"They're a ravenous horde -- and they all came on board
At Sloane Square and South Kensington Stations.
And bound on that journey you find your attorney
(Who started that morning from Devon)"- The Nightmare Song, from Iolanthe
W.S. Gilbert
 History |
 Dates |
 Features |
 Services |
 Topology |
 Layout |
 Depots |
 Connections |
 Rolling stock |
The Metropolitan District Railway was formed to construct the southern half of the Circle Line. It was initially intended to merge the company with the Metropolitan Railway (hence the similarity of names), but this never happened until nationalization (see the Circle Line for further details).
The first move of the MDR was to build the southwest part of the Circle, from Gloucester Road to Westminster, and to extend it over the next few years to Mansion House. At the same time, the line was extended west to West Brompton, as part of a plan to link to the West London Extension Railway (though this never took place), and to Kensington (Olympia), where a similar link did take place.
After the split with the Metropolitan, the District (as it soon became known) saw its main hope as a line to carry commuters from the rich suburbs of the southwest into the central area; subsequently this would be enhanced by extending into the countryside and encouraging new building.
However, the Hammersmith & City Railway and the LSWR also had their eyes on this area. The former was the first to arrive - in 1864 - at the significant traffic centre of Hammersmith, while the latter arrived there in 1869 via a new link from Kensington (Olympia) (on the West London Railway) to Richmond (already served by the LSWR Windsor line). Trains from Waterloo or the City ran northwards into Kensington (Olympia), then turned through a large curve under the Hammersmith & City into a station parallel to, and just west of, the latter's terminus. From there they curved back to the west to run through Chiswick, and south once again towards Richmond; trains off the Hammersmith & City Line ran over the western part of this route until the end of 1910 (see that page for details).
Unable to reach virgin territory of its own, the District chose to cooperate. A branch line reached Hammersmith in 1874, using a third station close to the other two, and a further extension in 1877 from there allowed District trains to run over the LSWR's tracks to Richmond. This service was an immediate success, and London's first "Garden Suburb" soon appeared at Turnham Green. As a result, in 1879 the District built another branch from the LSWR at Turnham Green to meet the GWR at Ealing Broadway, and for a short time from 1883 services ran all the way from Windsor to Central London (on GWR metals to Ealing Broadway, then District to Turnham Green, LSWR to Studland Road Junction west of Hammersmith, and finally District again from there).
Meantime the West Brompton branch had not been neglected, being extended to the river at Putney in 1880. The District then agreed with the LSWR to continue to Surbiton, but found itself unable to raise the money. Eventually the LSWR agreed to build a shorter extension to Wimbledon, to be operated by the District, in exchange for continued running rights to High Street Kensington - rights it never used. This extension remained owned by the LSWR and its successors until 1994, when it was finally transferred to LU.
Returning to the west, the next traffic centre to aim for was Hounslow. A branch was built from Acton to two points: Hounslow West, on the Bath Road, and Hounslow Town, the latter with the eventual aim of extending to the LSWR line at Twickenham. However, the LSWR objected violently to this plan, especially as the trains stealing its traffic would run along its own track to Hammersmith, so the Hounslow Town branch remained a short stub. Within a few years it was closed, but much later it was reopened for a while; during early 1905 trains would split at Osterley, three coaches running to Hounslow Town and five to Hounslow West. On electrification a chord line was added to form a triangle and all trains reversed at Hounslow Town. However, to speed up the service the branch was closed and the station moved on to the direct route to Hounslow West.
The final traffic centre targeted was Uxbridge. This was done through the medium of two further companies: the Ealing & South Harrow as far as South Harrow and the Harrow & Uxbridge the rest of the way. The H&U realized that the District could not afford to build its line and so came to an arrangement with the Metropolitan instead; the latter eventually opened the route (with a connection to Harrow-on-the-Hill) in 1905, with the District retaining running powers. The Ealing & South Harrow eventually opened in 1903 (in two stages, because of an earthslip on the northern section), serving as the testbed for electrification.
One other minor branch was built in the west, from Acton Town to South Acton on the North London Railway. Initially services ran from the latter station through to Hounslow, South Harrow, and sometimes Uxbridge, but from 1932-02-15 they were reduced to a shuttle between the two stations (known as the "There and back while the kettle boils" because of the short distance and quick turnaround at South Acton) and the branch is now closed.
In 1897 authority was obtained to build express tunnels under the existing line from Mansion House to Earl's Court. These were never built as such, but the powers were used in building the Piccadilly Line.
In the east, the battles with the Metropolitan ended in 1884 with the completion of the Circle and the extensions to Whitechapel and the East London Line (though they were later to flare up again over the topic of electrification). In attempt to recover the costs of construction, the District cast its eye eastwards, with the idea of connecting to the LTSR. The two companies thus constructed 2 miles of new underground line from Whitechapel to Bow, with service starting in 1902. Trains ran through to various points at different times - even as far as Shoeburyness - with Upminster being the current terminus.
