Hampstead station has the deepest London Underground platforms, about 58.5 metres below street level.
The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern line and was opened in 1907 by the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway. Its great depth reflects the engineering challenges of constructing a deep-level railway beneath north London, where the route had to pass through substantial layers of ground.
Hampstead is often described as the deepest station on the network, but that wording can cause confusion. The claim refers to the depth of its platforms below the surface, not necessarily the absolute deepest point of every tunnel or shaft. The station also has one of the Underground’s longest lift journeys, because passengers descend from the ticket hall to the platforms.
Nearby Highgate is also associated with deep tunnels and steep terrain, but its platforms are not as far below street level as Hampstead’s.