117-650: The Metropolitan District Railway , also known as the District Railway , was a passenger railway that served London, England, from 1868 to 1933. Established in 1864 to complete an " inner circle" of lines connecting railway termini in London, the first part of the line opened using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives . The Metropolitan Railway operated all services until the District Railway introduced its own trains in 1871. The railway
234-414: A Modernist style influenced or designed by Charles Holden , who was inspired by examples of Modernist architecture in mainland Europe. This influence can be seen in the bold vertical and horizontal forms, which were combined with the use of traditional materials like brick. Holden called them 'brick boxes with concrete lids'. Today, several of these Holden-designed stations are listed buildings , including
351-566: A joint committee composed of members of both Houses of Parliament reviewed the options. Proposals to extend west and then south from Paddington to South Kensington and east from Moorgate to Tower Hill were accepted and received royal assent on 29 July 1864 in the Metropolitan Railway (Notting Hill and Brompton Extension) Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. ccxci) and the Metropolitan Railway (Tower Hill Extension) Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. cccxv) respectively. To complete
468-505: A Metropolitan multiple unit overturned the positive current rail on the District Railway, and investigation showed an incompatibility between the way the shoe-gear was mounted on the Met trains and the District Railway track, and the Met trains were withdrawn from the District lines. After modification the Met returned and electric trains took over on 24 September, reducing the travel time around
585-439: A Metropolitan train overturned the third rail on the District Railway, requiring all Metropolitan trains to be modified before running again on the District lines. A fully electric service began on 24 September, initially with six-car trains, later reduced to four-car. The Metropolitan trains were soon modified to enclose the gated end and eventually to add sliding doors in the middle. Trains were increased to five cars in 1918 and
702-444: A Signal Migration Area (SMA), and are located on the line as follows: 51°30′56″N 000°10′32″W / 51.51556°N 0.17556°W / 51.51556; -0.17556 ( 36 - Paddington station (District line platforms) ) The line then continues to Edgware Road where trains terminate, then reverse to traverse the loop in an anticlockwise direction to Hammersmith. Owing to its historically circular nature,
819-449: A circular service started on Monday 6 October 1884. On the same day the District extended its services to Whitechapel and over the ELR to New Cross, calling at new joint stations at Aldgate East and St Mary's. Joint stations opened on the circle line at Cannon Street , Eastcheap ( Monument from 1 November 1884) and Mark Lane . The Met's Tower of London station closed on 12 October 1884 after
936-486: A flat rate fare of 2 d , the District and Metropolitan together lost four million passengers between the second half of 1899 and the second half of 1900. The use of steam propulsion led to smoke-filled stations and carriages that were unpopular with passengers and electrification was seen as the way forward. However, electric traction was still in its infancy and agreement would be needed with the Metropolitan because of
1053-487: A flurry of applications to Parliament in 1863 for new railways in London, many competing for similar routes. The House of Lords established a select committee that recommended an "inner circuit of railway that should abut, if not actually join, nearly all of the principal railway termini in the Metropolis". For the 1864 parliamentary session, railway schemes were presented that met the recommendation in varying ways and
1170-548: A junction connected the line to the L&;SWR's Waterloo to Reading Line just north of East Putney station. The District had running rights and extended some Putney services to Wimbledon on 3 June 1889. In 1897 the nominally independent Whitechapel and Bow Railway received permission for a link from the District Railway at Whitechapel to the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR) at an above-ground junction at Bow , to
1287-518: A nearly 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile-long (8.9 km) railway from Mill Hill Park station to Hounslow Barracks, with stations at South Ealing, Boston Road and Spring Grove, and agreement reached for the District to work the line. On 1 May 1883 the District started a service to Hounslow Town , calling at South Ealing , Boston Road (now Boston Manor ) and Osterley & Spring Grove (replaced by Osterley ). A single-track line from junction near Hounslow Town to Hounslow Barracks (now Hounslow West ) opened
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#17327728188131404-402: A new station at Paddington to South Kensington opened in 1868. By May 1870, the District Railway had opened its line from West Brompton to Blackfriars via Gloucester Road and South Kensington, services being operated at first by the Metropolitan. In 1871, the District had built a terminus at Mansion House , and on 18 November 1876 the Metropolitan opened its terminus at Aldgate . Because of
1521-465: A programme planned to increase peak-hour capacity on the line by 27 per cent by the end of 2023. A single control room for the sub-surface railway opened at Hammersmith on 6 May 2018, and Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) provided by Thales will progressively replace 'fixed block' signalling equipment dating back to the 1940s. The rollout of CBTC has been split into sections, each known as
1638-547: A proposal to rebuild the station as a District terminus. The District proposed running trains through to Uxbridge, leading to negotiations about the charges for traction current before District services were extended to Uxbridge on 1 March 1910. In 1910 a platform was built at Mill Hill Park for the Hounslow and Uxbridge shuttles and a flying junction built north of the station to separate the Ealing and Hounslow traffic. The station
1755-616: A public corporation that would take control of the UERL, the Metropolitan Railway and all bus and tram operators within an area designated as the London Passenger Transport Area . The Board was a compromise – public ownership but not full nationalisation – and came into existence on 1 July 1933. On this date, ownership of the assets of the District and the other Underground companies transferred to