By 1898 it was clear that the subsurface companies had to electrify to regain traffic being lost to buses and trams (in later years the tubes would also be a threat). They therefore started experiments, with the first sample trains running in 1900 (using two outside power rails, one polarity on each side). The Metropolitan wanted to adopt the Ganz 3-phase AC system (using two overhead wires), but eventually the present LU system was adopted, the last steam trains running in 1905. In the east, the electrification originally reached East Ham, with services being terminated there, before extension to Barking in 1908.
The District was still close to bankruptcy, and in 1901 it was effectively taken over by the Yerkes group, and became the core of the Underground group (eventually to become London Transport).
The line from Hammersmith to Turnham Green was so successful, with the Metropolitan and GWR also running trains along the LSWR, that the latter had to add a second pair of (non-electrified) tracks, opening on 1911-12-03. But, even as this was done, the electrified District so out-competed the other routes that the non-electrified tracks were soon virtually abandoned, with the last passenger service using them on 1916-06-03. In 1926 the LSWR tracks from Studland Road Junction to Gunnersbury were leased to the Underground group in perpetuity; ownership was formally transferred on 1950-01-23.
The next major change came in the 1930s. With Government-assisted finance, the District took over the LSWR route to Richmond, effectively abandoned by its owner, and rebuilt it in its present layout, with fast Piccadilly Line trains running between the District Line tracks; the Piccadilly also took over the route to Uxbridge and some services to Hounslow. At the same time, the LTSR route east of Barking was quadrupled, and one pair electrified to allow the District to take over the local services.
Because of concerns that bomb damage to the Embankment might flood parts of the District, floodgates were installed at each end of Embankment and just east of South Kensington. The Embankment gates are flaps hinged from the tunnel roof; they descend under their own weight and are raised by electric motor. Those at South Kensington, on the other hand, are raised and lowered vertically (also by electric motor) like a sluice gate.
One unusual service run by the District was the Southend excursions (extended to Shoeburyness from 1911). District trains, using coaching stock hauled by an electric locomotive, ran from central London to Barking, where an LTSR steam locomotive took over. The service varied over the years, but three return trains daily was typical. Surviving timetables show wide variation in stopping patterns: for example, a train might miss Ravenscourt Park, Gloucester Road, and South Kensington, call at all stations from Sloane Square to Aldgate East, then run non-stop to Leigh-on-Sea (on the edge of the Southend conurbation). The excursions were withdrawn in 1939[1]. Incidentally, these were the first trains in Britain to be fitted with retention toilets.
The District regularly ran express trains, missing out various stations, right up until the 1960s. For example, many eastbound trains missed out Gloucester Road and South Kensington. Another more interesting situation was a service to Wimbledon not stopping at West Brompton: this would overtake the preceding train on the three-track stretch south (nominally west) of Earl's Court. The District also had the Underground's only named train: in the 1910s a morning express from South Harrow to Barking was officially "The Harrovarian" Through City Express.
[1] Stations beyond Upminster appear on maps until 1941, but there is no other evidence that the excursion trains lasted that long, and the intent may have been simply to show LTSR connections.
[Note that dates are not given for where the only MDR use of a section of track is for Circle Line services - these dates are on the Circle Line page.]
