North London line
The North London line (NLL) is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of west, north-west, north, and north-east London, England between Richmond in the south-west and Stratford in the east, avoiding central London. Its route is a rough semicircle.
| North London line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Class 378 Capitalstar at Canonbury in 2010 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Locale | Greater London | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 23 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Commuter rail, Suburban rail, Freight rail, Heavy rail, Rapid transit | ||
| System | National Rail London Overground London Underground | ||
| Services | 1 | ||
| Operator(s) | London Overground London Underground (District line) | ||
| Depot(s) | Willesden TMD | ||
| Rolling stock | Class 378 Capitalstar and Class 710 (from 2022–2023) London Underground S7 Stock | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1869 (fully) June 2010 (Gospel Oak - Stratford re-opened) 2011 (full service resumed) | ||
| Closed | December 2006 (Stratford - North Woolwich) February 2010 (Gospel Oak - Stratford for engineering works) | ||
| Technical | |||
| Number of tracks | Mostly Double Track, with Quadruple Track between York Way and Arundel Square. | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | 25 kV AC OHLE 750 V DC third rail | ||
| |||
Although much of it originated as part of the North London Railway, the current route is the result of a series of amalgamations, closures and reopenings, and has a mix of third-rail and overhead electrical power supply. It remains heavily used by freight services in addition to the main London Overground (LO) service. Between Richmond and Gunnersbury, London Underground's District line shares tracks with London Overground services; the entire route is owned and maintained by Network Rail.
TfL took over the line in 2007 and introduced new stock as well as putting the line on the Tube map. It closed for four months in 2010 between Gospel Oak and Stratford and had a reduced service for another year to allow platform extensions and signalling upgrades.