The Widened Lines (also known as the City Widened Lines) is the former name of a railway line that now forms a section of the Thameslink route from King's Cross to Farringdon within central London. For most of its life the line ran from King's Cross to Moorgate, and it was completed in 1866 when the Metropolitan Railway was widened from two to four tracks between King's Cross and Farringdon and a four-track railway opened from there to Moorgate.
The tracks were owned by the Metropolitan Railway but were used mainly by other railway companies. Connections to the Great Northern Railway (GNR) at King's Cross and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR) at Farringdon allowed cross-London services to run. There was very soon a connection to the Midland Railway at St Pancras, near King's Cross. In the early 20th century competition meant the cross London services died, although the GNR and Midland services into Moorgate survived. In 1976 the former GNR services were diverted via the Northern City Line to Moorgate, and in 1988 the cross-London route reopened for Thameslink. The line east of Farringdon closed in 2009 to allow the platforms at Farringdon to be extended to take 12-car trains.
The line between Kentish Town and Moorgate was renamed the Moorgate Line when the line through Snow Hill tunnel was reinstated for Thameslink.
Read more about City Widened Lines: Construction, Passenger Services, LC&DR Stations, Goods Depots
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