| 1838-06-04 | [0] | {Ealing Broadway} to {Slough} opened [GWR] |
| 1838-12-01 | Ealing Broadway, Hanwell | |
| 1839-05-01 | Southall | |
| 1840-06-01 | Slough | |
| 1845- | Langley | |
| 1846-07-27 | Richmond [Richmond & West End Railway, later LSWR][Hammersmith & City Line note] | |
| 1849-10-08 | 0 | Slough to Windsor & Eton Central opened [GWR] |
| 1854-06-13 | Barking [LTSR][2] | |
| 1858-03-31 | [2] | Barking to Bromley-by-Bow opened [LTSR] |
| East Ham, Plaistow | ||
| 1862-06-02 | Kensington (Olympia) | |
| 1863-01-10 | 0 | Edgware Road (1) to [Praed Street Junction] opened [Metropolitan] |
| 1864-05-01 | Hayes & Harlington | |
| 1868-10-01 | 3 | [Praed Street Junction] to High Street Kensington opened [Metropolitan] |
| 1868-12-24 | 3 | Westminster to South Kensington opened |
| 0 | South Kensington to Gloucester Road opened [Metropolitan] | |
| 1869-01-01 | [3] | [Studland Road Junction] to Richmond opened [LSWR] |
| Ravenscourt Park, Stamford Brook | ||
| 1869-04-12 | [0] | Gloucester Road to West Brompton opened |
| 1870-05-30 | 2 | Blackfriars to Westminster opened |
| 1870-08-01 | 0 | South Kensington to Gloucester Road opened [District] |
| 1871-03-01 | West Ealing | |
| 1871-07-03 | 0 | High Street Kensington to {Earl's Court} opened |
| 0 | Mansion House to Blackfriars opened | |
| 1871-07-10 | South Kensington [District station] | |
| 1871-10-30 | Earl's Court | |
| 1872-02-01 | Mansion House to Earl's Court started [Outer Circle] | |
| 0 | Earl's Court to Kensington (Olympia) opened [Outer Circle] | |
| 1872-08-01 | Mansion House to Kensington (Olympia) started [Middle Circle] | |
| 1873-04-01 | Ravenscourt Park | |
| 1874-09-09 | [1] | Earl's Court to Hammersmith (2) opened |
| West Kensington | ||
| 1877-09-17 | Upton Park | |
| 1877-06-01 | 0 | Hammersmith (2) to [Studland Road Junction] opened |
| [Studland Road Junction] to Richmond started [District] | ||
| 1878-02-01 | Earl's Court | |
| 1878-05-01 | Earl's Court to Turnham Green started [Super Outer Circle] | |
| 1879-07-01 | 3 | Turnham Green to Ealing Broadway opened |
| 1880-01-01 | South Acton [N&SWJR] [3] | |
| 1880-03-01 | 2 | West Brompton to Putney Bridge opened |
| 1880-09-30 | Earl's Court to Turnham Green withdrawn [Super Outer Circle] | |
| 1882-01-20 | Hammersmith (2) (fire) | |
| 1882-08-23 | Hammersmith (2) | |
| 1882-09-25 | 0 | [Minories Junction] to Tower Hill (1) opened [Metropolitan] |
| 1883-03-01 | Ealing Broadway to Windsor & Eton Central started [District] | |
| 1883-05-01 | [3] | Acton Town to Hounslow Town opened |
| Northfields | ||
| 1884-03-03 | 0 | [St. Mary's Junction] to St. Mary's opened [ELR] |
| 1884-07-21 | [0] | Osterley to Hounslow West opened |
| 1884-08-09 | West Drayton | |
| 1884-09-08 | Slough | |
| 1884-10-06 | [4] | Whitechapel to Mansion House opened (of which [St. Mary's Junction] to St. Mary's and [Minories Junction] to Tower Hill (1) were already open) |
| Aldgate East, Tower Hill (2), Monument, Cannon Street | ||
| 1884-10-12 | Tower Hill (1) | |
| 1885-05-01 | [2] | Upminster to Barking opened [LTSR] |
| Hornchurch, Dagenham East | ||
| 1885-09-30 | Ealing Broadway to Windsor & Eton Central withdrawn | |
| 1886-03-31 | Osterley to Hounslow Town closed | |
| 1886-04-01 | Hounslow Central | |
| 1889-06-03 | 3 | Putney Bridge to Wimbledon opened |
| 1889-07-01 | East Putney to Wimbledon started [LSWR] | |
| 1900-05-21 | High Street Kensington to Earl's Court [experimental train] | |
| 1900-11-06 | High Street Kensington to Earl's Court withdrawn [electric train] | |
| 1900-06-30 | Mansion House to Earl's Court withdrawn [Middle Circle] | |
| 1901-02-01 | West Ham | |
| 1902-02-01 | Whitechapel to St. Mary's closed | |
| 1902-06-02 | Upminster to Bromley-by-Bow started | |
| [1] | Bromley-by-Bow to Whitechapel opened | |
| 0 | Whitechapel to St. Mary's reopened | |
| 1902-06-11 | Bow Road | |
| 1902-06-23 | Stepney Green | |
| 1903-03-01 | 0 | Osterley to Hounslow Town reopened |
| 1903-06-23 | 1 | Ealing Common to Park Royal & Twyford Abbey opened
|
| Acton Town to Ealing Common | ||
