Circle line (London Underground): Difference between revisions
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The '''Circle line''', coloured yellow on the tube map, is the eighth busiest line on the [[London Underground]].<ref>[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/linefacts/default.asp Line facts]. Ridership figures are listed for each line separately.</ref> It forms a loop line around the centre of London on the north side of the [[River Thames]] |
The '''Circle line''', coloured yellow on the tube map, is the eighth busiest line on the [[London Underground]].<ref>[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/linefacts/default.asp Line facts]. Ridership figures are listed for each line separately.</ref> It forms a loop line around the centre of London on the north side of the [[River Thames]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 07:07, 4 December 2009
Template:Otheruses2 Template:Infobox TfL line
The Circle line, coloured yellow on the tube map, is the eighth busiest line on the London Underground.[1] It forms a loop line around the centre of London on the north side of the River Thames.
History
The route now known as the Circle line was authorised when Acts of Parliament in 1853 and 1854 empowered the Metropolitan Railway (MR) and the Metropolitan District Railway (MDR) to construct the world's first underground railway in central London. From an initial section between Farringdon and Paddington stations, the route was gradually extended at each end. Financial difficulties in the construction of the section through the City of London as well as animosity between the two railway companies delayed completion of the full circuit until 6 October 1884, although it had been known as the Inner Circle since the 1870s.
Trains on the route were originally hauled by steam engines, but electrification was started with an experimental section in 1900. A disagreement between the two companies over the method of electrification delayed the exercise, so that the first electric trains were introduced gradually over the 11 days to 24 September 1905.
The introduction of this line took over many parts of the Metropolitan Line, confining it to the north-west and limiting its interchanges with the District Line. The Uxbridge branch of the Metropolitan last shared track with the District in 1933, when Piccadilly line services replaced the latter. In the east, the Barking service of the Metropolitan, also sharing track with the District, was designated part of the Hammersmith & City line in 1988, though in practice the Hammersmith & City had been operated as a separate line for many years before that date.
Other circle routes
The success of the Inner Circle led to the operation of three other "circular" routes within the capital, over existing main line routes and sections of the Inner Circle tracks. Like the Inner Circle at the time they were established, none of them was actually a complete circle:
- Middle Circle: Aldgate to Mansion House via Addison Road (now Kensington Olympia)
- Outer Circle: Broad Street to Mansion House via Willesden Junction
- Super Outer Circle: St. Pancras to Earl's Court via Cricklewood and South Acton.
These routes failed to attract the passenger numbers hoped for. The Super Outer Circle ran for only two years; the other two routes lasted longer, but were eventually cut back and finally ended (see the map for details). Other services on the lines continued. Today parts of the Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle routes are operated by London Overground trains on the North London Line. Plans to complete an outer rail loop have been relaunched under the name Orbirail.[2]
7 July 2005 terrorist attack
On 7 July 2005 two Circle line trains were bombed. The blasts occurred almost simultaneously at 08:50 BST, one between Liverpool Street and Aldgate and the other on a train at Edgware Road.
Following the attacks, the whole of the Circle line was closed. While most other lines re-opened on 8 July, the Circle remained closed for several weeks, reopening a little less than a month after the attacks, on 4 August. 13 people were killed by the blasts on the Circle line trains. A third attack occurred on the Piccadilly line between King's Cross St Pancras and Russell Square.
The route
The line became known as such in 1949, when it was designated separately from its parent lines, the Metropolitan line and the District line, although it had been shown on Underground maps since 1947 (see history above). It is a "route" more than a real "line", as it does not have any stations for its sole use and only has two short sections of track over which it operates exclusively: the chords between High Street Kensington and Gloucester Road, and between Tower Hill and Aldgate.
As the name implies, trains on the line run a continuous circuit. A complete journey around the line would take 45 minutes, but time-tabling constraints mean that each train has a scheduled two-minute stop at High Street Kensington and Aldgate, extending the time required for a full circuit to 49 minutes. This allows the service to operate with seven trains in each direction with a seven-minute service interval. It has 27 stations and 14 miles (22 km) of track [3].
There are usually quicker routes on other lines when travelling from south to north or vice versa, e.g. Victoria to Kings Cross (much quicker by Victoria line) or Embankment to Baker Street (much quicker by Bakerloo line). In particular, from Blackfriars to Farringdon it is actually quicker to walk than to travel around the eastern end of the Circle line. An even faster alternative between these two stations is the National Rail Thameslink service (not currently shown on the Tube Map, though it has been in the past).
