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It has been suggested that Circle Line Extension be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
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| Colour on map | Yellow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year opened | 1884 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line type | Sub-Surface | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | C Stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations served | 27 35 from December 2009 |
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| Length | 22 km (14 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Depots | Hammersmith Neasden |
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| Journeys made | 74 million (2002) (per annum) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rail lines of Transport for London |
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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. Platforms are 120 metres long in the south and 130 metres long on the part of the track shared with the Metropolitan line.
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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 was operated as a separate line many years prior to this 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). Because of this, it can be thought of as a "virtual line", as the Circle line 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. 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 December 13, 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
Stations
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in order, clockwise from Paddington
Future
Extension
From 13 December 2009, the Circle line will be extended to Hammersmith using tracks it shares 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 some stations on the line without changing trains, however London Underground said giving the Circle line a fixed terminus would also help improve reliability and capacity. Despite its new spiral shape, it will still be called the Circle line.[4] A map of the new shape can be seen at [1].
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.[5][6]
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 on the carriages, often dressing in costume.
A high profile Circle Line Party occurred 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, causing the entire line to eventually 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[7]
Gallery
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Circle Line |
 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. 2008-02-12. http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/43. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
- ^ http://www.londontransport.info/underground.htm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7926242.stm
- ^ "Subsurface network (SSL) upgrade". Always Touch Out. 2008-02-12. http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/39. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ "District Dave". "Proposals for the Upgrade of the Sub-surface lines". http://www.trainweb.org/districtdave/html/upgrade_plans.html. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ Campbell, Jane (2004-03-23). "It's a Knit-In". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/its-a-knitin-567270.html. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
External links
- "Circle line facts". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/linefacts/?line=circle. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- Subsurface network (SSL) upgrade information at alwaystouchout.com
- "Proposals for the Upgrade of the Sub-surface Lines". Tube Prune. 2003-12-09. http://www.trainweb.org/tubeprune/SSL%20PPP%20Upgrade.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- The Circle line Pub Crawl website
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
