District line

This article is about a London Underground line, for a district line see border

District

Colour on map	Green
Year opened	1868
Line type	Sub-Surface
Rolling stock	C69 & C77 D78 6 carriages per trainset
Stations served	60
Length	64 km (40 mi)
Depots	Upminster, Lillie Bridge Ealing Common (D Stock only) Hammersmith (C Stock only)
Journeys made	172.879 million (2009)
Rail lines of Transport for London  London Underground lines   Bakerloo   Central   Circle   District   Hammersmith & City   Jubilee   Metropolitan   Northern   Piccadilly   Victoria   Waterloo & City Other lines   Docklands Light Railway   Tramlink   Overground

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. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground. Two of the four (Richmond and Wimbledon) western branches of the route are also the only lines across the entire network to cross the Thames by bridge and not by tunnel. Although the District line is only the fourth longest line on the network, it serves more stations than any other line.

History

The District line was built by the Metropolitan District Railway (MDR) 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-on-Sea in Essex from 1 June 1910 and to Shoeburyness from 1911, until 30 September 1939 (now part of the London, Tilbury and Southend railway). Between 1 March 1883 and 30 September 1885 the line also served stations from Ealing Broadway to Windsor, running on the Great Western Main Line.

Trains

Most of the District line's services use sub-surface D stock trains, although the Wimbledon to Edgware Road service is operated with C stock trains due to shorter platform lengths between High Street Kensington and Edgware Road. The D stock trains were refurbished between 2005 and 2008, receiving the standard Underground livery of red, white and blue to replace the previous unpainted aluminium finish, which was prone to damage by graffiti vandals. The stock also received a complete interior refurbishment and was fitted with CCTV and passenger information displays. The trains are maintained at Ealing Common Depot and Upminster Depot.

From 2013 both the C stock and D stock fleets will gradually be replaced by new S stock trains from Bombardier Transportation. The fleet is expected to be completely renewed by 2016. The new trains, which are shorter (7-car) versions of the new trains already appearing on the Metropolitan line, will be air-conditioned. Because they will be longer than the trains currently in use, some station platforms will need to be lengthened.

Map

Stations

District line

Legend former branches transferred to Piccadilly line  Uxbridge Depot Uxbridge Hillingdon Ickenham Piccadilly line to Heathrow (closed 1975) Hounslow West Ruislip Depot Hounslow Central Central Line to West Ruislip Ruislip (closed 1909) Hounslow Town Ruislip Manor Hounslow East Eastcote Rayners Lane (opened 1934) Osterley Metropolitan Line to Harrow-on-the-Hill (closed 1934) Osterley & Spring Grove South Harrow Sudbury Hill ( Sudbury Hill Harrow) Boston Manor Sudbury Town Alperton Northfields Depot Park Royal & Twyford Abbey (closed 1931) Central Line to Central London (opened 1931) Northfields Park Royal South Ealing North Ealing Great Western Main Line to Reading Ealing Broadway Piccadilly line to Uxbridge Central line to Central London Great Western Main Line to Paddington Ealing Common Ealing Common Depot Piccadilly line to Heathrow Waterloo to Reading Line to Reading Former service to Hounslow Richmond Waterloo to Reading Line to Waterloo Kew Gardens Acton Town River Thames South Acton (Closed 1959) Gunnersbury North London Line to Willesden Junction South Western Main Line Tramlink to Croydon Chiswick Park Wimbledon Turnham Green Sutton Loop Wimbledon Park Stamford Brook Southfields Ravenscourt Park East Putney River Thames Hammersmith Putney Bridge Hammersmith & City line to Paddington Parsons Green Barons Court Fulham Broadway West London Line to Clapham Junction West Kensington West Brompton Lillie Bridge Depot Kensington (Olympia) Earl's Court West London Line to Willesden Junction Triangle Sidings Circle line Gloucester Road South Kensington Piccadilly line High Street Kensington Sloane Square Victoria Notting Hill Gate St James's Park Hammersmith & City line to Hammersmith Westminster Bayswater Embankment Paddington (Hammersmith & City) ( Charing Cross) Temple Paddington (Circle/District) Blackfriars Edgware Road Mansion House Cannon Street Monument (Closed 1967) Mark Lane Tower Hill ( Fenchurch Street) ( Tower Gateway) Aldgate (Circle/Metropolitan) Hammersmith & City line Aldgate East St Mary's (Closed 1938) St Mary's Curve to East London Line Whitechapel ↔ East London Line Stepney Green Central line to Central London Mile End Central line to Woodford and Hainault Bow Road ( Bow Church) Bromley-by-Bow West Ham Plaistow Upton Park East Ham London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking Line Barking Upney Becontree Dagenham Heathway Dagenham East Elm Park Hornchurch Upminster Bridge London Overground Romford to Upminster Line Upminster London, Tilbury & Southend Railway Upminster Depot

