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Railfanning London‘s Railways

Visitors to London who are also transport enthusiasts (‘railfans’) sometimes ask for advice as to the ‘best’ things to see on London’s railway network. Typically they mean the London Transport railways, or in other words the underground (subway, metro) and whilst the information below is primarily about that it also briefly looks at the wider railway scene within London. This is especially important as there are many instances of interworking and shared services with London's other railway systems - the main line railway (National Rail), the Docklands Light Railway and Croydon / London Tramlink.

This guide is primarily about present day services, so historical information is only included where it helps explain aspects of the transport network as it is today.

The UndergrounD railway uses trains of two distinctive sizes, these being the small profile ‘tube’ trains and the larger profile trains which are in fact very similar in size to trains used on the rest of the British railway system. The latter would be because when they first opened most of the routes served by the larger profile trains were originally served by steam locomotives hauling unpowered passenger carriages, so (apart from the extensive operations in tunnels) they were little different from the many other British railways.

London's underground trains come in two different sizes. A small profile 1973 'tube' stock Piccadilly line train passes a large profile subsurface S stock District line train at Stamford Brook station.		The nickname "Tube" comes from the almost circular tube-like tunnels used by the small profile trains. A 1995 'tube' stock Northern line train exits a tunnel - as seen from Hendon Central station.		The large profile 'subsurface' trains are the same size as main line (National Rail) trains. District line S stock and C2C Electrostar Class 357 trains pass at West Ham station.

This is the single page version of this guide, and therefore this is a very BIG page!
Click here for a multi page version of this guide with much smaller pages.

Page Index

The Docklands Light Railway and Tramlink both use modern light rail vehicles. DLR trains are computerised / self-driving whilst the trams are driven by ordinary mortal humans.

Although not defined in the listing above DLR trains could also be seen as 'tube trains'. This is because there are several places where DLR trains travel deep underground in circular tunnels, as per the more well-known tube trains.

The East London and Northern City lines were ‘London Transport’ railway services but nowadays are operated as part of the main line (National Rail) ‘London Overground’ and ‘Great Northern’ networks. For many years both lines were included on Underground maps, but nowadays the Northern City line has been removed.

Visitor Centres

Transport For London (TfL) have several visitor centres at busier stations that are frequented by visitors to London.

These offer advice on the best ticket types for travelling around London, how to use Oyster cards, travel options for passengers who have special needs, how to reach visitor attractions - both in London and elsewhere in the UK, the most suitable ways for individuals (with their luggage) to travel to London's airports, and more.

They also sell Oyster cards, top-ups of the Oyster card electronic purse plus offer advice on refunds.

The Visitor centres can be found at:
*Heathrow Airport terminals 2 & 3 Underground station,
*King's Cross St Pancras Underground station (for arriving Eurostar passengers),
*Liverpool Street Underground station,
*Piccadilly Circus Underground station,
*Victoria main line station (opposite platform 8).

These are usually open 09:00 - 16:30 (9am - 4:30pm) but only some days of the week.

This link explains more:
https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/getting-around-london/visitor-centres

Fares and Tickets

London's railway fares are based on a zonal system, most of the information in this guide is about sights in zones 1-4 which covers the centre of London and much of the suburbs.

There are several ways to pay transport fares in London. Especially on the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground and Elizabeth line buying paper tickets from the station at the start of the journey is the most expensive way to pay fares. But if you will only be travelling a little and just want to sample London's transports in the simplest way possible without worrying about ticket types or something going wrong which leaves you being charged more than expected, then this might be the easiest solution.

Cash cannot be used to pay a bus or Tramlink tram fare when boarding the vehicle, nor to buy tickets at the bus / tram stop - you must pay in a different way, as detailed below.

Since 2003 it has also been possible to pay transport fares using smart cards.

London's smart card is marketed as the Oyster card.

Depending on the type of Oyster card it can store a maximum of three prepaid season tickets plus some cash value in what is called an electronic purse (e-purse). Nowadays using the e-purse is known as Pay As You Go (PAYG) although sometimes you may see an old sign which refers to PrePay^§.

Although Oyster cards have to be purchased the fares charged are usually significantly cheaper than the cost of paper tickets.

^§The name PrePay is very accurate for smart cards which have an e-purse because the act of adding monetary value to the e-purse effectively means that the funds are given to the transport company in advance of travelling. This is in contrast with the Contactless bank card (or other device) system whereby a bank or credit card account is charged after the journey (at the end of the same day).

Depending on value the refund might be in cash or it might be by cheque.

People who live in the UK can also use their UK bank account to buy Oyster cards via the online TfL contactless and Oyster account.

An anonymous Oyster card can be shared with anyone - although only one person can use it at a time. Being anonymous means that your name and address is not recorded.

It is also possible to buy a Visitor Oyster card before arriving in London.
These are sold at the Transport For London (TfL) online shop, on Eurostar trains travelling towards London, sometimes even on aircraft flying towards London. Visitor Oyster cards are sold with some e-purse value so that they are ready to use. This is especially useful when arriving at airports / St Pancras Eurostar as it means that you can avoid the ticket office queues and walk straight to the railway station platforms. Visitor Oyster cards have decorative designs which make for a nice souvenir of your visit. Plus you should be able to use them again on your next visit to London! If returned for a refund only the e-purse value is refunded. Not the card fee.

Adding extra money to the Oyster card e-purse is known as a top-up.

No matter whether you are using cash or a plastic card there are no additional or handling fees for a top-up - so if a retail shop wants extra money then you should refuse to pay and complain to the Oyster helpline.

Please note that because of the high fees charged by the banks some retailers will refuse low-value top-ups if they are paid using a plastic card. This is fair. because otherwise the bank fees will cost the retailer more than they earn. However there should be no problem for low-value cash transactions.

Unlike Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian cities, London's Oyster cards are only used for paying public transport fares - and not for general shopping.

When first introduced Visitor Oyster cards were advertised as never expiring, so that they could be used again and again on future visits to London. However, it is possible that some older types of Oyster cards will expire when the computer technology used by the PAYG ticketing system is changed. Only the Oyster cards which use older and less secure transaction protocols, such as MIFARE Classic, are expected to expire. Of course it will be possible to transfer the e-purse value to a replacement card. Oyster cards with a white letter D in a blue square on their backs will still work for years to come - these use a newer and more secure transaction technology called MIFARE Desfire. This applies to both ordinary and Visitor Oyster cards.

Personal Security / Every Journey Data Tracking
If anonymous Oyster cards (and Visitor Oyster cards) are bought using cash and always have financial value added using cash then they are suitable for passengers who do not want their every movement tracked 24/7. However it is also worth remembering that in London CCTV cameras are everywhere, and that some of these are connected to computers which detect people's activity and use facial recognition softwares.

Other Smart Card Fares Payment Options
Both Londoners and visitors from elsewhere in the UK can also pay their fares using EMV (EuroPay, MasterCard, Visa)^¤ Contactless RFID credit and debit cards and some smartphone apps. The fares are normally the same as with Oyster cards, although on days when many journeys are made the total fare charged sometimes works out as being slightly cheaper than Oyster cards!
All travel fares are charged to the credit / debit card accounts as a single transaction, overnight.

Some people from outside London may also have ITSO specification smart cards on which it might also be possible to load prepaid Travelcard season tickets that can be used within London, eg: The Key which is a ticketing solution from one of the major British transport operators. ITSO card holders need to investigate compatibility and acceptability before travelling - especially as whilst the ITSO specification includes electronic purses (for PAYG travel) these may be restricted to local geographic areas outside of London.

In London each passenger must have their own payment card!

When using cards from bank / credit card accounts which are shared between several people (eg: a married couple) it is important that the long numbers (typically with 16 digits) and / or expiry dates are different. Otherwise only one passenger can use a card linked to that card account and the other passenger must use a card from a different account - or use an Oyster card.

Visitors from overseas will probably also be able to use Contactless bank cards and smart phone apps but should expect their bank to treat the transport fares as an overseas payment and charge currency conversion and overseas transaction fees.

Therefore Oyster is expected to remain for many years to come. As anonymous bank cards do not exist so it is easy for Contactless payments to include every person's travels to be tracked and recorded, in the process creating a massive database for commercial companies to exploit.

These links to other websites may also be of interest:
http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/travelcard_oyster.htm
http://www.oyster-rail.org.uk
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/ The official TfL website which includes all ticketing types
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/buying-tickets-and-oyster/buying-tickets-from-abroad
                    TfL website page which lists where to buy paper tickets and Oyster cards in many overseas countries .

In London daily fares capping is based upon a 'touch-in' to start a journey after 04:30 am and a 'touch-in' to start a journey before 04:29 am the next day. This makes it possible for people who have been travelling on public transport during the day to stay up late at night and still benefit from fares capping when they return home (or to their hotel).

The cost of capped fares depends on the zones travelled in and sometimes also the time of day the smart card is used to touch-in. For journeys wholly within fares zones 1 - 6 the maximum daily cap is called Daily Anytime and there is no off-peak discount.
Journeys which involve zones 7 - 9 have two daily caps - Daily Anytime and Daily Off-Peak. Daily Anytime caps are more expensive but they are only charged if you touch-in at a railway station in the morning rush hour, Monday - Friday. Daily Off-peak caps are charged if you touch-in at any other time, and all day at weekends and bank holidays.

Fares Capping always includes Central London Zone 1 so if you do not need to travel in Zone 1 then (depending on zone combinations) it will usually work out cheaper to buy a weekly ticket if you are travelling for 4 (four) or more days

Most Fares Vary According To The Time The Journey Starts
With PAYG the cost of individual single fares depends on the time (and sometimes the direction) of your journey.

Fares are higher on Monday - Friday during the morning and evening busy periods. 'Rush hour' (also known as 'peak') fares are charged if you 'touch-in' at the start of a journey between 06:30 am and 09:30 am (even if the train leaves the station after this time) and between 4pm - 7pm (16:00 - 19:00). However, if you make enough journeys during on that day to reach the fares cap then this will not matter.

At weekends and on bank / public holidays off-peak fares and off-peak fare caps apply all day.

Most fares to and from Heathrow Airport are charged at peak rates all day (see below for more information ).

Some Fares Vary According To The Direction Of Travel
To encourage people to travel to central London (for shopping, to visit theatres, restaurants, etc.,) evening peak fares are not charged on journeys which start at a station in zones 2 - 9 and ends at a station in Central London zone 1. Unfortunately this concession does not apply if the journey starts at a Zones 1 and 2 boundary station.

A special situation applies to passengers travelling on the London Overground (Lioness line) between Euston (National Rail / main line station) and Watford Junction.
Monday - Friday peak fares only apply on southbound journeys from Watford Junction station (towards Euston) in the mornings (06:30 - 09.30) and for northbound journeys towards Watford Junction in the afternoons (4pm - 7pm / 16:00 - 19:00). Off-peak fares are charged all day on public / bank holidays and at weekends.

Oyster Card / Contactless Pink 'Route Validators'

Unfortunately for some journeys the system automatically assumes that you travelled via Zone 1 (and charges accordingly) no matter what route you actually chose to travel.

Beware London Overground (East London / Windrush line) Shoreditch station - this is in Zone 1. Many passengers do not realise this and find themselves having to pay more than they had expected.

Smart Card Reality
The RFID electronic cards used by London's Oyster / Contactless electronic ticketing system plus the ITSO compatible cards used outside of London may often be called smart cards, but in reality they are very dumb. This is because they rely on error-prone humans to let the fares calculation system know where the passengers are at the start and end of each journey, plus at interchange locations if they are eligible for cheaper fares.

Maybe one-day there will be no need to have card 'read' at each end of the journey (plus at interchange stations) as the fares system will simply scan people as they walk about... But do people really want to live in a society with a level of electronic surveillance which would mean that their movements are tracked 24/7, no matter where they are?

The Best Ticket For Railfanning

If you are going to spend a whole day railfanning then although they are more expensive I recommend using paper One Day Travelcard (ODTC) tickets. These can be used on almost ALL of London's trains (except Heathrow Express or the SouthEastern High Speed service between St Pancras and Stratford International) as well as most of London's buses and trams and once you have your paper ticket you are completely free to travel wherever you wish (within the zones in which it is valid) safe in the knowledge that you will not be forced into paying anything extra. The advantage of using paper tickets is that there are no time limits on how long your journey takes - so you can stop at stations and watch trains without also watching the time.

For some fares zones ODTC tickets cost the same no matter what time of day you travel. These are called 'Day Anytime'.
Other fares zones have two different prices with Day Anytime being more expensive and 'Day Off-Peak' being cheaper. Passengers with Day Off-Peak ODTC tickets are not allowed to travel in the rush hour on Monday - Friday mornings. For most stations this means not before 09:30 am but at some stations outside of London the rules are different. Off-Peak ODTC tickets can be used in the evening rush hours.

At weekends and bank / public holidays Day Off-Peak ODTC tickets can be used all day.

One Day Travelcard (ODTC) tickets are only available as paper tickets. These can be bought at most railway station ticket offices / ticket machines etc., and Visitor centres. Some ticket machines only sell them for travel 'today' or 'tomorrow' but at stations with proper ticket offices they can be bought a few days in advance of travel. ODTC tickets can NOT be bought at Oyster Ticket Stops (local shops). Note that in London tickets expire at 04:29 am the next morning - this allows you to use night buses as well.

DANGER! Beware Electronic Ticketing Journey Time Limits

Be VERY careful with the ‘pay as you go’ (PAYG) ticketing system. PAYG is advertised as being ideal for all passengers with the promise that providing you always 'touch-in/out' correctly when starting or ending your journey the total fares charged for that day will be 'capped' below the cost of a paper ticket (known as 'fares capping').

However, for railfanning there is a problem; PAYG enforces time limits on journeys, so if you keep stopping to watch trains and as a result the time between touching-in when you enter the 'fares paid area' and touching-out when you leave the 'fares paid area' is more than the maximum allowed journey time limit you could be charged two maximum PAYG fares - even if you have already reached the 'fares cap' for that day.

A single maximum fare in zones 1-9 can be as much as £9.40
For a journey outside zone 9 (or on the Heathow Express) a maximum fare can be as much as £26!

Because of this people on a limited budget without any spare cash may find themselves stranded somewhere in suburban London and unable to afford to get back to their hotel. This nearly happened to me (once!*) so I am speaking from the voice of experience.

If charged a maximum fare you should wait 48 hours before asking for a refund as sometimes the ticketing system will make an automatic refund.
Oyster card refunds are made the next time the Oyster card is used to touch-in for a rail journey
For contactless a refund will either show on the card statement or the fares charged for a subsequent journey will be adjusted.

No more than three (3) maximum fare refunds will be paid in one calendar month.
If you do not receive an automated refund then you have 8 weeks to claim (ask for) a refund.

No Single Day Oyster Pay Once Ride-At-Will Tickets

Even though this option is available elsewhere in the UK (eg: the Glasgow, Scotland Subway) as well as in many overseas cities, the people who decide London's fares have said that single-day Oyster smart card Travelcards are 'not possible' ^‡ and that even if it was possible they do not want public transport passengers in London to buy electronic ticketing variants of either the Peak or Off-Peak Day Travelcard. They prefer PrePay / PAYG with fares capping, citing the ability to change one's journey at a whim without having to buy a new ticket as representing some kind of 'holy grail' that makes everything good.

^‡This was in circa 2003, when the Oyster system was first introduced.

Some Londoners Avoid PAYG Ticketing - No Problems With Weekly / Other Period Oyster Tickets

There are some people here in London who dislike using PAYG electronic ticketing on the railways (buses / trams are OK). This is because they feel that there are too many problems with failed card reads (touch-in / out) that result in the system invoking maximum fares - which they see as being charged a penalty fare - even though they have done nothing wrong.

These issues do not usually cause problems to passengers with weekly or longer Travelcard period tickets that are loaded on Oyster cards - and who are only travelling within the correct fares zones for their ticket.

Staying For Several (Or More) Days?

Providing you stay within the zones of the ticket's validity there are no journey time limits.
Note that Travelcard season tickets can only be loaded on ordinary Oyster cards and some types of National Rail ITSO compliant smartcards. They can NOT be loaded on to Visitor Oyster cards or used with any type of Contactless (bank card / smartphone, etc) payment system.

If you need to travel in Central London Zone 1 then you need to reach the Day Anytime fares cap for five (5) consecutive days before it becomes cheaper to buy a 7 Day Anytime Travelcard season ticket.

Fares Capping always includes Central London Zone 1 so if you do not need to travel in Zone 1 then depending on how many zones you need to travel in it could work out cheaper to buy a weekly Travelcard ticket if you are travelling for just four (4) consecutive days.

If you also load some PAYG value on the Oyster card and remember to 'touch-in / out' at both ends of your journey then you are also allowed to travel outside the zones of the ticket's validity. Any extra charges are automatically collected when touching out at the end of that specific journey - but beware of journey time limits.

Note that most 'National Rail' train operators require that passengers with season tickets (even if only for one week) also have a photocard. These are free to obtain and just require a passport type photograph.

BritRail / Eurail Pass? National Rail Railcard?

However these passes are accepted on London's suburban trains - including the London Overground and Elizabeth line, which are also 'main line' / National Rail train services.

There could be a grey area where Underground and main line trains provide shared services - it may be best to only travel on the main line train, so that even if the Underground train comes first (and is travelling on the same tracks) you stay on the platform / wait for the main line train.

Holders of National Rail / main line railway railcards may find that they can benefit from cheaper tickets - a lot depends on the type of card they have. Sometimes the discount can be 'loaded' on to an Oyster card that is registered it in your name, as then the discount is automatically applied. Sometimes it is also possible to buy discounted one day Travelcards - although often on weekdays there is a minimum charge which negates the benefit. The documentation will explain more.

All Line Rover?

All Line Rovers are effectively National Rail season tickets which can be used on almost any train on the main line railway system. This includes London Overground, Elizabeth line and virtually all of London's suburban railway network. However, they are NOT accepted on the Underground / DLR / Tramlink, as these are not part of the main line / National rail network. They are also not accepted on the privately funded Heathrow Express.

All Line Rovers can be bought by anyone, whether a British resident or otherwise. They are available in 7 and 14 days versions. The various private companies which operate the national railway network do not like this ticket because they say that they do not receive enough money from it. Therefore it is hardly ever promoted and can sometimes be difficult to purchase.

Unfortunately there are some restrictions prohibiting their use to board or alight from trains at 10 railway stations - including several in or near London - before 10:00 in the morning on weekdays (Monday - Friday). However this does not apply at weekends or on bank / public holidays.

More information can be found at this link:
http://www.railrover.org/pages/all-line.html

This link which leads to information on all the British railway rover tickets by main line / National Rail companies:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/rangers_and_rovers.aspx

2FOR1 Visitor Attraction Entry Discounts

These links explain more, and you can also download the special vouchers you will need from here:
https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk
https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/travel-by-train/is-my-ticket-valid-for-2for1-and-other-offers

Smart Card And Other (Often Cheaper) Ticketing When Travelling To / From London's Airports

Heathrow Airport: As this airport is in London Oyster cards and other Contactless ticketing systems can be used on the Piccadilly and Elizabeth lines. Note that Day Anytime fares are charged at all times on all journeys to / from Heathrow Airport which involve travel to (or through) central London fares zone 1.

The cheapest service is via the Piccadilly line, but it can take 50+ minutes to reach central London. Note that trains going to Terminal 4 might stop / wait at that station for as long as 7 - 10 minutes, so passengers who wish to go to Terminals 1, 2 or 3 should catch a train going to Terminal 5.

The Elizabeth line replaces the former Heathrow Connect service and journeys are faster than the Piccadilly line but the fares are also higher.

One-day and period (weekly, monthly, etc) Travelcard tickets which include Zone 6 are also accepted for travel to Heathrow Airport on the Piccadilly and Elizabeth lines, and can be bought at Heathrow Airport.
If you are buying a one-day Travelcard and are travelling before 9.30 am Monday - Friday you must buy an 'Anytime' one-day Travelcard. Otherwise an off-peak Travelcard will be better (cheaper).

Oyster cards and other Contactless payment systems in PAYG mode can also be used to pay for travel on the Heathrow Express trains to / from London Paddington station. To ensure that the correct fare is charged you must touch in/out at both ends of your journey, including using the card readers at the dedicated Heathrow Express platforms at Paddington station. Travelcard tickets are not accepted on the Heathrow Express. Because the station platforms now have electronic ticket gates it is no longer possible to pay for travel once on the train - instead tickets must be bought at the station before boarding the train.

Note that whilst it is possible to buy tickets at the stations immediately before travel it is better to buy advance purchase tickets on the Heathrow Express website or app - the cheapest fares are available when bought 90+ days in advance of travel.

