Line 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. 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. The Hammersmith and City Line now runs between Hammersmith and Whitechapel is 14.5 km (nine miles) in length and serves 19 stations. The equivalent statistics for the extended service through to Barking - which runs until 21 00 on Mondays to Fridays and until 20 30 on Saturdays - are 26.5 km (16.5 miles) and 28 s tations. The line currently has 17 trains operating at peak periods and conveyed some 43 million passengers in 1996.

Stations and Trains:

Hammersmith and City Line trains are known as C stock and were built in two batches in 1969 and 1977. These 6-car trains, made up of three units each consisting of two cars permanently coupled together, were refurbished in a programme starting in 1992. C stock trains also run on the Edgware Road to Wimbledon section of the District Line.

Depots:

The principal depot for the Hammersmith and City Line is at Hammersmith, but there are several minor depots and sidings at other places such as Barking, and Farringdon. In July 1993 a new train crew depot opened at Edgware Road, providing better staff depoyment control and more up to date staff facilities.

Hammersmith & City route map:

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