10 incredible facts you might not know about the District Line

Did you know that there were several attempts to have Aldgate East renamed ‘Brick Lane’?

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Liz Connor20 March 2017

It’s the one we probably moan about the most, thanks to part suspensions and severe delays, but what would life in the capital be without the District Line?

Coloured dark green on the map and running from Upminster to Ealing Broadway, Richmond and Wimbledon, the District line has been an inherent part of London life since its opening in 1868 - when it was served by steam locomotives and ran from West Brompton to Mansion House.

At the start of the 20th century the District saw increased competition from the new electric underground tube lines and trams, and the use of steam locomotives underground led to unpopular smoke-filled stations and carriages.

The railway was financed privately for electrification, and the first electric services ran from Ealing to South Harrow in 1903.

Since then, the route has expanded to reach farther flung areas of London, and has since earned the title of the line with the most stations, serving sixty in total.

But that isn’t the only interesting thing to note about this historic line.

If you live in London, you probably use this line to get to go shopping on the King’s Road, go sightseeing in Westminster and go drinking in Brick Lane. But how much do you really know the network that ferries millions of people around the capital?

Click through our gallery above to discover ten interesting facts about the District Line.