The question might be asked as to why it’s there in the first place, since they are only one minute apart, however it’s because there are two different lines (Northern and Jubilee) and the former Charing X Underground Station was renamed Embankment Station. A bit confusing.

Here’s a bit of background (I looked this up) – Pretty amazing, given that some areas of the Tube are over 100 years old.

“Originally, Charing Cross underground station was down right by the river – what’s now called Embankment station. This is served by the Northern line (Charing Cross branch) and Circle & District lines. Separately, there was then a Trafalgar Square station, about 5 minutes walk away, at Trafalgar Square.

In 1977 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s 25 years on the throne, the Stanmore branch of the Bakerloo line (which went from Baker Street to Stanmore) was extended down to Bond Street, Green Park and into Charing Cross, and renamed the Jubilee line. This was built under Charing Cross station and called Charing Cross. The Bakerloo line platforms at Trafalgar Square were brought into this station, with underground foot tunnels put in place between the Jubilee and Bakerloo line platforms.

The former Charing Cross station was renamed Embankment. A Northern line station was also opened at Charing Cross, although in fact it is only about one minute’s walk from Charing Cross to Embankment. There were plans to extend the Jubilee line along The Strand and Fleet Street into the city, but these never happened.

More recently, in preparation for the Millennium Dome, the Jubilee line was rerouted again. The link into Charing Cross was closed off after Green Park, and the line extended to Westminster, Waterloo, London Bridge, Canary Wharf, Greenwich (for the dome) and onto Stratford in the East End. “

Rhea – you mean:

” when thou reachest the topmost area of moving stairway, ye shalt refrain from thy consultation and ruminations and blocking lest thy presence contributeth to the ire of they fellow travellers… thou shalt at all times moveth and keepeth to the right!” .

Phew, it isn’t easy writing in ye olde English Elizabethan!

Mercurior – yes, I know about the abandoned stations, in fact I have a couple of books on them, one called London under London and if you’re a regular tube traveller on certain line, you can spot them. The history of the Underground is fascinating but the abandoned stations are probably of little concern to Tube travellers who battle Tube travelling daily. The 10 Commandments will be A Good Thing.

I died laughing reading it and it really makes me want to visit London…sad to say I’ve never been but want to go in the worst way! And Toronto, and Quebec and …and….and..!

And yes, isn’t the power of the blog magnificent? Cheers to the blogosphere

how about those lost stations, the ones that have vanished into the darkness

http://underground-history.co.uk/front.php

look through the window as you travel between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn on the Central Line and you’ll see a station – where no passengers have alighted since 1932. This used to be British Museum station. Or perhaps you may notice the tunnel wall change from cast iron tubing to bricks as you travel on the Piccadilly Line between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner. This also used to be a station. Down Street, closed in the same year as British Museum. These stations are often referred to as ghost stations.

There are about 40 abandoned or relocated stations on the Underground network along its entire 255 miles (408Km) of trackway – some subsurface and some above ground. Some have vanished without trace whereas others are almost intact, grimey time capsules of the era when they were closed.

i am a northerner, so only visited london twice and both those times was passing through