Passengers who wish to travel in Business First carriages who only have ordinary Express Class tickets will be asked to pay the upgrade fare once on the train. Business First offers a more private, spacious environment with wider seating and tables where passengers can work, plus a selection of complimentary magazines and newspapers. Also, Business First passengers departing from Heathrow Airport are entitled to a special Fast Track lane through security at Heathrow Airport.

Gatwick Airport: There are three main ways to travel by train between Gatwick Airport and central London.

i)  The Gatwick Express is a premium express service running non-stop between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria railway station.

ii)  Southern operate the ordinary stopping (all stations), semi-fast and fast trains which only call at a few stations. Mostly these trains travel between other destinations in southern England and London's Victoria station, with Gatwick Airport being just one of the stations served during the journey.

iii) Thameslink trains also travel to the south coast but the trains that go to Gatwick Airport also serve the following important central London railway stations: London Bridge, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St. Pancras. Some Thameslink trains also call a few other stations in south London. After St Pancras Thameslink trains travel to various destinations to the north of London - some of these trains also call at Luton Airport Parkway.

Oyster cards in PAYG mode and Contactless ticketing are accepted on all three of these services as a way to pay fares when travelling between London and Gatwick Airport. You need to ensure that you have sufficient financial credit on your Oystercard before travelling - the actual cost of the travel will depend on the time of day when you touch-in at the start of the journey (rush hours are more expensive) and the fare charged by the train company.

Whilst Oyster / Contactless etc., offer the easiest and simplest ticketing solution (ie: no need to queue to buy tickets at the airport) it is important to note that these can sometimes be the most expensive way to pay fares between London and Gatwick airport. Depending on the time of travel (rush hour? off-peak?) paper tickets bought at stations might offer cheaper fares. Very often the cheapest fares come from pre-paid advance purchase tickets (bought from the Internet). As Gatwick Airport is outside of London it is possible to buy Visitor Oyster cards here - this will make life easier when you arrive in London.

Note that Gatwick Express trains are only about 5 minutes faster than many longer-distance Southern services (which might only call at one or two station within London Clapham Junction, East Croydon) so unless you bought a very cheap Gatwick Express ticket on the internet or are in a big hurry it is often more sensible (cheaper) to travel on Southern trains - or Thameslink if their services serve stations that are more convenient for you.

In theory Travelcard tickets are not accepted on the Gatwick Express but some passengers have found that it is allowed if they also have an 'out-boundary' ticket to cover the section of the journey beyond the range of the Travelcard with a route of 'Any Permitted' (see below).

Luton, Southend Airports: These airports are only served by regular train services - not airport express trains. They are also both outside of London and whilst neither of the train services to these airports accepts Oyster smart card ticketing - they *do* accept Contactless bankcards, etc.

Tickets can also be bought online and at stations immediately before travelling. Advance purchase tickets are usually cheaper than paying at the time of travel - ideally the train tickets should be bought at the same time as the air tickets. 'Print at home' tickets (perhaps with a QR code) are sometimes an option when buying train tickets on the Internet.

Stansted Airport: No 'London' ticketing system is accepted on the Stansted Express - it is best to buy Advance purchase travel tickets on the Internet - at the same time as when you buy your air tickets.

You can buy a Visitor Oyster card at Stansted airport - this might make life easier when you arrive in London. The Stansted Express is the only train service between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street station.

City Airport: This airport is inside London and Oyster cards / Contactless are the most cost-efficient way to pay travel fares. Travelcard tickets should be available from the ticket machines.

St Pancras Eurostar: This too is inside London and Oyster cards / Contactless are accepted. The last time I travelled on a Eurostar train it was possible to buy a Visitor Oyster card at the buffet counter on a Eurostar train travelling towards London. Travelcard tickets should be available from the ticket machines.

Boundary Zone / Out Boundary Tickets

Londoners who have Travelcard season tickets and wish to travel to an airport outside of London (Gatwick / Luton / Southend) often buy Boundary Zone tickets. Note that these are rarely sold on the Internet and might not be available at ticket machines - you will probably need to go to a ticket office at a National Rail station. Boundary Zone tickets can be bought for use with one-day Travelcards but the rules are different and evening peak hour restrictions might affect your journey.

Boundary Zone tickets are also useful if you have a Travelcard season ticket and (for instance) wish to visit attractions / destinations outside of London (eg: Brighton, Southend-On-Sea, Windsor). These make travel cheaper because passengers are only charged for the part of the journey beyond the zones of the Travelcard season ticket.

For someone visiting London one-day Out Boundary tickets will probably only make financial sense if they arrived at one of these airports and are in London on a day trip - or are on a short visit (just a few days) and are staying at a hotel that is outside of London. For longer visits a weekly Out Boundary season ticket might make financial sense - especially if you wish to travel before 9:30am in the morning. Buying a single ticket that covers all travel will make life more convenient!
(for Luton the fare on the DART shuttle might need paying separately).

Gatwick Airport Out Boundary Ticket Cost Variations
This is a crazy situation but because of railway privatisation the cost of Out-Boundary tickets will vary depending on whether you were travelling on Gatwick Express, Southern or Thameslink trains - they all charge different fares!...
Tickets valid on all trains, including Gatwick Express will show a route of 'Any Permitted'. (These are the most expensive)
Tickets for Southern will show 'Not Gatwick Express'
Tickets for Thameslink only will show 'Thameslink Only'
The cost will also vary depending on whether the ticket is valid all day or only off-peak. Thameslink also offers 'super-off-peak' (ie: slightly cheaper) fares at weekends and Bank Holidays.

Only Travelling By Bus?

London’s buses charge a flat fare irrespective of distance travelled and time of day travelled. Bus passengers only need to 'touch-in' when boarding at the start of the journey.

In London it is NOT possible to pay bus fares to the driver using cash.

For people who will only be travelling on buses - and not trains - then using Oyster / Contactless in PAYG mode represents the cheapest way to pay fares.

Hopper Fares do not apply to the railways, river buses or IFS Cloud Cable Cars but the 60 minute rule still applies - even if you travel on any of these between your bus journeys.

Bus / Tram Fares Capping
In addition to Hopper Fares bus passengers benefit from bus / tram fares capping, which means that no matter how many bus / tram journeys you make you will only be charged a maximum of three (3) times per day. In London daily fares capping is based upon a 'touch-in' to start a journey after 04:30 am and a 'touch-in' to start a journey before 04:29 am the next day. The same bus / tram fares cap applies at all times. There is no 'peak' or 'off-peak'.

Note 2: Free travel and fares capping only work when you use the same Oyster or other Contactless payment card (or device) at all times.

If staying for five days (or more) then a weekly bus pass might be worthwhile.
Typically these are loaded on an ordinary Oyster card (but NOT Visitor Oyster cards, Contactless cards or smartphone app).

One Day Bus & Tram Pass
People who wish to travel by bus and neither have Oyster cards nor any of the other types of Contactless ticketing solutions can pay their bus fare by buying a one-day Bus & Tram pass. Although slightly more expensive than the daily Bus & Tram fares cap these are ideal for passengers who are only in London for a day or two, are not also travelling by train and / or want a physical souvenir of their visit. One Day Bus & Tram Passes can only be bought on the day of travel and are valid from 00:01 am on that day and for any journey that starts before 04:30 am the next day.

Since March 2025 One Day Bus & Tram passes can only be bought in the form of special Oyster smart cards which are sold at local retail shops (Oyster Ticket Stops newsagents, etc.,) and at Visitor Centres. These are single-use smart cards which cannot be used for anything else. (The printed paper versions which used to be sold at many railway station ticket machines have been withdrawn.)

Buses Have Just One Fare Zone
London's buses only have one fares zone so it does not matter where you are, the fare is the same. Also, Day Anytime, Day Off-peak and 7 Day Anytime Travelcard season tickets can be used anywhere in London - even if the ticket is only for railway Zones 1-2, on the buses this ticket can be used to travel in all the zones - and also on most of the red London buses which travel outside of London.

Superloop
Superloop is a new bus service which started in 2023, with most routes being introduced in 2024 and one (SL4) in 2025 when two new road tunnels below the River Thames opened.

Superloop comprises a network of 10 limited-stop bus routes. Seven of them link to form an ^almost^ circle around suburban London and the other three link outer suburban areas with destinations nearer to central London. Most Superloop routes are brand new, however a few previously existed and have now been rebranded.

The various Superloop bus routes use a mix of single and double deck buses, most of which have white upper decks / roofs.

The official description of the Superloop bus network is: Connecting key outer London town centres and transport hubs.

^There is a gap at the River Thames - whilst SL2 serves the free Woolwich Ferry on the northern side of the river the SL3 goes to Thamesmead and therefore no Superloop buses serve the southern side of the Woolwich Ferry.

Both Superloop and East London Transit charge normal London bus fares and the full range of Oyster / Contactless,Travelcard etc., tickets are also accepted.

The East London Transit (ELT) is a network of three specially-branded bus routes (EL1 - EL3) which link rejuvenated riverside areas with neighbouring areas.

ELT bus services use New Routemaster buses, most of which are in a special red and beige livery.

Although originally planned to be more significant the ELT is just a normal urban bus service.

Other Bus Services
Also note that there are a few other bus services in London which do not accept any type of 'London' ticket.

Some of these are longer-distance tourist-themed sightseeing services, often using open-top double deck buses, or longer distance motor coach services to airports and other towns and cities within the UK. These are beyond the scope of this website.

These links lead to *some* of the private companies which operate the original iconic Routemaster buses in London. As a general theme they are used as sightseeing tour buses - often with a tour guide who also acts as an entertainer. There are also some companies which specialise in hiring a Routemaster bus, eg: for a private tour of London's sights, sometimes with afternoon tea / other refreshments, as transport for guests to a family wedding, more... All these services charge special fares.

https://www.londonerbuses.co.uk/ A regular service every 40 minutes from special bus stops passing many top visitor sights. Both single fares and hop-on hop-off ride-at-will day fares are available.

https://www.theclassictour.com/ Sometimes uses open top double deck Routemaster buses.

https://www.theghostbustours.com/london/ A comedy - horror theatre experience on wheels as the specially decorated Routemaster bus passes London locations with gruesome histories.

https://b-bakery.com/london/bus-tours/afternoon-tea-bus-london Afternoon tea on a Routemaster bus tour.

More information about afternoon tea tours - on other types of buses, including river buses can be found here:
https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/sightseeing-tours/afternoon-tea-tours

Visitors on a limited budget who cannot afford special services can use ordinary buses to create their own sightseeing tour of London - bus route No.11 is sometimes used for this much cheaper solution. Normal bus fares apply.

There is also a website where it is possible to find the location of any bus is London
http://londonvf.co.uk/.

Tram Fares

Tram passengers generally pay the same flat fare as bus passengers, and passengers with smartphone apps, Contactless and Oyster cards should use the card readers on the tram stop platforms before boarding the tram. This includes at Elmers End and Wimbledon stations where the trams stop inside the railway stations' fares paid areas. ALL Passengers travelling TO Wimbledon who are using electronic ticketing, no matter what type - ie: even if it is a Travelcard season ticket - are supposed to 'touch-in' before boarding the tram.

It is also possible for passengers interchanging between a tram and a bus (or between two trams) to benefit from the Hopper fare for free journeys, as detailed above.

Special Tram Fares Zone / Travelcards And Trams
Although Croydon and its railway stations are in zone 5 and some tram stops are also in zones 3, 4 and 6, to make life simple the entire tramway system is a special fares zone of its own and only Travelcard season tickets which are valid in railway zones 3, 4, 5 or 6 can be used on the trams. Note that this need for Travelcards to be valid in at least one of the zones served by the trams is one of the few differences between tram and bus fares.

Tramlink stops used to have ticket machines where passengers could buy tickets using cash. However these were withdrawn in July 2018.

There is more tram ticketing information in the Tramlink section below

There are many different river bus operators and they all seem to charge different fare scales. Some of them accept Oyster Cards and even offer discounts for passengers who are using Oyster PAYG or have a Travelcard. It is a good idea to ask for the discount! River bus fares are not included in fares capping.

London's river bus services vary between tourist-themed leisure cruises and public transport-type services aimed at local people.
This page at the TfL (Transport for London) website offers more detailed information.
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/river-fares .

Note that the Woolwich Ferry in east London is free to use - and offers excellent views of the Thames Barrier.

Cable Cars

The IFS Cloud Cable Car in east London uses small gondolas which hang from overhead cables and can carry up to ten passengers. There are two terminals - one on each side of the river Thames. Special fares are charged, these are different than the rest of London's public transport networks. Passengers who pay using Oyster / Contactless in PAYG mode should remember to 'touch-in' at the start of their 'flight' and touch-out on arrival at the other end. Note that the cost of cable car 'flights' is excluded from fares capping. Passengers with Oyster cards may receive discounts which are not available to passengers who pay their fares in a different way - it is a good idea to ask!

Passengers with paper tickets and Travelcard season tickets (of whatever type) will also need to pay an extra fare but should let the ticket staff know about their other tickets as these too *might* entitle the holder to a discount / cheaper fare. Passengers who wish to travel on a 360° 'out and back' ride should visit the ticket office to buy a special two-way pass.

It is also possible to buy a carnet of ten rides which work out much cheaper than paying for each ride at the time of travel. However these tickets are aimed at local people who make frequent journeys and all ten journeys must be made by the same person.

Between 10:00 and 15:00 (10am and 3pm) flights normally take about 10 minutes. Note that for the benefit of regular passengers who commute on the cable car earlier and later flights will usually take about 5 minutes, and that at very busy times daytime flights may be speeded up as well, so as to reduce queuing / waiting times.

Realistically, as long as passengers with prepaid Travelcard Season Tickets have to pay a surcharge to travel on the cable car and the fare charged to PAYG passengers is not included in daily and weekly price capping, the cable car will remain a niche tourist ride that is of little relevance to Londoners for regular travel. The ten ride carnet is still an extra financial burden which only some people will be willing (or able) to pay.

More information about the IFS Cable Car, where it is in London, the fares, etc., can be found at the TfL (Transport for London) website:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/london-cable-car/ .

Cryptocurrency
In London cryptocurrencies (eg: Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, etc.,) are NOT accepted for fares payments.

The railways say that their trains and stations are private property to which the public are only admitted for the purpose of travelling - and not ‘railfanning’ or filming. That said, as a general theme the 15 different organisations which operate local railway services within London tolerate amateur photography anywhere where passengers are admitted and whilst the passenger is passing through the station as part of a journey from A to B. A few train operators only permit photography in bad grace and mainly because so many people / tourists have mobile phones with cameras nowadays that it is virtually impossible (and represents bad ‘public relations’) to even try and stop them taking photographs - especially of family groups (for instance: standing next to a station name sign).

Railfans should note that if intending to stay at one station for longer than the next train they are supposed to visit the station master’s office and let them know who you are and why you are there. Some station staff might ask what you are doing or even tell you photography is not allowed. This is NOT correct but alas, some station staff like to make their own rules. (This can also happen because they were not trained properly when they started their job). It is important to understand that there is a high state of alert about a possible terrorist attack so you may be questioned by the police if taking photos. This has happened to me, several times. Of course answering truthfully about who you are, what you are doing and why is the only way to keep the authorities happy - and it saves you having to remember your previous answers. Sometimes it is useful to have a few ‘railfan’ style magazines (etc) which can be shown to anyone who questions your interest in transport. Whilst we here in Britain do not need to always carry identity cards / internal passports with us, it can be useful to have something with your name and address just in case the police decide to verify that you are of no interest to them.

If you are stopped by any official (especially a security guard) for using your camera try to put it away (a zipped pocket is ideal) as quickly as possible. By law only a judge in a court of law has the right to demand that you delete your photographs from your camera. So it is actually a criminal offence for any police officer or member of station / railway staff to force you to do this. If in the unlikely event you are asked to do this its best to try to avoid confrontation by suggesting that you will leave the station on the next train (and of course you must then do this). If the official is really intent on you deleting your images then refuse and demand to see a superior officer. Whilst it is unlikely that events will reach this stage you should note that a police officer can confiscate your memory cards to use in a court of law at a later date.

There is a known issue (that is, known amongst ordinary people - officialdom seem to be blind to this) where some people who wear official uniforms (especially PCSO's - Police Constable Support Officers and private security guards) do not seem to understand that photography is permitted and even within the general street scene harass otherwise innocent people who are using cameras. There was one extreme example where someone believed to be a PCSO told some Austrian tourists that it was illegal to photograph buses and that they must delete their images. Tragically the tourists did not know better and complied with this request - just because someone may be an overseas visitor does not give people in authority the right act illegally.

At some stations the station master interprets the photography rule as being that whilst still image cameras are acceptable, video cameras are not.

As a general guide tripods should not be used, as they create a tripping hazard. Tripods are prohibited at London Underground stations. Also railfans should be sensitive in their subject material and try to avoid photographing people - especially ‘close-up’. Even though this is sometimes done with the CCTV surveillance cameras (albeit without the person being filmed realising it) few passengers like camera-wielding railfans being intrusive with their photography.

It is strictly forbidden to use flash or other artificial lighting on station platforms. Especially not when filming trains entering stations as it can induce short-term blindness for train drivers whose eyes have become accustomed to the dark tunnels. You may be asked to leave the station if you break this rule.

Another issue is that the press officers / media centres of some of London's rail operators are so concerned about their public image that they want to maintain 100% control of anything that shows or visually represents the transport services they provide. It is if anything an understatement to say that their attitude is one of a   paranoid fear   that people with cameras (even tourists) have the sole desire to use whatever they photograph in ways which damage the reputation of the organisation. This attitude is of course quite normal for large commercial companies, with it even having happened that they threaten transport enthusiasts who create personal websites (such as this) with prosecution (slander / libel etc) for saying things about them which they do not like. Not me, thankfully, but it has happened... of course no names will be revealed here!

The topic of harassment of people using cameras is also raised on one of the Nostalgia, Heritage & Leisure pages on the citytransport.info web site .

Advice If Asked To Pay An 'On The Spot' Fine

British police do not ask for money so you should NEVER be asked to pay a fine to someone who claims to be a police officer. If in doubt ask to see a superior police officer.

Why Taking Photographs Is Important And Good

Photography is a creative activity which expands upon an historic meme of recording events which in later years will be of interest to historians and the wider population, helping future generations discover and understand how people lived in times past and how that era contributed towards creating the society in which we live today. In 'olden times' this data recording might have included paintings, mosaics, rock / cave wall art, statues, busts, miniature models, etc.

Photography also conforms with the important ethical motto of doing no harm unto others and the moral code which requires that people
take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.

Further Reading / Second Opinion

For further reading about railway photography this page at the District Dave London Underground themed discussion forum may be of interest. Although the page is titled "Photography on the Underground: Rules and Advice" it also looks at the Docklands Light Railway, Tramlink and the main line railways (including Network Rail).
http://districtdave.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=selfhelp&action=display&thread=6610

Links to web pages published on the websites of local governments, transport operators and the police which include information that may be of interest to transport enthusiasts. Some of these links also require the use of a portable document pdf reader, such as Adobe Acrobat.

Question to the Mayor of London on the topic of permitting photographs on TfL property at a meeting of the London Assembly.
https://london.gov.uk/questions/2017/1791

Transport for London Conditions of Carriage.
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-conditions-of-carriage.pdf

Filming & photography on TfL - the information here is mostly for professional film crews, not amateurs filming on their own or people taking family snapshots with small hand-held cameras.
https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/filming-and-photography/filming-and-photography-on-tfl?intcmp=1594

Network Rail guidelines for taking photos at stations (mostly applies to large city centre stations).
https://networkrail.co.uk/communities/railway-enthusiasts/guidelines-for-taking-photos-at-stations/

Advice for Rail Enthusiasts visiting stations on the National Rail network.
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/51952.aspx

British Transport Police information for rail enthusiasts.
http://btp.police.uk/advice_and_information/safety_on_and_near_the_railway/rail_enthusiasts.aspx

Photography advice from the Metropolitan Police.
https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/ph/photography-advice/

So, What To See????

As a general guide all services in the Central London area are below ground, whilst the services which reach the suburbs travel in the open air. People who just wish to sample a 'tube' train can do so by travelling on any of the 'small profile' lines as listed near the top of this page. Just expect to be in a deep level subterranean section of railway.

If you would like to see detailed diagrams showing track layouts and on which side of the track station platforms are located, then the London maps at this website may be of interest.
http://cartometro.com/metro-tram-london/
More links to websites of interest can be found on the further information resources section of this page.

To make planning easier this guide lists services line by line, detailing what part of the line is below ground, what part is in 'open air' and some other information which may be of interest. Because of the extensive interworking of some services some sections of line are also detailed in a separate section further down the page.