Notice explaining about step-free access. This can be found inside every District line train.

In order from west to east

Richmond branch

Richmond branch
Station	Image	Opened	Additional information
Richmond		27 July 1846	District line 1 June 1877
Kew Gardens		1 January 1869	District line 1 June 1877
Gunnersbury		1 January 1869	Opened as Brentford Road renamed 1871, District line 1 June 1877

Ealing Broadway branch

Ealing Broadway branch
Station	Image	Opened	Additional information
Ealing Broadway ( Trains to Heathrow)		01879-07-01 1 July 1879	Change for Central line
Ealing Common		1 July 1879	From 1886 until 1 March 1910 known as Ealing Common and West Acton
Acton Town		1 July 1879	Opened as Mill Hill Park, renamed 1 March 1910
Chiswick Park		1 July 1879	Opened as Acton Green, renamed Chiswick Park and Acton Green in 1889, renamed 1910

The Richmond and Ealing Broadway branches join just west of Turnham Green
Station	Image	Opened	Additional information
Turnham Green		1 January 1869	District line 1 June 1877
Stamford Brook		1 February 1912	District line 1 June 1877 enroute to Richmond
Ravenscourt Park		1 April 1873	Opened as Shaftesbury Road, District line 1 June 1877, renamed 1 March 1888
Hammersmith		15 December 1906	Change for Piccadilly line
Barons Court		15 December 1906	Change for Piccadilly line
West Kensington		9 September 1874	Opened as Fulham – North End, renamed 1877

Wimbledon branch

Wimbledon branch
Station	Image	Opened	Additional information
Wimbledon		21 May 1838	District line 3 June 1889
Wimbledon Park		3 June 1889
Southfields		3 June 1889
East Putney		3 June 1889
Putney Bridge		1 March 1880	Opened as Putney Bridge & Fulham, renamed 1 January 1902 as Putney Bridge & Hurlingham, current name from 1932
Parsons Green		1 March 1880
Fulham Broadway		1 March 1880	Opened as Walham Green, renamed 2 March 1952
West Brompton		12 April 1869
The Wimbledon branch joins the main line west of Earl's Court

Kensington (Olympia) branch

Kensington (Olympia) branch
Station	Image	Opened	Additional information
Kensington (Olympia)		2 June 1862	Opened as Addison Road, District line 1872, renamed 1946
The Kensington (Olympia) branch joins the main line west of Earl's Court, and trains from it normally run to High Street Kensington

Edgware Road branch

The Edgware Road branch diverges from the main line east of Earl's Court
Station	Image	Opened	Additional information
High Street Kensington		1 October 1868	Circle line
Notting Hill Gate		1 October 1868	Circle line
Bayswater		1 October 1868	Circle line
Paddington ( Trains to Heathrow)		1 October 1868	Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City, Great Western Main Line
Edgware Road		1 October 1863