1872-588: A rail outside the running rail at +420 V , giving a potential difference of 630 V . The running rails are not electrified. Much of the 2-mile-35-chain (3.9 km) double track railway from the Hammersmith terminus to Westbourne Park station is on a 20-foot (6.1 m) high brick viaduct. East of Westbourne Park the line passes beneath the Great Western Main Line before resurfacing at Royal Oak station and running alongside
1989-461: A shuttle from South Acton. The UERL's ownership of the highly profitable London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) since 1912 had enabled the UERL group, through the pooling of revenues, to use profits from the bus company to subsidise the less profitable railways. However, competition from numerous small bus companies during the early 1920s eroded the profitability of the LGOC and had a negative impact on
2106-411: A simple loop with 27 stations and 12.89 miles (20.75 km) of track. In 2006, there were fourteen trains in service on the line with an interval between trains of 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes during peak hours and 8 minutes off-peak; the minimum running time around the circle off-peak was 51 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes, although timetabled stops at stations extended this. In December 2009,
2223-478: A single track line from there to West Brompton on the West London Railway . There were no intermediate stations and this service initially operated as a shuttle. By summer 1869 additional tracks had been laid between South Kensington and Brompton (Gloucester Road) and from Kensington (High Street) to a junction with the line to West Brompton. During the night of 5 July 1870 the District secretly built
2340-500: A terminus at Hammersmith , and was served by through trains to Mansion House. West Brompton was now served by a shuttle to Earl's Court. Earl's Court station burnt down in 1875 and a larger replacement with four tracks and two island platforms opened on 1 February 1878. This was sited to the west of the original station; to the east of the station a flying junction was built to separate traffic to Kensington (High Street) and from Gloucester Road. In December 1876, six trains per hour ran on
2457-401: A top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h). A 7-car S Stock train has a capacity of 865 passengers compared to 739 for the 6-car C Stock train it replaced. With a length of 117 metres (384 ft), the S Stock trains are 24 metres (79 ft) longer than the 93-metre (305 ft) long C stock train, and required station platforms to be lengthened before their introduction. The line's depot
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#17327728188132574-693: A track level conductor rail similar to that in use on the City & South London Railway and Central London Railway. After arbitration by the Board of Trade , the DC system was adopted. The District had permission for a deep-level tube beneath the sub-surface line between Earl's Court and Mansion House and in 1898 bought the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus Railway with authority for a tube from South Kensington to Piccadilly Circus . These plans were combined with those of
2691-490: A year later in 1884. Traffic was light and Hounslow Barracks was initially served by a shuttle to Osterley & Spring Grove that connected to an off-peak Hounslow Town to Mill Hill Park train. Hounslow Town station closed in 1886 and Heston Hounslow station (now Hounslow Central ) opened. From 1 March 1883 to 30 September 1885, via a connection to the GWR tracks at Ealing, the District ran a service to Windsor . Conflict between
2808-487: Is at Hammersmith, close to Hammersmith station, originally built by the Great Western Railway to be operated by the Metropolitan Railway when the joint Hammersmith & City Railway was electrified in the early 20th century. Sidings at Barking, Farringdon and near High Street Kensington (known as Triangle Sidings) stable trains overnight. It was planned that a new signalling system would be used first on
2925-408: The Board of Trade , the DC system was taken up, and the railways began electrifying the routes, using multiple-unit stock. The District and Metropolitan Railways bought different designs of electric multiple unit . Both had open saloons; the Metropolitan trains with gated ends, the District B Stock with sliding doors in the middle of each car. When their introduction was attempted on 1 July 1905,
3042-505: The Development (Loan Guarantees and Grants) Act 1929 ( 20 & 21 Geo. 5 . c. 7), construction started in 1930. Two additional tracks were built from west of Turnham Green to Northfields on the Hounslow branch. East of Turnham Green a freight loop was built for eastbound coal trains from Richmond to Kensington. Acton Town was rebuilt with five platforms, and a depot was built west of Northfields station. Several stations were rebuilt in
3159-875: The GWR began a " middle circle " service from Moorgate to Mansion House via Latimer Road and Earl's Court. Both of these routes were cut back to Earl's Court: the "middle circle" in 1900 and the "outer circle" in 1909. The GWR service survived as a shuttle service from the Hammersmith & City line to Addison Road, now Kensington (Olympia), until 1940. The Midland Railway briefly ran a super outer circle from St Pancras to Earl's Court from 1878 to 1880. London Overground now runs services between Clapham Junction, Willesden Junction and Dalston Junction and between Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction. Wooden carriages were originally hauled by steam locomotives leading to smoke-filled stations and carriages, unpopular with passengers. At
3276-618: The Great Northern and Strand Railway , a tube railway with permission to build a line from Strand to Wood Green , to create the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR). The section of the District's deep-level tube from South Kensington to Mansion house was dropped from plans. In April 1902, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) was established, with Yerkes as chairman, to control these companies and manage
3393-600: The Kensington and Richmond line . The route headed north from Addison Road on the West London Railway before curving round to serve Hammersmith at a station at Hammersmith (Grove Road) (linked to the Hammersmith & City Railway station by footbridge), Turnham Green , Brentford Road ( Gunnersbury from 1871) and Kew Gardens and Richmond . The line opened on 1 January 1869, the L&SWR running services from Waterloo and Ludgate Hill via Addison Road, and
