Hammersmith & City line

Colour on map	Salmon Pink
Year opened	1988
Line type	Sub-Surface
Rolling stock	C-stock
Stations served	29
Length	26.5 km (16.5 mi)
Depots	Hammersmith Neasden
Journeys made	50 million (2002) (per annum)
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
London Transport Portal

The Hammersmith & 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 29 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 & 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.

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).

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

v • d • e Hammersmith & City line

Legend Hammersmith Hammersmith depot Goldhawk Road Original Shepherd's Bush station Shepherd's Bush Market Wood Lane Central line Latimer Road Ladbroke Grove Great Western Main Line Westbourne Park Crossrail Royal Oak Paddington (Hammersmith & City) Paddington (Circle/District) Edgware Road Metropolitan line Baker Street Metropolitan line Great Portland Street Euston Square (Euston) King's Cross St Pancras Thameslink Farringdon Thameslink Barbican Moorgate Liverpool Street Circle Aldgate (Circle/Metropolitan) District line Aldgate East Overground - East London line Whitechapel Overground - East London line Stepney Green Crossrail Central line Mile End Central line LTS Line (to London Fenchurch Street) Bow Road ( Bow Church) Bromley-by-Bow West Ham Plaistow Upton Park East Ham Barking District line continues

Hammersmith & City line train at Wood Lane

in order from west to east

Station	Image	Additional Information
Hammersmith
Goldhawk Road
Shepherd's Bush Market		Opened as Shepherd's Bush
Wood Lane		Opened October 12, 2008
Latimer Road
Ladbroke Grove
Westbourne Park
Royal Oak
Paddington ( Trains to Heathrow)
Edgware Road
Baker Street
Great Portland Street
Euston Square ( Euston)
King's Cross St Pancras ( Trains to Gatwick and Luton)
Farringdon ( Trains to Gatwick and Luton)
Barbican
Moorgate
Liverpool Street ( Trains to Stansted)
Aldgate East
Whitechapel		Hammersmith & City line trains terminate here on Sundays
Stepney Green
Mile End
Bow Road
Bromley-by-Bow
West Ham
Plaistow
Upton Park
East Ham
Barking

Future plans

Between Hammersmith and Edgware Road, the service will be supplemented by the Circle Line from December 2009, when that route is changed from the existing orbital route. This would mean fewer delays since 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 will continue to run as a separate route, with trains running to Barking and Plaistow in the east, rather than running back to Edgware Road. The headway on the Hammersmith - Edgware Road leg will be reduced from seven to four minutes by this schedule change.^[1]

See also

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

References

External links

• "Hammersmith and City line facts". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/linefacts/?line=hammersmithandcity. Retrieved 2008-07-11. 
• "Hammersmith & City Line". Clive's Underground Line Guides. 2007-12-14. http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/hammersmith.html. Retrieved 2008-07-11. 

v • d • e Hammersmith & City line Stations Aldgate East · Baker Street · Barbican · Barking · Bow Road · Bromley-by-Bow · East Ham · Edgware Road · Euston Square · Farringdon  · Goldhawk Road · Great Portland Street · Hammersmith · King's Cross St. Pancras  · Ladbroke Grove · Latimer Road · Liverpool Street  · Mile End · Moorgate  · Paddington  · Plaistow · Royal Oak · Shepherd's Bush Market · Stepney Green · Upton Park · West Ham  · Westbourne Park · Whitechapel · Wood Lane Rolling stock C Stock History Former companies Metropolitan and Metropolitan District Railways Future proposals Route Merge Proposals Future rolling stock S Stock See also District line · Circle line · Metropolitan line London Underground · Transport for London London Transport Portal