In tunnel from Elephant & Castle to just outside Queens Park.

Above ground between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone. There is also a short tunnel just to the north of Kensal Green station.

Many Bakerloo line trains terminate at Queens Park; those which travel further north terminate at either Stonebridge Park or Harrow & Wealdstone. Some older UndergrounD maps will show the Bakerloo line as also extending to Watford Junction, however these services operated between 1917 and 1982; nowadays only London Overground trains travel between Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction. Some older UndergrounD maps will also show a section of Bakerloo line between Baker Street and Stanmore. However this was only between 1939 and 1979; nowadays Jubilee line trains provide services to Stanmore.

Central London:

Some older UndergrounD maps will include a Bakerloo line station called Trafalgar Square. The building of the Jubilee line saw this station being merged with the Northern line station that used to be called Strand and the combined station is now called Charing Cross.

Changing trains at this station is not recommended because there is a very long walk through a narrow passageway between the Bakerloo and Northern line platforms.

At Oxford Circus station there is an easy 'same level' interchange with Victoria line trains travelling in the same direction (ie: northbound with northbound and southbound with southbound). Interchange between northbound and southbound trains or with the Central line is via steps and passageways.

The Bakerloo line platforms at Piccadilly Circus are unusual because at the north end of the station there is a crossover track which allows passengers to see both platforms at once and that the two platform tunnels are arranged 'back to back' with outside platforms - at most subterranean stations the platforms face each other and share the same platform access tunnels.

At Baker Street station there is an easy 'same level' interchange with Jubilee line trains travelling in the same direction (ie: northbound with northbound and southbound with southbound). Interchange between northbound and southbound trains or with the Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines is via steps / escalators and passageways.

Baker Street is famous for its association with a fictional detective (Sherlock Holmes) and the Bakerloo line platforms (plus some other areas) use a silhouette of the famous man as a motif.

Stations At Different Locations With The Same Names: For historic reasons two stations served by Bakerloo line trains are ‘duplicates’. At both Edgware Road and Paddington different Underground trains call at identically named stations which are at separate locations a short-ish walk from each other.

The Bakerloo line station named Edgware Road is located on the Edgware Road just north of its junction with the Marylebone Road. The other station with the same name is served by the District, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines and is located a short walk away on the southern side of the very busy Marylebone Road.

The out of station interchange (OSI) system means that passengers paying fares using PAYG are allowed to walk between the two Edgware Road stations and then continue their journey at no extra cost. (Touch-out when leaving the station and touch-in when arriving at the other station). There is a generous time limit in which this journey must be completed, so people who walk slowly should not worry.

The Bakerloo line station named Paddington is also used by District and Circle line trains (which travel via High Street Kensington station) and is located near the main concourse of the main line / National Rail station, whilst the Hammersmith & City and Circle line trains (which travel via Royal Oak) use the suburban platforms (numbers 15 & 16) which are part of the main line railway station and totally separate from the other underground lines. In addition there is a separate Elizabeth line station!

Passengers changing between the Bakerloo line and District / Circle lines or the Bakerloo line and Elizabeth line can use the provided passageways without leaving the fares paid area. By way of contrast, passengers interchanging between the Bakerloo line and Hammersmith & City Paddington stations or Bakerloo line and main line stations will need to leave the fares paid area. However even if paying fares using PAYG the out of station interchange (OSI) system means that it is still possible to continue the journey at no extra cost. (Touch-out when leaving the station and touch-in when arriving at the other station).

North London:

The route between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone is mostly located alongside the London - Glasgow West Coast Main Line (WCML). The entire route has six tracks - or more!

At Queens Park station there is an easy 'same level' interchange with London Overground trains travelling in the same direction (ie: northbound with northbound and southbound with southbound). Interchange between trains travelling in opposite directions is via the station ticket hall.

Travelling on a Bakerloo line train north of Queens Park is very much recommended. Immediately to the north of this station the trains travel inside the depot trainshed (IMPORTANT: you *must* be on a Bakerloo line train, and not an Overground train) then the tracks merge and the Underground and Overground trains provide a shared service.

There is more information about this section of the Bakerloo line in the Shared Service Routes section below

Central line trains use a GoA 2 (Grade of Automation level 2) semi-automatic train control system (STO) whereby the trains travel automatically from station to station but a human train driver is always present at the front of the train, with duties that include door closing and initiating station departure. To ensure that train drivers retain their train driving licences they sometimes still have to drive the trains manually (especially on Sundays).

When first built Central line 1992 tube stock trains were formed of four semi-permanently coupled two-car units and apart from the ends with a drivers' cab each unit end has rudimentary driving controls for use in the depot. Normally these operate as 8 car trains with driver's cabs only at each end of the train - it is very rare to see a drivers' cab elsewhere along a train.

Although the Waterloo & City line also uses 1992 tube stock trains the two fleets are different electrically and therefore not compatible (without expensive modification).

In twin single bore tunnels through Central London (just outside White City - just outside Leyton) and to the east of London between (just outside) Leytonstone and (just outside) Newbury Park via Redbridge. There is also a short twin-track tunnel between Chigwell and Grange Hill stations.

In open air at Stratford (only for the station), Leyton - Epping / Newbury Park via Woodford and White City to Ealing Broadway / West Ruislip.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

Photographic viewpoints which I've used include:
* Depot Road which is just a little to the north of White City station,
* Wood Lane just north of the junction with the Westway (to the north of White City station)
* Victoria Road (and Chase Road) which are either side of North Acton station,
* a footbridge over the tracks near to Park Royal Piccadilly line station,
* a footbridge over the tracks close to the Sainsbury's supermarket car park near to Newbury Park station,
* the footpath outside Newbury Park station,
* Station Way road bridge over the tracks near to Roding Valley station.

West London:
Ealing Broadway is a busy suburban station where there is a wide variety of trains to see, more information about it can be found further down this page Between Ealing Broadway and the next station (West Acton) the Central line is partly alongside the Great Western Main Line and often longer distance trains from Paddington station can be seen passing by. This includes Great Western Railway InterCity Express trains heading to / from Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea and Penzance, other Great Western trains on outer suburban / regional services, Heathrow Express trains travelling to / from Heathrow Airport. Elizabeth line trains and several different types of goods / freight trains.

West Acton station is a Grade 2 listed building. The original 1920 station was rebuilt by the GWR for the (then) London Transport Passenger Board as part of the LPTB's 1935-40 New Works Programme. It was designed by GWR's chief architect, Brian Lewis and was completed in 1940.

This station is typical of many of the 1930‘s Art Deco stations where the ticket hall is a reinforced concrete frame brick clad 'box' with full-height windows and concrete mullions on both the front and rear elevations.
Other distinctive features also include open-sided concrete staircases with bronze handrails linking the ticket hall with the platforms, which have flat-roofed, open-sided concrete shelters, a distinctive bull-nosed glazed end and crook-shaped polished hardwood benches that follow the curve of the shelter.

As this station is listed by Historic England more information about its architectural merits can be found at this link on their website:
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1400997

A little to west of North Acton station is the junction where the Ealing Broadway and West Ruislip branches join. .

West Ruislip was built as a through station, because the original plans were for the Central line to extend a few stations further - to Denham. Alongside the Central line is the New North Main Line (NNML), which was once a busy main line railway route with trains to Birmingham, Birkenhead (Wirral / Merseyside) and other destinations. Nowadays only the section between South Ruislip and West Ruislip is regularly used by passenger trains (Chiltern Railways, from London Marylebone station) and some of these trains still go to Birmingham.

Some Chiltern Railways trains from Marylebone also call at South or West Ruislip stations (not usually them both!) and One-day Travelcards / Oyster / Contactless PAYG can be used on these trains too. (If using a Travelcard remember to ensure that it is valid in Zone 5 for South Ruislip or Zone 6 for West Ruislip). The Chiltern trains are not frequent - check the timetable if you wish to use them. Between Ruislip Gardens and West Ruislip there is a large Central line depot which also has a non-passenger link with the Metropolitan / Piccadilly line Uxbridge branch. (This link is not visible from passenger trains).

Especially between Greenford and Hanger Lane the railway is also close to the A40 Western Avenue, and by looking out the train's window it is possible to see the often-heavy road traffic. Because of the distance between stations (and the low road speed limit which is enforced by speed cameras) the trains often travel faster than the road traffic! The railway is elevated here and you will also see many houses and other buildings.

At Greenford the (half hourly, not Sundays) shuttle train from the bay platform at West Ealing terminates in a third track between the Underground trains. Note that although there are platforms on both sides the shuttle trains only use one of them. This is the last station in Zone 4.

Trains at Greenford station feature in one of my 'youtube' videos - using footage from the 1980's, 1990's, 2009 and 2010 the film shows a wide variety of rolling stock, including some older types of train which have now been replaced.
This can be seen by clicking either the projector icon or this link:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gr8aoyMBAw

Alas, the film does not show the inclined lift - this is because it was made several years before the lift was installed.

When the Central line platforms at Greenford station were built they were specially designed to include 'cross platform' interchange between the Great Western Railway's trains on the branch line towards Ealing via Castle Bar Park and the Central line's trains.
Unfortunately nowadays the Great Western trains only open their doors on one side. This change of policy seems to date from the introduction of the modern trains which have sliding doors that the railway staff control (the previous trains had hand-operated doors which passengers opened and closed).
Why? it can only be surmised that the railway sees what benefits passengers as being less important than what is easy for its staff.

Hanger Lane station is next to a large traffic gyratory and most of the entrances are part of the pedestrian walkway system under the roads.

A Little History
Much of the Central line route between Ealing Broadway and White City stations was built by the Ealing & Shepherd's Bush Railway (E&SBR) for the Great Western Railway (GWR) as a branch which linked Ealing Broadway station to what nowadays is known as the West London Line. The E&SBR line opened in 1917 and in 1920 the electric tube trains were extended along it as far Ealing Broadway.

In 1938 the GWR gave its goods trains brand new dedicated tracks as far as North Acton station, this made it possible for them to stop 'track sharing' with the tube trains.

As the GWR owned this railway line it also built the new stations (East Acton, West Acton and new platforms at Ealing Broadway), even though they were only used by Central London Railway (Central line) tube trains - North Acton station already existed but it was resited.

The section of the Central line between North Acton and West Ruislip was also built by the Great Western Railway, although it was only in the late 1940s (after WW2) that electric tube trains replaced GWR steam trains. Many of the station buildings are Art Deco styled.

The tracks which the GWR had built for goods trains in 1938 ended up being closed by British Railways in 1964. Some of the closed line has become overgrown (with trees), other sections have been built over (seen below). Where the disused line crosses over roads (eg: at East Acton station) the disused railway bridges still exist (seen below).

One of the goods / freight train tracks that were closed in 1964 passed next to North Action station and in 1992 this was taken over for use by eastbound Central line trains, with the former eastbound platform being converted to a double-sided island platform.

Usually the former eastbound track is used by trains from Hainault that end their journeys here.

White City is one of the few stations on the London Underground where trains pass on the right. One of the crossovers between right and left hand running is underground, so is not visible, but the other one is in open air and located partway between East Acton and White City stations.

White City station dates from 1947 and replaces another Central line station with the same name.
Two unusual features are that trains here pass on the right and this is one of several London Underground stations which have 3 tracks and 4 platforms - normally the centre track is used for trains which terminate here with the doors first being opened on the correct platform for trains that continue further along the line and then open on the other side for passengers travelling in the other direction.

Despite the slightly longer walk this is a better station for the Westfield shopping centre than Shepherds Bush. This is partly because the platforms and passageways are much wider, and hence much less crowded and also as it is nearer the newer sections of the shopping centre.

Central London:
Several stations show evidence of the platform lengthening works from 1938/9. Look for a widening of the station tunnel diameter partway along the platform. Holland Park (eastbound) is a good example of this.

When the central London portion of the Central line was built its tunnels followed the streets above them. Because some roads were very narrow some stations (eg: St Pauls, Chancery Lane) have platforms separated vertically (one above the other) rather located side-by-side. In addition, the St Pauls - Bank - Liverpool Street section includes many sharp curves, - this too is because the line mirrors the historic street pattern of that very old part of London. This explains the sharply curved station platforms at Bank, as seen below.

When the Central London Railway was first opened in 1900, many of the station buildings were built to a similar and distinctive format by Harry Bell Measures. Their design brief included a flat roof in the hope that commercial development would take place on top - thereby creating a rental income stream - and whilst this has happened at other stations the station building at Holland Park remains as built.

East London:
The east London part of the Central line (east of Liverpool Street station) includes both 'new build' tube tunnels that opened in the 1940s and sections of railway which were built between 1856 and 1903 - which was in the steam locomotive era.

This combination of new and old offers a wealth of architectural styles of national importance spanning over 100 years of railway operations.

Liverpool Street - Leyton is all in tunnel, except for Stratford station where Central line trains rise to the surface for the station.

The section from Leyton to Epping and round the northern side of the loop to Newbury Park is a former steam railway which only became part of the Underground in the 1940's.

The last British Railways diesel train to Epping ran in 1970 and the track connection between the Central line and the main line railway (which was near to Leyton station) has been removed.

There used to be a small goods depot (freight yard) at the western end of Leyton station and at off-peak times all Central line trains (eastbound and westbound) called at the westbound platform so that the track alongside the eastbound platform could be used by the (steam) locomotive shunting the wagons in the goods depot.

A Little History
The route between Leyton and Loughton was built by the Eastern Counties Railway in 1856 - seven years before the first section of the London Underground (ie: Metropolitan Railway) opened. In 1862 the Eastern Counties Railway merged with other railways in the East Anglia part of England to form the Great Eastern Railway (GER) and in 1865 the GER opened a single track railway between Loughton, Epping and Ongar. The Loughton - Epping section was converted to twin track in 1892. In 1923 the GER became part of the LNER (London & North Eastern Railway).

As part of the 1935 - 1940 New Works Programme electrification and replacement of steam trains by electric tube trains began in 1938 but the project was delayed by WW2. The first electric tube trains started carrying passengers (as far as Stratford) in 1946. The project was then completed in several stages with it being 1949 before the (by then British Railways) steam train service between Loughton and Epping was replaced by electric tube trains. It was only in 1957 that electric tube trains finally reached Ongar.

Leytonstone station was significantly rebuilt in the 1930s. It has two entrances (one each side of the tracks) which lead to a ticket hall directly below the tracks at the western end of the station. There are three platforms - a side platform for eastbound trains and an island platform for westbound trains. Especially at busy times it is usual to see two westbound trains arriving at the same time - one each from Snaresbrook and Wanstead stations.

A scene from No.17.

Alfred Hitchcock with Marlene Dietrich and a scene from Rear Window. The building in the Rear Window is the Green Man pub which is located at the north end of Leytonstone High Road.

A scene from Psycho.

Also at Leytonstone are two bus stations - one on each side of the tracks. These are used by different bus routes which travel to different parts of London.

A distinctive feature at this station are the 17 mosaic murals which adorn the entrance passageways. These murals depict scenes from films made by the famous film director Alfred Hitchcock, who was born in Leytonstone.

More information about and photographs of these murals can be found at this link: http://www.thejoyofshards.co.uk/london/hitch/

Trains Terminating at Leytonstone
Sometimes eastbound trains end their journeys at Leytonstone. Usually this is in a platform that is normally used by westbound trains and therefore eastbound passengers travelling beyond Leytonstone will usually find it more convenient to wait for the next eastbound train at Leyton, as otherwise they will have to walk to one end of the platform and then use two stairways to reach the eastbound platform.

The Route To Epping
Many stations on the Epping route are a distance apart and the trains travel more quickly than in central London. Plus there are nice views of suburban London and the countryside.

Between South Woodford and Woodford the railway crosses over a busy roadway which is 5 lanes wide in each direction. This is where the M11 motorway meets the A406 North Circular Road. When it opened the road had a 70mph / 120km/h speed limit, but since the anti-car politicians came to power the speed limit was reduced by 30% (to 50mph / 80km/h) and nowadays there are digital speed cameras as well!

Although Snaresbrook dates from 1856 the bay platform alongside the eastbound platform dates from 1893. This was closed when electric tube trains replaced steam trains in 1948. As with many stations on the eastern side of the Central line the former goods yard (and at this station the trackbed for the former bay platform) are now used as a station car park.

Loughton was rebuilt in the late 1930's and is perhaps the most significant Art Deco station at the eastern end of the Central line. It has 3 tracks and 4 platforms. For many years after the Central line had taken over the normal passenger services special British Railways excursion trains (powered by steam or diesel locomotives) would travel from Loughton taking passengers to seaside and other destinations - south coast seaside resorts were reached via the East London line.

Debden was partially rebuilt in the 1970s and in 2021 the installation of two lifts plus other works saw it become the 82nd fully accessible station on the London Underground.

The section of railway between Buckhurst Hill and Epping is outside of London - in the adjacent county of Essex. Buckhurst Hill, Theydon Bois and Epping are largely intact heritage stations. Although Buckhurst Hill opened in 1856 its buildings date from 1892. A few photographs dating from the 1990s showing some heritage features at Buckhurst Hill station can be found at this link... http://citytransport.info/BuckhurstHill.htm Unfortunately since I took these photographs the lovely frosted windows with the writing have been replaced with plain glass.

Epping is a small market town some miles outside of London - it is even outside the M25 orbital motorway. The journey to Epping is through open countryside.

The single-track railway between Epping and to Ongar closed in 1994. More recently however it was reopened as a private museum railway which uses steam and diesel trains. Timetable and fares information for the Epping Ongar Railway (EOR) can be found at this link: http://eorailway.co.uk/

Woodford - Hainault Shuttle
The service between Woodford and Hainault (via Chigwell) operates as a shuttle - every 20 minutes - with some additional through trains from central London going to Hainault depot. These show the destination Grange Hill via Woodford. These extra trains usually run near the end of the rush hour.

Passengers who want to go to Roding Valley, Chigwell and Grange Hill will usually find that it is better to catch a train that is going to Epping / Debden / Loughton (ie: to catch a train that travels via Snaresbrook) and change trains at Woodford.

A short walk from Roding Valley station along Station Way is a bridge over the railway which I've often used. The bridge is actually over the main Epping line but in the distance (looking south) it is possible to see where the Hainault loop joins the Epping route. A link to a Google map showing this location can be found below
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=51.616504,0.042325&spn=0.002905,0.006899&t=m&z=17

Between Roding Valley and Chigwell a farm can be seen out the train's window (look to the north, away from London). This is easiest to see in the winter, when the trees do not have any leaves. Nearby the railway crosses over the M11 Motorway.

For many years the section of track between Hainault and Woodford was used to test the automation system which was later used on the Victoria line. Every one of the Victoria line's 1967 Tube Stock trains was tested here, alongside the small fleet of 1960 Tube Stock trains which provided the main service.

The last British Railways goods (freight) trains ran in the mid 1960s and this meant that for a few years automated tube trains were travelling on the same tracks as diesel hauled goods trains! The goods trains joined the Central line at Leyton and went via Snaresbrook and Woodford to Epping or Newbury Park (via Hainault).

In the 1970's fully automated / unstaffed tube train operation was tested on this section of the Central line, albeit not in public service. This project was called FACT - Fully Automatic Control of Trains. It is understood to have concluded in 1978 - due to a lack of finance for the project.

As far as I'm aware, nowadays the extra long wall-mounted bench seats, as seen in the platform view above-right, are only found at Chigwell and Newbury Park stations - both of which were built by the Great Eastern Railway in 1903.

There is a large depot between Hainault and Grange Hill. Part of this can be seen from the platforms at Hainault station - or by travelling between these two stations.

Hainault Loop: The line between Leytonstone and Newbury Park is underground, it was built in the 1930’s and during the 1939-1945 war was used as a munitions factory with a narrow gauge railway in the tunnels.

The entire Hainault loop is in zone 4.

Gants Hill is famed for having a large arched waiting area between the platforms which is similar to some stations on the Moscow metro. The station is in the middle of a large roundabout and the entrance is part of the pedestrian walkway system under the roads.

Newbury Park is famed for the large arched bus shelter just outside the station which was designed by Oliver Hill in 1937 and built after WW2, opening in 1949. This shelter features a copper-covered barrel-vaulted roof. It is a Grade ll listed building and in 1951 won a Festival Of Britain architectural award. A plaque celebrating this award can be seen on the left side of the arch - and is also shown in the image below right. Note however that just because a structure is award-winning for being visually significant does not mean that it is also practical. Whilst this shelter helps keep a person dry in inclement weather, personal experience is that it is of minimal benefit on cold windy winter days. It is possible to look down upon Newbury Park station from the A12 Eastern Avenue outside the station.

Barkingside and Fairlop are good examples of Victorian / Edwardian era stations and have a frequent train service. Near to Fairlop station is a low bridge under the railway which tall road vehicles often hit.