Main line

Main line
Station	Image	Opened	Additional information
Earl's Court		15 December 1906
Gloucester Road		1 October 1868
South Kensington		24 December 1868
Sloane Square		24 December 1868
Victoria ( Trains to Gatwick)		24 December 1868	Victoria
St. James's Park		24 December 1868
Westminster ( Westminster Pier)		24 December 1868	Jubilee
Embankment ( Charing Cross) ( Embankment Pier)		30 May 1870	Bakerloo, Northern
Temple		30 May 1870
Blackfriars (closed until February 2012) ( Trains to Gatwick and Luton) ( Blackfriars Millennium Pier)		30 May 1870	First Capital Connect / Southeastern (Thameslink)
Mansion House		3 July 1871
Cannon Street		6 October 1884	Southeastern
Monument		6 October 1884	Central, Northern, Waterloo & City, DLR (all via escalator connection to Bank station)
Tower Hill ( Fenchurch Street) ( Tower Gateway) ( Tower Pier)		25 September 1882
Aldgate East		6 October 1884
Whitechapel		6 October 1884
Stepney Green		1902
Mile End		1902	Central
Bow Road Bow Church		1902
Bromley-by-Bow		1858
West Ham		1 February 1901	Jubilee, DLR
Plaistow		1858
Upton Park		1877
East Ham		1858
Barking		1854
Upney		1932
Becontree		1932
Dagenham Heathway		1932	Opened as Heathway, renamed 1949
Dagenham East		1885	Opened as Dagenham, District line 1902 to 1905, District restarted 1932 and station renamed 1949
Elm Park		1935
Hornchurch		1885	District line 1902 to 1905, District restarted 1932
Upminster Bridge		17 December 1934
Upminster		1885	District line 1902 to 1905, District restarted 1932

Closed stations

• Hounslow Town tube station, opened 1 May 1883, replaced by Hounslow East on 2 May 1909
• Mark Lane, Main line, opened 1884, replaced by Tower Hill 4 February 1967
• South Acton, Ealing branch, opened 1880, closed 28 February 1959
• St. Mary's, Main line, opened 3 March 1884, closed 30 April 1938
• Tower of London, Main line, opened 1882, closed 1884

Current service pattern

The following off-peak service pattern currently runs on the District line (frequencies in peak hours are generally higher):

• 6 trains per hour Ealing Broadway – Upminster
• 6 trains per hour Richmond – Upminster
• 6 trains per hour Wimbledon – Tower Hill
• 6 trains per hour Wimbledon – Edgware Road
• 3 trains per hour Kensington (Olympia) – High Street Kensington (weekends only), a 2 trains per hour service operates on weekday Exhibition days.

This gives a total of 18 trains per hour between Earl's Court and Tower Hill.

Safety

In early 2009, three safety failures occurred on the line. All of them were recorded to have involved trains which passed signals showing red. In August 2009 it was reported that the line had been given a period of less than a month to improve safety features or face possible legal action, involving temporary line closures.

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 popular culture

• The fictional Walford East tube station in the BBC television series EastEnders is on the District line, taking the place of Bromley-by-Bow. From 4 February 2010 EastEnders will use shots of District line trains to superimpose on their episodes to show the trains running into the fictional station of Walford East which is part of the set.
• Sheffield band Milburn wrote a song called 'The District Line' which refers to London.
• Canadian guitarist Pat Travers wrote a song called 'Life in London' which mentions the District Line.

Gallery

Images

Gunnersbury station on the Richmond branch. As at Kew Gardens, tracks are shared with London Overground services on the North London Line.   Ealing Common is one of only two stations where District and Piccadilly line trains call at the same platforms (the other being Acton Town).   The District line platforms at Wimbledon.   Earl's Court station is the hub of the District line.   The eastbound platform at Temple: a typical District line cut & cover station.   The District and Circle Line platforms at Paddington station on the Edgware Road branch.   A train of C69/C77 Stock leaving West Brompton en route to Wimbledon.   D78 Stock on an Upminster Service at Embankment.   Inside an unrefurbished D78 Stock carriage.   For comparison, the interior of a refurbished District Line train.   District line trains arriving at St James's Park.

