London Underground District Line is a Transport for London operated tube line in London, England. Running between Ealing Broadway, Richmond and Wimbledon and Edgware Road and Upminster, it is coloured green on the Tube map, the line serves 60 stations over 40 miles (64 km), and with bridges across the River Thames on the Wimbledon and Richmond branches. Hampton Court brach from March 2021 it is the only Underground line to cross the river in this way.
The track and stations between Barking and Aldgate East are shared with the Hammersmith & City line, and between Tower Hill and Gloucester Road and on the Edgware Road branch they are shared with the Circle line. Some of the stations between South Kensington and Ealing Common are shared with the Piccadilly line. Unlike London's deep-level lines, the railway tunnels are just below the surface, and the trains are of a similar size to those on British main lines.
The District line is the busiest of the sub-surface lines as well the fifth-busiest line overall on the Underground, with over 208 million passenger journeys recorded in 2011/12.
History[]
The original Metropolitan District Railway (as it was then called) opened in December 1868 from South Kensington to Westminster as part of a plan for a below-ground "inner circle" connecting London's main line termini. Services were operated at first using wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. Electrification was financed by the American Charles Yerkes, and electric services began in 1905. In 1933 the railway was absorbed by the London Passenger Transport Board. In the first half of the 1930s the Piccadilly line took over the Uxbridge and Hounslow branches, although a peak-hour District line service ran on the Hounslow branch until 1964. Kensington (Olympia) has been served by the District line since 1946, and a short branch to South Acton closed in 1959 (it is now on London Overground). The trains carried guards until one-person operation was introduced in 1985.
The signalling system is being upgraded, and the previous D Stock trains were replaced by seven-car S Stock trains in 2017.
In 1949, R Stock trains were introduced.
In 1971, the O/P Stock trains were transferred from the Circle Line to this line due to the introduction of the C69/C77 Stock trains.
In July 1977, C69/C77 trains were introduced for the Edgware Road to Wimbledon branch.
On 28 January 1980, D78 Stock trains were introduced.
In 1981, the O/P Stock trains were withdrawn.
In March 1983, the R Stock trains were withdrawn and the line was converted into a full D78 Stock operation.
On 6 September 2013, brand new S7 Stock trains were introduced.
On 29 June 2014, the C69/C77 Stock trains were withdrawn and the Edgware Road-Wimbledon branch was converted to a full S7 Stock operation.
On 21 April 2017, the D78 Stock trains were withdrawn and the line was converted into a full S7 Stock operation.
The district line will be extended from Wimbledon to Hampton court on 7th January 2021
Current Route[]
The District Line operates via these primary locations.
- Upminster
- Upminster Bridge
- Hornchurch
- Elm Park
- Dagenham East
- Dagenham Heathway
- Becontree
- Upney
- Barking
- East Ham
- Upton Park
- Plaistow
- West Ham
- Bromley-by-Bow
- Bow Road
- Mile End
- Stepney Green
- Whitechapel
- Aldgate East
- Tower Hill
- Monument
- Cannon Street
- Mansion House
- Blackfriars
- Temple
- Embankment
- Westminster
- St James's Park
- Victoria
- Sloane Square
- South Kensington
- Gloucester Road
- Earl's Court
- West Kensington
- Barons Court
- Hammersmith
- Ravenscourt Park
- Stamford Brook
- Turnham Green
- Chiswick Park
- Acton Town
- Ealing Common
- Ealing Broadway
Wimbledon branch.Hampton court branch as of January 2021
- Edgware Road
- Paddington
- Bayswater
- Notting Hill Gate
- High Street Kensington
- Earl's Court
- West Brompton
- Fulham Broadway
- Parsons Green
- Putney Bridge
- East Putney
- Southfields
- Wimbledon Park
- Wimbledon
- Raynes Park from January 2021
- New Malden from January 2021
- Berrylands from January 2021
- Surbiton from January 2021
- Thames Ditton from January 2021
- Hampton Court from January 2021
Richmond branch
- Gunnersbury
- Kew Gardens
- Richmond
Gallery[]
