District line (Boston Underground)

District line
Two District line trains at Aldgate East
Stations	19
Color on Tube map	Green
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Boston Underground
Depot(s)	Acton Croydon
Rolling stock	D78 Stock (6 cars per trainset)
Technical
Character	Sub-surface
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Boston rail lines Boston Underground Bakerloo style="border: 8px solid #E32017 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Central style="border: 8px solid #FFD300 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Circle style="border: 8px solid #00782A border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | District style="border: 8px solid #F3A9BB border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Hammersmith & City style="border: 8px solid #A0A5A9 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Jubilee style="border: 8px solid #9B0056 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Metropolitan style="border: 8px solid #000000 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Northern style="border: 8px solid #003688 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Piccadilly style="border: 8px solid #0098D4 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Victoria style="border: 8px solid #95CDBA border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Waterloo & City MBTA style="border: 8px solid #da291c border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Red style="border: 8px solid #ed8b00 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Orange style="border: 8px solid #00843d border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Green style="border: 8px solid #003da5 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Blue style="border: 8px solid #7c878e border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Silver Other lines style="border: 8px solid #00A4A7 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Docklands Light Railway style="border: 8px solid #EE7C0E border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Overground style="border: 8px solid #7156A5 border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | Crossrail style="border: 8px solid #80276c border-width 0 1em; text-align: center;" | MBTA Commuter Rail

The District line is a Boston Underground line. It runs from Broadway in West Ealing, to Croydon, with an eastbound branch to Edgware Road and a special service shuttle from South Kensington to Kensington (Olympia) stations.

History

Metropolitan and District Railway

Establishment

The City of Boston had become severely congested in the early 1860s due to a sharp increase in population and industry. In 1864, then-mayor Nathaniel Stephens issued an order for a grant to any transportation company which managed to solve the issue. Several railroad companies offered to take this up, but ultimately he issued the grant to his own company which he decided to create himself, the Metropolitan and District Railway.

In 1964, Mayor Nathaniel Stephens hired a group of well-experienced railroad engineers to draw up plans for his railroad. The first proposal called for an elevated cable car running alongside the Boston River. It would have been cheap and easy to construct, but the mayor rejected it for fears that construction would cause even more congestion. A second proposal was for a trenched railway from the Aldgate area to Earl's Court running directly parallel to the Boston River.

Construction started later that year, beginning with what would become Aldgate Station. A trench was cut following the path's route, but the engineering of the trench resulted in roads caving in, buildings falling into the pit, and frequent flooding. The trenches were nicknamed "surface swallowers" for the damage and collapsing of many of the structures the trench ran alongside. In January of 1965, Mayor Nathaniel Stephens filed a lawsuit against his company, it's main engineers, and their construction firm for "gross incompetence to the city and it's citizens". However, the poor engineering technology was rather the fault of the mayor himself for providing inadequate funds and materials. The Boston Court ruled that Stephens would be forced to pay the construction firm to either use high-quality, expensive brick and mortar to build the trenches and the railway, or to develop some way to restore the wood and prevent the mud getting wet in an open trench. After much debate, brick and mortar was chosen.

Route

Map

The route of the District line through the Boston Metropolitan Area. More details of the routes between Earl's Court, Edgware Road, and Tower Hill are shown at Circle line: Map.

The route of the District line through the Boston Metropolitan Area. More details of the routes between Earl's Court, Edgware Road, and Tower Hill are shown at Circle line: Map.

Railway line

District line
Legend
Broadway Ealing Central Ealing Bridge over Boston River Acton Depot Piccadilly line to South Ealing Connection to Central line Acton Town Stamford Brook Kensington (Olympia) Piccadilly line to Manor House H&C line provisions South Kensington Earl's Court Notting Hill Gate Sloane Square Edgware Road Embankment Circle line and H&C lines via Liverpool Street Tower Hill Circle line to Edgware Road Aldgate East Canary Wharf Canada Water Former connection to Central line Central line to Amersham Putney Bridge over Boston River Watford Watford sidings Putney Bridge Rehoboth Bay via car floats East Ham Former Beach City Sidings Upney Beach City station Croydon Beach City Line
Detailed diagram

Services

The current service patterns as of 2019 are:

• 6 tph Broadway to Croydon
• 3 tph Croydon to South Kensington
• 3 tph Broadway to Edgware Road
• 3 tph Edgware Road to South Kensington
• 3 tph South Kensington to Kensington (Olympia) at weekends, as well as 3 trains daily to or from those stations.
• 1 tph Tower Hill to Kensington (Olympia) on exhibition days

Stations

In order from west to east

Accidents and Incidents

F