 1839, but was sadly bombed in 1940, during World War 2. A new church came about in 1957 with a slightly shorter spire than before; the church was Grade II listed in 1972, so it's only right that the church is properly preserved, alongside its Anglican mass-holding priorities.

 

• Canonbury Square consists of delightful gardens, surrounded by fancy housing, and has been home to George Orwell, and various other artistic and literary minds. The square was constructed in 1805 on land previously owned by the Marquess of Northampton, before the Fourth Marquess of Northampton opened the square to the public in 1884.  

 

Whilst the station may not be the most glamorous, it's in a wonderful location with a curious history to boot. 

Highbury and Islington

Well, then...the big hitter. Tube, Overground...Northern City. About 35 million passengers annually makes H&I the 19th busiest station in the UK, and I'm not sure how great a proportion of that is taken up by the runty Moorgate line. 

The original station building of the Northern City line stands opposite to H&I - Highbury station is lovely with its ornate frontage, still well preserved despite having the odd peelings from old adverts retained on it - and it's still being used to hold Victoria line signalling equipment.

The current building, much like Old Street, is more sleek and modern, and I suppose it does its job. It's not as aesthetically pleasing, but at least it serves trains, I suppose.

 

The area is situated around a former roundabout, with shops on all sides, and if you're a fan of congestion, then H&I might be the area for you. But at a surface glance, it's probably my least favourite place on the Northern City line, mainly answering a question but never asking one.

 

Drayton Park

We've gone from historic stations and glossy architecture, to a delightful brick building just by Arsenal's home ground. Only used by 642,000 passengers annually, Drayton Park isn't far from Highbury and Islington, indeed it's a brief walk along the A1 and some side streets. 

 

The station isn't underground! That's notable, since trains from hereon in will stay generally above ground right up until Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City, amongst other exciting peripheral Home County locations.

There is a small suburban high street here with local shops, but otherwise it's just housing here. That, and the giant sporting behemoth which is the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal initially played south of the river, in Woolwich, but they moved to Islington in 1913 and have made this area their home since. They had played in Highbury from 1913 to 2006, when they decided to move slightly southward to the Emirates, which is indeed sponsored by the Emirati airline. The ground can accommodate 60,000 people, who come here every week to watch their side inevitably finish second every year.

    

You have the statues of Herbert Chapman, the legendary manager who won three titles in the 1930s; Thierry Henry, the very decent striker in the 2000s; Arsene Wenger, the man who won occasionally. Scattered around the steps up to the stadium are boards mentioning the women's team won the Champions League last season, which is notable since they moved here in 2024. Before, the women had to play in Borehamwood, though they do occasionally pip in there for certain matches.

Herbert Chapman statue outside the stadium

It was mostly empty, and unsurprisingly closed, since Arsenal are yet to kick off their season. Their first home match is against Leeds on the 23rd, and will give the loving home crowd their first proper chance to see whether the £200m worth of new signings are the best thing since sliced bread, or whether they're a bunch of frauds who should have never left Chelsea. 

    

Football aside, you can also find London Metropolitan University here. About 15,000 students study here, and their Holloway campus has stood here since 1896, initially as the Northern Polytechnic Institute. Come 1992, it was the Uni of North London, and by 2002, it had merged with London Guildhall to create London Met. Whilst it might be too late for me to go there, they do offer chemistry. So maybe...

Epilogue

If you hate trains, and I know a large number of you do, you can complete the trip either on foot, which ought to take about an hour. Admittedly I only took the train from Moorgate to Essex Road. I wasn't even sure if I was going to blog up to Drayton Park, but I relented and completed the rest of the trip. I wanted to avoid another Sutton loop scenario where I'd have another series I'd be forced to complete. 

Now you will have noticed I didn't go to Finsbury Park, which I suppose does count as part of the Northern City line. In my defence, by that point the underground appeal of it has disappeared anyways, and the station's also operated by Great Northern services from King's Cross. So I think I'm cleared.