| 1903-06-28 | 3 | Park Royal & Twyford Abbey to South Harrow opened
|
| 1904-07-04 | [1] | {Rayners Lane} to Uxbridge opened [Metropolitan] |
| Ruislip | ||
| 1905-01-01 | {Rayners Lane} to Uxbridge | |
| 1905-01-31 | Earl's Court to Kensington (Olympia) withdrawn [Middle Circle] | |
| 1905-06-12 | Osterley to Hounslow Central closed | |
| 1905-06-13 | 0 | Hounslow Town to Hounslow Central opened
|
| 0 | South Acton to Acton Town opened
| |
| Acton Town to Hounslow West | ||
| 1905-07-01 | Ealing Common to Ealing Broadway | |
| Whitechapel to Acton Town | ||
| 1905-07-23 | High Street Kensington to Putney Bridge | |
| 1905-08-01 | Turnham Green to Richmond | |
| 1905-08-20 | East Ham to Whitechapel | |
| 1905-08-27 | Putney Bridge to Wimbledon | |
| 1905-09-25 | Ickenham | |
| 1905-09-30 | Upminster to East Ham withdrawn | |
| 1905-10-09 | Barons Court | |
| 1906-05-26 | Rayners Lane, Eastcote | |
| 1908-04-01 | Barking to East Ham restored
| |
| 1908-04-16 | Northfields & Little Ealing | |
| 1908-12-31 | Mansion House to Earl's Court withdrawn [Outer Circle] | |
| 1909-05-01 | [Lampton Junction] to Hounslow Town closed | |
| Hounslow Town to [Kingsley Road Junction] closed | ||
| 1909-05-02 | 1 | Osterley to Hounslow Central reopened
|
| 1910-03-01 | 0 | South Harrow to Rayners Lane opened
|
| Rayners Lane to Uxbridge started [District] | ||
| 1910-06-01 | Southend to Barking started [District excursion service] | |
| 1911- | Shoeburyness to Southend started [District excursion service] | |
| 1912-01-01 | LTSR absorbed by Midland Railway, later LMSR | |
| 1912-02-01 | Stamford Brook | |
| 1912-08-05 | Ruislip Manor | |
| 1914-05-01 | Earl's Court to Kensington (Olympia) | |
| 1917-02-11 | Ruislip Manor | |
| 1919-04-01 | Ruislip Manor | |
| 1923-12-10 | Hillingdon | |
| 1926-11-01 | Edgware Road (1) to High Street Kensington [District
| |
| 1931-07-05 | Park Royal & Twyford Abbey | |
| 1931-07-06 | Park Royal | |
| 1932-05-19 | Northfields | |
| 1932-07-03 | Ealing Common to South Harrow withdrawn | |
| 1932-07-18 | Becontree | |
| 1932-09-12 | Upminster to Barking restored
| |
| Dagenham Heathway, Upney | ||
| 1933-10-22 | South Harrow to Uxbridge withdrawn | |
| 1934-03-25 | Osterley | |
| 1934-12-17 | Upminster Bridge | |
| 1935-05-13 | Elm Park | |
| 1938-04-30 | St. Mary's | |
| 1938-10-31 | Aldgate East | |
| 1939-09-30 | Shoeburyness to Upminster withdrawn [District excursion service] | |
| 1940-10-02 | Earl's Court to Kensington (Olympia) closed | |
| 1941-05-04 | East Putney to Wimbledon withdrawn [SR] | |
| 1946-12-20 | 0 | Earl's Court to Kensington (Olympia) reopened [ad hoc District service] |
| 1959-02-28 | South Acton to Acton Town closed | |
| 1964-10-09 | Northfields to Hounslow West withdrawn | |
| 1964-10-10 | Acton Town to Northfields withdrawn | |
| 1967-02-04 | Tower Hill (2) | |
| 1967-02-05 | Tower Hill (1) | |
| 1968-10-19 | Edgware Road service extended to Aldgate on Saturday afternoons | |
| 1972-02-05 | Aldgate service withdrawn | |
| 1986-04-07 | Earl's Court to Kensington (Olympia) started [full District service] | |
| 1989-10-29 | Mansion House (renovation and entrance works) | |
| 1991-02-11 | Mansion House | |
| 1994-04-01 | Putney Bridge to Wimbledon transferred to LU ownership | |
| 1996-01-22 | Bayswater (refurbishment and congestion relief) | |
| 1996-03-18 | Bayswater | |
| 1999-03-13 | West Ham, eastbound only | |
| 1999-11-06 | West Ham, westbound only | |
| 1999-11-07 | West Ham, eastbound only | |
| 2000-06-30 | West Ham, westbound only | |
| 2000-08-27 | East Ham, westbound only | |
| 2000-09-23 | East Ham, westbound only | |
| 2001-02-02 | High Street Kensington to Earl's Court closed (tunnel repairs) | |
| Edgware Road (1) to High Street Kensington withdrawn (in consequence) | ||
| Earl's Court to Kensington (Olympia) closed (in consequence) | ||
| 2001-05-13 | 0 | High Street Kensington to Earl's Court reopened |
| Edgware Road (1) to High Street Kensington restored | ||
| 0 | Earl's Court to Kensington (Olympia) reopened | |
| 2001-05-19 | Upton Park, westbound only | |
