Meet the Metropolitan Line
When is a tube not a tube? When it's the world's first underground passenger railway!
On Saturday 10th January 1863, the Metropolitan Railway opened between Bishop’s Road, Paddington and Farringdon Street, a distance of 3¾ miles. It was the world’s first passenger underground railway and it was the idea of Charles Pearson and John Hargreave Stevens.
This pioneer underground railway was constructed by a “cut and cover” system; the massive brick tunnels were built in huge trenches cut out of the ground and then roofed over. This is different to building a tube railway, which involves underground boring (drilling) to create tunnels
First Trial Trip on the Metropolitan Railway (1862-05-24)TfL Corporate Archives
Early Trial Trip on the Metropolitan
William Gladstone (Chancellor of the Exchequer) and his wife, and John Fowler, the engineer, were among the invited party aboard open wagons. This was a special trial trip in a contractor's train on the 1st section of the Metropolitan Railway
Map of Metropolitan and St John's Wood Railway (1865-06-15) by Metropolitan RailwayTfL Corporate Archives
First Extensions
Just 1 year after opening, permission was granted to extend east to Moorgate. This map from 1865 shows the extent of the Metropolitan's early ambition
Just 10 years after opening with 7 stations, the Metropolitan served 26 stations on a combination of its own tracks and through joint running agreements with other railways.
Chesham branch line opened on 8 July 1889 as the Metropolitan's temporary northern terminus whilst the railway was extended from Rickmansworth. The line was intended to extend to Tring railway station. However, before work was begun, an alternative route was chosen across the Chilterns via Aylesbury. The line to Chesham was retained as a branch from the new route
Growth of the Metropolitan
Line diagram giving dates of station openings and key events
The Metropolitan Railway was the first, and arguably most famous, to stimulate growth in the suburbs. Unlike other railways, the Metropolitan had been allowed to buy and keep land it believed would be needed for future railway use. Subsequently it was able to sell this land for housing development.
Map of Extension Lines into Metroland and Diagram of Lines in and near London (1925-01-15) by Metropolitan RailwayTfL Corporate Archives
Metro-Land was Born
The 123 acre Chalkhill was one of the first developments
Promotional material for Metro-land (a term coined in 1915) focused on the idea of living in beautiful countryside within 40mins of Baker Street. Poems, songs and films have all been written taking Metroland as their basis
Metropolitan Line Steam Train near Rickmansworth (1922-11-01)TfL Corporate Archives
All early Metropolitan trains were steam powered
L23 was Britain's oldest working steam locomotive before it was taken out of service in 1948. L44 was the last steam train on the Chesham Branch in July 1960 and the last steam-hauled passenger train anywhere on the network in 1961
Metropolitan Diagram of Lines (1933-04-06)TfL Corporate Archives
Independence
Between 1902 and 1913, the District, Bakerloo, Piccadilly, Central and Northern lines (or precursors of) all became part of the Underground Group
The Metropolitan Railway remained independent
Metropolitan Railways and Connections Map (1931-10-01) by Metropolitan RailwayTfL Corporate Archives
Finally, in 1933, an Act of Parliament decreed the Metropolitan had to relinquish its independence and combine with the rest of the network to form the London Passenger Transport Board
The rural Brill branch was closed in 1935 and services north of Aylesbury were withdrawn in 1936. The Stanmore branch transferred to the Bakerloo line in 1939.
Since then, the Metropolitan's route has remained unchanged.
Metropolitan Car Line Diagram (2012-09-01) by Transport for LondonTfL Corporate Archives
Did you know?
The longest distance between adjacent stations on the Underground is the 6.2km between Chesham and Chalfont & Latimer, which is also the most westerly point on the network
Story compiled by TfL using information in records at the Transport for London Corporate Archives. The Corporate Archives seeks to preserve and make accessible records, not to interpret them. A wider range of material is available for physical consultation.
Permission is granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only.
