10th March: The Bakerloo Line

Today is the 110th anniversary of the Bakerloo Line. On the London Underground, the Bakerloo line, originally called the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway, opened between Baker Street and Lambeth North (then called Kennington Road) on 10 March 1906. Ten more facts on the Bakerloo Line:

1. The Bakerloo Line is 23.2 km (14.4 mi) long and has 25 stations. 15 of the stations are underground.
2. It was so named because it serves Baker Street and Waterloo.
3. Work first began on the line in 1898. It was delayed for several months after one of its financiers, Whitaker Wright, was convicted of fraud and famously committed suicide by swallowing cyanide in the court anteroom rather than go to prison for seven years.
4. The Bakerloo line's official colour is Brown, Pantone 470 to be exact.
5. It is the ninth busiest line on the network, carrying over 111 million passengers a year.
6. Some interesting facts about some of the stations: Maida Vale opened on 6 June 1915 as part of the Bakerloo Line extension from Paddington to Queen's Park. At the time, it was the first station to be entirely staffed by women; and the first baby born on the tube was born at Elephant and Castle in 1924.
7. In popular culture, Warwick Avenue, the station mentioned in the Duffy song, is on the Bakerloo Line.
8. The novel 253 by Geoff Ryan relates the lives of 252 Bakerloo line passengers (and the driver) as they ride from Embankment to Elephant and Castle.
9. Bakerloo line trains are the oldest on the tube, dating back to 1972. The main Bakerloo line train depot is at Stonebridge Park.
10. There are plans afoot to extend the line from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham via the Old Kent Road by 2030.