Finsbury Park Station is a busy transport interchange in North London. The interchange consists of an interconnected National Rail station, London Underground station and two bus stations. The main entrances are by the eastern bus station on Station Place. The National Rail ticket office here lies in between one entrance marked by the Underground roundel symbol, while the other is marked by the National Rail symbol, and provides direct access to the main line platforms. There is another exit by the western bus station along Wells Terrace, incorporating the Underground ticket office, plus a narrow side entrance to the south on the A503 Seven Sisters Road. The complex is located in Travelcard Zone 2.
The station is named after the nearby Finsbury Park, one of the oldest of London's Victorian parks. It is also used by many Arsenal supporters on matchdays, as the club's ground is just a short walk away.
When the Victoria line was built in the 1960s, the walls in Finsbury Park station were decorated with mosaics of duelling pistols, which can still be seen. This was based on a mistaken identification of Finsbury Park with Finsbury Fields, which was used by Londoners since medieval times for archery and sports, and also associated with 18th-century duels and one of the first hot air balloon flights. However, Finsbury Fields actually occupied a location close to the present-day Finsbury Square. At the same time the long entrance subways and the Wells Terrace booking hall (at the bus station end) was rebuilt to a high standard.
Finsbury Park station has a long and complex history involving the participation of many railway companies during its lifetime and has been subject to a number of operational changes and changes to the configuration of station infrastructure. British Transport Police maintain a presence at Finsbury Park and have a police station located at the Wells Terrace entrance.
The above-ground National Rail station, which has a separate ticket office to the Underground station, is managed and served by First Capital Connect. Trains from Moorgate and King's Cross form inner suburban services to Welwyn Garden City and Hertford North and outer suburban services start from Kings Cross towards Peterborough and Cambridge. Inner suburban service do not serve the Moorgate branch at night and at weekends, being diverted to London Kings Cross instead. There are currently six platforms, but only five tracks, as platforms 6 and 7 share a track (though platform 6 is no longer separately numbered or utilised). The platforms were renumbered on 19 May 2013 to prepare for two new up platforms, with all existing numbers increased by 2. Typically, platform 3 is used by southbound suburban services to Moorgate, platform 4 by southbound regional services to King's Cross, platform 7 (and occasionally also platform 5) by northbound regional services from King's Cross, and platform 8 by northbound suburban services from Moorgate. Platform utilisation differs when the Northern City Line to Moorgate is closed: generally, platform 3 is used by slow southbound services, platform 4 by fast southbound services, platform 5 by fast northbound services and platform 7 by slow northbound services; platform 6 is unused. Platform 5 is the only platform not currently protected by ticket barriers.
The station is served by the Piccadilly and Victoria lines. Although thought of as a 'deep-level' tube station, Finsbury Park has neither lifts nor escalators as its lines are less than 20' (6.1 m) below street level, though there used to be lifts from the high-level platforms to the tube level. These were the last hydraulically operated lifts on LT. The access to the Piccadilly and Victoria line platforms is by staircase only, reached via two narrow passages that physically prevent the installation of automatic ticket barriers. Manual ticket inspections by ticket inspectors and the British Transport Police do, however, regularly take place to combat fare evasion and ticketless travel. Stand alone Oystercard validators are available by the station entrances for "pay as you go" customers to touch in and out.
London Buses Routes 4, 19, 29, 106, 153, 210, 236, 253, 254, 259, W3, W7 and Night Routes N19, N29, N253, N279 serve the station.