Barkingside is one of the grandest stations on the London Underground. This is the only London Underground station with an ornate, medieval-style Hammerbeam roof.

Circle line trains use a GoA 2 (Grade of Automation level 2) semi-automatic train control system (STO) whereby the trains travel automatically from station to station but a human train driver is always present at the front of the train, with duties that include door closing and initiating station departure.

Map modified by me, original source & license: Ed g2s / DavidCane / Wikipedia encyclopædia CC BY-SA 3.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Circle_Line.svg

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

The main part of the Circle Line is almost entirely below ground, although many stations are partly or wholly in open air. The tunnels include many short open air sections which date from the days of steam trains when ventilation openings were needed to allow the smoke to clear. Only a few of these ventilation openings are shown on the map.

The west London section between Hammersmith & Paddington is in open air, except for the flyunder below the Great Western Main Line between Westbourne Park and Royal Oak stations.

For more information see the Hammersmith & City Line and District Line sections.

Information for people who are happy to travel on trains which are above ground but experience claustrophobia when in tunnels.

Most of the tunnels used by Circle Line trains are wide enough for two tracks (ie: a train in each direction), however there are a few locations with narrow single track tunnels. Almost all of these are very short...

* Just outside Tower Hill and Mansion House stations,
* Kings Cross St Pancras station platforms plus station approaches / exits.

There are also two tunnels the whole way between South Kensington and Gloucester Road stations plus a very short distance west of Gloucester Road station (about the length of a train - as seen in the section which looks at the District line). These tunnels were built for two tracks each but when the track layout in the area was changed in the 1950's the tunnels used by eastbound trains were reduced to single track. However the tunnels used by westbound trains still have two tracks - one track is dedicated to Circle Line trains whilst the other track is dedicated to District Line trains.

Almost the entire Circle line uses tracks shared with other trains - only the sections Aldgate - Tower Hill (including the outer two platforms at Aldgate station), Gloucester Road - High Street Kensington (including platform 2 at Gloucester Road station) and platform 3 at Edgware Road station are dedicated to Circle Line trains.

Despite its name Circle Line trains no longer go 'round and round' in a circle all day.

Instead they travel from Hammersmith (former Metropolitan Railway station) in a loop around the Circle via Royal Oak, Baker Street, Kings Cross, Aldgate, Victoria and High Street Kensington stations before ending their journeys at Edgware Road station. They then retrace their route back to Hammersmith.

This means that passengers wanting to travel on trains routed between Baker Street and Bayswater must change trains at Edgware Road! However, because of the way that the various subsurface lines share tracks it will be possible travel on Hammersmith & City or District line trains for part of the journey.

It is not that trains never make through journeys, however nowadays this only happens when it is convenient for the railway operators, such as because of unplanned disruption / delays or because of weekend engineering works closing some sections of the railway.

Stations At Different Locations With The Same Names:
For various reasons three stations served by Circle Line trains are ‘duplicates’. At Edgware Road, Paddington and Hammersmith different Underground trains call at identically named stations which are at separate locations a short walk from each other.

At Edgware Road the Circle Line (and District Line and Hammersmith & City Line) trains use an open air station that was originally built by the Metropolitan Railway. The totally separate Bakerloo Line station with the same name is a short walk away across busy roads.

At Hammersmith the Circle (and Hammersmith & City) Line trains use the former Metropolitan Railway station which remains largely as built in 1868. The other station called Hammersmith is a short distance away across some busy roads. It is used by District & Piccadilly Line trains and has been modernised with its main entrance inside a shopping centre.

At Paddington the Circle (and Hammersmith & City) Line trains which travel through Royal Oak station use the suburban platforms numbered 15 and 16 which are alongside the main line railway station. By way of contrast Circle (and District) Line trains which travel through High Street Kensington call at the Underground station that is located near the main concourse of the main line / National Rail station and (at a deeper level) is also used by Bakerloo Line trains.

Edgware Road (subsurface) station showing which trains usually call at which platform .

Edgware Road subsurface station has four platforms, is in the open air and was built by the Metropolitan Railway. The Circle (and District) Line trains which travel via High Street Kensington usually end their journeys at the centre two platforms whilst the Circle (and Hammersmith & City) Line trains which are travelling between Royal Oak and Baker Street use the outer two platforms. The other station called Edgware Road is a short distance away across some busy roads and is used by Bakerloo Line trains.

Northbound trains approaching Edgware Road often have to queue to enter the station and sometimes the resulting tailback even delays trains before they reach Paddington station.

Some History: The Genesis Of The Circle Line

The creation of what was known as the Inner Circle came from a July 1863 report by a House of Lords (British Parliament, Upper House) select committee which had been asked to consider the best proposals for railways in London. This report recommended the building of an "inner circuit of railway that should abut, if not actually join, nearly all of the principal railway termini in the Metropolis."   The new line almost succeeded in serving all of the termini stations, missing out only Marylebone (which did not exist in the 1860's), Fenchurch Street and Waterloo - the latter most likely because it is in south London and there was little appetite to include river crossings in the Inner Circle.

The project was so large and expected to be so expensive that in 1864 the Metropolitan Railway (MR) created a second railway company - the Metropolitan District Railway (MDR) - to help raise the required funds. It was intended that the two railway companies would merge when the works had been completed, but because the MDR was significantly less profitable (and there was a personality clash between the two Chairmen) this did not happen and instead they started to argue, eventually becoming bitter enemies.

To build the new sections of railway it was decided that the MR would build the western and eastern portions from Edgware Road station to South Kensington and from Moorgate Street station to Tower Hill, whilst the MDR would build the southern portion linking these two locations. Some historical accounts claim that the MDR considered building Tower Hill station with four platforms and for most (if not all) trains to end their journeys here.

Because both companies had their eyes on the lucrative museums and exhibitions traffic in the South Kensington area some of the tunnels around the south-western corner of the circle were built with four tracks. In addition, three stations had separate platforms for the trains operated by the MR and MDR. There were High Street Kensington, South Kensington and Gloucester Road.

Unfortunately the MDR ran out of money and construction could not proceed further east than an unplanned four platform terminus station at Mansion House.

In 1871 construction works had become far enough advanced to allow for Inner Circle trains to be travelling between Moorgate Street and Mansion House via High Street Kensington.

The MR was slow to build east of Moorgate Street, two of the reasons for this being the expense of building through the City area and the realisation that the planned circular railway would see its income and profits being shared with the MDR (ie: going down!). It did not help that by now funding the works that had been completed had left both railways in parlous financial conditions and therefore their main focuses had turned away from completing the Inner Circle to starting new services in other parts of London where there were prosperous suburbs that could be served much more profitably.

In 1871 construction works had become far enough advanced to allow for Inner Circle trains to be travelling between Moorgate Street and Mansion House via High Street Kensington.

Building the new section of railway in west London using the cut and cover system required the demolition of the two houses located at 23 and 24 Leinster Gardens, which is near to Bayswater station.

The plan was that the area where these properties had stood would be left open, so that it could act as a short ventilation portal for the tunnels. This meant that it was not possible to rebuild these two dwellings after the tunnels had been built.

Rather than use a plain brick wall to fill-in the gap between the remaining houses it was decided that a facade which resembles the two missing properties should be erected. This fake frontage is five feet (about 1.5 metres) thick. This was done to help maintain the ambiance of a street lined with upper class fashionable terraced houses.

In the 1930's a fraudster took advantage of these fake houses by quoting one of them as the location of an evening dinner and ball.

The hapless guests only realised that they had been duped when they arrived at the scene and discovered the reality of the address on the tickets. With them having paid an expensive 20 guineas for each ticket the fraudster must have made a lot of money!

The UK only stopped using the guinea as a unit of currency after decimalisation in 1971, which is when we converted from £sd (Pounds, shillings and pence) to just £p (Pounds and pence). A guinea was worth £1 1s [shilling] (or 21s or 21/-). Since £1 comprised 20 shillings so therefore 20gns would equate to £21. At decimalisation a guinea became £1.05.

The MR was slow to build east of Moorgate Street, two of the reasons for this being the expense of building through the City area and the realisation that the planned circular railway would see its income and profits being shared with the MDR (ie: going down!). It did not help that by now funding the works that had been completed had left both railways in parlous financial conditions and therefore their main focuses had turned away from completing the Inner Circle to starting new services in other parts of London where there were prosperous suburbs that could be served much more profitably.

The lack of progress annoyed many city financiers and in 1874 they created the Metropolitan Inner Circle Completion Railway Company (MICCRC) to build the missing link.

Even though the MICCRC was unable to raise sufficient finance the mere thought of competition from it encouraged the MR to quickly build the section between Moorgate Street and Aldgate. By now the MR wanted to extend its services to join the East London Railway (ELR) [this is the route which included the Brunel tunnel below the River Thames] and the South Eastern Railway (SER) which operated to the south of London*, so in conjunction with the MDR it bought out the MICCRC. In an effort to ensure that (this time) the circular service was actually realised the Houses of Parliament added a clause to the enabling legislation for the revised plans and new line to the ELR [the 1879 Metropolitan and District Railway (City Lines and Extensions) Act] which required the operation of a fully circular service and gave both the MR and MDR the legal right to run their trains on sections of railway owned by the other company. The Parliamentarians were not taking chances with possible future arguments! To help the two railways complete the project extra finance was made available from the City and the Metropolitan Board of Works.

^*The Chairman of the MR, Sir Edwin Watkin, was also a director of about a dozen other railway companies, including the ELR, the SER plus the French Chemin de Fer du Nord and was instrumental of the creation of the Great Central Railway Main Line which ran services between London and Manchester via Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester. Watkin had ambitious plans for through trains between Manchester in northern England and France via a Chunnel Tunnel. He actually started building this tunnel but Parliament, citing fears of a possible French invasion of the British Isles, forbade its construction and forced him to stop.

Construction of the Inner Circle restarted in 1881. Building from Aldgate, and using its unexpired legal powers from many years previously, the MR reached Tower Hill first - in 1882. At Tower Hill the MR hurriedly built a temporary station [in just three nights and two days!] and named it Tower Of London. The MDR's extension from Mansion House to a different Tower Hill station was completed in 1884, and within just a few weeks the long awaited fully circular services finally began. (It could be said that the speed in which things were built and opened in those days puts to shame how slowly things are done in the present era). However the arguments between the two railway companies still continued. The MDR pretended that the Tower of London station did not exist and refused to sell tickets to it. So within a week it ended up closing.

At first all stations served by the new service were equipped with a booking (ticket) office from each of the two railway companies. The aim behind this was because the fares income was apportioned between them on the basis of the number of passengers who travelled over each section of railway, and the two companies always wanted to ensure that passengers bought tickets which gave them the greater share of the income - even if it meant that the passengers were sold tickets for the longer and slower route around the Circle. This situation was possible because (especially at first) one railway company operated the clockwise trains and the other company the anti-clockwise trains.

In 1933 Parliament merged most of London's public transports into a new organisation called the London Passenger Transport Board. This ended the enmity between the MR and what by now was known as the District Railway. The new owners did not like being subjected to the legal requirement to operate an Inner Circle service which travelled round and round in circles and within 16 months ensured that it was repealed. This suggests that even then there was a desire to change this service so that it served two terminal stations. Perhaps if the Parliamentarians had realised the future possibilities they would have refused to repeal the statutory obligation for the full circular service.

Although many years later, the Circle was broken in 2009, with Circle Line trains now travelling from Hammersmith via Shepherds Bush around the loop as far as Edgware Road and then retracing their journeys. This change has significantly inconvenienced passengers whose journeys between north and west London now require an enforced change of trains at Edgware Road station. However, since the break in the Circle is to the north-west of the line it does mean that the City financiers retain their through services in and around the City area - thereby meaning that (for them) the spirit of the 1879 requirement to operate a fully circular service has been retained.

London's Other Circle Lines

Over the years London has had other 'Circle' railway services, however these all only form(ed) partial circles - so that trains did/do not fully encircle London. These were the Super Outer Circle, the Outer Circle, the Middle Circle and a service which is not named or marketed as a Circle.

The Super Outer Circle was a short lived service from St Pancras station via a circuitous route via north and west London to the District Railway's Earls Court station.

The Outer Circle started in 1867 at Broad Street station and followed what nowadays is known as the North London Line and West London Line to Kensington Olympia, from where the destinations varied over the years and at different times included Victoria station, Mansion House and Earls Court. In later years this service only ran between Willesden Junction and Earls Court and in the 1920 was electrified (using the same system as the Underground) as part of the London and North Western Railway's extensive suburban electric services to the north and west of London. This service closed as a result of WW2 but a very similar service is now running again as part of the London Overground network.

The Middle Circle began in 1872 as a Great Western Railway service between Moorgate Street and Mansion House which in west London travelled via what nowadays is the West London Line and Kensington Olympia station. This service ended in 1905 and was replaced by an electric Metropolitan Railway service between Kensington Olympia and Aldgate or Whitechapel (different trains served different destinations). The railway electrification was done by the GWR as part of the project to electrify the Hammersmith & City Railway which it jointly owned with the Metropolitan Railway. Later the service was cut back again to become a shuttle between Edgware Road and Kensington Olympia, and it ended completely in 1940 as a result of WW2 bomb damage.

A map showing the above Circle services plus the Inner Circle can be found at this link:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Circle_Routes_of_Victorian_London.png

In 2012 London Overground starting running what amounts to a new outer circle service that travels via the ^§East London Line, South London Line, West London Line and North London Line. However, instead of through trains this is operated in several segments with passengers who want to make a complete circuit needing to change trains - at Clapham Junction, or at Highbury & Islington / Canonbury plus any station between Dalston Junction and Surrey Quays. Note that travelling complete circles using these services should not be attempted if paying fares using an Oyster card in PAYG mode or a Contactless payment device. The PAYG payment system is not designed for such a journey and it is likely that the result will be a penalty fare. Instead paper One Day Travelcards are required (or weekly Travelcards which include travel in zones 1 and 2), or since the London Overground Network is part of the main line railway (National Rail) the All Line Rover, BritRail and Eurail passes can also be used on these trains.

^§Highbury & Islington - Clapham Junction portions of the Mildmay and Windrush lines, as per the 2024 line names given to the London Overground Network.

The central London and east London sections of the District line have been converted to a GoA 2 (Grade of Automation level 2) semi-automatic train control system (STO) whereby the trains travel automatically from station to station but a human train driver is always present at the front of the train, with duties that include door closing and initiating station departure. In west London the District line is still driven in the traditional way by a real human train driver.

S Stock Variations:
Although they all look the same there are two different types of S Stock trains.

The S7 variant have 7 cars with only longitudinal seating.
These are used on the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines.

The S7+1 variant have 8 cars with only longitudinal seating.
There are very few of these trains - which are only used on the Metropolitan line.

The S8 variant have 8 cars with a mix of longitudinal and facing seats.
These are only used on the Metropolitan line.

Map modified by me, original source & license: Ed g2s / Wikipedia encyclopædia CC BY-SA 3.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:District_Line.png

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

In east London in tunnel as far as Bow Road and then in open air all the way to Upminster - except for a short flyunder used by westbound trains at Barking.

In west London in open air from West Kensington to Richmond / Ealing Broadway, West Brompton to Wimbledon (although there is a short tunnel which does not have a station) and on the Olympia branch.

The Edgware Road - Earls Court section is almost entirely below ground from 'near to' Edgware Road to High Street Kensington. The stations on this route - and the sections of tunnel between them - also include many short open air sections; this dates from the days of steam trains when ventilation openings were needed to allow the smoke to clear.

Bow Road and High Street Kensington stations are unusual because they are partially in tunnel and partly in open air.

Information for people who are happy to travel on trains which are above ground but experience claustrophobia when in tunnels.

Most of the tunnels used by District line trains are wide enough for two tracks (ie: a train in each direction), however there are a few locations with narrow single track tunnels. Almost all of these are very short...

* Westbound trains from Upney approaching Barking (flyunder - to pass below other tracks),
* Just outside Tower Hill and Mansion House stations,
* Northbound trains West Brompton - Earls Court (flyunder - to pass below other tracks),
* Southbound trains High Street Kensington - Earls Court (flyunder - to pass below other tracks).

There are also two tunnels the whole way between South Kensington and Gloucester Road stations plus a very short distance west of Gloucester Road station (about the length of a train - as seen below). These tunnels were built for two tracks each but when the track layout in the area was changed in the 1950's the tunnels used by eastbound trains were reduced to single track. However the tunnels used by westbound trains still have two tracks - one track is dedicated to Circle line trains whilst the other track is dedicated to District line trains.

If you have a very old map it might show a branch between Acton Town and South Acton, however this closed on 28th February 1959.

Stations At Different Locations With The Same Names: For historic reasons three stations served by District line trains are ‘duplicates’. At Edgware Road, Paddington and Hammersmith different Underground trains call at identically named stations which are at separate locations a short walk from each other.

At Edgware Road the District line (and Circle line and Hammersmith & City line) trains use an open air station that was originally built by the Metropolitan Railway. The totally separate Bakerloo line station with the same name is a short walk away across busy roads.

At Paddington the District line trains use the Underground station which is also used by Bakerloo line trains and is located near the main concourse of the main line / National Rail station whilst the Hammersmith & City line trains use the suburban platforms (numbers 15 & 16) which are part of the main line railway station and totally separate from the other underground lines.

At Hammersmith the District line trains use the modernised former Metropolitan District Railway station which is shared with Piccadilly line trains. The main entrance to this station is inside a shopping centre and close to Hammersmith bus station. Hammersmith & City (and Circle) line trains use the former Metropolitan Railway station which is a short walk away across some busy roads.

The route to Upminster: The surface section of this route has four tracks with two used by Underground trains and two used by C2C trains from Fenchurch Street station. The section between Aldgate East and Barking is also used by Hammersmith & City Line trains - see the Shared Service Routes section below.

What nowadays are known as C2C trains stopped calling at all stations along the joint route (except Barking and Upminster) in 1962 when services between London Fenchurch Street station and Grays / Shoeburyness were converted to overhead wire electric traction and some of the platforms at Barking station were reconfigured for cross-platform interchange.

Central London: Tower Hill Station is very close to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge - two of London's top tourist destinations. This station is, at times, very busy but to help manage the flow of passengers there are separate entrances / exits and walking routes within the station. This station is also fully accessible, although most of the walking routes between the station and the visitor attractions are not suitable for wheelchairs.

Mansion House is best avoided as the station staff especially dislike people using cameras. Although below ground Embankment is well lit and the station platforms are partially staggered, making it easier to see the whole of the trains on the opposite platform (albeit from the back). Westminster station was rebuilt in the 1990's and has won many awards for its modern architecture. The metal flooring and grey concrete walls gives the interchange to the Jubilee line a distinctive 'space station' ambiance. However this is another station where passengers using their cameras are unwelcome. Victoria is an extremely busy station where the platforms are frequently very crowded.

Between Blackfriars and Westminster stations the line runs below the Victoria Embankment. This was built by the Metropolitan Board Of Works and forms the northern bank of the River Thames. The original impetus was the need to provide London with a modern sewerage system. Another major consideration was the relief of traffic congestion on The Strand and Fleet Street.

The route to Ealing Broadway: This is mostly shared with Piccadilly Line trains and is looked at on the Shared Service Routes section below.

Olympia service: When the service is operating District line trains to Kensington Olympia (from High Street Kensington station (usually bay platform No. 3) via Earls Court) only normally operates at the weekends and for special events - and with long waits between trains (typically 20 or 30 minutes). Instead passengers are expected to either travel by bus (which might cost an extra fare) or travel a much longer route changing to London Overground (West London Line - route C) or Southern trains at West Brompton. Many freight trains also pass through Kensington Olympia station, as the West London Line links railways to the north and the south of London.

Until 1946 this station was known as Addison Road.

The route to Richmond: This is shared (at different locations) with Piccadilly Line and London Overground [North London /Mildmay line] services and is looked at in greater detail on the Shared Service Routes section below

The Grade II listed Kew Railway Bridge is between Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens stations on the route to Richmond. It spans the River Thames between Strand-on-the-Green, Chiswick and Kew.

The bridge was designed by W. R. Galbraith and was built by Brassey & Ogilvie for the London and South Western Railway, as part of an extension to their railway line from Acton Junction to Richmond.

It opened in 1869 and consists of five wrought iron lattice girder spans of 35 metres each.

Seen as being of strategic importance, during WW2 a pillbox was built at its southern end to guard it, plus an open enclosure created from which an anti-tank gun could be fired.

In addition to District line trains the Kew Railway bridge is also used by London Overground (North London / Mildmay line) services between Stratford and Richmond.

