Archway tube station
Northern line · Zones 2 and 3 · Islington
About Archway station
Its name has changed several times. When the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway opened it on 22 June 1907, as one of its northern termini, this end of Holloway Road had no name of its own, so the railway borrowed that of Highgate, the village up the hill, hoping to attract custom; Archway Tavern had also been considered. It became Archway (Highgate) on 11 June 1939, Highgate (Archway) on 19 January 1941 and simply Archway in December 1947, when the Highgate name passed to the new station further north. Trains had run beyond it to East Finchley since 3 July 1939.
Leslie Green designed the original building in his ox-blood glazed brick. Lifts gave way to escalators in 1930, and Charles Holden added a secondary entrance, itself replaced in the 1970s. Below ground, both platforms were built to hold nine-car trains rather than the usual seven, an early attempt to ease overcrowding: for years the rear two cars were kept for passengers travelling between Archway and Tottenham Court Road, staying in the tunnel at stations in between. Nine-car running stopped on 6 September 1939 and never returned. Besides the escalators, there are 113 steps down to the platforms.
First and last trains from Archway
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern towards Morden, Battersea Power Station or Kennington | 05:40 – 00:18 | 05:40 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:27 |
| Northern towards High Barnet, Mill Hill East or Finchley Central | 05:57 – 00:56 | 05:57 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:00 |
Times are TfL’s published timetable departures from this station; on Saturday the list follows TfL’s “Saturdays and public holidays” timetable.
At the busiest hour on a weekday there are up to 24 Northern trains an hour per direction from Archway, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Archway
Running times between Archway and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Northern | Highgate | 2.2 min |
| Northern | Tufnell Park | 1.8 min |
Connections
Archway is served by the Northern line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Archway station
Four roads meet above Archway: Holloway Road, Highgate Hill, Junction Road and Archway Road. The main entrance is beneath the Vantage Point tower on Junction Road, with a side entrance on Highgate Hill. Archway Library is about 60 m away and the small Archway Corner park about 90 m. The Whittington Stone and Archway Park are both about 180 m away, and the Bomb Factory Art Foundation is about 240 m off. The Whittington Hospital is roughly 340 m from the station. Upper Holloway station is 450 m away, and the two count as an interchange if you change within 20 minutes.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Whittington Stone | 180 m |
| Bomb Factory Art Foundation | 240 m |
| Archway Library | 60 m |
| Archway Corner | 90 m |
| Archway Park | 180 m |
| Giesbach Road Open Space | 180 m |
| Girdlestone Park | 230 m |
| Community Garden | 300 m |
Frequently asked questions
When the station opened in 1907 the area was just the northern end of Holloway Road, with no name of its own. To attract passengers the railway named it after Highgate, the village up the hill. It went through Archway (Highgate) and Highgate (Archway) before becoming Archway in December 1947.
Both platforms were built for nine-car trains instead of the usual seven, to tackle overcrowding. For many years the last two cars were reserved for passengers travelling between Archway and Tottenham Court Road. Nine-car operation was suspended on 6 September 1939, when flood gates were installed at the outbreak of war, and was never reinstated.