History of the District line

The first part of the line opened using Metropolitan Railway gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives.

The District introduced its own trains in 1871 and was soon extended westwards through Earl's Court to Fulham, Richmond, Ealing and Hounslow.

To finance electrification at the beginning of the 20th century, American financier Charles Yerkes took it over and made it part of his Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) group.

[1] The first line opened in December 1868 from South Kensington to Westminster, services being operated by the Metropolitan Railway using wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives.

By 1871, when the Metropolitan and District began operating their own trains, the railway had extended to West Brompton and a terminus at Mansion House.

[4] Services began running to Upminster in 1902, after a link to the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway (LT&SR) had been built.

The 1935–40 New Works Programme saw the replacement of these trailers and the upgrading of motor cars with electro-pneumatic brakes and guard controlled air-operated doors.

A flyover and a fly under were built at Barking to allow cross-platform interchange between Underground and British Rail services.

[25] The South Acton shuttle was withdrawn on 28 February 1959, followed by the peak hour District line through service to Hounslow on 9 October 1964.

[30] A shorter train was needed on the Edgware Road branch due to the platform lengths so more of the C stock units, then already in use on the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines, were built.

[30] One person operation of the trains was proposed in 1972, but due to conflict with the trade unions was not introduced on the District line until 1985.

[33] Control of London Underground passed to TfL in 2003, after the infrastructure of the District line had been partly privatised in a public–private partnership, managed by the Metronet consortium.