The stations at Ealing Broadway, Wimbledon & Richmond are busy suburban stations in zones 3 or 4 where there is a wide variety of trains to see.
More information about them can be found further down this page.

The route to Wimbledon: This is the only District line branch which is served by trains which use both the east-west route via Victoria and the north-south route via High Street Kensington.

Inside the trainshed at the Victorian-era West Brompton station is an unusual series of walkways which cross the Underground tracks at different levels. This station is also served by trains which use the West London Line (WLL) - namely the London Overground Clapham Junction - Willesden Junction (- Stratford) service and the Southern Watford Junction - East Croydon service. Interchanging between the southbound main line and northbound District line platforms is at grade, however in the opposite direction requires using steps and elevated walkways. This station has Pink Oyster card readers which passengers interchanging between Underground and Overground / Southern trains who are paying fares via Oyster PAYG should use for cheaper fares if their journey does not include Zone 1.

Fulham Broadway station has been modernised and the new station entrance is through a shopping mall. The old station entrance is no longer used by railway passengers and has been converted into a retail shop, which is now closed. The historic trainshed has a glass roof which lets in daylight, however the newer parts of the station are fully enclosed.

Parsons Green - East Putney is elevated, offering interesting views of mostly traditional British terraced housing in a very expensive part of London.

Putney Bridge station used to have three platforms, one of which was dedicated to trains which terminated here. However because the S stock trains were too long to fit this platform it was rebuilt as a through track (for trains travelling towards Wimbledon) and the former Wimbledon platform was closed.

Although very close to Putney bridge this station is on the northern side of the river Thames in an area named Fulham. Putney is on the southern side of the river!

The railway crosses the river Thames just south of Putney Bridge station and a pedestrian path on the western side of the bridge makes it possible to walk alongside the trains as they cross the river. (See photograph below). Note that the Putney Bridge is for road traffic - the bridge used by the trains does not have an official name but for over a hundred years it was known colloquially as The Iron Bridge and was also given another unofficial name when London Underground refurbished it in the mid-1990s and their contractors installed a plaque bearing the name Fulham Railway Bridge. Opening in 1889 it was designed for the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) by Brunel's former assistant William Jacomb, and built by Head Wrightson.

At East Putney the District line merges with the main line railway. At first all trains were hauled by steam locomotives, but in 1905 they were converted to electric traction using a hybrid 3rd and 4th rail power supply system which was compatible with the trains operated by both railway companies.

Since 1941 only District line trains have provided the local 'all stations' passenger services along this line, but even today some South Western Railway (SWR) passenger trains pass through here (non-stop) - typically they travel late at night / very early in the morning. In addition SWR passenger trains sometimes also use this route when other lines are closed for track maintenance.

This route is also used by empty trains (ie: not carrying passengers) when travelling to / from Wimbledon depot.

This section of railway only became part of London Underground in 1994, when the former British Railways was being privatised and split-up into many smaller businesses.

Even now much of the signalling on this route is controlled by Network Rail, as part of the national railway network.

At Wimbledon the District line has four platforms, these are located on the opposite side of the station to the Croydon trams and even seeing the two at the same time is 'a challenge'. Photographs showing trams and Underground trains can be seen in the Busier Suburban Stations section below

Edgware Road - Wimbledon: In addition to the main east - west service through central London there is also a north - south District line service which travels Edgware Road - High Street Kensington - Earls Court - Putney Bridge - Wimbledon. Between Edgware Road and High Street Kensington stations this route is also served by Circle line trains.

Nowadays both District and Circle lines trains end their journeys at Edgware Road station, Circle line trains normally use platform No.2 and District line trains platform No. 3.

Northbound trains approaching Edgware Road often have to queue to enter the station and sometimes the resulting tailback even delays trains before they reach Paddington station.

Originally the Edgware Road - Wimbledon service only ran between High Street Kensington and Putney Bridge. These trains were extended to Edgware Road in 1926 and for a while in the 1950's - 1970's sometimes travelled as far as Aldgate via Kings Cross.

The Edgware Road - High Street Kensington (- South Kensington) route was originally built by the Metropolitan Railway for the Inner Circle service and most of the stations are partially or wholly in open air. Paddington, Bayswater and Notting Hill Gate stations still retain their distinctive arched trainshed roofs. Of the three Notting Hill Gate is the best for seeing the roof (as seen in the photograph at the top of this page). High Street Kensington station has been rebuilt and the station entrance is now at the end of a shopping arcade.

The stations at Ealing Broadway, Wimbledon & Richmond are busy suburban stations in zones 3 or 4 where there is a wide variety of trains to see.
More information about them can be found further down this page.

Exploring On Foot

Photographic viewpoints in south-west London which I've used include:
* The walkway alongside the trains on Fulham Railway Bridge,
* The Thames Path on the bank of the River Thames near to Fulham Railway Bridge,
* A footbridge over the railway from Keswick Road,
* Passing trains on the railway bridge over Granville Road,
* Looking both ways from the road bridge outside Wimbledon Park station.
* Looking both ways (north and south) from where Cromer Villas Road crosses over the railway,

Below are some links to Google maps showing some of these locations:

Putney Bridge station, Putney Bridge, Fulham Railway Bridge, East Putney station.
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=51.465264,-0.211401&spn=0.007392,0.013797&t=m&z=16

Between East Putney and Southfields stations.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4520817,-0.2147479,15z

A closer view of Kewsick Road showing the location of the footbridge over the railway.
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=51.455498,-0.212034&spn=0.002895,0.006899&t=m&z=17

The junction of Cromer Villas Road / Sutherland Grove and the East Putney Tunnel exit (a satellite photograph).
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4525841,-0.2092284,252m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

Wimbledon Park station and an entrance to the park.
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=51.435792,-0.202367&spn=0.003699,0.006899&t=m&z=17

The entrance to the Fulham Railway Bridge is very near to Putney Bridge station and crossing this bridge on foot offers a very different way to experience the District line. There are also excellent views of the trains crossing the bridge from the river bank (Thames Path) and from Putney Bridge - although from here the noise of the road traffic will prevent you from hearing the passing trains. If filming from the Thames Path or Putney Bridge the sun is in the best direction in the afternoon.

On the south side of the river Thames there is a choice of walking routes towards the next photo-spots; either along Putney High Street (the Exchange shopping centre has places to buy food and free toilets) or along Oxford Road which is a quiet residential street. Just to the east of East Putney station is Keswick Road, walking along this road will lead to a foot bridge over the railway where it is possible to look down on the passing trains and (if looking to the south) an entrance to the East Putney Tunnel.

Keswick Road ends at a road named East Hill. On the other side of this road (slightly offset) is Sutherland Grove. This leads to Southfields station and passes the Cromer Villas Road and Granville Road photo-spots.

In open air from New Cross / New Cross Gate to just north of Surrey Quays, at Whitechapel plus a little to the north of the station and much of the route to Shoreditch.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

Strictly speaking this line no longer exists, but of course it can still be seen on many older and historic maps.

Nowadays the line is part of the London Overground network, under whose heading more information can be found.

Hammersmith & City line trains use a GoA 2 (Grade of Automation level 2) semi-automatic train control system (STO) whereby the trains travel automatically from station to station but a human train driver is always present at the front of the train, with duties that include door closing and initiating station departure.

Map modified by me, original source & license: Ed g2s / Karldupart / Perhelion / Wikipedia encyclopædia CC BY-SA 3.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_%26_City_Line.svg

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

Almost entirely below ground in central London, Edgware Road, Farringdon and Barbican stations are in open air. At Liverpool Street one end of the platform is in open air. The tunnels between Kings Cross and Barbican stations include some short open air sections which date from the days of steam trains when ventilation openings were needed to allow the smoke to clear.

In west London open air between Hammersmith & Paddington, except for the short flyunder below the Great Western Main Line between Westbourne Park and Royal Oak stations.

In east London open air at Whitechapel and then from Bow Road to Barking.

Information for people who are happy to travel on trains which are above ground but experience claustrophobia when in tunnels.

Most of the tunnels used by Hammersmith & City Line trains are wide enough for two tracks (ie: a train in each direction), however there are one location which has narrow single track tunnels.

* This is at Kings Cross St Pancras station - the platforms plus station approaches / exits.

Until 1988 this service was officially part of the Metropolitan line (albeit a separately operated branch) and at some locations might still be advertised as such. The name 'Hammersmith and City' is taken from the Hammersmith and City Railway (H&CR) which was jointly owned by the Metropolitan and Great Western Railways.

Stations At Different Locations With The Same Names: For historic reasons three stations served by Hammersmith & City line trains are ‘duplicates’. At Edgware Road, Paddington and Hammersmith different Underground trains call at identically named stations which are at separate locations a short walk from each other.

At Edgware Road the Hammersmith & City line, Circle line and District line trains use the former Metropolitan Railway station. The totally separate Bakerloo line station with the same name is a short walk away across busy road junctions.

At Paddington the Hammersmith & City line trains (and Circle line trains travelling to / from Hammersmith) use the suburban platforms (numbers 15 & 16) which are part of the National Rail / main line railway station and totally separate from the other underground lines. These platforms are partly in open air and the main line trains operated by Great Western Railway, Heathrow Express etc., can be seen from them.

At Hammersmith the Hammersmith & City (and Circle) line trains use the former Metropolitan Railway station which remains largely as built in 1868. A short walk away across some busy roads is the former District Railway station which nowadays is used by District & Piccadilly line trains and has been modernised with its main entrance now inside a shopping centre.

West London: Just outside Hammersmith station the trains pass a small depôt. The section Hammersmith - Westbourne Park is on a brick arch viaduct which in 1864 was built by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and served by its broad-gauge trains - these had tracks which were 7 ft 0¼ in [2140 mm] apart). Originally there were only a few stations, with more opening over a number of years.

The present-day Wood Lane station dates from 2008. Over the years this station has been opened and closed several times, its 2008 reopening was because it is very near the large ‘Westfield’ shopping centre that opened in the same year. Also nearby is the Central line‘s White City station.

The out of station interchange (OSI) system means that passengers paying fares using PAYG are allowed to change trains by walking between Wood Lane and White City stations and then continue their journey at no extra cost. (Touch-out when leaving the station and touch-in when arriving at the other station). There is a generous time limit in which this journey must be completed, so people who walk slowly should not worry. However this time limit does not allow for going shopping.

Closed Link At Latimer Road: This link was built as part of the original Hammersmith & City Railway and went to the nearby West London Line. Over the years it was used by both GWR and Metropolitan Railway services to various destinations, including Richmond via Addison Road (now known as Kensington Olympia) and Kew Gardens stations, and the North London Railway 'Middle Circle' service which ran between Moorgate and Mansion House via Addison Road. Eventually however these services ended and it was only used by Metropolitan Railway trains on the short Edgware Road - Addison Road shuttle service. The link was completely closed in 1940 as a result of air raid bomb damage and although the line could have been repaired this did not come to pass.

Between Westbourne Park and Paddington the Underground trains travel alongside the National Rail Great Western Main line tracks to Paddington station. This includes a dive-under to swap between the southern side (of the main line railway) at Westbourne Park and the northern side at Royal Oak.

Royal Oak is a good location for watching passing mainline trains, including InterCity Express Trains (IET) to Bristol, South Wales, Devon, Cornwall etc., plus outer suburban / regional and Heathrow Express Class 387 electric multiple unit trains. Also Class 345 Elizabeth line trains when they travel to the above-ground Paddington station. However, because you will be looking south it will often be easier to photograph the trains when the weather is cloudy.

Central London: The Hammersmith & City line operates along the entire length of the first section of the Metropolitan Railway which opened in January 1863 and extended from Paddington to Farringdon Street (nowadays known as Farringdon) via Baker Street station. Over the years several of the stations on this section of railway have changed their names, these include Moorgate Street / Moorgate, Aldersgate / Barbican and Gower Street / Euston Square.

Although Edgware Road (subsurface) was an original 1863 Metropolitan Railway station, it was rebuilt in the 1920's and now has four platforms.

This was done as part of a plan to reduce congestion on the two track section of railway between Baker Street and Finchley Road stations by building new deep-level tube tunnels from just to the west of Edgware Road station to just north of the present-day Kilburn station.

However the planned new route was abandoned after the government introduced new safety rules prohibiting the compartment type of train that the Metropolitan Railway used on its main line services from travelling through deep level tube tunnels^. Instead a solution was found which included building new tunnels between Finchley Road and Baker Street stations as an extension to an existing tube line.

^The rules said that in the event of an emergency (eg: fire) it had to be possible to walk through trains which use single track deep-level tunnels (ie: flee to another part of the train) and there had to be emergency exits at the train ends. These are features that are not found on trains with full-width compartments.

There are more photographs from this station in the sections of this page which look at the Metropolitan, Bakerloo and Jubilee Lines.

Baker Street is of course one of London‘s most famous stations. Hammersmith & City (and Circle) line trains use the original 1863 platforms which are located just below the Marylebone Road and numbered 5 & 6.They have been restored to as near their original condition as possible. However since the original fresh air portals which allowed daylight to enter the station (and steam engine smoke to escape) have been covered over they have been fitted with electric lighting so as to help recreate this effect. The platform walls feature many plaques showing old plans and photographs of the station as it was many years ago.

Baker Street has the most platforms which are served by London Underground trains in all London. Four platforms are used by Metropolitan line trains, two platforms by Hammersmith & City and Circle lines trains plus four deep level tube train platforms which are served by the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines. - 10 in total! Just outside the front of the station there is a large statue of Sherlock Holmes which commemorates the fictional detective's association with 221B Baker Street.

The platforms at Great Portland Street also comprise much historic brickwork and heritage style lighting. There is also a daylight / ventilation portal at the west end of the station.

The subsurface platforms at Kings Cross St Pancras date from 1941. For most of their length they comprise twin circular shaped tunnels with a side platform, thereby creating the ambiance of a deep level ‘tube’ train station. There is a photograph showing this on the Circle line section of this page.

The route between Kings Cross St Pancras and Moorgate has four tracks. Two of these are used by Underground trains. The other pair of tracks are known variously as the Widened Lines the City Widened Lines and even the Metropolitan Widened Lines. These are looked at in a special section below.

Nowadays the main line / National Rail Thameslink service between St. Pancras and Farringdon stations uses the Widened Lines. Sometimes these trains can be seen from Undergrond trains whilst travelling between Kings Cross St. Pancras and Farringdon stations. Also visible (from Underground trains) are the remains of the westbound platform at the Kings Cross station which Underground trains stopped using in 1941. However a wall prevents sight of the former eastbound platform and the platforms which Thameslink trains stopped using in 2007.

Because of the large number of trains from other railway companies^§ which wanted to access London's Financial District the 1865 extension of the original Metropolitan Railway from Farringdon to Moorgate was built with four tracks, and a pair of extra tracks were added between Farringdon and Kings Cross St Pancras stations.

^§The railway companies included the Midland Railway, the Great Northern Railway and the London, Chatham & Dover Railway.

Some of the trains which used the Widened Lines travelled the whole way from Kings Cross or St. Pancras to Moorgate, others only travelled between Kings Cross / St. Pancras and Farringdon - many of these trains were on services to / from various destinations in south London and crossed the River Thames on Blackfriars bridge. For a while there were also services from south London which went to Moorgate, only using the Widened Lines between Farringdon and Moorgate. In addition many goods (freight) trains used the Widened Lines, some of these served the various goods yards which were near Farringdon station, others were on longer journeys between north and south London.

In the days of electric traction some Metropolitan Railway services which terminated at Moorgate also used the Widened Lines. But only when travelling eastbound, ie: towards Moorgate.

Nowadays only the Thameslink service which links destinations to the north and south of London still uses the Widened Lines. However since 2009 they have only used the section between St Pancras and Farringdon stations.

Prior to 2009 some Thameslink trains from the north of London travelled all the way from St Pancras to Moorgate. The reason why the section between Farringdon and Moorgate closed is that when Thameslink trains were lengthened from 8 to 12 carriages it was decided that the only way that the northbound platform at Farringdon could be extended to accept the longer trains was to build over the trackbed of the route to Moorgate. Extending the other end of the platform at Farringdon was not done because of a downhill gradient that was thought to be too steep for a station platform. This explains why Moorgate and Barbican stations have two disused platforms.

Longer term plans are to re-connect the closed section of the Widened Lines to the Underground's tracks and use it as additional sidings, so it is unlikely that passengers will be able to travel along this section of track again.

The route between Barbican and Moorgate dates from 1965 when the tracks (all four!) were realigned and placed in tunnels as part of an urban regeneration scheme which included the building of the Barbican complex. Moorgate station used to be open air but is now under an office block. This station also has 10 platforms. Four of these are used by Metropolitan / Hammersmith & City / Circle lines trains (two for through trains and two bay platforms), two platforms were used by Widened Lines trains (but are now closed) and four platforms are used by deep level tube trains (two as part of the Northern line Bank Branch and two as part of the Northern City line main line railway service).

East London: The Hammersmith & City line joins the District line at Aldgate East station. Some readers may recall that off-peak trains used to terminate at Whitechapel but nowadays they continue further, usually all the way Barking although sometimes they only travel as far as the bay platform at Plaistow. Since the introduction of the S Stock a few Hammersmith & City line trains even travel to Upminster. This is very rare. The through trains from Hammersmith to New Cross / New Cross Gate on the East London line are now but a distant memory.

The route from midway between Bow Road and Bromley-by-Bow stations to Upminster has four (or more) tracks, the other pair of tracks are used by C2C services between Fenchurch Street and the coastal town of Southend-On-Sea. Further information can be found in the Shared Service Routes section below.

Jubilee line trains use a GoA 2 (Grade of Automation level 2) semi-automatic train control system (STO) whereby the trains travel automatically from station to station but a human train driver is always present at the front of the train, with duties that include door closing and initiating station departure.

Open air Stanmore - Finchley Road and Canning Town - Stratford.
The rest is underground.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

Jubilee line Part 1: The section from Stanmore to Wembley Park opened in 1932, originally as part of the Metropolitan Railway.

Between Wembley Park and Finchley Road the route is shared with the Metropolitan Line and Chiltern Railways services from Marylebone station; there is more information about this in the shared service section below.

Jubilee line Part 2: The section between Finchley Road and Baker Street opened in 1939. This was built because the existing Metropolitan Railway route between these two stations could not cope with the number of trains using it and a solution was found in building a new route for small-profile tube trains from Finchley Road to reach the Bakerloo line at Baker Street, and then use the Bakerloo line to replace Metropolitan line trains to Stanmore.

St Johns Wood station is especially feted for its architecture and the distinctive 1930's 'uplighter' lights in the escalator shaft. A short walk from this station is Abbey Road, where there is a famous (music) recording studio and zebra crossing as used by the Beatles pop group on the cover of one of their records.

Jubilee line Part 3: As part of a plan to build a new Underground line to south-east London and improve the service on the Bakerloo line a new section of railway was built on a new alignment from Baker Street to Charing Cross via Bond Street and Green Park stations. This opened in 1979 and became known as the Jubilee line. At the same time the new service took over the Bakerloo line route between Baker Street and Stanmore. The tunnels actually extend from Charing Cross towards Aldwych, which was planned to be the next station.

Jubilee line Part 4: The Jubilee line route between Green Park and Stratford opened in 1999 and is known as the Jubilee Line Extension (JLE). Because it was decided that this extension should follow a route via Waterloo station and the south of the River Thames (instead of the previously planned route via Charing Cross and Aldwych stations) the Jubilee line platforms at Charing Cross are no longer used. However trains still sometimes travel to Charing Cross station, albeit only to reverse direction of travel when there is disruption to the service. Passengers are not allowed to travel on these trains. The closed platforms are also often used as 'London' locations by the film (movie) industry, eg: James Bond.

The subterranean JLE stations (Westminster - North Greenwich) have full-height platform edge doors so photographing trains is 'not easy'. However many of these stations have been feted for their architectural merit, especially Westminster, Southwark, Bermondsey and North Greenwich.

Westminster station has won many awards for its architecture and therefore is also of interest to many people who have no interest in trains. However in many ways it probably would have been better had this station not won these awards, because whilst the station staff will happily use their extensive CCTV surveillance cameras to watch over every part of the station (from their control room) they very much dislike passengers using their cameras to take photographs at this station.

The Jubilee line part of Westminster station includes a large box-shaped hole that was dug out of the ground in which there are many sets of escalators between the different levels. The Jubilee line platforms are stacked one on top of the other, plus there are different escalators for people entering / leaving the station and people changing trains between the Jubilee and District / Circle lines. The flying buttresses, grey concrete walls and tap-tap sounds echoing off the walls as people walk on the metal footplate flooring creates the impression of what being in a space station could be like.

