Russell Square tube station

Russell Square
Station entrance
Russell Square Location of Russell Square in Central London
Location	Russell Square
Local authority	Camden
Managed by	London Underground
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	1
London Underground annual entry and exit
2011	14.73 million
2012	13.44 million
2013	12.95 million
2014	13.08 million
Railway companies
Original company	Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway
Key dates
15 December 1906	Station opened
Listed status
Listing grade	II
Entry number	1401730
Added to list	20 July 2011
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
London Transport portal

Russell Square is a London Underground station on Bernard Street, Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden. The station is on the Piccadilly line, between Holborn and King's Cross St Pancras and is in Travelcard Zone 1. It is a small but busy station, often used by office workers and by tourists who are staying in Bloomsbury's numerous hotels or visiting the British Museum.

Russell Square Station is not far from the British Museum, the University of London's main campus, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Russell Square Gardens. Its location is adjacent to the Brunswick Centre.

History

Ambulances at Russell Square following the attack.

The station was opened by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway on 15 December 1906. The station was designed by Leslie Green.

2005 London bombings

On 7 July 2005, in a co-ordinated bomb attack, an explosion in a train travelling between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square resulted in the deaths of 26 people, making up nearly half of the total fatalities from the series of attacks and also causing damage to the tunnel. It was the last of the three bombs used in the attacks on the underground, although another bomb later exploded on a bus.

The Station today

The station is a Grade II listed building.

Russell Square station has three lifts and are all fifty-passenger lifts built by Wadsworth. However, there are no escalators but the platforms can still be reached using a spiral staircase with 171 steps. It is said that the signs at the station indicate an incorrect number of steps, which is 175 steps.

The station has 4 payphones (two on the platforms and two in the ticket halls), 7 gates, a Wifi service, 5 vending machines and a photo booth.

Platform level tiling

The distinctive platform level tilework.

The stations along the central part of the Piccadilly line, as well as some sections of the Northern line, were financed by Charles Yerkes, and are famous for the Leslie Green designed red station buildings and distinctive platform tiling. Each station had its own unique tile pattern and colours.

Services and connections

Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 4–7 minutes between 06:06 and 00:28 in both directions.

London Bus routes 7, 59, 68, 91, 98, 168, 188 and X68 and night routes N7, N91 and N98 serve the station.

In popular culture

Russell Square tube station was used as the location for the 1973 horror film entitled "Death Line" which starred Donald Plesence, Christopher Lee and Clive Swift.

See also

• British Museum
• University of London
• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• Russell Square Gardens
• Brunswick Centre

External links

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Holborn towards Uxbridge or Heathrow Airport (Terminal 4 or Terminal 5)		Piccadilly line		King's Cross St. Pancras towards Cockfosters