In the north, east and west of central London, the Circle line approximately outlines Travelcard Zone 1, but in the south there is a substantial portion of the zone outside the Circle line. Apart from the two-stop shuttle Waterloo & City line, it is the only line completely within Zone 1. Out of the 27 stations served, most have Circle line platforms that are wholly or almost wholly underground; while those at Edgware Road, Farringdon, Barbican, Aldgate, Sloane Square, South Kensington, High Street Kensington, Notting Hill Gate and Paddington are in cuttings or under train-sheds. However these are still all below street level, albeit only a few feet. See below for changes on 13 December 2009 extending the line to Hammersmith.
Technical information
Trains
All Circle line trains are in the distinctive London Underground livery of red, white and blue and are the larger of the two sizes used on the network. These trains use C stock, introduced 1969-70, and also in 1978. They are expected to be replaced with S stock by 2012.
See London Underground rolling stock for more information
Depots
The principal depot for the Circle line is at Hammersmith, but there are several other sidings at Barking, Edgware Road, Triangle Sidings (in Kensington) and Farringdon.
Map
.svg) |
 |
Stations
in order, clockwise from Paddington
Future
Extension
The Circle line extension is the future extension of the Circle Line from Edgware Road to Hammersmith.[4]
From 13 December 2009 the Circle line will be extended to Hammersmith, sharing tracks with the Hammersmith & City line (see station list above). The new service will run from Hammersmith to Edgware Road station, where it will make a single loop back to Edgware Road. This means it will no longer be possible to travel between certain stations on the line without changing trains. However, London Underground has said that giving the Circle line a fixed terminus will help improve reliability and capacity. Despite its new spiral shape, it will still be called the Circle line.[5] A map of the new shape has been published by Transport for London.[6]
No new track is required as this is solely an extension to the service pattern, using existing lines. It will share the tracks previously used only by the Hammersmith & City Line. Future anti-clockwise services will start at Edgware Road, make a whole lap as they do now, but on returning to Edgware Road will then continue to Hammersmith. Clockwise services will do the same in reverse.
The extension was announced on 5 March 2009 and is due to open on Sunday, 13 December 2009.
Stations on the Circle line extension
The extension begins just west of Edgware Road, westward to:
| Station | London borough |
|---|---|
| Paddington | Westminster |
| Royal Oak | Westminster |
| Westbourne Park | Westminster |
| Ladbroke Grove | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Latimer Road | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Wood Lane | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Shepherds Bush Market | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Goldhawk Road | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Hammersmith | Hammersmith & Fulham |
Other Information
The extension will double the frequency of trains and reduce overcrowding on Hammersmith & City Line trains between Hammersmith and Edgware Road, and is intended to bring about reliability improvements, not only for the Circle line itself but also for the District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.
Disruption on the sub-surface lines has a knock-on effect on Circle line services, because it shares track with the other sub-surface lines.
Orbital Routes
Orbital routes have an intrinsic timetabling robustness problem. The trains are constantly "in orbit" so there is little scope for "recovery time" if they are delayed. A single delay can have long lasting knock on effects and be much more disruptive than on a non-orbital railway. Recovery time can be created by timetabling for longer stops at some stations but this increases journey times and reduces train frequency. The proposed spiral route would remove this problem because there would be adequate recovery time at both ends of the route.[7][8]
In popular culture
Circle Line Parties
Circle-line parties have gained in popularity on the line in the 21st century, similar to subway parties in the United States. These involve large groups of people boarding a train and holding an impromptu party in the carriages, often dressing in costume.
A high-profile Circle-line party took place on 31 May 2008 to celebrate the last night of legal alcohol drinking on public transport in London. Thousands of people attended and seventeen were arrested by police due to disorderly behaviour, eventually causing the entire line to be suspended for the rest of the night.
Trivia
The Circle Line Pub Crawl aims to visit each Circle line station in turn, drinking a half pint or shot in a pub near to each.
The Cast Off knitting club sometimes holds knit-ins on the Circle line[9]
Gallery
-
Bayswater station on the Circle and District Lines, 2008 -
Bayswater station roundel
References
- ^ Line facts. Ridership figures are listed for each line separately.
- ^ "London Overground & Orbirail". Always Touch Out. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ^ Key Facts, Transport for London.
- ^ Mayorwatch - Circle Line Extension.
- ^ "Circle Line extended to the west", BBC News Online, London, 5 March 2009.
- ^ Diagram of extended Circle line, Transport for London.
- ^ "Subsurface network (SSL) upgrade". Always Touch Out. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
- ^ "District Dave". "Proposals for the Upgrade of the Sub-surface lines". Retrieved 12 July 2008.
- ^ Campbell, Jane (23 March 2004). "It's a Knit-In". The Independent. London.
External links
- "Circle line facts". Transport for London. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
- "Subsurface network (SSL) upgrade". alwaystouchout.com.
- "Proposals for the Upgrade of the Sub-surface Lines". Tube Prune. 9 December 2003. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
- The Circle line Pub Crawl website