Metropolitan and district railway

Metropolitan and district railway
The Metropolitan District railway (also known as the District railway) was a passenger railway that served London from 1868 to 1933. Established in 1864 to complete the inner circle, an underground railway in London. The metropolitan railway operated all services until the District introduced its own trains in 1871.

The inner circle
In 1863 the metropolitan railway (also known as the Met) opened the worlds first underground railway. The line was built to connect the main line railway termini stations at Paddington, Euston and Kings cross. Then under farringdon road to a station at farringdon street. The mets early success prompted a lot of applications for new railways in London.



Probosals to exend west and then south from paddington to south Kensington and east from Moorgate to tower hill were accepted on 29th of July 1864. To complete the circuit there were 2 schemes proposed to run via different routes bettween kensington and the city and a combined proposal under the name Metropolitan District railway was agreed. Initially, the District and the Met were closely associated and it was intended they would soon merge. on 24th of December 1868, the District (which was made its own company to established funds) opened its own line from South Kensington to Westminster, with stations at South Kensigton, Sloane square, Victoria, ST James's park and Westminster Bridge (now Westminster), the met extending Eastwards from its moorgate street services which ended at Brompton (Gloucester road) to a shared station at South Kensington. The District also had permission to extend westward from bromton (Gloucester road) station and on the 12th April 1869 opened a line from there to west Brompton on the west London railway. East of Westminster, the next section ran along the north bank of the river Thames. The line was opened From Westminster to Blackfriars on the 30th of may 1870 with stations at Charing cross (now Embankment), The Temple (now Temple and Blackfriars. On the 3rd of July 1871 Masion house station opened and the District began running its own trains. From this date the 2 companies operated a joint inner circle service between Masion house and Moorgate street via South Kensington and Edgware road that ran every 10mins plus a a district service every 10mins from mansion house and West Brompton, and Hammersmith and City railways and Great western railways (GWR) services between Edgware road and Moorgate street. Earls court station on the West Brompton branch opened 30th October 1871.

West to Putney Bridge, Richmond, Ealing and Hounslow
The District railways main expansion was to the west. Lillie bridge depot opened in 1872 was built parallel to the west London joint railway and initially accessed by a curve onto the west London line. this curve meant allowed, from 1st February 1872, the London and north western railways (L&NWR) to run half-hourly outer circle services from Broad street to mansion house via Willesden Junction, Addison road (Now Kensington (olyimpia)) and Earls court. From the 1st of Octorber 1972, the GWR also ran a half-hourly middle circle service from the mets moorgate street station to Mansion house via paddington and earls court. Permisson to build a 1 and a half mile railway to Hammermsmith was granted on 7th of july 1873. The line started from a junction on the curve to Addison road and also allowed easier access to Lillie bridge depot. It opened on the 9th of September 1874 with one intermediate station at North end (Fulham) (renamed west Kensington in 1877) and a terminus station at Hammersmith and was served by through trains to mansion house. West Brompton was now served by a shuttle to earls court. Earls court station burnt down in 1875 and a larger replacemet with 4 tracks and 2 island platforms opened on 1st of Febuary 1878.

In December 1878, 6 trains per hour ran on the inner circle between Mansion house and Aldgate. The District operated 4 trains per hour from Mansion house to Hammersmith. Also leaving every hour from mansion house were 2 GWR middle cicle services to Aldgate via Addison road and 2 L&NWR services to Broad street via Willesden Junction. 3 services an hour travelled between West Brompton and Earls court.

In 1864 the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) had permisson for a railway to serve Richmond. The route headed north from Addison road on the west London railway before curving round to serve Hammersmith (Grove road) (Linked to the Hammersmith and city railway station by footbridge), Turnham green, Brentford road (Gunnersbury from 1871) and Kew gardens and Richmond. The line opened on 1st of January 1869, the L&SWR running services from waterloo and ludgate hill via Addison road and the L&NWR

running services from Broad street to Richmond from a link at Brentford road to the North London line at south Acton. Stations opened on the line at Shaftesbury road (Ravenscourt park from 1888) and Shepherds Bush on 1st of May 1874.

On 1st June 1877 the Hammersmith branch was exended to Richmond, initially with a service of 1 train per hour to mansion house. The met and GWR Hammersmith and City line had access by a link just north of their Hammersmith station and diverted a service to Richmond from the 1st of October 1877.

From the 1st of may 1878 to the 30th 1880, the Midland railways operated a circular service from ST Pancras to Earls court via Dudding hill, Acton and the L&SWR to Hammersmith. In 1879 the District opened a Junction west of L&SWR's Turnham green station for a 3 mile line to Ealing. With stations at Acton green (now Chicwick Park), Mill Hill Park (now Acton Town), Ealing common and Ealing Broadway (which was built just North of the GWR station).



On the 4th of July 1878, permisson was granted to exend the West Brompton branch to the Thames. Stations opened at Walham Green (now Fulham Broadway), Parsons green. The line terminated at Putney bridge and Fulham (now Putney bridge) The line opened on the 1st of March 1880, initially the service was 2 trains per hour to Mansion house plus 2 trains per hour to High street Kensington.

