Finchley Central (ZFC)

Finchley Central is a stop on the Northern Line's High Barnet Branch and also the junction for the short branch to Mill Hill East [1].

Information
Type:	Transport for London (Northern Line)
Station code:	ZFC
Opened:	1867
Platforms:	3

Finchley Central predates the London Underground however, it was built by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway as a North London suburban railway. By the time it opened in 1867 it was owned by the Great Northern Railway [2]. The station, originally called Finchley and Hendon, was on a line to Edgware with a branch to High Barnet was opening in 1872. The station was renamed Finchley (Church Road) in the late 1890s though since 1940 has been known as Finchley Central.

The station became part of the London Underground during the aborted Northern Heights project in the late 1930s with the station becoming part of the Northern Line and being electrified in 1940. The original line to High Barnet was cut back to Mill Hill East [3] with the main line continuing on to High Barnet. Although now a London Underground station it was still host to British Railways freight until 1962 when the goods yard was closed.

There were plans to replace the original station buildings with new though this was cancelled along with the rest of the Northern Heights project post-war [4]. Finchley Central thus has some of the oldest buildings remaining on the Underground. Finchley Central has three platforms, one for the Mill Hill East shuttle.

95ts 51555 pulls into Finchley Central on a Southbound service

Looking North

A North bound train arrives, the Mill Hill East shuttle on the far platform

All platforms retain canopies

Platform 1

Signalbox to the South of the island platform

[1] Jason Cross, London Underground Guide 2017 (Train Crazy, 2017) p. 124
[2] John Scott Morgan, London Underground in Colour Since 1955 (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 50
[3] Siddy Holloway, Highgate Wilderness Walkabout (London Transport Museum, 2017) p. 14
[4] Paul Moss, London Underground (Haynes, 2014) p. 106