Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central
London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the
City of Westminster. Named after the nearby Victoria Street (not
the Queen), the main line station is a terminus of the Brighton main
line to Gatwick Airport and Brighton and the Chatham main line to
Ramsgate and Dover via Chatham. Victoria was built to serve both
the Brighton and Chatham main lines, and has always had a "split" feel
of being two separate stations. The Brighton station opened in 1860
with the Chatham station following two years later. It replaced a
temporary terminus at Pimlico and construction involved building the
Grosvenor Bridge over the River Thames. It became immediately popular
as a London terminus, causing delays and requiring upgrades and
rebuilding. It was well known for luxury Pullman train services and
continental boat train trips and became a focal point for soldiers
during World War I. Below is a video snippet of Victoria Station on a
typical weekday.
