Hammersmith & City line

Infobox TfL line
Line=Hammersmith & City
ColourName=Salmon Pink
TextColour=Black
YearOpened=1863
DeepOrSurface=Sub-Surface
RollingStock=C-stock
StationsServed=28
LengthKm=26.5
LengthMiles=16.5
AnnualPassengers=45,845,000
Depots=Hammersmith
Neasden
The Hammersmith and City line is a line of the London Underground, coloured salmon pink on the London Underground Map, running between Hammersmith in West London and Barking in East London. Formerly part of the Metropolitan line, part of it is the oldest underground railway in the world, as it includes the first part of the London Underground, the section between Paddington and Farringdon, which opened on 10 January 1863. It ranks 10th out of the 11 lines in passenger numbers. Out of the 28 stations served, 14 are underground. The original line opened on the 13 June 1864, although Hammersmith moved to a different location in 1868. With the exception of the two-stop Waterloo and City Line and the East London Line (which is no longer a part of the Underground) it is the least used line on the Underground (as well as the least used sub-surface line).

History

The line was a branch of the Metropolitan line until 1988, though in later years it was increasingly operated as a separate line, with the sections not used by the rest of the Metropolitan line (from Hammersmith to Baker Street and from Liverpool Street to Barking) not included on the main Metropolitan line maps. This is also reflected in the line's use of C-stock equipment, as opposed to the A-stock used on the 'main' Metropolitan Line.

The name derives from the "Hammersmith and City Railway" (H&CR), a 5-km (3-mile) section between Hammersmith (Grove Road) station and Westbourne Park that opened in 1864 and was built and operated jointly by the Metropolitan and Great Western Railways between 1864 and 1868.

Because the changeover is relatively recent, there are many stations on the line with permanent tiles and metal maps that still state that the Metropolitan Line runs there (for example, Bromley-by-Bow station with the District Line); the Hammersmith and City Line taking over many parts of the Metropolitan Line has confined it to the north-west, resulting in it having no interchange with the District Line.

Trains

All Hammersmith & City line trains are in the distinctive London Underground livery of red, white and blue and are formed of C stock. The line shares trains with the Circle and District (Wimbledon-Edgware Road branch) lines.

Map

Stations

"in order from west to east"

* Hammersmith Access icon (change for District line and Piccadilly line)
* Goldhawk Road
* Shepherd's Bush Market
* Wood Lane
* Latimer Road
* Ladbroke Grove
* Westbourne Park
* Royal Oak
* Paddington rail-interchange|gb|rail (rail-interchange|air Trains to Heathrow)"merges with Circle line and the District line"
* Edgware Road (change for Circle line and District line trains; terminus of District line.)
* Baker Street (change for Bakerloo line, Jubilee line and Metropolitan line trains)"merges with Metropolitan line"
* Great Portland Street
* Euston Square (rail-interchange|gb|rail Euston)
* King's Cross St Pancras rail-interchange|gb|rail (rail-interchange|air Trains to Gatwick and Luton)
* Farringdon rail-interchange|gb|rail (rail-interchange|air Trains to Gatwick and Luton)
* Barbican rail-interchange|gb|rail
* Moorgate rail-interchange|gb|rail
* Liverpool Street rail-interchange|gb|rail (rail-interchange|air Trains to Stansted)"separates from Circle and Metropolitan lines, joins District line"
* Aldgate East
* Whitechapel (the terminus on Sundays)
* Stepney Green
* Mile End
* Bow Road
* Bromley-by-Bow
* West Ham rail-interchange|gb|rail Access icon
* Plaistow
* Upton Park
* East Ham Access icon
* Barking rail-interchange|gb|rail Access icon

Future plans

The Hammersmith and City line may merge with the Circle line as early as 2009 to form a spiral route. The new route would run from Hammersmith to Paddington and then do a complete loop of the current Circle line, terminating at Edgware Road. This would mean fewer delays than the existing orbital route. On the current Circle line one delayed train tends to affect all following trains. Having a terminus at Edgware Road, rather than the orbital route, would avoid this. The Hammersmith & City line's route from Liverpool Street to Barking would be taken over by the Metropolitan Line, forming a new route from Uxbridge to Barking. [citeweb | url = http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/39 |work = Always Touch Out |title = Subsurface network (SSL) upgrade |accessdate=2007-04-12] [citeweb |url=http://www.trainweb.org/districtdave/html/upgrade_plans.html
author="District Dave"
title = Proposals for the Upgrade of the Sub-surface Lines |accessdate=2007-04-12] [citeweb
url=http://www.trainweb.org/tubeprune/SSL%20PPP%20Upgrade.htm
author="District Dave" & "Tubeprune"
work=The Tube Professionals' Rumour Network (TUBEPRUNE)
accessdate=2007-04-12
title=Proposals for the Upgrade of the Sub-surface Lines]

ee also

Metropolitan and Metropolitan District Railways for details of opening of the H&CR

References

External links

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