The main exit at Canary Wharf station has a bank of five escalators (which lead to an open-air piazza) plus several side exits which lead into an underground shopping and restaurant city. Built in reclaimed docklands the Canary Wharf area has become London's second financial district and everything is very modern. The shopping centre is open every day, and there are free toilets / washrooms / restrooms. The area above the station has been transformed into a very pleasant small city park with seats and water features.

The station nearest to the Millennium Dome (which nowadays is known as the O2) is North Greenwich. This is also a very busy interchange station with many bus routes that extend to many destinations in south-east London.

North Greenwich station has three platforms. This is because it was meant to be a junction from where a new section of railway would be built to a remote residential area in south-east London that does not have any railway stations (Thamesmead). However it is now unlikely that this extension will be built. This is mainly because the route to Stratford is now so busy that to divert trains away from Stratford station (to Thamesmead) would leave the Stratford route severely overcrowded. Instead the Elizabeth line (Crossrail line 1) station at Abbey Wood serves Thamesmead (via feeder buses).

Between Canning Town and Stratford the route is shared with Docklands Light Railway trains. The DLR is on the eastern side of the Jubilee line. On the western side there is a large depot (between West Ham and Stratford). There is more information about this in the shared service section below.

At busy times trains often queue to enter Stratford. This could be because the train service is so frequent that this station needs more Jubilee line platforms.

The Jubilee line is also seen (at West Ham and Stratford stations) further down this page in the busier stations in zones 1-4 section of this page below.

Metropolitan Line

In central London the Metropolitan line has been converted to a GoA 2 (Grade of Automation level 2) semi-automatic train control system (STO) whereby the trains travel automatically from station to station but a human train driver is always present at the front of the train, with duties that include door closing and initiating station departure. In north London the trains are still driven in the traditional way by a real human train driver.

Map modified by me, original source & license: Ed g2s / Wikipedia encyclopædia CC BY-SA 3.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metropolitan_Line.svg

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

In tunnel from Aldgate to Baker Street, except for Aldgate, Liverpool Street (part only), Farringdon and Barbican stations. The tunnels between Kings Cross and Barbican stations include some short open air sections which date from the days of steam trains when ventilation openings were needed to allow the smoke to clear.

At Baker Street Metropolitan line trains use platforms 1-4 which are partly in the open. Baker Street - Finchley Road is mostly in tunnel but with some short open air sections. Finchley Road station is above ground and the rest of the line all the way to Amersham, Watford and Uxbridge is above ground - except for a short tunnel on what is known as the North Curve, which is the direct route between Croxley and Rickmansworth. However this section of track is not normally used by passenger trains.

Information for people who are happy to travel on trains which are above ground but experience claustrophobia when in tunnels.

The Metropolitan line has a mix of single track and twin track tunnels:

* Between Baker Street and Aldgate stations most of the tunnels are wide enough for two tracks - one train in each direction.
However, at Kings Cross St Pancras station and for short distances either side of the station the tunnels are single track.

*Between Baker Street and Finchley Road stations the route mostly comprises single track tunnels although there are a few places which have either twin track tunnels or are in open air.

The full route of the historic Metropolitan Railway as it was when it first opened in 1863 is now served by the Hammersmith & City line and looked at in the Hammersmith & City line section of this page.

In Central London the historic Metropolitan Railway also built the routes Edgware Road - South Kensington (via High Street Kensington) and Moorgate - Aldgate - (Tower Hill). These sections of railway were built for what was originally called the Inner Circle* and are mostly looked at on the Circle line section of this page.

*In the steam train era London had four 'Circle' lines, although only one of them actually formed a complete circle around London.

The route north of Baker Street is mostly shared with other services and is looked at in greater detail in the Shared Service Routes section.

The information below only explores the Metropolitan line as it is today, and only briefly because the majority of the line is a long way out from Central London in fares zones 4 - 9.

Baker Street - Finchley Road has four tracks (two Metropolitan line, two Jubilee line), but as everything is in tunnels this can not be seen.

When travelling through the Metropolitan line's tunnels between Baker Street and Finchley Road you may spot the remains of several stations. These stopped being used in 1939 when a new deep-level tube-train service (nowadays part of the Jubilee line) was opened. The original intention was to retain these stations for 'special occasions' (such as cricket at Lords) but in the event the onset of WW2 saw them being permanently closed.

Metropolitan line trains also used to call at stations between Finchley Road and Wembley Park, this too stopped (on a full-time daily basis) in 1939 when the tube trains took over the Stanmore service. However early morning / late evening Metropolitan line trains continued to call at all these intermediate stations until the Jubilee line was resignalled with a new computerised signalling system in circa 2010. Nowadays when Jubilee line services are disrupted Metropolitan line trains sometimes also call at Neasden and Willesden Green stations, this is possible because these two stations also have dedicated Metropolitan line platforms.

If travelling to stations beyond Harrow-On-The-Hill you can also travel on the diesel Chiltern Railways trains from London Marylebone station, changing en route if required. Make sure to catch a train travelling to Aylesbury via Amersham and that it calls at the station where you want to alight! Travelcard and PAYG tickets can be used on these trains - but only as far as Amersham.

Between Harrow-On-The-Hill and Amersham the Chiltern and (some) Metropolitan trains use the same tracks and operate a joint service. Chiltern Railway trains typically include toilets, seats with tables and even laptop power sockets.

Be aware that these stations are a long way away - even with 'fast' trains Amersham and Chesham are about an hour (60 minutes) from Central London (Aldgate). Getting to Chesham used to require a change of train at Chalfont & Latimer, but since 2010 almost all trains travel through to Baker Street (although it is usually faster to catch a Chiltern Railways train from Marylebone and change at Chalfont & Latimer). Chesham is a nice small town with a pedestrianised shopping street a few minutes walk from the station and the rural countryside scenery out the train's window is very pleasant.

Fares Information
If you are travelling to any station beyond Moor Park note that these places are outside zone 6 so if you have a Travelcard ticket it needs to be valid for zone 7 - and depending on your ultimate destination possibly also zones 8 and 9.

Because the cost of paper one-day Travelcards for these zones is ‘very expensive’ it is usually much cheaper to pay fares using ‘Oyster or contactless PAYG’. Unfortunately this means that you will be subject to journey time limits, so you should not spend too long at stations watching trains. One possible alternative solution is to use PAYG in one direction and buy a 'paper' single ticket in the other direction. Single journey paper tickets are also not cheap - but they do not have journey time limits. Of course you must only travel in the correct direction (ie: no backtracking) and should not break your journey to leave the station.

If you do wish to make short journeys and leave the stations then paying individual fares for each journey using PAYG will be the most cost effective solution - and you might even reach the daily fares cap, which will mean that the rest of your travel that day will be 'free'. Note that on Monday - Friday journeys which start between 4pm and 7pm (16:00 and 19:00) are more expensive, although this will not matter if you reach the daily fares cap.

It is also worth remembering that if you have a BritRail pass, Eurail pass or an All Line Rover then these can be used at any station that is served by Chiltern Railways trains. With these tickets it is best to only travel on Chiltern Railways diesel trains, as they may not be valid on Underground trains.

As these stations are outside of London very few buses will accept Oyster cards and the bus fares might be higher.

Places where I sometimes go to watch trains on this route include the car park next to the northbound platform at Chorleywood and the road bridges near this station. If using Oyster PAYG as a ticketing solution then remember to 'touch-out' on the card reader before leaving the station - the exit to the car park has a card reader for this very purpose. If it does not register your exit then visit the ticket office and seek help.

I also like to go to Rickmansworth, the shopping street is near the station (turn right out of the station and walk though the road / pedestrian underpass below the railway) and I sometimes watch trains from the top floor of the car park at the Waitrose food store (keep walking past the underpass). The photograph (below-right) was taken from a footbridge to the south of the station - although there are railings I found a small gap which made this view possible.

The route to Uxbridge has a mix of stations, Ruislip is an older Victorian-era station whilst Hillingdon is modern with lots of glass - and peeling paint. Rayners Lane and Uxbridge are 1930’s ‘Art Deco’. Services are shared with the Piccadilly line but note that the journey (from Kings Cross station) to Uxbridge takes about 20 minutes longer on the Piccadilly line.

Chiltern Railways trains can be used as part of a journey, just for the ride experience, eg: for a trip to the large town at Uxbridge. Of course you will need to change trains at Harrow-on-The-Hill and complete the journey by Metropolitan line train.

You will also need to change trains at Harrow-on-The-Hill if going to Watford, as trains operated by Chiltern Railways no longer call at Moor Park. Also, the Metropolitan line station at Watford is not near the town centre - when this line was built Watford station was designed as a through station and the Metropolitan Railway bought a building in the town centre to use as a terminus station but the extension to the town centre was never built.

S stock 7+1 trains were ordered as extras for a planned extension to Watford Junction that was cancelled because of a lack of finance. These only have inwards-facing longitudinal seats.

Preserved Historic Metropolitan Railway / Line Train

This page (on this website) looks at some surviving historic Metropolitan Railway trains, including the preserved Vintage (1898 and 1900) passenger carriages which were used on the Chesham shuttle service until replaced in the early 1960's. http://citytransport.info/Vintage.htm

A four carriage train of these carriages was preserved in the 1960's by the Bluebell Railway and sometimes carry's passengers. The Bluebell Railway is easy to reach by train at East Grinstead station. The Bluebell Railway website:   http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/

Another of these carriages has been preserved at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden and one of the compartments (ie: seating areas) has its door open so that visitors can enter and sit in it. The London Transport Museum is very easy to find in the historic leisure-themed Covent Garden area.

Northern line trains use a GoA 2 (Grade of Automation level 2) semi-automatic train control system (STO) whereby the trains travel automatically from station to station but a human train driver is always present at the front of the train, with duties that include door closing and initiating station departure. To ensure that train drivers retain their train driving licences they sometimes still drive the trains manually.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

Entirely underground from just outside Morden to just before Golders Green / East Finchley.

The sections from East Finchley to Mill Hill East / High Barnet and Golders Green to Edgware are in the open air. There is a short tunnel between Hendon Central and Colindale.

The Northern Line was given this name in 1937 when expansion plans included its trains taking over three Northern Heights railway routes in north London. Before this renaming it was known as the Morden - Edgware line.

At 17 miles 528 yards (27.841km) in length, for many years the section from East Finchley to Morden via Bank formed the longest continuous passenger railway tunnel anywhere on Earth.

Central London:

Charing Cross Branch: Some southbound trains which travel on the Charing Cross branch end their journeys at Battersea Power Station, whilst other trains only travel as far as Kennington - where passengers have a ‘same level’ interchange with southbound trains from the Bank branch. Very few Charing Cross branch trains go to Morden - instead passengers must change trains at Kennington.

Several stations have been nicely refurbished, especially the platforms. Only some stations still retain their original ruby red brick station buildings.

Bank Branch: For part of the route the trains travel on the right but because the line is deep underground this is only seen at stations (Bank, London Bridge, Borough).

When built the stations at Angel and Euston (Bank branch) both featured very narrow island platforms serving both tracks but nowadays the stations have been rebuilt and the trains have separate platforms. It is possible to tell which is the original platform because the former trackbed was filled in, making the old platform extra wide.

In February 2023 a seven year upgrade at Bank station was completed. This project included building two new station entrances, installing lifts to make the Northern line step-free between the street and the platforms, improving access to the DLR and Waterloo & City lines, digging (by hand!) a new southbound platform for Northern line trains, tunnelling a short diversion for the trains to reach the new platform, converting the old southbound platform to become an interchange passageway, tunnelling brand new passageways to make interchange easier between the Northern line and the DLR and also between the Northern line and the Central line... and more!

Many new escalators have been installed and two moving walkways help shorten the time it takes to walk between the Northern and Central lines.

Normally works of this scope would include closing many of the older interchange (etc) passageways, but at this station an advantage has been seen in keeping everything open - effectively giving passengers a choice of walking route and creating resileance if one route becomes temporarily blocked, eg: a passenger is taken ill. This means that the older interchange with the Central line which includes two spiral staircases (one for passengers walking in each direction) is still open.

The new works introduced a different colour scheme to the station ('bathroom' blue and white) instead of following the existing marble effect grey and white. In addition, the new platform does not include the tiled griffin design on its walls. As the images show, this creates a somewhat disjointed visual effect.

South London:

The route between Stockwell and the now closed station at King William Street was London's first deep-level tube railway. Built by the City and South London Railway (C&SLR) it opened in 1890. Although it has now has more platforms much of Kennington station is still as it was built by the C&SLR. The old route to King William Street branched off the existing route between Borough and London Bridge stations.

Clapham North and Clapham Common stations still retain their very narrow island platforms between the tracks.

The stations Clapham South - Morden date from the 1920's and are of architectural merit. The street-level structures are of white Portland stone with tall double-height ticket halls, with the London Underground roundel made up in coloured glass panels in large glazed screens.

Clapham North Underground and Clapham High Street Overground stations are designated interchange stations. Passengers who wish to change trains here and are paying their fares in PAYG (pay as you go) mode can take advantage of the 'out of station interchange' feature (OSI) to be charged one through fare for their journey.

The stations Clapham South - Morden date from the 1920's and are of architectural merit. The street-level structures are of white Portland stone with tall double-height ticket halls and the London Underground roundel (formed of coloured glass panels) set in large glazed screens.

Battersea branch:

This short branch opened in September 2021 and comprises just two stations, both of which are underground.

It was built as an extension from the reversing loop used by Charing Cross branch trains which end their journeys at Kennington and therefore it can only be served by trains that travel through central London via Charing Cross.

Both stations were built to an ultra-modern design with double-height ceilings.

In 2025 a second station entrance was opened.

This was built as an integral part of the new residential area (several blocks of flats / apartments) that has been built around the former power station. This entrance is more convenient for visiting the shopping centre that has been built within the former (now disused) power station.

The second entrance to Battersea Power Station station is in a pedestrian street named Electric Boulevard. In addition to helping people locate the Underground station's entrance the Totem Pole also contains an overall map of the Battersea Power Station development.				The new entrance is located at the opposite end of the ticket hall and the street access comprises two escalators with a fixed stairway between them and an accessible lift. Access to the trains is on the left.

North London:

Camden Town station (which opened in 1907) is very close to the famous Camden Market and on Sunday afternoons the station is so busy that to avoid overcrowding both escalators are used in the ‘up’ direction. Therefore it is restricted to interchange and exit only; passengers wanting to enter must use a different station nearby. This is also a junction station and trains from either of the two central London branches can travel to / from either of the two north London branches.

About 7 - 10 minutes walk from Camden Town Underground station is Camden Road London Overground (North London Line) station. Passengers paying fares using PAYG are allowed to leave one of these stations and walk to the other one and then continue their journey at no extra cost. I often interchange between trains here! There is a generous time limit for the walk between the two stations to be completed, so people who walk slowly should not worry, but this time limit does not allow for going shopping in the market.

Edgware branch: Hampstead station is the deepest on the Underground and has high speed lifts. Golders Green has 3 tracks and 5 platforms (although one is no longer used). The centre track is used by trains which terminate here. There is also a large depot here. Directly in front of the Underground station is a busy bus station which is served by many buses from the local area as well as National Express coaches from many towns and cities around the British Isles.

The Edgware branch was built in the 1920's when the area was green fields. Whilst there is nothing ‘bad’ about it, it could be said that the High Barnet branch is more interesting.

High Barnet branch: The section between Camden Town and Archway dates from 1907. Originally Archway station was called Highgate but because the line's 1939 extension to East Finchley included serving another station also called Highgate the tube station was renamed.

Many stations Finchley Central - High Barnet / Mill Hill East are amongst the oldest stations on the London Underground. Many date from 1867/72 - Underground trains only started using this line in 1940. This was as part of a wide area railway electrification scheme involving several railway routes in north London which went disastrously wrong and has left a lot of people without any railway service at all.

Some stations on this branch have platforms which are longer than usual; this is because until WW2 there were experiments (on the Edgware and Charing Cross branches) with 9 car (carriage / coach) trains and the platforms at new and rebuilt stations were designed for the longer trains. Highgate is the best station to see this. Nowadays all trains have just 7 cars.

Highgate station is in a deep cutting and there is an extra up escalator which takes arriving passengers higher up the hill. Nowadays trains only use the low level platforms - the high level platforms are in the open air above the ticket hall. It is sometimes possible to glimpse them from the street, although vegetation makes this quite difficult.

Further reading (with many photographs):-
http://underground-history.co.uk/northernh.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anHLOwH2HWU
http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/Northern_Heights_1.html

A station noted for its distinctive 1930‘s architecture is East Finchley. Despite having 4 platforms most trains only use the outer two. The middle tracks lead to a depot and the now disused above-ground route to Finsbury Park via Highgate (high level) station. The main station building includes a glass wall which at one time featured two railway logos - the lower logo (for the UndergrounD) is still extant whilst the former LNER [London & North Eastern Railway] ‘fisheye’ symbol above that has now been replaced with plain glass. LNER steam trains were withdrawn in 1941, as part of the wartime effort to save coal. Whilst here also look out for the ‘archer’ statue at the London end of the platforms towards Highgate.

Finchley Central station dates from 1867, making it one of the oldest stations on the Underground. It was built by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway (EH&LR), although by the time it opened the EH&LR had been taken over by the Great Northern Railway (GNR). The station was on a line that ran from Finsbury Park to Edgware via Highgate and Mill Hill. The Northern Heights plan for electric tube trains to take over this route in the early 1940's included the building of a modern Art Deco station with four platforms, but in the event this did not happen.

From Finchley Central the single track railway crosses the multi-arched Dollis Brook Viaduct which offers pleasant views over north London. Mill Hill East only has one platform and also dates from 1867. Tube trains started travelling here in 1941 to serve a nearby military barracks and the plan to convert the line to twin tracks was delayed until after the war. Because (nowadays) this line only consists of one station the train service is not very frequent. Sometimes trains only travel between here and Finchley Central, where passengers travelling to / from Central London must change to / from High Barnet trains.

The branch line from Finchley Central to High Barnet opened in 1872 and the stations^§ still retain much of their original Victorian architectural character. Woodside Park is at the centre of a residential area and in accordance with the desires of local residents there are no retail stores around it. High Barnet is in zone 5; because of local geography access to the town of Barnet is via a steep pathway up Barnet Hill.

^§(The LNER opened West Finchley in 1933 using various fixtures and fittings taken from other stations around Eastern England. This remains one of London's quieter stations).

Below ground just south of Drayton Park - Moorgate.
Above ground the rest of the route.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

This is London‘s first deep level ‘tube’ line to be built for large profile trains. The southern terminus is at Moorgate (platforms 9 & 10) from where trains travel deep underground as far as Drayton Park, which is in an open air cutting and where the remains of a former depôt can be seen next to the northbound track.

Between Moorgate and Drayton Park the trains are powered via an electrified third rail; at Drayton Park they switch between third rail and overhead wire power supply systems and north of here they operate as ordinary surface suburban trains providing ‘all stations’ services along the East Coast Main Line - which is the route used by trains from London‘s Kings Cross station heading to faraway cities such as York, Leeds, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Between 1939 and 1975 this route used London Transport's small profile tube trains. Nowadays this line is not usually shown on UndergrounD maps but being an underground railway in London it simply had to be included in this guide.

Present-day services are provided by Seimens Desiro City Class 717 trains as part of the ‘Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern’ (TSGN) main line railway franchise. These trains are six carriage variants of the fully walk-through air-conditioned Seimens Desiro City Class 700 trains used on the Thameslink service.

However there are a few small differences; these include the 717's having power sockets under the seats and the train ends also including some folding steps. This is a legal requirement to make it is possible for an emergency evacuation of the train via the train ends when travelling through the single track tube tunnels. Also the 717's do not have toilets.

Why Larger Tunnels?

The reason why the Northern City line has larger tunnels than London's other deep level tube lines* is because when it was built (in 1904 by The Great Northern & City Railway [GN&CR]) the aim was to allow trains from the Great Northern Railway (GNR) to reach the City area of London (ie: the Financial District). However the GNR did not favour this so the GN&CR remained physically isolated.

Over the years there were many proposals to extend this line, both to the north and the south, however whilst this was achieved in 1941 for trains which did not carry passengers it was the 1970's before this was achieved for passenger trains. Known as the Great Northern Electrics this is the present-day service.

Whilst an extension south (perhaps to create a north-south cross London service via London Bridge or another major south London station) would seem logical this is not possible. The reason is that to the south of Moorgate station the route is blocked by a Elizabeth Line (Crossrail Line 1) station tunnel and foundations from buildings in the Bank area.

Even if it was possible to extend this line further south another issue would be the very high cost of having to lengthen all the subterranean stations, so that the much longer trains used in south London could call at them.

