Metropolitan line

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This page covers the Metropolitan 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 Metropolitan line is the oldest underground railway in the world. The first stretch opened in 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon, and the line has been at the centre of the network's story ever since. It's the line that gave its name to "metros" around the world; it invented suburban commuter rail as a concept; and parts of it still run faster than any other Underground line, reaching 60 mph between Amersham and the outer stations.

Where it runs

From the City to the Chiltern foothills, the Metropolitan runs from Aldgate in the east, through Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Barbican, Farringdon, King's Cross St Pancras, Euston Square, Great Portland Street, Baker Street, Finchley Road, Wembley Park, Harrow-on-the-Hill and out to four north-western termini:

• Amersham — the line's furthest extremity, in Buckinghamshire.
• Chesham — branch from Chalfont & Latimer, also in Buckinghamshire.
• Watford — branch from Moor Park, in Hertfordshire.
• Uxbridge — branch from Harrow-on-the-Hill, in west London.

The line is the only one on the Underground network with fast and slow services: peak-hour expresses skip some stations between Wembley Park and Harrow-on-the-Hill, and again between Harrow and Amersham, making them noticeably faster than all-stations services.

A bit of history

The Metropolitan Railway opened on 10 January 1863 as the world's first underground passenger railway. It was steam-hauled, ran in cut-and-cover tunnels just below the streets of central London, and was an instant commercial success. Over the following decades it pushed further and further out into rural Middlesex and Buckinghamshire — the company was unique among British railways in being permitted to develop land alongside its tracks, and it used that power to create an enormous belt of commuter housing along its route. The marketing term for this development was "Metro-land", the title of a famous 1973 John Betjeman documentary.

The line was electrified in stages from 1905, the steam services finally ended in 1961, and the company itself was absorbed into London Transport in 1933.

The S8 Stock

The Metropolitan's trains are the longest of the S Stock variants — S8 Stock, eight cars long, walk-through, air-conditioned, and shared in design with the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines. They replaced the much-loved A Stock between 2010 and 2012; the A Stock had been the oldest passenger trains anywhere on the Underground at the time of replacement.

Notable stations

• Baker Street — the most architecturally significant Metropolitan station, with restored Victorian platforms and the headquarters of the original Metropolitan Railway in the iconic Chiltern Court building above.
• King's Cross St Pancras — the network's busiest interchange.
• Farringdon — interchange with the Elizabeth line and Thameslink mainline north-south services.
• Harrow-on-the-Hill — junction for the Uxbridge branch and gateway to the outer "fast" stations.
• Wembley Park — interchange with the Jubilee line; major event station.
• Amersham — the highest station on the Underground at 147 metres above sea level, and the furthest from central London.

Step-free access

Step-free Metropolitan stations include Aldgate, Liverpool Street, Farringdon, King's Cross St Pancras, Wembley Park, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Amersham, Watford, Uxbridge and many of the outer suburban stations. Coverage is generally good for a sub-surface line; some inner-section stations remain step-up only.

Hours

The Metropolitan runs from around 05:30 on weekdays (later on Sundays) until around midnight. It does not run on the Night Tube. Mainline Chiltern Railways services parallel the line as far as Amersham and beyond and offer some late-night options.

Common quirks

• The Chesham branch is unusual. Chesham is the most rural Underground destination in the system. The branch sees a roughly half-hourly shuttle to Chalfont & Latimer or, in peaks, direct services.
• Stock movements via Neasden. The Met line shares depot facilities at Neasden with the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City — so empty stock movements (often branded as "Hammersmith & City" or "Circle") can show up at Met stations during overnight and peak transition periods. Real passenger services on the Met have a clear destination on the front of the train.

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