| 2001-06-11 | Upton Park, westbound only | |
| 2001-06-17 | Upton Park, eastbound only | |
| 2001-07-09 | Upton Park, eastbound only | |
| 2002-10-31 | East Ham, eastbound only | |
| 2002-12-01 | East Ham, eastbound only | |
| 2005-01-29 | Bayswater, eastbound only (refurbishment) | |
| 2005-02-12 | Bayswater, westbound only (refurbishment) | |
| 2005-02-13 | Bayswater, eastbound only | |
| 2005-02-28 | Bayswater, westbound only | |
| 2005-04-27 | Ealing Common, eastbound only | |
| 2005-05-07 | ? |
Ealing Common, eastbound only |
| 2005-05-08 | Ealing Common, westbound only | |
| 2005-05-21 | ? |
Ealing Common, westbound only |
| 2005-07-07 | Edgware Road (1) to High Street Kensington closed (bomb on train at Edgware Road) | |
| 2005-07-29 | 3 | Edgware Road (1) to High Street Kensington reopened |
| 2006-03-31 | Turnham Green to Richmond closed (track replacement at Gunnersbury) | |
| 2006-04-10 | 2 | Turnham Green to Richmond reopened |
| 2006-01-13 | Stamford Brook | |
| 2006-01-23 | Stamford Brook | |
| 2006-10-14 | Chiswick Park (westbound only) | |
| 2006-11-14 | Chiswick Park (eastbound only) | |
| 2006-11-15 | Chiswick Park (westbound only) | |
| 2006-12-13 | Chiswick Park (eastbound only) |
[2] Barking initially served the LTSR route via Forest Gate and Tilbury which opened on 1854-04-13. About 500 metres of this route parallels the LU line.
[3] South Acton was opened by the North & South Western Junction Railway, which was a joint venture of the LNWR, the Midland, and the North London Railway.
From Bromley-by-Bow and Edgware Road, to west of Earl's Court on all three branches, is in cut-and-cover tunnel, though many stations and short sections are in open cuttings. Outside this part, the line is basically open-air.
From Upminster to Bromley-by-Bow the line runs along the north side of the NR London Tilbury & Southend line (formerly the LTSR and then part of the LMSR); at Upminster it separates the latter from the Romford-Upminster branch. At Barking the eastbound and westbound tracks are each on the same island as the corresponding mainline track to allow cross-platform interchange; to do this, the westbound dives under both mainline tracks east of the station, and flies back over to the west.
At High Street Kensington there are four platforms. Two are for through trains on both the Circle and District Lines, while the other two are bays for District trains terminating from the west (these cannot be reached directly from Gloucester Road).
Earl's Court has four platforms, forming eastbound and westbound islands. To eliminate conflicts, a diveunder takes westbound trains from High Street Kensington under both tracks to Gloucester Road, and another takes westbound trains to West Kensington and to Kensington (Olympia) under the eastbound track from Wimbledon. On the Wimbledon branch there are two westbound tracks until the tunnel mouth just before West Brompton, while there are two eastbound tracks from West Kensington East Junction (where the Kensington (Olympia) branch diverges) to shortly before the station.
The Kensington (Olympia) branch is single for the last part into the station. Both this branch and the main route to West Kensington have connections into the maintenance centre at Lillie Bridge, and these form the only routes for engineering trains on to the system.
From Barons Court to Acton Town the Piccadilly Line tracks run between the District Line ones; a diveunder junction is used for the Richmond branch. From Acton Lane Junction the latter runs on National Rail tracks.
The basic pattern of service, operated off-peak, is made up of five routes:
| West terminus | East terminus |
|---|---|
| Richmond | Upminster |
| Ealing Broadway | Tower Hill |
| Wimbledon | Upminster (Barking on Sundays) |
| Wimbledon | Edgware Road |
| Kensington (Olympia) | High Street Kensington |
Each operates every 10 minutes except the last, which operates every 15; there are more trains during the weekday peak hours, of course. One train runs from Ealing Broadway to High Street Kensington after the morning peak.