3510-575: The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) opened the world's first underground railway. The line was built from Paddington beneath the New Road , connecting the main line railway termini at Paddington , Euston and King's Cross . Then it followed Farringdon Road to a station at Farringdon Street in Smithfield , near the capital's financial heart in the City . The Met's early success prompted
3627-475: The Midland Railway operated a circular service from St Pancras to Earl's Court via Dudding Hill, Acton and the L&SWR to Hammersmith. In 1879 the District opened a junction west of L&SWR's Turnham Green station for a 3 miles (4.8 km) line to Ealing. With stations at Acton Green (now Chiswick Park ), Mill Hill Park (now Acton Town ), Ealing Common and Ealing Broadway , the Ealing station
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3744-550: The Ray Street Gridiron beneath which pass the City Widened Lines which are currently used by Thameslink services. The line continues underground after Farringdon station ; there are bay platforms at Moorgate station . After passing through Aldgate station, the terminus of the Metropolitan line, the line joins the District line shortly before Tower Hill; this part of the line includes stations on
3861-537: The Victoria Embankment , on the north bank of the Thames, as far as Westminster station. West of Gloucester Road station the line turns off the District main line to join the District line's Edgware Road branch just before High Street Kensington station. In Bayswater the line is in a cutting, concealed from above by a façade of two five-storey houses at Nos 23 and 24 Leinster Gardens . Trains then call at
3978-469: The inner circle between Mansion House and Aldgate. The District operated four trains per hour from Mansion House to Hammersmith. Also leaving every hour from Mansion House were two GWR middle circle services to Aldgate via Addison Road and two L&NWR services to Broad Street via Willesden Junction. Three services an hour travelled between West Brompton and Earl's Court. In 1864 the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) had obtained permission for
4095-401: The inner circle service was eight trains an hour, completing the 13 miles (21 kilometres) circuit in 81–84 minutes, but this proved impossible to maintain and service was reduced to six trains an hour with a 70-minute timing in 1885. Initially guards were permitted no relief breaks during their shift until September 1885 when they were permitted three 20-minute breaks. Several schemes to cross
4212-493: The inner circle service was ten trains per hour in each direction, but this frequency of service caused problems. A reduction to eight would leave the Kensington High Street to Edgware Road section with too few trains. However the Metropolitan had recently rebuilt it with four platforms as part of an abandoned plan for a tube to Kilburn. The District extended its Putney to High Street service to Edgware Road and
4329-464: The Circle and Hammersmith & City lines combined, over 141 million passenger journeys were recorded in 2019. The first section became operational in 1863 when the Metropolitan Railway opened the world's first underground line between Paddington and Farringdon with wooden carriages and steam locomotives. The same year a select committee report recommended an "inner circle" of lines connecting
4446-536: The Circle line tunnels are just below the surface and are of similar size to those on British main lines. Printed in yellow on the Tube map , the 17-mile (27 km) line serves 36 stations, including most of London's main line termini . Almost all of the route, and all the stations, are shared with one or more of the three other sub-surface lines, namely the District , Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines . On
4563-424: The Circle line was extended to include the Hammersmith & City route from Edgware Road to Hammersmith. Rather than continuously running around the circle, trains now travel from Hammersmith to Edgware Road, generally going around the circle once before terminating at Edgware Road, and returning via the same route; occasionally, trains may also continue clockwise through Edgware Road to additional stations. The change
4680-508: The City , London's financial district. In the same year, a select committee report recommended an "inner circle" of railway lines connecting the London termini that had been built or were under construction. In the next year, the Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District Railway ) was formed to build and operate a railway from South Kensington to Tower Hill. The Metropolitan western extension from
4797-524: The District Railway needed its own locomotives, they ordered twenty four condensing steam locomotives from Beyer Peacock similar to the A Class locomotives the Metropolitan Railway was using on the route. As they were intended for an underground railway, the locomotives did not have cabs, but had a weatherboard with a bent-back top. The back plate of the bunker was raised to provide protection when running bunker first. A total of fifty four locomotives were purchased. They were still in service in 1905 when
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4914-579: The District and Metropolitan was held in 1877, the Met now wishing to access the South Eastern Railway (SER) via the East London Railway (ELR). Both companies promoted and obtained an act of Parliament in 1879 for the extension and a link to the ELR. The act also ensured future co-operation by allowing both companies access to the whole circle. A large contribution was made by authorities for road and sewer improvements. In 1882
5031-478: The District began running its own trains. From this date, the two companies operated a joint inner circle service between Mansion House and Moorgate Street via South Kensington and Edgware Road that ran every ten minutes. This was supplemented by a District service every ten minutes between Mansion House and West Brompton, and Hammersmith & City Railway and Great Western Railway (GWR) suburban services between Edgware Road and Moorgate Street. The permissions for
5148-436: The District line, west of Barking. (Steam locomotives were used east of Barking.) Circle line (London Underground) The Circle line is a spiral-shaped London Underground line, running from Hammersmith in the west to Edgware Road and then looping around central London back to Edgware Road. The railway is below ground in the central section and on the loop east of Paddington . Unlike London's deep-level lines ,
