Transport for LondonHammersmith and City line facts
History
The original Metropolitan Railway terminated at Bishop's Road, Paddington, adjacent to the Great Western Railway terminus, but in June 1864 the line was extended to Hammersmith to accommodate the broad gauge trains operated by the Great Western Railway in the 19th century.
At the eastern end, a service opened beyond Liverpool Street to Whitechapel in October 1884 at the same time as the completion of the Circle.
Trains have run on from Whitechapel to Barking over District line tracks since 1936.
Hammersmith & City line facts
Number of passengers on the Hammersmith & City line
| Weekday | Saturday | Sunday | Annual (mil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 149,405 | 94,259 | 53,289 | 45.845 |
The Hammersmith & City line between Hammersmith and Whitechapel is 14.5 km (9 miles) in length and serves 19 stations.
The equivalent statistics for the extended service through to Barking - which runs until 21 00 Mondays to Fridays and until 20 30 on Saturdays - are 26.5 km (16.5 miles) and serves 28 stations.
The principal depot for the Hammersmith & City line is at Hammersmith
The line requires 17 trains to operate the peak period service. Hammersmith & City line trains are known as C stock. They were manufactured by Metro-Cammell of Birmingham in two batches in 1969 and 1977.
These six-car trains made up of three units each consisting of two cars permanently coupled together. The trains were refurbished by RFS Industries, Doncaster between 1991- 1994.
The principal depot for the Hammersmith & City line is at Hammersmith, but there are several sidings at other places such as Barking, Triangle Sidings (in Kensington) and Farringdon. A new train crew depot opened at Edgware Road in July 1993, providing better staff deployment control and more up to date staff facilities.
Hammersmith & City line management
London Underground has recently established a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to secure stable, long term investment in the system.
This follows the Government's announcement in March 1998 of its intention to divide London Underground into a publicly owned operating company and three privately-owned companies (Infracos) who will be contracted to maintain and enhance the existing network.
The PPP contract was signed with Metronet Rail SSL to upgrade, renew and maintain the Hammersmith & City line. Metronet Rail SSL's contract also covers the maintenance of the Metropolitan, Circle, District and East London line s.
In order to ease transition to the new PPP structure, the operational side of the Underground has been reorganised from individual lines to a new structure reflecting the proposed Infraco groupings.
From September 1999, the East London line has been grouped with the Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City and District lines.
From November 2003, Howard Collins will be responsible for delivering SSR train and station services to meet customers' requirements. The line's General Manager is Peter Tollington.
Further information
If you wish to comment on the Hammersmith & City line services, or would like to know more about the line, please contact us.
