West London town that gives the name of 7 different railway stations

London’s vast transport network is notorious for confusing station names.

Abbey Wood is miles away from the Beatles’ Abbey Road, Clapham Junction is actually in Battersea, and Bank and Monument are inexplicably intertwined.

And let’s not even get started on the tongue-twisting pronunciations that leave tourists scratching their heads.

READ MORE: Tube station that’s so far away it’s closer to St Albans than central London

But there’s one area of ​​west London that takes the biscuit, lending its name to seven different stations on the Underground, Overground, National Rail and Elizabeth lines.

Amanda Knights of Acton History points out that many of today’s “Acton” stations do not actually fall within the traditional boundaries of Acton.

It is not in the old parish or the old municipal borough of Acton. As such, navigating Acton Town requires a certain level of flexibility on the part of commuters.

East Acton, however, is much harder to justify as it is significantly closer to White City.

Currently, stations named after Acton include:

Acton Main Line (National Rail)

Acton Central (London Overground, North London Line)

South Acton (London Overground, North London Line)

Acton Town (London Underground, District and Piccadilly lines)

East Acton (London Underground, Central Line)

North Acton (London Underground, Central Line)

West Acton (London Underground, Central Line)

Londonist also reveals that Acton’s prominence on the tube network can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution. Wealthy Londoners who amassed fortunes during this period settled in Acton, establishing a suburb away from the smog of the city.

The growth of the area led to the construction of Acton railway station, now known as Acton Central, in 1853. As more estates began to appear, the Acton Main Line, part of the Great Western Railway (GWR), was established in 1868 and additional smaller stations were introduced to accommodate the growing population.

Fast forward to the 20th century, London industry expanded to Acton, with factories producing various models of cars. Business and infrastructure began to benefit each other as the GWR built a special housing estate for its employees in the 1920s.

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