DISTRICT LINE

The 'District line' is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines and the fourth busiest overall on the Underground network.

Contents

History

Trains

Map

Stations

Richmond branch

Ealing branch

Wimbledon branch

Kensington (Olympia) branch

Main Line

Edgware Road branch

Current service pattern

Interavailabilty

In fiction

External links

History

The District line has a long history. It was built by the Metropolitan District Railway and opened in stages from 1868. The MDR was later bought by Charles Yerkes, forming part of the "Underground" group until it was nationalised in the 1930s.
It had branches to Uxbridge and Hounslow West, but both are now operated by the Piccadilly line. Eastbound services ran as far as the seaside town of Southend in Essex from 1 June 1910 and to Shoeburyness from 1911, until 30 September 1939. Between 1 March 1883 and 30 September 1885 the line also served stations from Ealing Broadway to Windsor, running on the Great Western Mainline.

Trains

Most of the District line's services use sub-surface D stock, although the Wimbledon to Edgware Road branch is served by the C stock, due to shorter platform lengths between High Street Kensington and Edgware Road. The D stock is currently undergoing mid-life refurbishment(MLR), during which it will receive the standard Underground livery of red, white and blue to replace the current unpainted aluminium finish which is prone to damage by graffiti vandals. The stock will also receive a complete interior refurbishment and be fitted with CCTV and passenger information displays.

Map

Stations

''In order from west to east''

Richmond branch

★ Richmond

★ Kew Gardens

★ Gunnersbury

Ealing branch

★ Ealing Broadway

★ Ealing Common

★ Acton Town

★
★ ''South Acton (closed branch line)''

★ Chiswick Park
''The Richmond and Ealing branches join just west of Turnham Green.''

★ Turnham Green

★ Stamford Brook

★ Ravenscourt Park

★ Hammersmith

★ Barons Court

★ West Kensington

Wimbledon branch

★ Wimbledon

★ Wimbledon Park

★ Southfields (lift access to platfoms to be provided by 2012)

★ East Putney

★ Putney Bridge

★ Parsons Green

★ Fulham Broadway

★ West Brompton (eastbound platform is accessible via National Rail lift)

Kensington (Olympia) branch

★ Kensington (Olympia)
''The Kensington (Olympia) branch joins the main line west of Earl's Court, and trains from it normally run to High Street Kensington.''
''The Wimbledon branch joins the main line west of Earl's Court.''

Main Line

★ Earl's Court

★ Gloucester Road

★ South Kensington

★ Sloane Square

★ Victoria

★ St. James's Park

★ Westminster

★ Embankment ''within walking distance of Charing Cross railway station''

★ Temple

★ Blackfriars

★ Mansion House

★ Cannon Street

★ Monument

★ Mark Lane (closed)

★ Tower Hill ''within walking distance of Fenchurch Street railway station and Tower Gateway DLR station''

★ Tower of London (closed)

★ Aldgate East

★ St. Mary's (closed)

★ Whitechapel

★ Stepney Green

★ Mile End

★ Bow Road ''within walking distance of Bow Church DLR station''

★ Bromley-by-Bow

★ West Ham

★ Plaistow

★ Upton Park

★ East Ham

★ Barking

★ Upney

★ Becontree

★ Dagenham Heathway

★ Dagenham East

★ Elm Park

★ Hornchurch

★ Upminster Bridge

★ Upminster

Edgware Road branch

''The Edgware Road branch diverges from the main line east of Earl's Court.''

★ High Street Kensington

★ Notting Hill Gate

★ Bayswater

★ Paddington

★ Edgware Road

Current service pattern

The following off-peak service pattern currently runs on the District line

★ 6 tph Ealing Broadway - Tower Hill

★ 6 tph Richmond - Upminster

★ 6 tph Wimbledon - Upminster

★ 6 tph Wimbledon - Edgware Road

★ 4 tph Kensington (Olympia) - High Street Kensington
(tph=trains per hour)

Interavailabilty

c2c also serves Upminster, Barking, West Ham and Fenchurch Street (for Tower Hill). Tickets are interavailable between the two operators with Oyster Cards (including pay as you go) accepted on this part of c2c's route. South West Trains services occasionally operate on the Wimbledon Branch between East Putney and Wimbledon, often due to engineering works or problems on the mainline, although trains do not stop at any of the intermediate stations.

In fiction

The fictional Walford East tube station in the BBC television series ''Eastenders'' is on the District Line, taking the place of Bromley-by-Bow.

External links

★ District line - London Underground website

★ A District line Driver's website

★ Clive Feather's page on the District Line

West:	'Crossings of the River Thames'	East:
Kew Bridge	'Richmond branch', between Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens	Chiswick Bridge
Putney Bridge	'Wimbledon branch', between Putney Bridge and East Putney	Wandsworth Bridge