The Harrow and Uxbridge Railway first opened a station in Uxbridge on 4 July 1904 on Belmont Road, a short distance to the north of the existing station. The station was situated on a different track alignment, now used as sidings. The original service from central London was provided by steam-drawn trains but electrification took place the following year. The London United Tramways extension from Shepherds Bush was opened a few weeks before the underground station. The manager, as reported in a local newspaper at the time, commented on the high prices of the underground journey: the tram journey however took well over an hour to reach Shepherds Bush. On 1 March 1910, an extension of the District line from South Harrow to connect with the Metropolitan Railway at Rayners Lane was opened, enabling District line trains to serve stations between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge. The original Belmont Road station had two platforms, and after the introduction of shared operation one platform was used by each line. On 23 October 1933 District line services to Uxbridge were replaced by Piccadilly line trains. On 4 December 1938 the current station was opened on a new alignment. On 12 January 1983, the station buildings were given Grade II listed status. The London Borough of Hillingdon announced in June 2011 that it would be lobbying Transport for London to have the Central line diverted from West Ruislip station to Uxbridge. Such a project would require a business case approved by TfL and the completion of signal upgrade work on the Metropolitan line.
Design
The station was designed by Charles Holden with L H Bucknell and features a red-brick facade with paired sculptures by Joseph Armitage over the entrance, representing stylised "winged wheels" with leaf springs. A tall concrete canopy arches over the tracks with a row of clerestory windows above the platforms. The canopy at Uxbridge is similar to the one at Cockfosters, the terminus at the other end of the Piccadilly line. The station is below street level in a cutting. The stained glass panels by Erwin Bossanyi at the booking hall end of the platforms reflect the area's heraldic associations. The crown and three seaxes on a red background are the arms of Middlesex County Council and the chained swan on a black and red background is associated with Buckinghamshire. The centre shield is possibly the arms of the local Basset family; a downward-pointing red triangle on a gold background was borrowed from the Bassett arms for use on the arms of Uxbridge Urban District Council in 1948. The forecourt of the new station was originally laid out to provide a turning circle for trolleybuses, which replaced trams in 1936. Ticket barriers are in operation.
Services
Metropolitan line
The Metropolitan Line is the only line to operate an express service, though currently for Metropolitan Line trains on the Uxbridge branch this is eastbound only in the morning peaks Monday to Friday. The off-peak service in trains per hour is:
