"David Hansen" wrote

Much the same was true at Kings Cross, where trains were sent to
Broad Street and Moorgate (via the Widened Lines) rather than all
going to Kings Cross. Some even went to Ludgate Hill and further
south, though this ceased during the 1914-18 war IIRC.

Kings Cross was always remote from the City destinations of commuters, and
the link to the Met was put in in 1863, and the Widened Lines were opened
for passengers in 1868. However, despite additional Coenhagen and Gas Works
Tunnels, the approaches to Kings Cross were hiopelessly congested, with
trains taking half an hour for the 1.5 miles from Holloway to the
Metropolitan. The GNR sought running powers over the Canonbury Curve and
into Broad Street, but the LNWR prevented the North London granting these.
Accordingly the GNR invited the NLR to run trains from Broad Street out to
its suburban stations. This pattern - trains to Moorgate via the Widened
Lines and to Broad Street via the Canonbury Curve lasted until the Great
Northern Suburban electrification of 1976 - though it had its origins in
relief of congestion rather than offering passengers a choice of terminus
(Moorgate and Broad Street being very close to each other).

Around the turn of the 20th century the GNR planned a third route, the Great
Northern & City Railway, originally intended for through running from north
of Finsbury Park. However, the GNR and GN&CR fell out over through running,
so the Finsbury Park to Moorgate line had an isolated service (and was cut
back to start from Drayton Park when its Finsbury Park platforms were handed
over to enable the Victoria Line to be built). The through running
eventually started with the GN Suburban electrification.

Among the routes served by the GNR were Alexandra Palace via Highgate,
Edgware via Mill Hill, and High Barnet. The 1930s idea was to hand all these
over to London Transport, running both vvia Archway and via Finsbury Parkkk
and the GN&CR. In the event, LT did not take over Edgware to Mill Hill East,
or Alexandra Palace, and through running to the GN&C from these routes never
happened.

Peter