Opened in 1979, it is the newest line on the Underground network, although some sections of track date back to 1932 and some stations to 1879.

Things changed, though, with the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) and the subsequent absorption of the Metropolitan line.

It was originally proposed that the Metropolitan line's Swiss Cottage station would remain open during peak hours for interchange with the Bakerloo, and that Lord's station would open for special cricketing events, but both were closed permanently as economy measures during the Second World War.

The new tube was to offer cross-platform interchange between the Bakerloo and Fleet at Baker Street, as pioneered on the Victoria line.

[6][7] The experiment was successful, leading to the introduction of this form of construction elsewhere,[6] but when the planned route was altered, this 180-metre (590 ft) section was left abandoned.

[8] In 1975, when plans were under way to introduce the London Transport Silver Jubilee Bus fleet, the then Sales Manager of London Transport Advertising, Geoffrey Holliman, proposed to the Chairman of LTE, Kenneth Robinson, that the Fleet line should be renamed the Jubilee line.

Nevertheless, the name was ultimately chosen for the line after Queen Elizabeth II's 1977 Silver Jubilee following a pledge made by the Conservatives in the Greater London Council election of 1977.

[9][10] The Jubilee line of 1979 was to be the first of four phases of the project, but lack of funds meant that no further progress was made until the late 1990s.

[13][14] It split from the existing line at Green Park; the service to Charing Cross was discontinued (though still maintained for reversing trains at times of disruption, and for occasional use as a film set).

The new stations were designed to be "future-proof", with wide passageways, large quantities of escalators and lifts, and emergency exits.

[17] In mid-2014, TfL announced plans for a new Night Tube service, to include the entire Jubilee line.

[20] The entire Night Tube network was suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Jubilee line service being restored in May 2022.

In 1999, trains began running to Stratford instead of Charing Cross, serving areas once poorly connected to the London Underground network.

[23] The platform edge doors were introduced primarily to prevent draughts underground and to assist in air flow.

The Jubilee line closed for three days from 25 December 2005 in order to add an extra car to each six-car train.

The result of the seventh car upgrade was a 17% increase in capacity, allowing 6,000 more passengers per hour to use the line.

Since 2011, the Jubilee line has automatic train operation (ATO), using the SelTrac S40 moving block system.

The programme of temporary closures for engineering work was criticised by local politicians[27] as well as by the management of venues such as Wembley Stadium and The O2 because visitors to major concerts and sporting events had to travel by rail replacement bus.

[31][32] In March 2020, a leaky feeder based system was brought online in the Jubilee line tunnels, between Westminster and Canning Town.

[33] The development of this system arose from the Home Office's desire to provide coverage for its new Emergency Services Network on the London Underground.

The plans were put on hold in 2007 due to uncertainty over the North London Line rail franchise.