5265-466: The District refused to sell tickets to the station. After opening the District service from New Cross four trains an hour ran alternately to Hammersmith or Putney, but as passenger demand was low after a month this was reduced to two trains an hour to Ealing. Four trains an hour went from Whitechapel, two to Putney, one to Hammersmith and one to Richmond. The middle and outer circle services continued operating from Mansion House at two per hour each. Initially
5382-522: The District shared the tracks with LT&SR steam engines and widening the railway to East Ham was considered essential. Four tracks were laid and two electrified as far as Barking, where the Tilbury and Upminster routes separated. On 1 April 1908 District trains were extended through to Barking and the work was largely finished in July 1908. After 2 May 1909 trains no longer reversed at Hounslow Town after
5499-552: The District tracks. In November 1912 a bill was published that included a plan to extend the Piccadilly tube tracks westwards from Hammersmith to connect to the L&SWR's Richmond branch tracks. The bill passed as the London Electric Railway Act 1913 ( 3 & 4 Geo. 5 . c. xcvii) on 15 August 1913, although the advent of World War I prevented work on the extension. Powers were renewed in 1926 for
5616-621: The District's electric locomotives that were no longer needed for the L&NWR's outer circle service, and east of Barking by steam locomotive. From 1912 two specially built sets of saloon coaches with retention toilets were used. In the 1920s the off-peak weekday service was a train every ten minutes from Wimbledon and Ealing and every fifteen minutes from Richmond. Six trains per hour ran from Putney Bridge to High Street Kensington. Trains from Hounslow left every 6–8 minutes, terminating at Acton Town or South Acton. Six trains per hour left Hammersmith for South Harrow, three continuing to Uxbridge. In 1925
5733-481: The GWR's middle circle having started at Earl's Court from 1900. The District sought to serve Harrow and Uxbridge and in 1892 a route from Ealing to Roxeth (South Harrow) was surveyed and a bill presented in the name of the nominally independent Ealing and South Harrow Railway (E&SHR), becoming law as the Ealing and South Harrow Railway Act 1894 ( 57 & 58 Vict. c. ccxv). Construction started in 1897 and by
5850-697: The Hammersmith & City line over 114 million passenger journeys are made each year. Paddington and all stations on the loop are within Zone 1, with those on the line to Hammersmith in Zone 2. Two trains per day run from Barking to Edgware Road via Victoria (as of February 2015). Historically there has been difficulty in relaying the direction of travel a train is headed in a clear message: variations such as "eastbound" and "westbound", and "clockwise" and "anti-clockwise" can be ambiguous. As passengers became more accustomed to digital devices, TfL considered stopping such announcements and now uses key stations along
5967-482: The L&NWR running services from Broad Street to Richmond from a link at Brentford Road to the North London Line at South Acton. Stations opened on the line at Shaftesbury Road ( Ravenscourt Park from 1888) and Shepherds Bush on 1 May 1874. In 1875 permission was given for a 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (0.80 km) link from the District station at Hammersmith to a junction just east of Ravenscourt Park. As
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#17327728188136084-428: The L&SWR line was on a viaduct and the District line in a cutting, the line rose steeply. On 1 June 1877, the Hammersmith branch was extended to Richmond , initially with a service of one train an hour to Mansion House. The Met and GWR Hammersmith & City line had access by a link just north of their Hammersmith station and diverted a service to Richmond from 1 October 1877. From 1 May 1878 to 30 September 1880,
6201-609: The LPTB. The railway became the District line of London Transport . From 23 October 1933 a Piccadilly line service replaced the Harrow to Uxbridge District shuttle. In 1923 the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) had taken over the L&NWR railway's outer circle service from Earl's Court and by the Second World War this had been cut back to an electrified Earl's Court to Willesden Junction shuttle. Following bombing of
6318-400: The London railway termini, and the Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District Railway ) was formed to build the southern portion of the line. In 1871, services began between Mansion House and Moorgate via Paddington, jointly operated by the two companies. Due to conflict between the two companies it was not until October 1884 that the inner circle was completed. The line
6435-545: The Met and the District and the expense of construction delayed the completion of the inner circle . In 1874, frustrated City financiers formed the Metropolitan Inner Circle Completion Railway Company with the aim of finishing the route. The company was supported by the District railway and obtained parliamentary authority on 7 August 1874, but struggled with funding. The time allowed was extended in 1876. A meeting between
6552-628: The Met extended its line from Aldgate to a temporary station at Tower of London . Two contracts to build joint lines were placed, one from Mansion House to the Tower in 1882 and a second from the circle north of Aldgate to Whitechapel with a curve onto the ELR in 1883. From 1 October 1884 the District and Metropolitan began local services from St Mary's via this curve onto the East London Railway to SER's New Cross station . After an official opening ceremony on 17 September and trial running,
6669-546: The Met's Moorgate Street station to Mansion House via Paddington and Earl's Court. Permission to build a railway 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (2.4 km) long to Hammersmith was granted on 7 July 1873, the independent Hammersmith Extension Railway having been formed to raise the necessary capital. The new line started from a junction on the curve to Addison Road and also allowed easier access to Lillie Bridge Depot . It opened on 9 September 1874 with one intermediate station at North End (Fulham) (renamed West Kensington in 1877) and
6786-472: The Metropolitan Railway and its subsidiary the Great Northern & City Railway , and introduced station name boards with a red disc and a blue bar. 'Non-stop' working was introduced on the District in December 1907. Usually just a few stations were missed; trains were marked NON STOP or ALL STATIONS as appropriate and panels beside the doors listed the stations the train would skip. East of Bow Road station