*This comment applies to the era before the building of the Docklands Light Railway and Crossrail line 1 / Elizabeth line. Also, the London Overground East London / Windrush line tunnels below the River Thames between Wapping and Rotherhithe were originally build as foot tunnels for people and horse drawn carriages - and not trains!

Lothbury Station

The original plans for the GN&CR was for it to extend a short distance further south towards the very heart of London's Financial District with a station named Lothbury. Although work did begin on building this section of railway a lack of funds saw it soon being halted.

Had this station been built it would have created a situation that would have been unique in London. The new station was going to be located so near to Moorgate that a train travelling between Moorgate and Lothbury would have had its front entering one of the stations before its end had left the other station. In other words, the train would have been in both stations at the same time!

Digital Signalling Testbed

In the period 2023 - 2024 the Northern City line was used as a testbed for the first stage of the £1.4 billion government-funded East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) to introduce a new digital signalling technology known as European Train Control System (ETCS) on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between London and Grantham. For this trial the ETCS was installed between Moorgate and Finsbury Park.

The ECDP will see the first use of ETCS on a British trunk InterCity mainline and is planned to act as the foundation for future expansion of digital signalling across the network elsewhere in the UK. However it will not be the first use of ETCS in-cab signalling technology here in Great Britain as this is already being used on the central London section of the Thameslink service and on the Cambrian Line in Wales.

The ETCS removes the need for the train driver to follow fixed signals which typically are installed alongside or above the tracks. Instead there is continuous communication between train and track and drivers are continually fed a safe target speed to aim for on a computer screen in their cab. This is expected to create a more punctual and reliable service for passengers - the company which runs the NCL service (Govia Thameslink Railway) has claimed that using ETCS has seen an improvement in service reliability and that signalling-related infrastructure faults are significantly lower.

The first Northern City line trains in passenger service which were signalled using ETCS ran in November 2023. A year later and with all 250 train drivers having been trained to use the new system every service is now signalled digitally. The legacy colour light signalling is scheduled to be deactivated in 2025.

New Trains

Expected to start carrying Piccadilly line passengers in late 2026 is the new 2024 tube stock.
These trains represent a step-change in the design of London's tube trains.
In addition to being fully walk-through internally, they will comprise a mix of longer and shorter carriages, with the shorter ones being supported by the longer carriages. This space below the shorter carriages will be sufficient for the trains to be fully air-conditioned and to store at least some of the heat created whilst underground so that it can be vented when the train next reaches an 'above-ground' location.

In the west of London in open air from just before Barons Court to Uxbridge / Hounslow Central, plus a short surface section near to Hatton Cross.

In the north of London in open air from Cockfosters to Arnos Grove, except for a short tunnelled section at Southgate station.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

Old maps will probably show a branch between Holborn and Aldwych, however this closed on 30th September 1994.

Many central London Piccadilly line stations are amongst the over 40 stations which were designed by the architect Henry Green and built in the first decade of the 20th century by the Underground Electric Railways Group (UERG).

The platform and passageway wall tiling at each of these stations followed a different colour scheme, so as to aid identification by regular passengers travelling in passing trains. This is demonstrated in the two images below which show Hyde Park Corner and Gloucester Road stations.

At some Henry Green stations the platforms (or even the entire station) have been refurbished in ways that give them a completely different identity.

To increase capacity at busy times most of the Henry Green stations have been rebuilt with escalators replacing their original lifts. This includes Knightsbridge, which in 1934 had its entrances replaced by two sets of escalators at (approximately) opposite ends of the station. At the same time its two entrances with lifts were closed.

However, as part of a plan to make the station fully accessible one of the original 1906 station buildings has been reopened and fitted with two new lifts in one of the lift shafts, plus a third brand new lift in a specially built lift shaft that by-passess a flight of stairs in the passageway between the platforms and the main lifts.

Knightsbridge is a busy station located in a very wealthy (and expensive!) part of London and close to some very exclusive shops - including the iconic Harrods and Harvey Nichols.

The Piccadilly line also includes many stations that were brand new (or date from the steam train era but were significantly rebuilt) in the 1930's which are of architectural interest. Mostly these are in the suburbs, in zones 3 - 6. Typically these have Art Deco styled buildings and follow a core theme of tall block-like ticket halls that rise above low horizontal structures which contain offices and retail shops. The brick walls of the ticket halls are often punctuated with panels of clerestory windows and capped with a flat concrete slab roof.

Sights in north London: The stations Manor House - Cockfosters date from the 1930's. Manor House and Cockfosters have street buildings which are modest in scale, being primarily more like bus shelters. The rest of the stations feature Art Deco station buildings which are either square, octagonal or circular and also (sometimes) have ventilation towers. Manor House and Turnpike Lane stations were built with extra passageways that linked with tram platforms located in the middle of the road, however as with the trams these no longer exist.

Northbound trains approaching Arnos Grove are sometimes delayed a short whilst queuing to enter the station, which features 3 tracks and 4 platforms.

Southgate station is famed for its circular shape and distinctive Tesla Coil on its roof. Because of the way the station‘s Art Deco features are illuminated during the hours of darkness this is said to be one of the most photogenic buildings on the London Transport network.

Born in 1856, Nikola Tesla was an electrical genius who invented many things including fluorescent lighting and the alternating current electrical system we use today. He designed his machines in his ‘minds eye’ in 3D and was even able to test them for weaknesses, zoom in on individual parts, and more - all without needing pens, paper, computers / 3D modelling softwares, etc. He was known to be developing a wireless energy transmission system which would have allowed everyone to source all the energy they need from a small box placed in an outhouse. It is assumed that this would have been similar (in theme) to a radio. However his main financier (J.P Morgan) had financial interests in copper mining and seeing the potential threat to his wealth posed by Tesla‘s wireless energy transmission system vowed to do all he could to stop Tesla. In addition, the electrical supply industry was alarmed by the inability of Tesla‘s planned system to levy charges for the energy used. In other words, the electricity would have been free! Tesla died in 1943 and everything he left behind was secreted away from the public domain by the US military. Information source: Prodigal Genius by John J. O'Neill;. Publishers include Granada and Neville Spearman Ltd. The 1980 Granada paperback edition has an ISBN number of 0 586 05000 0.

The rest of the route is in zones 5 & 6. There is a depot between Oakwood and Cockfosters.

Despite having very modest bus-shelter street buildings Cockfosters is a grand and very distinctive station with glass trainshed roofs and platform canopies that are supported by portal frames of narrow blade-like concrete columns and beams rising from the platforms and spanning across the tracks. There are three tracks, one of which has platforms on both sides - although the trains only open their doors on one side. The term concrete cathedral may sound unkind but it is not meant that way. Cockfosters is located at the outer edge of north London.

At the opposite end of the Piccadilly line (and at the outer edge of north-west London) is Uxbridge station. This features a near identical trainshed and platform arrangement but its main entrance is a pedestrian piazza and there is a proper bus station alongside it. These terminus stations are both located in zone 6.

Sights in west London: Piccadilly Line trains started travelling west of Hammersmith in the early 1930's and eventually took over what had been District Line services on the branches to Hounslow West and Rayners Lane / Uxbridge.

The section between Barons Court and Acton Town has four tracks and is shared with District Line trains; this is looked at on the Shared Service Routes page.

The four track section extends beyond Acton Town station as far as Northfields, but the track on the north (former eastbound District line track) is mostly used as a test track and therefore rarely carries passenger trains. However both westbound tracks are used by trains carrying passengers. There is a large depot just after Northfields, and since this is a surface route it can also be accessed by the subsurface / large profile Underground trains.

The station building at Boston Manor features a narrow fin-like tower with a leading edge that used to be illuminated at night and roundel which rises high above the low structure and helps identify the station‘s location from a distance. Opposite the station it is possible to enjoy an excellent view of Northfields depot.

From Acton Town the route towards Rayners Lane and Uxbridge is shared with District Line trains through Ealing Common station to where the District Line diverges towards Ealing Broadway. Between Acton Town and Ealing Common the trains pass a large District Line depot. Many of the stations on this route are also famed for their 1930‘s architecture, especially Sudbury Town. Between Sudbury Hill and Uxbridge the line is in zones 5 & 6. Trains sometimes queue to enter Rayners Lane, which is shared with the Metropolitan Line - despite being where two routes join and some Piccadilly line trains terminate this station only has two platforms and trains which reverse here sometimes delay other trains whilst station staff ensure that all passengers have alighted before the empty train enters a siding.

Alperton used to have an up escalator from the ticket hall to the eastbound platform (ie: the platform used by trains travelling towards Central London) but to save money when this needed replacing it was switched off and a wall was built around it instead. This way passengers do not see it - and do not complain that it cannot be used!

Park Royal station first opened as a temporary timber structure in 1931 - this Art Deco/Streamline Moderne style Grade ll listed building dates from 1936. It was designed by Welch & Lander in a style influenced by the Underground's principal architect Charles Holden. At street level the station building is attached to several curved three-floor retail and office buildings which were built in the same style. The platform used by London-bound trains still retains its original 1931 wooden pagoda waiting shelter.

Victoria line trains use a GoA 2 (Grade of Automation level 2) semi-automatic train control system (STO) whereby the trains travel automatically from station to station but a human train driver is always present at the front of the train, with duties that include door closing and initiating station departure.

Apart from the depot - where the public are not permitted - this line is entirely below ground.

This was London's first automated underground line and is now the first automated line ('urban metro') ever to be upgraded with a new fleet of trains and a new (different) automation system - whilst still in full passenger service.

The platform at Finsbury Park (above - left) is taller than usual because it was originally built for what nowadays is known as the Northern City line (Finsbury Park - Moorgate) which uses large profile trains. In 1964 the Northern City line service was cut back to Drayton Park as part of the Victoria line project with the platform seen here being reserved for Victoria line trains and the adjacent platform being reassigned to the Piccadilly line (which had its platforms next to these). This was done so that there could be an easy same level interchange between the Victoria and Piccadilly line trains with one pair of side-by-side platforms being dedicated to northbound trains and the other pair of platforms to southbound trains.

At the same time a new pair of deep level tube train platforms were built at Highbury & Islington so that the Victoria and Northern City line trains could benefit from the same type of same-level cross passage interchange based upon direction of travel. In an unusual act of forward thinking (for transport planning in London) the new Northern City line tunnels and platform were built for large profile trains.

In those days the Northern City line service was part of London Transport and used small profile tube trains. It was reassigned to British Rail in the 1970s so that their Great Northern Electrics trains could use this route instead of going to three other London terminus stations - Kings Cross, Broad Street and Moorgate subsurface via the City Widened lines which are alongside the Metropolitan & Circle lines between Farringdon and Moorgate.

Entirely underground.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

This line closed completely during the 2020 - 2022 virus pandemic. Although it has now reopened the service only operates Monday - Friday. It remains closed at weekends and on bank / public holidays.

It is best to avoid the rush hours - when the trains are very, very, busy.

The Waterloo and City line is unique in London in that it is not directly connected to any other railway tracks. The only way for trains to 'get in' (or out) is by crane through an access hatch in Spur Road, which is near the exit from Waterloo National Rail (main line) station next to platform 1 - cross the taxi road at the pedestrian traffic signals; pass through the opening in the wall; turn left and descend the steps / ramp along Spur Road and the crane & hatch will be on your left.

A link to a Google map showing this location can be found below
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=spur+road+waterloo+london&hl=en&ll=51.502332,-0.109756&spn=0.00561,0

The Waterloo & City line has a different history than most of London's tube lines in that it was built by an existing main line steam railway - the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR). The reason was that the L&SWR wanted to link its large terminus station at Waterloo with London's Financial District.

Over the years there have been suggestions that this line should be extended so that it becomes more than a simple two station shuttle, and that an intermediate station should be built where it passes below Blackfriars station.. However none of this is likely to happen. This line is so busy in the rush hours (and the trains are so crowded) that there is a very good case for leaving it exactly as it is.

Two changes which could yet come to pass are:

1) A small platform extension at Bank station to make it possible to use longer five carriage trains. This would be to help ease severe rush hour overcrowding. The platforms at Waterloo can already accept longer trains.

2) Conversion to have London's first fully automated driverless / unstaffed passenger trains - such systems already operate in many overseas cities very successfully and as this line only has two stations it has sometimes been suggested that it could act as a present-era demonstration system for similar train operations elsewhere on the London Underground.

Both of these ideas will probably be realised when the trains are replaced, as part of a route upgrade project.

For those who have heard of the terminologies, what is being proposed here conforms to the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) classification grade of automation 4 (GoA 4) and unattended train operation (UTO).

The use of unstaffed trains in London has historical precedents. The former Post Office railway used unstaffed trains but these only carried mail - and not passengers. In the 1970's unattended train operation was tested on the Hainault - Woodford section of the Central line, albeit not in public service. This project was called FACT - Fully Automatic Control of Trains. It is understood to have concluded in 1978 - due to a lack of finance.

Two fully unstaffed automated passenger transport 'people-mover' systems are already being used in London - at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. One is 'airside' so only accessible to arriving and departing passengers. This uses Bombardier Innovia APM 200 vehicles. The technology is already well-proven as for many decades Gatwick and Stansted airports have also used similar fully automated airport transit systems, albeit with earlier generations of rolling stock. Although rubber-tyred these are still trains which (in some cases) call at multiple stations. Especially in France some of the automated unstaffed urban metro systems use rubber tyred trains.

The other automated service at Heathrow Terminal 5 links the terminal (and a hotel) with the car park and uses small battery powered pod cars designed for just four passengers plus their luggage. This is a road-based PRT (personal rapid transit ./ transport) system called ULTRA ('urban light transit') which was developed by the British engineering company Ultra Global PRT (formerly Advanced Transport Systems).
Read More - the links open in new windows .
https://clondoner92.blogspot.com/2016/11/ultra-heathrow-pods-prt-we-need-them.html
https://www.ultraglobalprt.com/

Local Light Railways

London also has two rail networks which provide local transport within relatively small parts of the greater London area. In virtually any other British town these networks would be large enough to form excellent cores serving large parts of the entire conurbation; its only because London is so big that they seem so 'small'.

Many people who live in regional towns outside of London look upon London's transports with envy, wishing that similar investments could be made in their home areas as well. For lower capacity routes trolleybuses (which share the same clean air attributes) would also provide a discernable 'step change' improvement on diesel buses. The core issue here is that the Treasury wants people driving cars so that it can receive high levels of income from the taxes imposed on motoring fuels.

The Docklands Light Railway

B23 Trains: Since its inception all DLR trains comprised 'two section' articulated train units which when coupled together leave some wasted space at the internal train ends. However this situation is changing - because a new fleet of trains has started replacing the trains which date from the 1990s. The new trains have five carriages and are approximately the same length as older triple-unit / six section trains and by being of a fully walk-through design offer an advertised 10% increase in passenger capacity.

Built by Spanish train builder CAF and part of their Inneo brand of trains, the B23's are fully air-conditioned and for the first time on the DLR include several designs of full colour information display screens - the wide format displays are for real-time passenger information and the upright format display are expected to be used for other information and perhaps even paid advertising. The trains also feature the 'more traditional' plain paper route maps above the passenger doors.

One bizarre quirk with the new rolling stock is that carriages 1, 3 and 5 have two sets of double passenger doors per side whilst carriages 2 and 4 have three sets of double passenger doors per side.

Two sets of doors per side mean that there is more 'wall space' available for more passenger seats. Three sets of doors allow for faster passenger alighting and boarding, which should mean shorter 'station stop' dwell times.

The first B23 train entered service (after a long delay) in September 2025. During the delay there was the discovery of a totally unexpected and unrelated automated train control signalling issue and even though it was realised to have been extant for many years (without ever compromising safety) the various authorities decided that until it is resolved the top speed of the existing trains should be reduced, journey times extended plus the cancellation of the peak-hour through service between Lewisham and Stratford.

Unfortunately, in early November 2025 a B23 train overshot a station whilst trying to stop, and then performed an emergency stop.. This was during a torrential rain storm which had made the rails very slippery. Following this it was decided that the B23 trains were to be temporarily withdrawn from service.
(Slipping on wet rails is a rare - but not unknown - issue with the other DLR trains and indeed other railways that use automated train control to 'drive' the trains).

Whilst most of the DLR system is elevated on modern or historic viaducts, some sections are at ground level and there are also some tunnels - in both single track 'tube train' and twin track configurations.

Information for people who are happy to travel on trains which are above ground but experience claustrophobia when in tunnels.

Not all sections of tunnel on the DLR are actually underground. Some of the tunnels are surface routes which have been been built over, for instance: just north of Stratford station.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

The DLR is unique amongst London's railways in that it uses an under-running third rail power supply system. The advantages of this system are twofold. It is much safer, as the sides and top can be covered - reducing the danger to railway staff who work in close proximity to the tracks. In snowy weather the underside is protected from the snowfall and therefore considerably less likely to be covered / blocked by snow or ice. This helps keep the service running in weather conditions which sometimes defeats London's other railways. London's other railways which use powered rails collect their power from the top surface, which is easily blocked by snow / ice, preventing the train collecting electrical power.

Unlike most tramways and light railways the DLR uses an under-running third rail system, as detailed below.
The snow in the image on the right makes it very easy to see third rail power collection shoes sticking out from the side of a train.

The DLR uses GoA 3 Driverless train operation (DTO), which includes there always being a human member of staff (a passenger service agent / PSA) on every train. In addition to closing train doors at stations and initiating station departure the duties of the PSA include checking that passengers have valid tickets and offering travel advice.

DLR stations are mostly modern with glass shelters, although exact architecture will vary depending on when they were built or rebuilt. One of the most modern stations is Langdon Park which is on the Canary Wharf - Stratford (platform No.4) route. This is on a north-south alignment and if you wish to photograph the station name this is best attempted in the morning.

When it first opened the DLR comprised three main branches which met at a triangular junction (called: Delta Junction) between Poplar, Westferry and West India Quay stations. This included newly built track on viaducts in the former docks area which (at that time) was being repurposed as London's second financial district (Crossharbour - Delta Junction) and former mainline railway routes. (Stratford - Poplar, Tower Gateway - Poplar and Crossharbour - Island Gardens).

Mostly the former mainline railway sections were first built over 100 ago and for various reasons had later closed, however part of the route between Tower Gateway and Limehouse had four tracks - all of which were still being used by passenger trains operated by British Railways - and the government forced them to give up two of the tracks along this section of railway so that DLR trains could use them.

The routes to Bank, Lewisham, Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal were built as brand-new extensions to the system, however whilst Stratford International - Canning Town was also an extension most of this route replaces a mainline / National Rail service that was closed specially so that it could become part of the DLR.

Abbey Road Station One of the album cover photographs of the famous music pop group called The Beatles shows them on a zebra (pedestrian) crossing close to the Abbey Road studios where they recorded some of their songs. Tourists wanting to visit this location should go to St John's Wood Jubilee line underground station - and NOT the DLR station called Abbey Road.

Transport enthusiasts need to be aware that the DLR has photography rules which differ from London's other railways (of all types). To the DLR anyone using cameras (still image / video) at the same station for more than 10 minutes is seen as "working" there. Even tourists taking a few photographs!

Normally when people are working on a railway they need to comply with a range of safety requirements which includes completing a risk assessment, having public liability insurance, signing in and out at the start and end of the work duties and possibly even undergoing safety-related training. Sometimes the railway operator would also wish to supply a member of staff to oversee the filming and help ensure safety. All these cost money!

The best advice which can be given here is to explore the system filming one train and catching the next (even if only to the next station)... which for some routes will be very easy as even on Sundays trains come every 10 minutes (or more frequently) whilst at stations served by multiple routes trains are even more frequent.

The DLR also prohibits filming during the Monday - Friday rush hours, when many stations are very busy. But they welcome visitors at quieter times - which means all day weekends plus Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm (10:00 - 16:00) and after 7.30pm (19:30).

Unfortunately, as on all railway systems there are some staff who make up their own rules and simply say "no".

Many tourists like to take the DLR out of Bank station, sitting at the front and watching where they are going. At an absolute minimum you should travel at least as far as Canary Wharf. This station has 3 tracks, but 6 platforms. Every train opens its doors on both sides! Canary Wharf is at the heart of London's Docklands financial district and there are also several indoor shopping malls which include food courts and free toilets / restrooms.

If you go to Crossharbour and walk alongside the railway northbound towards South Quay then you will pass a road junction (Marsh Wall South Quay and Limeharbour) where the elevated railway turns a sharp corner, and from the opposite side of the road it is possible to see (and photograph) both sides of the train simultaneously! Plus for added benefit you will see the train’s reflection in the glass wall building. This is easiest with triple-unit and B23 trains and at times of the year when the trees are not in leaf.

