Metropolitan line
The Metropolitan Line is a line of the London Underground.
In its present-day form, it functions much like an overground suburban commuter railway: Baker Street station is its terminus, and as it reaches the outer suburbs of London it progressively branches off into several directions.
The line's operation is quite complex: fast services skip stations and overtake slower services. Some trains, both at peak and off peak hours, run beyond Baker Street, further into London along the tracks of the Circle Line through to Aldgate.
The line has a complex history, and has seen many changes to its layout. It began as part of the low-level network which is now split into the Metropolitan Line, the Hammersmith & City Line and the East London Line. It expanded heavily into the north west suburbs of London and beyond as an overground railway. There are many additional branches and stations on existing branches which have either been abandoned or transferred to other railways and underground lines over the years.
Stations
in order from east to west
Shared Circle Line track and main branch
- Terminus: Aldgate
- Liverpool Street
- Moorgate
- Barbican
- Farringdon
- King's Cross St. Pancras
- Euston Square
- Great Portland Street (after this station no longer shares track with Circle Line)
- Baker Street
- Finchley Road
- Wembley Park
- Preston Road
- Northwick Park
- Harrow on the Hill
The line splits here into two branches - the Uxbridge branch and the Northwood branch
Uxbridge Branch
(continuing from Harrow on the Hill)
Northwood Branch
(continuing from Harrow on the Hill)
The line splits here into two branches -- the branch towards Amersham and the Watford branch
Watford Branch
(continuing from Moor Park)
Towards Amersham
(continuing from Moor Park)
From Chalfont and Latimer station trains can go to Amersham (as the majority do) or to Chesham. Only in peak hours do trains run to Chesham; at all other times a shuttle service runs between Chalfont & Latimer and Chesham.
Current service pattern
The Metropolitan line is the only London Underground line to operate fast services that miss out certain stations. The current off-peak service pattern is as follows
- 6tph Uxbridge - Aldgate (all stations)
- 6tph Watford - Baker Street (all stations)
- 4tph Amersham - Baker Street (all stations to Moor Park, then Harrow-on-the-Hill, Wembley Park and Finchley Road only)
- 2tph Chesham - Chalfont & Latimer
(tph=trains per hour)
In the peak other services can run, including through trains to Aldgate from Watford/Amersham, semi-fasts to Watford/Uxbridge missing out Northwick Park and Preston Road and through trains to Chesham. There are also a few trains from Rickmansworth to Watford very early in the morning and vice versa late at night.
History
The world's oldest section of sub-surface underground railway was built by the Metropolitan Railway, opening in 1863, and running between Farringdon and Paddington. For many years this section of track formed part of the Metropolitan line, but in 1990, it was incorporated into the Hammersmith & City Line.
The oldest section of the Metropolitan line, which still runs under this name, opened in 1868.
The Metropolitan line has a long history. More to come!