6903-827: The Metropolitan introduced new stock in 1921, with three pairs of sliding double doors on trailer cars. In 1926 the Metropolitan took over all inner circle workings except for three trains on Sundays. On 1 July 1933, the Metropolitan and the District Railways were amalgamated with other Underground railways, tramway companies and bus operators to form the London Passenger Transport Board . Metropolitan Railway electric multiple units were refurbished in 1934 at Acton Works to become eighteen five-car trains of Circle Stock , at first painted red and cream, later painted red all over to reduce costs. These trains included first-class accommodation, but this
7020-489: The Metropolitan provided all inner circle trains at a frequency of eight trains per hour. In 1923 the London, Midland and Scottish Railway had inherited the LT&;SR line to Barking, and in 1929 proposed quadrupling the line to Upminster and electrifying one pair of tracks for use by the District. On 12 September 1932 services started with new stations at Upney and Heathway (now Dagenham Heathway ) with platforms only on
7137-531: The Thames at Putney Bridge to Guildford, Surbiton or Wimbledon had been proposed and received approval from Parliament, although the District had been unable to raise the necessary funding. In 1886 the L&SWR replaced these plans with the Wimbledon and Fulham Railway that started on the west side of Wimbledon and crossing Thames to meet the District's Putney Bridge station. The line had intermediate stations at Wimbledon Park , Southfields and East Putney and
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#17327728188137254-516: The UERL's GNP&BR tube railway was under construction, surfacing west of West Kensington and entering two terminal platforms on the north side of the District's Hammersmith station. A new station, Barons Court , was built with two island platforms, one for each railway. As there was space at Lillie Bridge Depot after the District had moved to Mill Hill Park, the GNP&;BR took over part of the site for its depot. Barons Court opened 9 October 1905 and
7371-612: The West London Line in 1940 the LMS and the Metropolitan line services to Addison Road were both suspended. After the war, to serve the Kensington exhibition halls a District line shuttle service started from Earl's Court to Addison Road, now renamed Kensington Olympia . The off-peak District Hounslow branch shuttle to South Acton was discontinued on 29 April 1935 and replaced by an Acton Town to South Acton shuttle. This shuttle
7488-435: The burden of high construction costs, the District was unable to continue with the original scheme to reach Tower Hill and made a final extension of its line one station further east from Blackfriars to a previously unplanned City terminus at Mansion House . On Saturday 1 July 1871, an opening banquet was attended by prime minister William Gladstone , who was also a shareholder. The following Monday, Mansion House opened and
7605-529: The cabs at the outer end. The locomotives were used to haul L&NWR passenger trains on the electrified section of the Outer Circle route between Earl's Court and Mansion House . After December 1908 these services terminated at Earl's Court. The locomotives were used to haul District trains, one coupled to each end of a rake of four trailer cars. From 1910 the locomotives were used on London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR) trains extended over
7722-400: The circle from seventy to fifty minutes. By September, after withdrawing services over the unelectrified East London Line and the LT&SR east of East Ham, the District were running electric services on all remaining routes. From December 1905 the L&NWR service was hauled by electric locomotives from Mansion House to Earl's Court, where a L&NWR steam locomotive took over. In 1907
7839-489: The circuit, the committee encouraged the amalgamation of two other schemes proposed to run via different routes between Kensington and the City and a combined proposal under the name Metropolitan District Railway passed into law on the same day in the Metropolitan District Railways Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. cccxxii). Initially, the District and the Met were closely associated and it
7956-458: The conflict between the two companies, it took an act of Parliament, the Metropolitan and District Railways (City Lines and Extensions) Act 1879 ( 42 & 43 Vict. c. cci) before further work was done on the inner circle. In 1882, the Metropolitan extended its line from Aldgate to a temporary station at Tower Hill and the District completed its line to Whitechapel . On 6 October 1884,
8073-632: The disputed Cromwell Curve connecting Brompton (Gloucester Road) and Kensington (High Street). East of Westminster, the next section ran in the newly constructed Victoria Embankment built by the Metropolitan Board of Works along the north bank of the River Thames . The line was opened from Westminster to Blackfriars on 30 May 1870 with stations at Charing Cross (now Embankment ), The Temple (now Temple ) and Blackfriars . The Met initially operated all services, receiving 55 per cent of
8190-457: The end of 1899 it was largely complete, but with low traffic prospects remained unopened. To reach Uxbridge a line from South Harrow via Ruislip was authorised in 1897. The District had problems raising the finance and the Metropolitan offered a rescue package whereby they would build a branch from Harrow to Rayners Lane and take over the line to Uxbridge, with the District retaining running rights for up to three trains an hour. The Metropolitan built
8307-419: The gross receipts for a fixed level of service. The District were also charged for any extra trains and the District's share of the income dropped to about 40 per cent. The District's level of debt meant that merger was no longer attractive to the Met and its directors resigned from the District's board. To improve its finances, the District gave the Met notice to terminate the operating agreement. Struggling under
8424-471: The level of regulation and public control under which transport services should be brought. Ashfield aimed for regulation that would give the UERL group protection from competition and allow it to take control of the LCC's tram system; Morrison preferred full public ownership. After seven years of false starts, a bill was announced at the end of 1930 for the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB),
8541-421: The line from Mill Hill Park to South Acton for a passenger service for the first time. Hounslow Town station was reopened, trains reversing at the station before continuing to Hounslow Barracks using a new single track curve. On 1 July 1905 electric trains began running from Ealing to Whitechapel, and on the same day the Metropolitan and District railways both introduced electric units on the inner circle. However,
