The only 2 London Underground stations where the doors open on both sides of the train

The London Underground, an engineering marvel that transports millions of passengers through the capital every year, is full of peculiarities.

With 11 lines spanning around 402 km and serving 272 stations across the city, it is a world unto itself, both above and below ground.

Usually, when a train enters a station, passengers can only disembark from one side. However, the side the doors open on varies from station to station.

In some cases, if a train terminates at a middle platform, the doors may open on both sides.

READ MORE: The metro station with the longest platform in the network

Take, for example, the Piccadilly line, if it terminated at Arnos Grove on the middle platform; the doors open to the left for disembarking and to the right for westbound travelers.

Interestingly, there are two non-terminus subway stations where the doors open on both sides of the train – a rarity on the network. One such station is Stratford, where the doors open on both sides onto the Westbound Central line platforms.

At Stratford, passengers have the option of exiting right for National Rail services or left for the Jubilee line, the DLR and the station exit. This unique configuration also gives customers the option of waiting for westbound service on either platform 3 or platform 3a, depending on their route to the station.

Stratford’s Platform 3a, which first came into use in 2010 ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, was designed by Transport for London (TfL) to facilitate smoother transitions for passengers on or off other lines from the station. This was particularly useful when thousands of spectators flocked to the area for the Olympic Park.

Similarly, East London’s Barking station also features this unique design on its eastbound District line platform, platform 2. The double-sided door opening allows passengers to conveniently switch between London Underground trains on platform 2 and National Rail trains on platform 4.

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