Minimum running times from Earl's Court are:
| Ealing Broadway | 19 minutes |
| Edgware Road | 11 minutes |
| Kensington (Olympia) | 3 minutes |
| Richmond | 18 minutes |
| Upminster | 61 minutes |
| Wimbledon | 17 minutes |
<= West 1---P--D--2 East =>
/
|
|
3 H
/ / \
4 /--S K / 5 6 7
B\ \ / / \ / \ / \
N----------B-*--J---C-----T-------*-E-------L--------M-----A--X-------U
/ / / / \
8--w--c--*-e-*-o--/ 3 / / 9
\ / / / /
* G--/ W
t /
/
R
A = Aldgate East
B = Ealing Broadway
C = Acton Town
D = Edgware Road (1)
E = Earl's Court
G = Gunnersbury
H = High Street Kensington
K = Kensington (Olympia)
L = Gloucester Road
M = Minories Junction
N = Windsor & Eton Central
P = Praed Street Junction
R = Richmond
S = South Acton
T = Turnham Green Junction
U = Upminster
W = Wimbledon
X = St. Mary's Junction
c = Hounslow Central
e = Hounslow East
o = Osterley
t = Hounslow Town
w = Hounslow West
1 = Hammersmith & City Line to Hammersmith (1)
2 = Hammersmith & City Line and Circle Line via King's Cross St. Pancras
3 = North London Line (NR) to North Woolwich
4 = Piccadilly Line to Uxbridge
5 = Circle Line
6 = Circle Line via Aldgate
7 = Hammersmith & City Line via King's Cross St. Pancras
8 = Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Airport
9 = Link to East London Line
Westbound is upwards on the page and eastbound is downwards.
| SU967769 | 80=52 | [=t] | {Windsor & Eton Central} | |||
| SU978802 | 76=03 | [v=be=wb=t] | {Slough} | |||
| 75=8 | (Slough) | |||||
| TQ013798 | 72=45 | [=we=we=] | {Langley} | |||
| 037799 | 70=07 | [=we=we= e] | {Iver} [not open when this service ran] | |||
| 061801 | 67=60 | [=we=we= e] | {West Drayton} | |||
| 097794 | 63=86 | [=we=we=t] | {Hayes & Harlington} | |||
| 126797 | 60=94 | [bbb =we=we=] | {Southall} | |||
| 154805 | 58=17 | [we =2we3=] | {Hanwell} | |||
| 166807 | 56=92 | [we =3we4=] | {West Ealing} | |||
| 180810 | 55.51 | [=we=we= t=tT=TT=] | Ealing Broadway | |||
| 188810 | 54.56 | [Hanger Lane Junction] | ||||
| 189803 | 53.94 | [OP] | Ealing Common | |||
| 194795 | 52.91 | [W=we=E] | Acton Town | |||
| 203787 | 51.72 | [=WweE=] | Chiswick Park | |||
| 207788 | 51.25 | [Turnham Green Junction (eastbound)] | ||||
| 212788 | 50.83 | [Turnham Green Junction (westbound)] | ||||
| 213788 | 50.71 | [W=we=E] | Turnham Green | |||
| 218788 | 50.18 | [W=weE=] | Stamford Brook | |||
| 225787 | 49.44 | [W=we=E] | Ravenscourt Park | |||
| 228787 | 48.22 | [Studland Road Junction] | ||||
| 231787 | 48.81 | [tunnel west portal] | ||||
| 234785 | 48.57 | [tunnel east portal] | ||||
| 234785 | 48.51 | [W=we=E] | Hammersmith (2) | |||
| 241783 | 47.84 | [W=we=E] | Barons Court | |||
| 247783 | 47.18 | [OP] | West Kensington | |||
| 46.80 | [West Kensington East Junction and tunnel portal] | |||||
| 255785 | 46.27 | [W=WE=E X] | Earl's Court | |||
| 262788 | 45.35 | [=Wo=E=] | Gloucester Road | |||
| 269788 | 44.63 | [CP] | South Kensington | |||
| 280786 | 43.39 | [OP] | Sloane Square | |||
| 288791 | 42.35 | [OP] | Victoria | |||
| 296794 | 41.63 | [OP] | St. James's Park | |||
| 302796 | 40.87 | [OP] | Westminster | |||
| 303803 | 40.18 | [OP] | Embankment | |||
| 310808 | 39.48 | [OP] | Temple | |||
| 316808 | 38.72 | [OP] | Blackfriars | |||
| 323809 | 38.12 | [W=TE=] | Mansion House | |||
| 325809 | 37.81 | [OP] | Cannon Street | |||
| 328808 | 37.47 | [OP] | Monument | |||
| 333807 | 36.97 | [OP] | (Tower Hill (2)) | |||
| 335807 | 36.80 | [W=TE=] | Tower Hill (1) | |||
| 36.43 | [Minories Junction] | |||||
| 36.22 | [former Aldgate East Junction] | |||||
| 36.16 | [OP] | ((Aldgate East)) | ||||
| 36.08 | [Aldgate East Junction] | |||||
| 338813 | 36.00 | [OP] | Aldgate East | |||
| 342816 | 35.49 | [OP] | (St. Mary's) | |||
| 343817 | 35.45 | [St. Mary's Junction] | ||||
| 347818 | 35.17 | [TW=WE=E X] | Whitechapel | |||
| 355821 | 34.17 | [OP] | Stepney Green | |||
