Hammersmith & City line

Is the Hammersmith & City line running today?

This page covers the Hammersmith & City line in depth — route, stations, history, step-free access and quirks. For the live answer right now, including the current TfL status (Good Service, Minor Delays, Severe Delays, Part Closure or Suspended) and any reported disruption, see the live network status board on the homepage. It's refreshed every 60 seconds from TfL Open Data.

The Hammersmith & City line is one of the original Underground lines, but it only became a line in its own right on the Tube map in 1990. For most of its history it was operated as a branch of the Metropolitan Railway, and today it still shares almost every kilometre of its track with the Circle, District or Metropolitan lines. It is the quiet connector that links west London, the City and the East End in a single uninterrupted journey.

Where it runs

From west to east, the Hammersmith & City runs from Hammersmith in west London, north and east through Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush Market, Wood Lane, Latimer Road, Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Park, Royal Oak, Paddington (sub-surface platforms), and from there shares track with the Circle and Metropolitan into King's Cross St Pancras, Liverpool Street and onwards through Whitechapel, Mile End, Bromley-by-Bow, West Ham and Plaistow to Barking.

A bit of history

The line opened in 1864 as a branch of the Metropolitan Railway between Hammersmith and Paddington. For more than a century it was operated as the "Metropolitan line: Hammersmith branch" and printed on Underground maps in the Metropolitan's purple/maroon. In 1990 it was given its own identity, pink colouring and a separate name, partly because the Met line's complex branch structure was overwhelming to read on the map.

The S Stock

Hammersmith & City trains are part of the S7 Stock fleet — modern, air-conditioned, walk-through trains shared with the Circle, District and Metropolitan lines. They replaced the old C Stock between 2012 and 2014.

Notable stations

• Hammersmith — terminus, separate from the District/Piccadilly Hammersmith station (a short walk apart). The line's only dedicated west-London station.
• Paddington — interchange with the Elizabeth line, Bakerloo, Circle and District, and the mainline station.
• Baker Street — interchange with the Metropolitan, Circle, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines.
• King's Cross St Pancras — the network's busiest interchange.
• Liverpool Street — major City interchange with the Elizabeth line, Central, Circle and Metropolitan, plus the mainline.
• Whitechapel — rebuilt for the Elizabeth line, now a major step-free interchange.

Step-free access

Step-free Hammersmith & City stations include Hammersmith, Wood Lane, Paddington, King's Cross St Pancras, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Mile End, Bow Road, Bromley-by-Bow, West Ham, Plaistow and Barking. As a sub-surface line, step-free coverage is substantially better than on the deep tube lines.

Hours

The Hammersmith & City line runs from around 05:30 on weekdays until just after midnight, with reduced service on Sundays. It does not run on the Night Tube. The Elizabeth line operates along a parallel central corridor with much later last trains.

Common quirks

• Two Hammersmiths. The H&C terminus at Hammersmith is around 200 metres from the District/Piccadilly Hammersmith station — different buildings, same name. Allow a few minutes to walk between them.
• Shared track means shared disruption. Because the H&C uses District/Circle/Metropolitan track, problems on those lines tend to affect H&C services too.

Other lines

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