8658-535: The line has generated many urban myths over the years, including a dead man travelling around undiscovered, a school or office using the service to save infrastructure costs and, as an April fool in the Independent , a new particle accelerator to coexist alongside passenger services. [REDACTED] London transport portal William Edwardes, 3rd Baron Kensington William Edwardes, 3rd Baron Kensington (3 February 1801 – 1 January 1872),
8775-529: The line to South Harrow opened in June 1903, from 23 June with a shuttle to Park Royal & Twyford Abbey (now Park Royal ) for that year's Royal Agricultural Show . The rest of the line to South Harrow opened the following week on 28 June, with stations at North Ealing , Park Royal & Twyford Abbey, Perivale-Alperton (now Alperton ), Sudbury Town , Sudbury Hill and South Harrow . Electric services began on 13 June 1905 between Hounslow and South Acton, using
8892-496: The line was electrified, and all but six were sold the following year. In 1905 the District bought ten bogie box cab locomotives that looked similar to their multiple units but were only 25 feet (7.6 m) long. They were manufactured by the Metropolitan Amalgamated Carriage and Wagon Company and most had a single cab at one end. Consequently, they were operated in pairs, coupled back to back with
9009-489: The other London Underground sub-surface lines: the Hammersmith & City line from Hammersmith to just north of Aldgate; the Metropolitan line from Baker Street to Aldgate; and the District line from Tower Hill station to Edgware Road station , (except for a short connecting section near Gloucester Road). The line is electrified with a four-rail DC system: a central conductor rail is energised at −210 V and
9126-665: The planned works. On 8 June 1902, the UERL took over the Traction Company and paid off the company's shareholders with cash and UERL shares. The UERL built a large power station that would be capable of providing power for the District lines and the underground lines planned. Work began in 1902 at Lots Road, by Chelsea Creek and in February 1905 Lots Road Power Station began generating electricity at 11 kV 33 + 1 ⁄ 3 Hz, conveyed by high voltage cables to substations that converted this to approximately 550V DC. While
9243-403: The power station was being built, the District electrified the Ealing to Harrow line that was not yet open. It was equipped with automatic signalling using track circuits and pneumatic semaphore signals , and trials were run with two seven car trains. In August 1903, an order was placed for 420 cars and a new maintenance depot was built west of Mill Hill Park (now Acton Town). After the trials,
9360-404: The profitability of the group. To protect the UERL group's income, its chairman Lord Ashfield lobbied the government for regulation of transport services in the London area. Starting in 1923, a series of legislative initiatives were made in this direction, with Ashfield and Labour London County Councillor (later MP and Minister of Transport) Herbert Morrison , at the forefront of debates as to
9477-530: The prototype Sudbury Town listed as Grade II*. On 4 July 1932 the District service from Acton Town to South Harrow was withdrawn and one in three Piccadilly trains extended from Hammersmith to South Harrow, the District continuing to run a shuttle from South Harrow to Uxbridge. On 18 December 1932 all four tracks to Northfields opened and from 9 January 1933 Piccadilly trains started to run to Northfields, continuing to Hounslow West from 13 March 1933. District trains continued to run through to Hounslow off-peak, with
9594-448: The quadruple track from Hammersmith to be extended to west of Acton Town, with the concept of the Piccadilly running non-stop on the inner pair. The proposed service split, with the Piccadilly running through to Harrow and Hounslow, was clarified by 1929. District services would run mainly through to Wimbledon, Richmond, Hounslow and Ealing, with shuttles from South Harrow to Uxbridge and Acton Town to South Acton. With finance guaranteed by
9711-424: The railway company. To ensure ventilation, the line west of Gloucester Road was carried in open cuttings, the rest mainly in a cut and cover tunnel 25 feet (7.6 m) wide and 15 feet 9 inches (4.80 m) deep; at the stations the platform ends were left open. Construction costs and compensation payments were so high that the cost of the first section of the District from South Kensington to Westminster
9828-523: The railway east of Mansion House were allowed to lapse. At the other end of the line, the District part of South Kensington station opened on 10 July 1871 and Earl's Court station opened on the West Brompton extension on 30 October 1871. The District Railway's main expansion was to the west. A small station at Earl's Court , between Gloucester Road and West Brompton, opened on 31 October 1871 with three platforms. Lillie Bridge depot, opened in 1872,
9945-484: The railway to Uxbridge and began running services on 4 July 1904. At the start of the 20th century the District and Metropolitan railways faced increased competition in central London from new, electric, deep-level tube lines. The City and South London Railway had been a great success when it opened in 1890. After the opening of the Central London Railway in 1900 from Shepherd's Bush to the City with
10062-510: The route to describe a service (e.g. "via. High Street Kensington "). From 1970 to 2014, services were provided using six-car C69 stock trains, each car having mostly transverse seating and four sets of double doors per side to minimise loading times. The C69 stock trains were replaced by seven-car S Stock trains, the first running on the Circle line on 2 September 2013. By June 2014 all services were provided by S7 Stock trains. The trains are part of Bombardier's Movia family, and have
10179-531: The same colour and two years later in 1949 the Circle line was shown separately on the map. In 1959–1960, Circle line trains were increased to six cars, the same length as those operating on the Hammersmith & City line, and the stock of the two lines was integrated with maintenance concentrated at Hammersmith depot, allowing Neasden depot to concentrate on the new A Stock . Aluminium C Stock trains, with public address systems and originally unpainted, replaced these trains from 1970. One person operation of
10296-411: The second Paddington station on Praed Street before rejoining the Hammersmith & City line at Praed Street junction and terminating at the four-platform Edgware Road station. As of December 2012 , there are six trains per hour, calling at all stations, requiring 18 trains in service. The journey from Edgware Road around the loop and continuing to Hammersmith takes 72 minutes off-peak. Together with
