Wood Green tube station
Piccadilly line · Zone 3 · Haringey
About Wood Green station
Opened on 19 September 1932 with the first section of the Cockfosters extension from Finsbury Park, Wood Green was one of a set of stations that set new aesthetic standards for the Underground. ‘Lordship Lane’ and ‘Wood Green Central’ were considered as names and rejected. Charles Holden designed the building, a well-preserved example of his 1930s modernist house style: on its corner site the curved frontage is flanked by two ventilation towers, later additions, and on the northern side the structure takes in a shop forming part of the High Road parade. Since July 2011 it has been Grade II listed, which means every station building from Turnpike Lane to Cockfosters is now listed.
Below ground the walls carry biscuit-coloured tiles with green friezes. The platform tunnels, like those at Manor House and Turnpike Lane, are 23 ft (7 m) in diameter, built for the larger crowds expected, whereas those at Bounds Green and Southgate are only 21 ft. A reversing siding north of the station regularly turned trains back until the 1990s; now only one train a day, Monday to Thursday, is scheduled to use it. On 16 March 1976 a Provisional IRA bomb exploded on an empty train about to enter that siding, and one person on the platform was injured by flying glass.
First and last trains from Wood Green
| 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 | 05:24 to Heathrow Terminal 5 – 00:09 to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 | 05:24 to Heathrow Terminal 5 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 23:15 |
| Piccadilly towards Cockfosters, Arnos Grove or Oakwood | 06:13 – 00:58 | 06:13 – all night | 24 hours | all night – 00:40 |
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 Wood Green, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Wood Green
Running times between Wood Green and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Piccadilly | Bounds Green | 2.7 min |
| Piccadilly | Turnpike Lane | 2.4 min |
Connections
Wood Green is served by the Piccadilly line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Wood Green station
At the junction of High Road and Lordship Lane, the station serves Wood Green Shopping City, the Haringey Council offices and a densely populated residential area; Haringey Civic Centre is about 340 m away. Hollywood Green cinema is around 110 m off, Wood Green Central Library roughly 200 m and the King George VI Memorial Garden about 210 m, with Library Arcade and Cranbrook Park within about 230 m. Wood Green Crown Court is some 360 m away. This is also the closest Tube station to Alexandra Palace.
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Haringey Civic Centre | 340 m |
| Hollywood Green | 110 m |
| Wood Green Central Library | 200 m |
| King George VI Memorial Garden | 210 m |
| Library Arcade | 220 m |
| Cranbrook Park | 230 m |
| Caxton Gardens | 320 m |
| Wood Green Crown Court | 360 m |
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is the closest Underground station to Alexandra Palace. Confusingly, the National Rail station now called Alexandra Palace used to be named Wood Green; it was renamed in 1984, leaving the name to the Piccadilly line station.
They were designed for the larger number of passengers expected here. At Wood Green, as at Manor House and Turnpike Lane, the platform tunnels are 23 ft (7 m) in diameter, compared with only 21 ft (6.4 m) at Bounds Green and Southgate. ‘Suicide pits’ between the rails were also a new feature of the extension.