District Railway

The, officially called District Railway Metropolitan District Railway was a railway company and a predecessor company of today's London Underground.

History

The District Railway was founded in 1864 in order to complete the Inner Circle, a circular path in the center of the capital London. Through this second company was the Metropolitan Railway, which operated the first underground railway in the world since 1863, are relieved at finding sponsors. The first route between South Kensington and Westminster was opened in 1868. In the first years of the Metropolitan Railway resulted from railway operation until the District Railway began since 1871 his own rolling stock. They quickly expanded its route network in the western suburbs Fulham, Richmond, Ealing and Hounslow. In 1884 she completed the Inner Circle, from 1902 until after she associated Upminster, east London.

Metropolitan Railway and District Railway sailed together the ring route, where they - unlike originally provided in the foundation - delivered a fierce competition. Both companies used a steam trains and came around the turn of the century with new, electrically powered subway lines under pressure. To finance the electrification of their route network, the District Railway was taken over in 1901 by U.S. investor Charles Tyson Yerkes, who integrated in the holding company of Underground Electric Railways Company of London ( UERL ). 1905 reversed the first electric trains, the transition to the new traction was completed in the same year.

From 1911 to 1939 reversed in collaboration with the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway several times daily trains to Southend -on-Sea and Shoeburyness. On 1 July 1933, the District Railway went on together with the other metros of UERL, the Metropolitan Railway and the tram and bus companies in the public company London Passenger Transport Board. Today former routes and stations of the District Railway are three lines of the London Underground ( District Line, Piccadilly Line, Circle Line ) used.