10413-551: The shared ownership of the inner circle . A jointly owned train of six coaches successfully ran an experimental passenger service on the Earl's Court to High Street Kensington section for six months in 1900. Tenders were then requested and in 1901 a Metropolitan and District joint committee recommended the Ganz three-phase AC system with overhead wires. Initially this was accepted by both parties. The District found an investor to finance
10530-421: The start of the 20th century, the District and Metropolitan were seeing increased competition in central London from the new electric underground tube lines and trams, and conversion to electric traction was seen as the way forward. Experiments were carried out on the Earl's Court to High Street Kensington section, and a jointly-owned six-carriage train began passenger service in 1900. Following this, an AC system
10647-455: The station was closed and a new Hounslow Town station opened on the direct route. Since 1904, after the District had notified the Met that it would not use its running rights on the Uxbridge line with steam trains, it had not run services, although it paid the £2,000 a year that was due under the enabling act. When the District suggested running as far as Rayners Lane , the Met responded with
10764-458: The sub-surface lines from the end of 2016, but signalling contractor Bombardier was released from its contract by agreement in December 2013 amid heavy criticism of the procurement process and London Underground subsequently awarded the contract for the project to Thales in August 2015. With the introduction of S7 Stock, the track, electrical supply, and signalling systems are being upgraded in
10881-437: The temporary station was replaced with a joint station and the inner circle was complete. The Metropolitan provided the clockwise, or "outer rail", trains; the District the "inner rail", or anti-clockwise. Many breakdowns occurred, due to the unbalanced wear-and-tear inflicted upon the train and carriages caused by travelling in a single circular direction. Equally, services were further disrupted due to petty squabbles between
10998-428: The tracks of the main line to an island platform just north of the suburban platforms at Paddington station . The line enters a cut and cover tunnel at the end of the platforms and meets the District line and the other end of the Circle line from Bayswater at Praed Street Junction before passing through Edgware Road station in a cutting. After King's Cross St Pancras station the line exits the tunnel before passing over
11115-512: The trains was proposed in 1972 but, due to conflict with the trade unions, was not introduced until 1984. In 2003, the infrastructure of the Circle line was partly privatised in a public–private partnership , managed by the Metronet consortium. Metronet went into administration in 2007 and the local government body Transport for London took over responsibilities. On 7 July 2005, at about 08:50, bombs exploded on two Circle line trains. One
11232-593: The tube railway opened as the Piccadilly line on 15 December 1906. In 1908 the UERL and the other underground railway companies in London came to a joint marketing arrangement that included maps, joint publicity and combined ticketing. U NDERGROUN D signs were used outside stations in Central London. The UERL eventually controlled all underground railways in London except the Waterloo & City Railway ,
11349-540: The two rivals including an incident whereby the Metropolitan Railway forcibly removed (using three trains) the District Railway's parked carriages which had been chained to the track. As well as the inner circle, other routes circumnavigated London, although these were not complete loops. From 1872, the L&;NWR began an " outer circle " service from Broad Street to Mansion House via Willesden Junction and Earl's Court, diverting an earlier service that had run to Victoria; and
11466-606: The upgrade in 1901, American Charles Yerkes . On 15 July 1901, Yerkes established the Metropolitan District Electric Traction Company with himself as managing director and raised £1 million to carry out the electrification, including construction of the generating station and supplying the new rolling stock. Yerkes soon had control of the District Railway and his experiences in the United States led him to favour DC with
11583-543: The weekday off-peak service was four trains per hour from East Ham to Ealing Broadway, four per hour from Mansion House to alternately Richmond and Wimbledon and two per hour from Wimbledon to High Street Kensington and Ealing Broadway to Whitechapel. Four trains per hour ran from Putney Bridge to Earl's Court, two continuing to High Street Kensington. From South Harrow there were two trains per hour to Mill Hill Park, and four trains per hour from Hounslow Barracks to Mill Hill Park, two of these continuing to South Acton. Meanwhile,
11700-564: The west of Bromley station . The LT&SR and District jointly took over the company the following year and the line opened on 2 June 1902 with new stations at Stepney Green , Mile End and Bow Road . Some District services were extended from Whitechapel to East Ham and one train each morning and evening ran through to Upminster . In July 1902 four trains an hour ran from Bow Road (2 to 3 from East Ham) to Ealing or Wimbledon and two trains an hour from New Cross served Hammersmith or Richmond. The outer circle continued to run from Mansion House,
11817-698: Was a British peer and naval commander. Kensington was the son of William Edwardes, 2nd Baron Kensington , and Dorothy Patricia Thomas. He succeeded his father as third Baron Kensington in 1852 but as this was an Irish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords . Kensington served in the Royal Navy and achieved the rank of captain . He was also Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire . Lord Kensington married Laura Jane Ellison, daughter of Cuthbert Ellison, in 1833. He died in January 1872, aged 70, and
11934-474: Was built just north of the GWR station. On 4 July 1878, permission was granted to extend the West Brompton branch as far as the Thames. Stations opened at Walham Green (now Fulham Broadway ), Parsons Green. The line terminated at Putney Bridge & Fulham (now Putney Bridge ). The line opened on 1 March 1880, in time for the University Boat Race held that year on 22 March. Initially the service
12051-509: Was built parallel to the West London Joint Railway and initially accessed by a curve onto the West London Line. This curve allowed, from 1 February 1872, the London & North Western Railway (L&NWR) to run a half-hourly outer circle service from Broad Street to Mansion House via Willesden Junction , Addison Road and Earls Court. From 1 October 1872, the GWR also ran a half-hourly middle circle service from