Maps

• ^map 1 Richmond – 51°27′47″N 000°18′00″W
• ^map 2 Kew Gardens – 51°28′38″N 000°17′07″W
• ^map 3 Gunnersbury – 51°29′30″N 000°16′30″W
• ^map 4 Ealing Broadway – 51°30′53″N 000°18′06″W
• ^map 5 Ealing Common – 51°30′37″N 000°17′17″W
• ^map 6 Acton Town – 51°30′10″N 000°16′48″W
• ^map 7 Chiswick Park – 51°29′41″N 000°16′04″W
• ^map 8 Turnham Green – 51°29′43″N 000°15′18″W
• ^map 9 Stamford Brook – 51°29′42″N 000°14′45″W
• ^map 10 Ravenscourt Park – 51°29′39″N 000°14′09″W
• ^map 11 Hammersmith – 51°29′39″N 000°13′30″W
• ^map 12 Barons Court – 51°29′26″N 000°12′49″W
• ^map 13 West Kensington – 51°29′27″N 000°12′23″W
• ^map 14 Wimbledon – 51°25′24″N 000°12′15″W
• ^map 15 Wimbledon Park – 51°26′02″N 000°12′00″W
• ^map 16 Southfields – 51°26′42″N 000°12′25″W
• ^map 17 East Putney – 51°27′31″N 000°12′41″W
• ^map 18 Putney Bridge – 51°28′06″N 000°12′32″W
• ^map 19 Parsons Green – 51°28′31″N 000°12′04″W
• ^map 20 Fulham Broadway – 51°28′50″N 000°11′41″W
• ^map 21 West Brompton – 51°29′12″N 000°11′45″W
• ^map 22 Kensington (Olympia) – 51°29′55″N 000°12′39″W
• ^map 23 High Street Kensington – 51°30′03″N 000°11′33″W
• ^map 24 Notting Hill Gate – 51°30′32″N 000°11′49″W
• ^map 25 Bayswater – 51°30′43″N 000°11′17″W
• ^map 26 London Paddington – 51°31′02″N 000°10′39″W
• ^map 27 Edgware Road – 51°31′12″N 000°10′04″W
• ^map 28 Earl's Court – 51°29′29″N 000°11′41″W
• ^map 29 Gloucester Road – 51°29′41″N 000°10′59″W
• ^map 30 South Kensington – 51°29′39″N 000°10′26″W
• ^map 31 Sloane Square – 51°29′33″N 000°09′24″W

• ^map 32 London Victoria – 51°29′48″N 000°08′41″W
• ^map 33 St. James's Park – 51°29′58″N 000°08′04″W
• ^map 34 Westminster – 51°30′04″N 000°07′30″W
• ^map 35 Embankment – 51°30′25″N 000°07′19″W
• ^map 36 Temple – 51°30′40″N 000°06′52″W
• ^map 37 Blackfriars – 51°30′42″N 000°06′11″W
• ^map 38 Mansion House – 51°30′44″N 000°05′39″W
• ^map 39 Cannon Street – 51°30′37″N 000°05′27″W
• ^map 40 Bank-Monument – 51°30′47″N 000°05′17″W
• ^map 41 Tower Hill – 51°30′36″N 000°04′34″W
• ^map 42 Aldgate East – 51°30′55″N 000°04′20″W
• ^map 43 Whitechapel – 51°31′08″N 000°03′40″W
• ^map 44 Stepney Green – 51°31′19″N 000°02′47″W
• ^map 45 Mile End – 51°31′30″N 000°01′59″W
• ^map 46 Bow Road – 51°31′38″N 000°01′29″W
• ^map 47 Bromley-by-Bow – 51°31′26″N 000°00′41″W
• ^map 48 West Ham – 51°31′41″N 000°00′14″E
• ^map 49 Plaistow – 51°31′53″N 000°01′02″E
• ^map 50 Upton Park – 51°32′06″N 000°02′04″E
• ^map 51 East Ham – 51°32′20″N 000°03′06″E
• ^map 52 Barking – 51°32′21″N 000°04′54″E
• ^map 53 Upney – 51°32′19″N 000°06′05″E
• ^map 54 Becontree – 51°32′25″N 000°07′37″E
• ^map 55 Dagenham Heathway – 51°32′30″N 000°08′49″E
• ^map 56 Dagenham East – 51°32′40″N 000°09′56″E
• ^map 57 Elm Park – 51°32′59″N 000°11′52″E
• ^map 58 Hornchurch – 51°33′11″N 000°13′08″E
• ^map 59 Upminster Bridge – 51°33′29″N 000°14′03″E
• ^map 60 Upminster – 51°33′32″N 000°15′04″E
• ^map 61 Ealing Common Depot – 51°30′24″N 000°17′07″W
• ^map 62 Upminster Depot – 51°33′38″N 000°15′52″E

External links

• "District line facts". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/keyfacts/13166.aspx. Retrieved 11 July 2008. 
• "District Dave's London Underground Site". http://www.trainweb.org/districtdave/index.html. Retrieved 11 July 2008. 
• "District Line". Clive's UndergrounD Line Guides. 15 April 2008. http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/district.html. Retrieved 11 July 2008.