Why opening the disused Strand tube station would be every Humanities student’s dream

Every King's student has wondered what it'd be like to not be late to every 9am because of District and Circle line delays, while trekking up the hill from Temple station – and Strand Station could've been the answer to our problems.

If the Strand Tube Station was still open, it would undoubtedly be dominated by King’s students, as it's about as near as one can get to Strand campus.

It was one two of the biggest underground lines used throughout London

If it were running today, it would operate on two underground lines: the Piccadilly Line & the Jubilee Line – the latter was originally titled the Fleet Line, and would have connected Strand, Baker Street, Bond Street, Green Park, Charing Cross, Waterloo, London Bridge, (and what is now Stratford) all on the same line.

Because of this, most first-year halls of residence – Great Dover Street, Angel Lane, Champion Hill – would have benefited from a more direct tube link, meaning extra time in bed and more reason to avoid doing that core reading.

Your morning Costa would still be hot by the time you get into your lecture

Imagine never having to walk Strand during the cold and rainy days, heaven right?

Being the nearest station to Strand campus, it would put an end to those miserable dashes towards Temple in the rain and cold, instead allowing you to hop from the sheltered station into the King’s building in a matter of seconds. There’d also be no need to wrestle with your umbrella, trying to put it down right outside the campus building and getting yourself soaked in the process. Nor would you have to consider cycling home!

The Strand at night in the wet – oh how much happier we'd be if we could run from the station to the King's building

At least the noise of the underground would wake me up at my 9am

Would there be a noise problem, with the station being literally right next to the King’s building? It's unlikely you'd be able to hear disruptively loud, station noises, but the rumble of trains whizzing through the station, as well as the increased number of commuters who would also be around the Strand to use the station – this could potentially be an issue. Having said that, a lack of commuters using the station was the reason it closed in the first place, so maybe it'd still be our saviour.

One of Dante's circles of hell

King's would be a film set once more

Moreover, if this station were to re-open, media producers would have a big dilemma! The abandoned platforms of Strand station have been used in recent years in many media productions, including the movies: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1986) and Atonement (2007); and more recently TV drama’s, such as ITV’s Mr. Selfridge (2013) and BBC’s Sherlock (2014). But why can't we all share this station's wonderful benefits? It doesn't seem fair! While the proposed extension of the Jubilee line will certainly not go ahead, there's surely a case to be made for the re-opening of Strand on our Piccadilly route!

Martin Freeman & Benedict Cumberbatch in BBC's Sherlock. An episode in 2014, The Empty Hearse, was filmed in the abandoned tunnels of Strand station

Will it be part of the mayor of London's rejuvenation scheme?

Disused underground stations get lost in time underneath London's busy streets, and are never given the chance to be rejuvenated. If we can't actually have the tube service running at the station, maybe there's potential to make use of the cool and intriguing underground space? One idea is to launch an initiative to give the station fresh life as a new student bar, venue, art gallery, or even a theatre for productions. There would need to be serious negotiations in place to discuss the finances involved in refurbishing this space, but imagine a night club in a ghost underground station – it would certainly be a lit night out.

On the sesh: an abandoned underground station is a good platform for a student party

It would also help King’s students feel more connected, being able to switch more easily between the campuses at Strand, Guy’s & Waterloo, without having to worry about where to get off and change. However, making use of the space itself may also be a practical alternative, with the greater scope for potential of aspiring DJ's, event runners, artists, actors, and more – it's certainly a space King's students would happily embrace.

For now though, it remains a redundant enigma, so we must continue with our lives without Aldwych station in it, and endure all the benefits that Temple has to offer…

Ah, just another recent example of why Temple is just so convenient…