To increase system capacity and avoid delays whilst travelling over a flat crossing, trains from Bank going to Lewisham usually travel on a by-pass track which misses out West India Quay station; the ride is the nearest to a (low-speed) rollercoaster that public transport could ever offer, with the by-pass track threading its way over and then under existing lines.

Another popular destination is the historic Greenwich area; Greenwich station is a Victorian-era building dating from 1838 with 4 platforms and is also served by SouthEastern and Thameslink trains (from Cannon Street and London Bridge mainline / National Rail stations).

South of Greenwich the line is mostly elevated and twists and turns as it follows a river valley. Especially when looking out of the window on the left (travelling south) many historic wharfs and other light industrial sites can be seen, although some of these may be disused. The DLR station at Lewisham is next to the mainline / National Rail station; interchanging passengers paying fares using Oyster / smartcard PAYG will need to use the freestanding - card readers when leaving the DLR station plus the ticket gates when entering the mainline Lewisham station. Cbviously since you should have a valid ticket so this should not be a problem.

Having arrived at Lewisham, if you then catch a train (destination: Hayes) to Elmers End you can also sample the Tramlink system (PAYG users: it is important to use the Tramlink card readers on the platform at Elmers End before boarding the tram!) See the Tramlink page for further information. NB: Although I have always been happy to pass through the Lewisham stations, this is a high crime area where I would NOT be happy walking about the streets, especially not with cameras visible.

Over the years train services have varied slightly as the system has expanded; nowadays there are five primary routes, some of which overlap to provide multiple destinations from many stations.

Despite the many routes the DLR system does not have route names or numbers, which can sometimes be confusing.

1. Bank - Lewisham
2. Bank - Woolwich Arsenal (via London City Airport)
3. Tower Gateway - Beckton
4. Stratford - Bow Church - Canary Wharf.
5. Stratford International - Canning Town (via West Ham) - and then either to Woolwich Arsenal (via London City Airport) or Beckton.*

*Because of a shortage of trains the Beckton service has been temporarily cancelled - passengers wanting the Beckton branch are best advised to take the first train and change at Canning Town.

Even on Sundays the DLR operates frequent services - typically every 10 minutes, or less. But before travelling it is always wise to check whether weekend engineering works mean that some of the system is closed.

At Stratford and Canning Town stations different DLR services use different sets of platforms. This can be confusing!

Stratford:
Trains to Canary Wharf via Pudding Mill Lane use platforms 4a and 4b which are at the upper level at the western end of the station. Most signs in the station just refer to platform 4.

Trains to Stratford International use platform 16 and trains to Woolwich Arsenal use platform 17. These are at the lower level, near to the platforms for the Jubilee line.

The situation at Stratford is looked at in greater detail in the busier stations in zones 1-4 section of this page which looks at stations where there is a wider variety of trains to see.

Canning Town:
Trains on east-west DLR services to / from Bank or Tower Gateway stations call at platforms 3 & 4 (above the Jubilee line) whilst north-south DLR trains travelling to / from Stratford International station call at platforms 1 & 2 which are located at ground level between the Jubilee line and the bus station.

Choosing the correct platforms is easy for most destinations, except for trains to Woolwich Arsenal via London City Airport as these depart from both platforms 1 and 3. Trains to Beckton mostly also depart from platform 3 but when the shortage of trains has been resolved they will also depart from platform 1 (if they came from Stratford International) or platform 2 (if they reversed their direction of travel here).

Also note that the elevated platforms 3 & 4 (ie: above the Jubilee line) are very exposed and windswept - this means that passengers using these platforms will find them very cold in winter, and wet in rainy weather.

The situation at Canning Town is looked at in greater detail in the shared service routes section of this web page.

This section looks at the DLR network - starting with the system as it was when services began in 1987.

This is triangular shaped and located between Westferry, Poplar and West India Quay stations.

The original 1987 network only normally saw through trains between West India Quay and either Westferry or Poplar. Until the opening of the extension to Beckton the direct route between Westferry and Poplar was mostly used by trains not carrying passengers.

As the DLR expanded it was realised that there were too many conflicting moves in this area, so many by-pass tracks were built as this allowed some trains to avoid the Delta Junction. These by-pass tracks make it possible to prevent trains on one route from being delayed whilst waiting for trains on another route to pass by.

The area around the Delta Junction is the busiest part of the DLR system - it is served by trains in four different routes and and even at quieter times hardly more than a few minutes pass before the next train(s) arrive on the scene.

Trains Avoiding Conflicting Moves
The two views below show trains travelling from Poplar to Westferry using an underpass track to bypass the Delta Junction
and travel below a train travelling from Poplar to West India Quay.

With four tracks and two island platforms Poplar is one of the largest stations to be served solely by DLR trains.

The outer two platforms are served by trains travelling east-west between Bank / Tower Gateway and Woolwich Arsenal / Beckton.
The inner two platforms are served by trains on the north-south Stratford - Bow Church - Canary Wharf (- Lewisham) service.

This station is designed for easy cross-platform interchange. Maybe I've just been unlucky but I've never known a train to be held if another train is arriving at the other platform!

Bank / Tower Gateway:
Apart from the tunnels to Bank station the entire route between Bank / Tower Gateway stations and Limehouse station is alongside the tracks used by C2C electric multiple-unit trains from Fenchurch Street station, using an historic elevated viaduct that was built in 1840 by London and Blackwall Railway and widened to four tracks in 1893.

Tower Gateway station is a (short) walk from Tower Hill Underground and Fenchurch Street C2C railway stations. The station is distinctive because it has 2 platforms but just 1 track. To make life easier one platform is for arriving passengers and the other platform is for departing passengers. This is the only station in London which uses this system. The arrival platform is also a good photo-spot to watch trains on the nearby C2C service travelling to / from Fenchurch Street station. (It is not illegal to photograph the C2C trains but some DLR staff complain if they see you with a camera!)

Pasengers who wish to change trains between the DLR Shadwell station and London Overground Shadwell station and are paying their fares in PAYG (pay as you go) mode can take advantage of the 'out of station interchange' feature (OSI) to be charged one through fare for their journey.

A DLR train passes Limehouse Basin, which is very close to the River Thames.
This is a panoramic photograph as it is a better way to show this location. The train was moving at the time so is somewhat 'elongated'.

Stratford via Bow Church:
Most of the DLR's route between Stratford and Bow Church station is located alongside the mainline railway out of Liverpool Street station. Especially at busier times you have a good chance of seeing many types of mainline trains, including Greater Anglia Class 745 Stadler Flirt InterCity trains, Bombardier (now Alstom) Aventra Class 720 trains and Class 345 Elizabeth line (Crossrail line 1) trains.
At weekends and Bank Holidays you might also see trains operated by C2C - who use Class 357 Electrostar and Class 720 Aventra trains.

Apart from a passing loop at Pudding Mill Lane station this section of the DLR is bi-directional single track. At Stratford this DLR service a specially-built island platform. To make life easier for passengers all signage at Stratford station refers to this as platform No.4 although there are two tracks and these are actually numbered 4a and 4b.

The Docks:
This section of the DLR is on new-build elevated viaduct. It extends from West India Quay to Crossharbour stations, twisting and turning through the former docklands area on the River Thames peninsular known as The Isle Of Dogs.

Canary Wharf is the flagship DLR station and it has six platforms - the most of any station solely served by DLR trains. However ... it only has three tracks. This is possible because it uses what is called The Spanish Solution whereby all tracks have two platforms (one each side) and all trains open their doors on both sides. In terms of physical platforms there are four - two double-sided island platforms and two side platforms. If station platforms were counted the American way (based on tracks which pass through the station) then this station only has three platforms.

Crossharbour - Island Gardens re-uses the route of the 1870s Millwall extension of the London and Blackwall Railway. This included a single-track brich arch viaduct through Millwall Park plus an elevated twin-track terminus at Island Gardens. However the DLR's Lewisham extension required the DLR trains to pass below the River Thames via some deep-level tube-train tunnels and therefore Mudchute station was re-sited and the elevated Island Gardens station was replaced with a new underground station.

Whilst the disused brick arch viaduct remains extant the original Island Gardens station has been demolished and replaced with a non-railway building.

The Beckton Branch:

The first extension to the DLR was the Beckton route between Poplar and Beckton.

This passes through semi-derelict industrial and residential areas which are (v-e-r-y) slowly being regenerated.

Royal Victoria station is very close to the Emirates Airline Cable car station.

Custom House station was almost completely rebuilt as part of the construction of the Elizabeth line and by being next to the ExCel Exhibition centre it has become very busy. ExCel has many exhibition halls and the building is so long that it extends all the way to Prince Regent station - which is usually less crowded than Custom House.

Close to the ExCel Exhibition Centre is a sculpture by Les Johnson / Bronze Age Foundry in tribute to the communities of the Royal Docks and the men who worked there between 1885 and 1983. Built in 2009, the sculpture was funded by a charitable appeal supported by the Royal Docks (London) Trust who have a webpage at this link http://www.royaldockstrust.org.uk/ . The sculpture can be a challenge to photograph, especially on sunny days when shadows and the direction of the sun can get in the way.

One very unusual (for the UK) feature of the Beckton branch is that part of it was built as a combined road and rail project. This was only possible because it was built by a government-sponsored development agency which had been made exempt from the governments' usual financial criteria for railway investment. These financial criteria were so onerous (in other words heavily biased against rail-bourne public transport investment) that it was usually impossible to build road and rail (or road and light rail / tramway) as one financial package.

This was despite it often being financially advantageous to build road and rail as one financial package.

Beckton Park and Cyprus stations are located below traffic roundabouts but the section of railway between them is in the median of a dual carriageway.

After the tunnels below roads the DLR rises to an elevated viaduct that partially encircles a busy traffic roundabout .... after the elevated Gallions Reach station the line ends at a twin track / island platform terminus at Beckton. This is close to a large food etc., supermarket and regional bus station.

The Lewisham Branch:

The Greenwich foot tunnel is near to Island Gardens and Cutty Sark DLR stations. This marvel of Victorian engineering was built so that people who live in this part of south London could reach jobs in the docklands area without having to use the expensive and unreliable ferry boat. It opened in 1902 and is free to use.

The southern entrance is very close to the Cutty Sark historic visitor attraction (a preserved 1869 tea clipper / ship) and also near to the historic centre of Maritime Greenwich, the Greenwich Observatory and more.

On hot summer days what is said to be a 10 minute walk through the tunnel offers a cool refuge from the ferocious summer sun - and in the winter a dry milder refuge from the often windswept bitter cold.

Note: During the time of this page update (November 2025) Cutty Sark DLR station is closed whilst new escalators are installed, passengers coming here will have to choose between using Island Gardens or Greenwich stations - and walking the rest of the way - or catching a waterbus to the nearby Greenwich Pier!

More information about the Greenwich Foot Tunnel can be found at these links:
http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/directory_record/2013/greenwich_foot_tunnel .
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d1821177-Reviews-Greenwich_Foot_Tunnel-London_England.html .

The DLR's tunnels end just at the northern end of the historic Greenwich station. This is one of London's oldest railway stations - it opened in 1834!

Greenwich station originally had four tracks - the two outside tracks were alongside platforms and two centre tracks which did not have platforms. The centre tracks ended up disused and were later removed, and for the coming of the DLR the station was reconfigured to create platform space for DLR trains within the existing station envelope.

The Woolwich Arsenal Branch:

The route to Woolwich Arsenal passes below the Emirates Airline Cable car and includes a station for London City Airport.

Between Canning Town and West Silvertown stations the line is mostly at grade. Then the line switches to elevated viaducts and passes through semi-derelict industrial and residential areas which are very slowly being regenerated. Between London City Airport and King George V stations the line returns to being at grade. Most of the route between King George V and Woolwich Arsenal station scomprises two single-track 'tube-train' style tunnels below the River Thames.

Although serving different parts of the Docklands, for part of the way the Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal two branches are within eyesight of each other so that it is possible to see and photograph 'trains in the distance'.

The Thames Barrier Park is free to enter. Its facilities include: the unique sunken garden seen in the image above-right, pleasant lawned areas to sit on, a childrens' playground, a small café and free toilets - which are very cramped and perhaps more suited to smaller people! NB: because of vandalism the toilets are only open when the café is open.

More information about the Thames Barrier Park can be found at these links: (the first link also includes a second foot tunnel in Woolwich)
http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/thames_barrier_park .
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d1826194-Reviews-Thames_Barrier_Park-London_England.html .

Note that on the other (south) side of the River Thames there is also a Thames Barrier visitor centre, however this is only open 4 days a week, charges an entry fee and is in an industrial area that is a walk or bus ride from a railway station.
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/thames-barrier-information-centre .

The platforms at Woolwich Arsenal station are just below ground level. The station building is almost next to a main line station with the same name and there is a direct connection between the two rail system within the same 'fares paid' area. A few minutes walk away is the Elizabeth line Woolwich station.

More information and photographs about the Stratford International branch can be found in the shared service routes section of this web page - this also includes a separate dedicated feature about Canning Town station ...
West Ham and Stratford stations are also looked at in greater detail in the section of this page which looks at busier stations in zones 1-4 where there is a wider variety of trains to see.

Will there be more DLR extensions??
More extensions have often been talked about but until funds have been allocated and work actually commences what can be seen as mere proposals are meaningless.
It is likely however that the DLR will be extended from the Beckton area to a new station in Thamesmead, which is a relatively modern residential area on the southern side of the River Thames. Thamesmead should have had a rail connection when it was built but this did not happen and this has seriously disadvantaged local residents.

Centred on the large suburban town of Croydon, London's first Tramlink system travels through the streets in the town centre and then splits into several branches - all of which are 'off street' / on private rights of way and include sections of new-build tramway and former railway line. In Croydon town centre much of the track is in the form of a uni-directional loop which trams follow in a clockwise direction.

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

Getting To Croydon:
The fastest trains from Central London to Croydon travel to East Croydon station from (depending on route) London Victoria station (via Clapham Junction) or Farringdon station (via London Bridge / Blackfriars stations). Typically southbound trains will be heading for the south coast (Brighton, Eastbourne, Southampton, etc) or Horsham and also calling at Gatwick Airport. Slower ('all stations') trains also exist, although some of these go to West Croydon station - this category includes the East London / Windrush line Overground trains that travel via Whitechapel and New Cross Gate.

Other routes to Croydon are via the tram / train interchange stations in south London. Mitcham Junction can be reached on (some) Thameslink trains from Farringdon; Beckenham Junction can be reached by (some) trains from London Victoria station, Elmers End can be reached by (some) trains from Charing Cross and Cannon Street stations, or by travelling on the Docklands Light Railway to Lewisham station and catching a train going to Hayes. Wimbledon can be reached by trains from London Waterloo and Clapham Junction stations plus the London Underground District line.

For tourists a route which allows combining many different types of train in one day would be to take the DLR to Lewisham, a SouthEastern train (destination: Hayes) as far as Elmers End and then the tram. (If you are paying fares using in 'PAYG' mode remember to 'touch-in' at the tram card reader on the tram platform; this will automatically end your railway journey and charge you a tram fare. It is important that you use the correct Oyster card reader - as otherwise you will be travelling on the tram without having paid a fare).

To return to Central London travel on the tram to Wimbledon, where there is a wide choice of frequent trains back to Central London. (When changing from tram to train remember to 'touch-in' on a train Oyster card reader on platforms 1 - 4 or 9 before boarding the train; this applies to all trains from all railway operators).

Despite what the transport officials may say, life really is simpler with a paper 'One Day' Travelcard, as then you do not need to worry about touching in / out, failed card reads and the risk of being overcharged.

Ticketing options are also explored further down this page.

The street tramway part of the system starts on the Croydon side of Sandilands tram stop and extends over the full town centre loop plus a small distance on the Wimbledon route as far as the bridge (called Wandle Flyover) over the railway.

Part of the route between Sandilands and East Croydon tram stops is a local transport only corridor used by trams, buses and other local traffic. The street is called Addiscombe Road and this includes Lebanon Road tram stop.

The town centre loop is single track and mostly restricted to either to 'trams only' or trams and vehicles which need to deliver goods to local shops. Some of the loop is also pedestrianised. At some tram stops (eg: Wellesley Road) the passenger waiting area is also the public footpath which is used by pedestrians who are not travelling on the trams.

To avoid confusing other road users Tramlink uses the British standard 'white dot' signals.

At some locations only four lamps illuminate for the 'stop' function. The central lamp is used to advise the tram driver that the traffic signal control unit has noted the presence of the tram and has (or is about to) initiate a sequence for it.

Away from Croydon Town centre there are three branches (one of which splits into two) which are almost fully segregated from road traffic. These operate as light railways which offer passengers all the benefits that come with having exclusive use of their own private rights of way, including freedom from delays caused by traffic congestion and hence, more reliable journey durations.

The light railway portions of Tramlink are almost fully unsignaled - instead the trams are driven on the 'line of sight' principle. However, for safety there are signals at road crossings, to control access to the few bi-directional single track sections of light railway, where routes diverge / merge and a few other places.

Elmers End:
Most of the route from Sandilands to Elmers End is a former railway, although it has been heavily rebuilt with a former one-stop main line railway branch line (to Addiscombe) being closed and the former railway stations now being barely recognisable as such. Apart from road crossings good places for lineside views are in the area around Arena tram stop, which includes the South Norwood Country Park.

Beckenham Junction:
On the Beckenham Junction route much of the section beyond Birkbeck is alongside a little used 3rd rail electric railway branch, both railway and tramway are bi-directional single track and the trams have some passing loops as well. One of the passing loops is at Avenue Road tram stop, which is next to a bridge over the tracks where - if you are fortunate - you will be able to film a tram and a train in the same view (alas, my attempt was not successful, hence the composite photographic view).

Important: Because of main line trains and their third rail electric power supply system there is a very strict prohibition against walking anywhere near the track. This is for safety reasons. Anyone who is foolish enough to contravene this regulation and manages to avoid being killed by either electrocution or being hit by a passing train, and is caught by the police, can expect to be prosecuted for trespassing on the railway.

Just outside Beckenham Junction station the single track tramway passes very close to the railway station and sometimes it is possible to see a tram and a train at the same time. It is also 'just about' possible to see and photograph a tram and a train at the same time when there are trams at the tram stop.

New Addington:
Apart from the tunnels midway between Sandilands and Lloyd Park tram stops, the New Addington route is entirely brand new and includes some very pleasant rides through woodland. It is often possible to observe / photograph passing trams from a parallel road and from the many road and foot crossings across the track. One of several good places to watch passing trams from the trackside is the area around Coombe Lane tram stop. I've done this several times, and also walked deep into the woodland areas and enjoyed what is more akin to a remote countryside walk than being in a big city.

Beyond Addington Village tram stop & bus interchange the trams travel alongside Lodge Lane. Just before reaching King Henry's Drive tram stop the light railway passes through the middle of a roundabout and close to the New Addington terminus there is also a small single track section where the line pass around a building which was there before the light railway was built.

In some European countries at least part the New Addington route would have featured 'lawn' track which blends in harmoniously with the local area; as I understand it this was not done on Tramlink because the people who built Tramlink had no previous experience of building light railway tracks which included lawn track. However what this also means is that it is relatively easy to follow the route of the tracks if using online satellite imagery services - such as Google or Bing maps.

Wimbledon:
The Wimbledon route is another former main line railway route. In British Railways days it was served a train that ran every 44 minutes, which for a heavily populated suburban area was a very unattractive service infrequency.

The route between Croydon and Wimbledon includes both single and double track sections, plus (just west of Mitcham tram stop) some interlaced / gauntlet track.

When planning the Tramlink network it was decided that it would be best if the conversion of the Wimbledon - West Croydon railway route included fully segregating the trams from the trains. This was achieved by means of bi-directional single track flyovers at two locations (see photographs below.)

Some good places to watch / photograph trams are between Ampere Way and Wandle Park. Also, at / near some of the tram stops. Being a former railway many sections of the route are not accessible, and it is also worth remembering that with trams travelling at speeds of up to 50mph (80km/h) it is often not safe for people to be too near the tracks.

Ampere Way serves a retail park, including a large IKEA home furnishings (etc.,) shop.

Morden Road tram stop - these views look in the opposite directions
looking down from Morden Road (and Bombardier 2537) (left) and a platform view looking towards Morden Road (and Bombardier 2532) (right).

Although the two main railway stations in Croydon are in zone 5 the entire Tramlink system is a special fares zone and any prepaid Travelcard season ticket which is valid in zones 3, 4, 5 or 6 can be used on the trams. Travelcards for just zones 1 and 2 are NOT accepted on the trams.

If you only wish to travel on the trams (and perhaps buses as well - but NOT trains) then using Oyster / Contactless bank cards / other compatible electronic payment devices in 'pay as you go' (PAYG) mode represents the cheapest way to pay fares.