Borough tube station
Northern line · Zone 1 · Southwark
About Borough station
Borough opened on 18 December 1890 as part of the City and South London Railway, the first successful deep-level tube railway. When the tunnels were enlarged in 1922 the station was rebuilt, and little of the original surface building survives, though it once closely resembled Kennington. It is the most northerly of the original C&SLR stations still in use. Beyond it the first tunnels ran to a terminus at King William Street, a route abandoned in 1900 when new tunnels opened on a different alignment to London Bridge and Moorgate.
Those disused tunnels had a second life. Southwark Borough Council turned parts of them, between Borough and the south bank of the Thames, into a large public air-raid shelter with six entrances along Borough High Street, open from 24 June 1940 to 7 May 1945; a plaque at the station recalls it. Below ground the platforms sit at different levels: the lifts give level access to the northbound platform, while the southbound one is a floor lower and reached only by narrow stairs. The 1922 lifts were replaced in 1985, and in 2022 the station closed from 15 January to 15 May while upgrade works at Bank were finished.
First and last trains from Borough
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern towards Morden | 06:02 – 00:41 | 06:02 – 00:41 | 06:02 – 00:41 | 07:34 – 23:50 |
| Northern towards Edgware, High Barnet or Mill Hill East | 05:42 – 00:30 to High Barnet | 05:42 – 00:30 to High Barnet | 05:42 – 00:30 to High Barnet | 07:23 to High Barnet – 23:36 to High Barnet |
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 26 Northern trains an hour per direction from Borough, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Borough
Running times between Borough and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Northern | Elephant & Castle | 2.2 min |
| Northern | London Bridge | 1.7 min |
Connections
Borough is served by the Northern line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Borough station
The entrance is on Borough High Street at the corner of Marshalsea Road, and the history of the area is close at hand: the Marshalsea Prison memorial is about 130 m away, St George’s Churchyard Gardens about 120 m and Little Dorrit Park about 110 m. The John Harvard Library is around 90 m from the station and Tabard Street Food Market about 70 m. A little further are Red Cross Garden at roughly 230 m, Crossbones Graveyard at about 310 m and the Gordon Museum at around 370 m.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Marshalsea Prison (memorial) | 130 m |
| Red Cross Garden | 230 m |
| Crossbones Graveyard | 310 m |
| Gordon Museum | 370 m |
| Meiner Chocolate Factory | 370 m |
| North Garden | 60 m |
| East Garden | 70 m |
| Tabard Street Food Market | 70 m |
Frequently asked questions
Yes, though not the station itself. During the Second World War, Southwark Borough Council converted parts of the abandoned original tunnels between Borough and the Thames into a large public shelter. It had six entrances along Borough High Street, opened on 24 June 1940 and closed on 7 May 1945. A plaque at the station marks it.
The station keeps its original C&SLR layout, with the southbound platform a floor below the northbound one. The lifts reach the northbound platform on the level, while the southbound platform can only be reached by narrow stairs, so only the northbound side is step-free.