Primrose Hill Demolished

Campaigners' shock as Primrose Hill station is suddenly demolished

RESIDENTS are furious that the historic Primrose Hill station has been demolished days after the launch of a campaign to reopen it.

Network Rail knocked down the Victorian station, disused since 1992, leaving residents livid that they were not consulted before demolition day.

The station could be reopened as part of the London Overground network and served by a line running between Queen's Park and Stratford.

But this looks more unlikely now the buildings have been destroyed.

Campaigners say the station is essential due to the immense pressure on the Northern line and perpetual overcrowding in Camden Town's stations.

Alden Place resident Keith Bird, a member of the Primrose Hill Community Association, said: "There must have been very little, if any, consultation because no-one has heard about the demolition.

"It is outrageous. What is done is done but the fact that they never consulted should be condemned.

"The station is something that is needed, particularly when they talk about taking traffic off the roads. It is a local facility and it would be greatly used if it was reopened."

Earlier this year, the station was included in a Transport for London heritage audit of the London Overground.

The report said: "Since its platform and buildings still exist and there is considerable pressure to reopen the station, it has been included in this study."

Camden Railways Heritage Trust secretary, Peter Darley, said: "I was very much supporting the idea of reopening Primrose Hill station.

"We thought it was a great idea. We see it as important to the whole area and to its railway heritage."

The campaign to save the station was launched by Primrose Hill's Liberal Democrat councillors and parliamentary candidate Jo Shaw.

Cllr Chris Naylor said: "Primrose Hill residents are backing our campaign to get the station reopened. Camden voters tell us we need to get more travel off the roads and on to public transport.

"So it seems crazy to demolish the old station now. The Northern line is massively overloaded and we won't get a new Camden tube station for 10 years or more.

"It would be a great way to help ease the pressure on public transport and the roads locally."

Ms Shaw added: "The campaign to reopen the station has been very popular. I am annoyed because this has put a spanner in the works and people want to see this station reopened."

A Network Rail spokesman said: "Primrose Hill station was decommissioned over 10 years ago and since this time it had fallen into a state of disrepair.

"The track at this location is still live. So in the interest of network operation and safety a decision was made to demolish the station. Materials salvaged from this activity will be recycled.

"Before the station was demolished, approval was sought from the relevant rail industry partners including the Department for Transport, Transport for London and the train operating company.

www.hamhigh.co.uk/content/camden/hamhigh/news/story.aspx?brand=NorthLondon24&category=Newshamhigh&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newshamhigh&itemid=WeED02%20Jan%202009%2010%3A43%3A21%3A417

Why is it that when some of the original North London Railway stations were demolished, for example Broad Street, there was little or no opposition, but when others were demolished, such as Primrose Hill, there was lots of opposition?

Broad Street was originally targeted for closure under Beeching, but there was a lot of opposition then... it was pretty badly damaged during the war though, and never really properly fixed up. It was quite dilapidated.

From what I remember reading I do not think Broad Street was that well used at the time of its closure, although no idea whether that is a result of a lack of demand or the service being run down. But in its place they did originally run some peak services between Watford Junction and Liverpool Street so it did have a sort of direct replacement for a while.

Aren't the current 18 platforms enough then? ;D ;D ;D

That's pretty much my reasoning.

You would've had ample room to expand the throat by demolishing more of the BS viaduct north of the station (the current unused stub), and if you demolished the infamous GE(13?) bridge and some creative realigning you could probably squeeze more approach tracks from Bethnal too.

Alas, wasted opportunity.

I heard about the idea to run Watford Jn - Liverpool Street at the time, guess it was a little out the way, as the Dalston route was non-stop!

Transfer the Buckinghamshire Met bits to Chiltern, and then joint the Met onto the DC lines at Kenton, and you can have both, and much faster than the DC lines could ever manage.

That will be the freight drivers having a leak while waiting for the signal

Passed there today and it seems like a lot of metal fencing going up as if they're going to make a storage area.. maybe for the Camden to Dalston upgrade?? Only time will tell..