Harrow on the Hill

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Harrow-on-the-Hill station is a London Underground station served by National Rail and London Underground (LU) trains. It is located between College Road and Lowlands Road in the Greenhill area of Harrow, about a half-mile north of the locality from which it takes its name.

The station is the junction for four LU tracks from Baker Street (paired by direction), two Network Rail tracks from Marylebone, four LU tracks (paired by speed) to Amersham and the double-track LU line to Uxbridge which leaves via a burrowing junction west of the station. Services to Watford leave the “Main Line” to Amersham at Watford South Junction (not to be confused with Watford Junction) near Rickmansworth.

The London Underground service at Harrow-on-the-Hill is provided by the Metropolitan line. The adjacent Underground stations are (toward London) Northwick Park, (toward Amersham) North Harrow and (toward Uxbridge) West Harrow. The Metropolitan line operates a varied pattern of trains and not all trains stop at all stations. Many “fast” and “semi-fast” services do not stop between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Finchley Road; the stations between Harrow and Wembley Park, and between Harrow and Moor Park have no platforms on the Fast Lines.

Trains to London go to either Aldgate or Baker Street stations with some services terminating at Moorgate.

The station was opened as “Harrow” on August 2, 1880, when the Metropolitan Railway was extended from its previous terminus at Willesden Green. Its name was changed to “Harrow-on-the-Hill” on June 1, 1894. Like a number of other Underground stations the name is an example of marketing rather than precision; in this case the town “proper” of the same name is at the top of Harrow Hill while the station is located in Greenhill to the North of Harrow Hill which has become the main shopping area in this part of the Borough of Harrow.

Had the governors of Harrow School not made objections during the planning stage it is possible that the Metropolitan Railway might have followed a different route taking it closer to the town centre on the hill. The station is at the heart of Metro-land.

This service began as the Great Central Railway (GCR) on March 15, 1899. The GCR ran on the former Great Central Main Line, an intercity trunk route and provided services from Harrow to destinations such as Rugby, Leicester, Nottingham and Manchester. The passenger service north of Aylesbury ceased in 1966 due to the Beeching Axe.