Russell Square tube station
Piccadilly line · Zone 1 · Camden
About Russell Square station
Russell Square shows the ox-blood faience that Leslie Green gave the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, which opened the station on 15 December 1906. The building is an example of the Modern Style, a British variant of Art Nouveau, and on 20 July 2011 English Heritage listed it at Grade II, noting its original tiled lettering and the tiling and directional signage that survive at lower levels. Like the other stations on the central part of the line financed by Charles Yerkes, it was given its own platform tile pattern and colours.
There are no escalators. Passengers use three fifty-passenger lifts built by Wadsworth, or a spiral staircase of 176 steps. The station closed for 13 months from 2001 for refurbishment, reopening in February 2002. On 7 July 2005 a bomb exploded on a train travelling between King’s Cross St Pancras and Russell Square, killing 26 people; another bomb later exploded on a bus at Tavistock Square. A plaque in the station, identical to the one at King’s Cross St Pancras, remembers the victims.
First and last trains from Russell Square
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piccadilly towards Northfields, Heathrow Terminal 5 or Heathrow Terminal 4 | 05:40 to Heathrow Terminal 5 – 00:26 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 | 05:40 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:32 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 |
| Piccadilly towards Cockfosters, Arnos Grove or Oakwood | 05:56 – 00:40 | 05:56 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:23 |
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 Piccadilly trains an hour per direction from Russell Square, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Russell Square
Running times between Russell Square and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Piccadilly | Holborn | 1.8 min |
| Piccadilly | King's Cross St Pancras | 2 min |
Connections
Russell Square is served by the Piccadilly line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Russell Square station
On Bernard Street in Bloomsbury, the station is a short way from the British Museum, the University of London’s main campus and the Brunswick Centre. The Horse Hospital arts centre is just 30 m away. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (about 280 m) and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (160 m) are close by, as are Queen Square Gardens (190 m), the Russell Square garden itself (200 m) and Brunswick Square Gardens (240 m). The Foundling Museum is about 300 m away, Coram’s Fields 330 m, and SOAS University of London 380 m, with Tavistock Square and its statue of Mahatma Gandhi at around 390 m.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| The Horse Hospital | 30 m |
| National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery | 160 m |
| Queen Square Gardens | 190 m |
| Russell Square | 200 m |
| Brunswick Square Gardens | 240 m |
| Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine | 240 m |
| Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children | 280 m |
| Foundling Museum | 300 m |
Frequently asked questions
The station has no escalators. Besides its three lifts, the platforms can be reached by a spiral staircase of 176 steps, a long climb from the deep-level Piccadilly line platforms to the street.
Yes. English Heritage gave it Grade II status on 20 July 2011 as a good example of Leslie Green’s designs for the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, citing its original tiled lettering and the ox-blood faience façades typical of this group of stations.