| 365825 | 33!07 | [w=WE=e] | Mile End | |||
| 371827 | 32.59 | [OP] | Bow Road | |||
| 370827 | 32.50 | [tunnel mouth] | ||||
| 379826 | 31.58 | [=0we0=1WE2=] | Bromley-by-Bow | |||
| 392829 | 30.19 | [w7=8eW1=2E] | West Ham | |||
| 399832 | 29.39 | [=0we0=1WE2=3V] | Plaistow | |||
| 411837 | 28.15 | [=0we0=1WE2=] | Upton Park | |||
| 424842 | 26.74 | [OP] | East Ham | |||
| 432848 | [Barking Station Junction] | |||||
| 443843 | 24.55 | [ww=eW=we=VE=V X] | Barking | |||
| 457842 | 23.08 | [CP] | Upney | |||
| 475845 | 21.21 | [=0we0=1WE2=] | Becontree | |||
| 489847 | 19.84 | [CP] | Dagenham Heathway | |||
| 502850 | 18.43 | [=0we0=1WE2=3V] | Dagenham East | |||
| 524857 | 16.17 | [CP] | Elm Park | |||
| 538862 | 14.66 | [=0we0=1WE2=] | Hornchurch | |||
| 549867 | 13.41 | [CP] | Upminster Bridge | |||
| 561868 | 12.19 | [^1=1we2=3WE4=5Ev6=] | Upminster | |||
| 572871 | 11.08 | [east end of Upminster Depot] | ||||
|
| ||||||
| 243792 | 47.81 | [T=bns=] | Kensington (Olympia) | |||
| 46.80 | [West Kensington East Junction] | |||||
| 255785 | 46.27 | [W=WE=E X] | Earl's Court | |||
|
| ||||||
| 194795 | 52.91 | [W=we=E] | Acton Town | |||
| 201792 | 51=90 | [OP] | {South Acton} | |||
|
| ||||||
| 181751 | 56.16 | [=we=TT=TT=T] | Richmond | |||
| 192767 | 54.05 | [OPX] | Kew Gardens | |||
| 198783 | 52.33 | [CP] | Gunnersbury | |||
| 203786 | 51.70 | [Acton Lane Junction (LU/NR boundary)] | ||||
| 207788 | 51.25 | [Turnham Green Junction (eastbound)] | ||||
| 212788 | 50.83 | [Turnham Green Junction (westbound)] | ||||
|
| ||||||
| 248706 | 55.15 | [b=bw=we=eT=TT=T X] | Wimbledon | |||
| 253721 | 53.59 | [CPX] | Wimbledon Park | |||
| 247733 | 52.13 | [CPX] | Southfields | |||
| 246740 | 51.32 | [East Putney Tunnel portal] | ||||
| 243743 | 51.04 | [East Putney Tunnel portal] | ||||
| 50.72 | [East Putney Junction] | |||||
| 244748 | 50.58 | [=0we0=2WE1=] | East Putney | |||
| 245759 | 49.43 | [W=TE= X] | Putney Bridge | |||
| 250766 | 48.49 | [OP] | Parsons Green | |||
| 254772 | 47.70 | [OP] | Fulham Broadway | |||
| 254780 | 46.86 | [=WE=sn=] | West Brompton | |||
| 255785 | 46.27 | [W=WE=E X] | Earl's Court | |||
| 45.34 | [District/Circle junction] | |||||
| 255795 | 45=03 | [=WE=V|=V] | High Street Kensington | |||
| 252804 | 44=09 | [OP] | Notting Hill Gate | |||
| 258808 | 43=30 | [OP] | Bayswater | |||
| 266811 | 42=32 | [OP] | Paddington | |||
| 269814 | 41=82 | [Praed Street Junction] | ||||
| 272817 | 41=50 | [i=WE=o X] | Edgware Road (1) | |||
|
| ||||||
| 122761 | 62.08 | [CP] | {Hounslow West} | |||
| 136759 | 60.64 | [CP] | {Hounslow Central} | |||
| 141761 | [Kingsley Road Junction] | |||||
| 142762 | 59.90 | [OP] | {Hounslow East} | |||
| 144763 | 59.59 | [Lampton Junction] | ||||
| 145771 | 58.93 | [OP] | {Osterley} | |||
| 58.63 | [OP] | ((Osterley & Spring Grove)) | ||||
| 163787 | 56.50 | [OP] | {Boston Manor} | |||
| 55.74 | ((Northfields & Little Ealing)) | |||||
| 171792 | 55.59 | [W=WE=e] | {Northfields} | |||
| 175793 | 55.11 | [W=WE=e] | {South Ealing} | |||
| 194795 | 52.91 | [W=WE=E] | Acton Town | |||
|
| ||||||
| 144759 | 60.09 | [=TT=] | (Hounslow Town) | |||
| 143760 | [junction of two closed branches] | |||||
| 144763 | 59.59 | [Lampton Junction] | ||||
| 145771 | 58.93 | [OP] | {Osterley} | |||
|
| ||||||
| 136759 | 60.64 | [CP] | {Hounslow Central} | |||
| 141761 | [Kingsley Road Junction] | |||||
| 143760 | [junction of two closed branches] | |||||
| 144759 | [=VV=] | (Hounslow Town) | ||||
|
| ||||||
| 055841 | 73.03 | [T=T=T] | {Uxbridge} | |||
| 075850 | 70.93 | [OP] | {Hillingdon} | |||
| 70.86 | [OP] | ((Hillingdon Swakeleys)) | ||||
| 081858 | 69.85 | [OP] | {Ickenham} | |||
| 086864 | 69.11 | [Ruislip siding entrance] | ||||
| 095869 | 68.00 | [OP] | {Ruislip} | |||
| 101872 | 67.28 | [OP] | {Ruislip Manor} | |||
| 112876 | 66.14 | [OP] | {Eastcote} | |||
| 129875 | 64.41 | [OP] | {Rayners Lane} | |||