12168-442: Was downgraded in 1940. From 1947, these were replaced by five-car trains of O and P Stock , with doors remotely operated by the guard, released by the transfer of F Stock to the Uxbridge line. The 1933 London Underground Beck map shows a Metropolitan line north of High Street Kensington and Mark Lane stations and a District line south of these points. On the 1947 map, the Metropolitan and District lines were shown together in
12285-469: Was electrified in 1905, and in 1933 the companies were amalgamated into the London Passenger Transport Board . In 1949, the Circle line appeared as a separate line for the first time on the Tube map. In 2009, the closed loop around the centre of London on the north side of the River Thames was broken at Edgware Road and extended west to become a spiral to Hammersmith. Starting in 2015, the signalling system
12402-478: Was first used on 3 December 1911 and Stamford Brook opened on 1 February 1912. However, the GWR had already withdrawn their service and L&SWR was to withdraw in 1916. A flying junction separating the Richmond and Hammersmith routes west of Earl's Court opened in January 1914. From 1910 to 1939 the LT&SR ran through trains between Ealing Broadway and Southend or Shoeburyness , hauled west of Barking by
12519-606: Was intended that they would soon merge. The Met's chairman and three other directors were on the board of the District, John Fowler was the engineer of both companies and the construction works for all of the extensions were let as a single contract. The District was established as a separate company to enable funds to be raised independently of the Met. Unlike the Metropolitan, the route did not follow an easy alignment under existing roads and land values were higher, so compensation payments for property were much higher. Major landowners, including Lord Kensington , sold parcels of land to
12636-521: Was introduced in 1905, and by the end of the year electric multiple units operated all of the services. On 1 July 1933, the District Railway and the other UERL railways were merged with the Metropolitan Railway and the capital's tramway and bus operators to form the London Passenger Transport Board . Today, former District Railway tracks and stations are used by the London Underground 's District , Piccadilly and Circle lines. In 1863,
12753-463: Was made to improve reliability and increase the service frequency on the Hammersmith branch. In March 2020, following the UK government's implementation of lockdown restricting all non-essential travel, the Circle line, along with the Waterloo & City line , was suspended. The Circle line is 17 miles (27 km) long with 36 stations. Almost all of its track, and all of its stations, are shared with
12870-404: Was renamed Acton Town on 1 March 1910. Between Turnham Green and Ravenscourt Park the District shared tracks with L&SWR steam trains to Richmond, a GWR steam service from Richmond to Ladbroke Grove and Midland coal trains. The District and L&SWR agreed to quadruple the tracks to allow a pair for the District's sole use and build a station on the District tracks at Stamford Brook . The line
12987-495: Was soon extended westwards through Earl's Court to Fulham , Richmond , Ealing and Hounslow . After completing the inner circle and reaching Whitechapel in 1884, it was extended to Upminster in Essex in 1902. To finance electrification at the beginning of the 20th century, American financier Charles Yerkes took it over and made it part of his Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) group. Electric propulsion
13104-665: Was suggested, and this was accepted by both parties. However, the District was looking for a way to raise the finance needed and in 1901 found an investor, the American Charles Yerkes . He formed the Underground Electric Railways of London (UERL), and his experience in the United States led him to favour DC , with third-rail pick-up similar to that in use on the City & South London Railway and Central London Railway . After arbitration by
13221-607: Was travelling between Liverpool Street and Aldgate and the other was at Edgware Road . The bombs killed 15 people, including the two suicide bombers. Following the attacks, the whole of the Circle line was closed until 8 August. A day before a ban on drinking alcohol on public transport in London came into force, a party was held on 31 May 2008, mainly on the Circle line. Thousands of people attended and 17 were arrested by police due to disorderly behaviour, eventually causing several stations to be closed. Prior to 13 December 2009, Circle line trains travelled in both directions around
13338-476: Was two trains an hour to Mansion House, supplemented from 1 April by two trains an hour to High Street Kensington. In 1866, permission had been granted to landowners in the Hounslow area for a Hounslow and Metropolitan Railway to connect to a proposed Acton & Brentford Railway. However, this had never been built, but with the District now at Acton there was an alternative. Permission was granted in 1880 for
13455-509: Was upgraded as part of a programme to increase peak-hour capacity on the line. The six-car C Stock trains were replaced from 2012 to 2014 by new seven-car S Stock trains. In 1863, the Metropolitan Railway , the world's first underground railway, opened in London between Paddington and Farringdon , connecting the Great Western Railway 's relatively remote terminus at Paddington with Euston and King's Cross stations and
13572-489: Was withdrawn on 28 February 1959, and the peak hour District line through service to Hounslow was withdrawn on 9 October 1964. In the 1970s the Hounslow branch became the Heathrow branch when it was extended to serve Heathrow Airport , first on 19 July 1975 to serve Hatton Cross and then on 16 December 1977 when Heathrow Central opened. Later on 27 March 2008, the branch was extended to Heathrow Terminal 5 . When in 1871
13689-535: Was £3 million, almost three times the cost of the Met's original, longer line. On 24 December 1868, the District opened its line from South Kensington to Westminster, with stations at South Kensington , Sloane Square , Victoria , St James's Park and Westminster Bridge (now Westminster ), the Met extending eastwards from Brompton to a shared station at South Kensington on the same day. The District also had parliamentary permission to extend westward from Brompton (Gloucester Road) station and, on 12 April 1869, it opened
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