In 1880 permisson was granted for a 5 and a half mill railways from Mill Hill Park station to Hounslow Barracks, with stations at South Ealing, Boston road and Spring Grove. On the 1st of May 1883 the District started a service to Hounslow town, calling at South Ealing, Boston road (now Boston Manor) and Osterley & Spring Grove (now Osterley). A single-track line from a junction near Hounslow town to Hounslow

Barracks (now Hounslow west) opened a year later in 1884. It was initially served by a shuttle to Osterley and Spring Grove. Hounslow town station closed in 1886 and Heston Hounslow (now Hounslow central) opened.

From the 1st of March 1883 to 30th of September 1885 the District ran a service to windsor and Eton central via a connection the the Great Western Mainline at Ealing Broadway.

Completing the circle
Conflict between the Met and the District at the expence of construction delayed the completion of the inner circle. A meeting between the Met and the District was held in 1877, the Met now wanting to access the South Eastern Railway (SER) via the East London railway (ELR). Both companies had permmison from 1879 for the exension and a link to the ELR. In 1882 the Met extended its line from Aldgate to a temporary station at Tower of London. 2 contracts to build joint lines were placed, 1 from mansion house to the Tower of London in 1882 and a 2nd from the circle north of Aldgate to Whitechapel with a curve on to the ELR in 1883. From the 1st of October 1884 the District and Metropolitan began local services from ST Marys via this curve onto the ELR to the SER's New cross station. On 6th of October 1884 a circular service started and on the same day the District extended its services to Whitechapel and over the ELR calling at new joint stations at Aldgate East and ST marys. Joint stations opened on the circle at Cannon Street, Eastcheap (Mounument from November 1884) and Mark lane. The Mets tower of London station closed on the 12th of October 1884 after the District refused to sell

Tickets to the station. After opening the service from new cross, 2 trains an hour ran to Hammersmith and 2 to putney bridge, but as demand was low after a month this was reduced to 2 trains an hour to Ealing Broadway, 2 from putney, 1 to Hammersmith and 1 to Richmond. The middle and outer services continued operating from Mansion house at 2 trains per hour each. Initially the inner circle service was 8 trains an hour, but this proved impossible to maintain and service was reduced to 6 trains an hour.

South to Wimbledon
Several schemes to cross the Thames at Putney Bridge to Guildford, Surbiton or Wimbledon had been proposed and received approval. The District had been unable to raise funds so in 1886 the L&SWR replaced these plans with the Wimbledon and Fulham railway that started at Wimbledon and crossing the Thames to meet the  Districts Putney Bridge station. The line had stations at Wimbledon park, Southfields, and East Putney and a junction connecting the line to the L&SWR's Waterloo to Reading line. The District got running rights to extend some Putney services to Wimbledon on the 3rd of July 1889.

East to East Ham
In 1897 the norminally independent Whitechapel & Bow Railway got permission for a link from the District Railway at Whitechapel to the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR) at an above-ground junction Bow, to the west of Bromley station (now Bromley-By-Bow). The LT&SR and the District took over the company the next year and the line opened ont eh 2nd of July 1902 woth new stations at Stepney Green, Mile End and Bow Road. Some District services were extended from Whitechapel to East Ham and 1 train each morning and evening ran to Upminster. In July 1902 4 trains an hour ran from Bow Road (2 to 3 of which started at East Ham) to Ealing Broadway or Wimbledon and 2 trains an hour from New Cross to Hammersmith or Richmond.

West to Uxbridge
The District wanted to serve Harrow and Uxbridge and in 1892 a route from Ealing to Roxeth (South Harrow) and a bill was presneted in the name of the norminally independent Ealing &South Harrow Railway (E&SHR). Construction started in 1897 and by the end of 1899 it was largely complete, but with low traffic prospects remained unopened. To reach Uxbridge a line from South Harrow via Ruislip was authorised in 1897. The District had problems with finance and the Met offered a rescue package where they would build a branch from Harrow to Rayners lane and take over the line to Uxbridge with the District getting some running rights. The Met built the railway to Uxbridge and began services on the 4th of July 1904.

Development
At the start of the 20th century the District and Metropolitan railways faced increased competition in central London from new, elecric, deep level tube lines. In all the District and Metropolitan lost 4 million passengers between 1899 and 1900. The use of steam led to smoke filled stations and carriages that were un popular with passengers and electrification looked like the way forward. But an agreement would be needed with the Metropolitan because it shared ownership with of the Inner Circle.

The District had found an investor to finance the upgrade in 1901, an American called Charles Yerkes. On the 15th of July 1901 Yerkes established the Metropolitan District Electric Traction Company with himself as managing director and raised £1million to carry out the electrification, including the construction of a power station and supplying new rolling stock.

The District had permision to build a deep-level tube from Earl's Court to Mansion House and in 1898 it bought the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus Railway which had permission for a tube from South Kensingto to Piccadily Circus. These plans were compined with those of the Great Northern and Strand Railway, a tube railway with permission to build a tube from Strand to Finsbury Park, to create the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR). Yerkes also owned the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway, a deep-level tube railway under construction from Paddington to Elephant & Castle, and the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway,a planned tube from Charing Cross to Hampstead and Highgate. In April 1902, The Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL)  was established with Yerkes as chairman, to control all these companys and manage the planned works. In June 1902, the UERL took over the Traction Company.