| 131874 | 64.33 | [Rayners Lane Junction] | ||||
| 143863 | 62.57 | [OP] | {South Harrow} | |||
| 144862 | 62.40 | ((South Harrow)) | ||||
| 154855 | 61.15 | [OP] | {Sudbury Hill} | |||
| 168848 | 59.50 | [OP0] | {Sudbury Town} | |||
| 180837 | 57.93 | [OP] | {Alperton} | |||
| 187828 | [OP] | ((Park Royal & Twyford Abbey)) | ||||
| 191822 | 55.95 | [OP] | {Park Royal} | |||
| 189812 | 54.88 | [OP] | {North Ealing} | |||
| 188810 | 54.56 | [Hanger Lane Junction] | ||||
The line is served by two main depots. Upminster Depot is east of Upminster station, while Ealing Common Depot is north of the line between Acton Town and Ealing Common stations; trains may enter from the west end, and may leave in either direction.
In addition, C stock trains used on the line are treated as part of the Hammersmith & City stock, and maintained at Hammersmith Depot.
There is a connection to the National Rail branch from Romford at the east end of Upminster station; there are proposals to add another one, to the LO GOBLIN branch, at Barking.
Hammersmith & City Line trains run on the line from Barking to Aldgate East, where there is a flat junction. There is also a connection to the East London Line at St. Mary's Junction; see the latter for more details.
Circle Line trains run on the line from Minories Junction to Gloucester Road (both flat junctions; see the Circle Line for more details). The section from Edgware Road to High Street Kensington is also shared with the Circle Line.
There is a connection to National Rail at East Putney, allowing trains from Clapham Junction to run southwards on the line. At Wimbledon, there are connections to Wimbledon Park Depot (NR, not LU); trains can enter from either end. In addition, at Wimbledon, eastbound trains can run from the up slow NR line on to the eastbound District, and from the westbound District on to the down fast NR line.
Piccadilly Line trains can run on the District Line tracks, and vice versa, between Hammersmith and Acton Town. Both lines share tracks from there to Hangar Lane Junction. At Acton Town, trains can also leave Acton Works (south of the line east of the station) into the westbound platform, and westbound trains (either Piccadilly, District, or trains having used the turnback sidings east of the station) can enter a shunting neck and then reverse into the works.
There is a connection to National Rail at Gunnersbury, and trains may run from the southernmost platform at Richmond on to the eastbound NR line to Clapham Junction. Finally, trains departing Ealing Broadway may run on to the eastbound Central Line.
Normal operation is for the Edgware Road and Wimbledon service to be operated by C stock, and the remainder of the route by D stock.
The Richmond and Wimbledon branches are shared with NR trains, and so are restricted to C and D stock only (6-car D stock will not fit into the bay platform at Putney Bridge). In addition, empty Tube stock may run between Earl's Court and Putney Bridge.
The rest of the District Line is open to all stock except A stock, which may
only operate when empty, and only on certain sections:
- Upminster to Aldgate East (and thence Liverpool Street)
- Mansion House to Embankment (single 4-car units only)
- Embankment to Hangar Lane Junction
- Gloucester Road via High Street Kensington (reversing) to Earl's Court
- High Street Kensington to Edgware Road (single 4-car units only)
D stock consists of two 3-car units. Single units have only one cab and may only operate in depots. Because the stock has stiff suspension it may only run on tracks maintained appropriately (the District Line and parts of the Piccadilly Line). 6-car trains will not fit in the stations from Notting Hill Gate to Edgware Road and thus may not carry passengers north of High Street Kensington.
Back to the CULG index.
Back to the Rail
index.
Back to
Clive's home page.