Morden Station

[enginedin]

Morden Station is the station on the Northern Line which is above ground, despite the Northern Line being a deep line. Wikipedia says:

> The short section to Morden depot is also above ground. This is partly because its southern extension into the outer suburbs was not done by taking over an existing surface line as was generally the case with routes such as the Central, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines.

which I don't understand - surely if an existing surface line was used, that would mean that it's more likely that this section would be overground? I guess I'm misinterpreting the article, but I don't see how

 

[contrex]

It doesn't make sense, does it? You have to remember that anyone can edit or create a Wikipedia page; you don't have to be good at English (or thinking!). Given the depot being where it is, and the plan at one time to go to Sutton via the route of the then-unbuilt Wimbledon and Sutton line, the station might as well be in the open air, it would certainly have been cheaper than an underground station.

 

[Adoarable]

The full quote is:

Although two other London Underground lines operate fully underground, the Northern line is unusual in that it is a deep-level tube line that serves the outer suburbs of South London yet there is only one station above ground (Morden tube station) while the rest of this part of the line is deep below ground. The short section to Morden depot is also above ground. This is partly because its southern extension into the outer suburbs was not done by taking over an existing surface line as was generally the case with routes such as the Central, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines.

It makes more sense for the “This” from “This is partly because…” to be referring back to the earlier claim about the Northern line being unusual in being underground for most of its route. I would guess that the sentence about the depot also being above-ground was added by a pedant, not realising they were breaking up the flow of the paragraph.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Makes sense to me - the suburbia extensions of the Central (both ends), Northern (north), and Piccadilly (west end, ish) were all take-overs of existing 'surface gauge' lines, whereas the southern extension of the Northern line was always a new deep Tube bore from the start. The point about the depot is largely a red-herring, as is the proposed further extension that wasn't.

Jubilee probably doesn't really apply to the example, though, which I think does lose clarity, and of course the eastern extension of the Piccadilly was all new build also, but above ground by the time it starts to get as far out as the Northern equivalent (even accounting for the 'north of the river' centric view of London and suburbia).

 

[enginedin]

referring back to the earlier claim about the Northern line being unusual in being underground for most of its route

ah, yeh - this would make sense

@bluegoblin7 I was ignoring the bit about the other lines! I was just confused about the Northen Line statement