Topical Tens: 6 October: The Circle Line

Saturday 6 October 2018

6 October: The Circle Line

London Underground's Circle line first became a circle on this date in 1884. Here are ten things you might not know about the Circle Line.

Okay so this isn't a Circle Line train - but since I couldn't find
a public domain picture of one, this is the best I can do!

The first section of the Circle Line became operational in 1863. It was then part of the Metropolitan Railway and ran between Paddington and Farringdon. A select committee recommended an "inner circle" of lines connecting the London railway termini. The Metropolitan District Railway or District Railway was the company set up to build it. They and the original Metropolitan Railway were in conflict with one another, meaning it took 21 years for the circle to be completed, in October 1884.
It was 1949 before the Circle Line appeared as a separate line on the Tube map.
The first trains were steam locomotives pulling wooden carriages. However, by the start of the 20^th century, these were proving unpopular because the stations would fill with smoke. Conversion to electric traction was seen as the way forward.
The Circle Line isn't a simple circle any more. It's no longer possible for someone to ride round and round the circle all day. The circle was broken in 2009 and extended west to become a spiral with a terminus at Hammersmith.
The original Circle Line was 12.89 miles (20.75 km) and had 27 stations. It would take just over 51 minutes to go around the whole thing, provided there were no delays or timetabled stops. Now, it's 17 miles (27 km) long with 36 stations, and the journey from Edgware Road around the loop and continuing to Hammersmith takes 72 minutes off-peak.
The Circle Line is the eighth busiest line on the London Underground.
Its colour on the map is Yellow - Pantone 116 yellow Overview, to be exact.
There is no station which is served by the Circle Line alone. The stations on the north side of the loop are also served by the Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan Lines and those on the southern section by the District Line.
There are 18 trains in operation, making for a service of six trains an hour.
London isn't the only city to have a Circle Line. Circular lines exist, or are proposed in Singapore, Madrid, Chicago, Moscow, Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, Shanghai, St Petersburg, Berlin and Copenhagen. There's even a Circle Line in New York, but it doesn't have any trains – it's a sightseeing ferry company.