Rumour has it that the Bakerloo Line originated from the desire of a few London businessmen to get to and from Lord's Cricket Ground as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, when the line opened between Baker Street and Lambeth North on 10th March 1906, over 36 000 passengers were carried despite the fact that the cricket season had yet to start. Originally known as the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway, the name was officially changed in July 1906 to the Bakerloo Railway reflecting the nickname coined by the Evening News. Elephant & Castle station opened in August 1906.

The Bakerloo Line was extended from Baker Street to Queen's Park in 1915, and further north over existing suburban railway tracks to Watford Junction by 1917. In 1939, a new tunnelled section was built from Baker Street to Finchley Road which allowed Bakerloo trains to take over the Metropolitan Line's service, originally started in 1932, to Stanmore.

Until the opening of the Jubilee Line in 1979, the Bakerloo operated both Stanmore and Watford Junction services. The building of the Jubilee Line from Charing Cross to Baker Street, and its connection to the Stanmore branch of the Bakerloo Line, left the Bakerloo again with only its Watford Junction branch.

In 1982, the service beyond Queen's Park to Watford Junction, by then only four peak period trains, was withdrawn. Queen's Park again became the northern terminus, although there were some journeys to and from the new Stonebridge Park depôt. In 1984 some peak period journeys were extended to Harrow & Wealdstone, and the present all-day, daily, service to Harrow & Wealdstone began in May 1989, and has been regularly enhanced in recent years.
 
 
 

Running the Lines 26

London Underground is currently in the process of working towards the establishment of a public private partnership (PPP) designed to increase investment in the system. This follows the Government's announcement in March 1998 of its intention to divide London Underground into a publicly-owned operating company and three privately-owned infrastructure companies (Infracos) which will be contracted to maintain and enhance the infrastructure.

In order to facilitate the transition to the new PPP structure when the contractual arrangements are in place, the operational side of the Underground has been reorganised, with a structure based on individual lines or groups of lines replaced by one reflecting the proposed Infraco groupings. From September 1999, the Bakerloo Line has been grouped with the Central and Waterloo & City and Victoria Lines, with Bob Bayman, Train Service Manager (BCV), and Andy Byford, Station Services Manager (BCV), jointly responsible for delivering train and station services which meet customers' requirements.

Passengers

In 1996, the Bakerloo Line carried 84 million passengers. Piccadilly Circus is the line's busiest station.

Stations and Trains

The Bakerloo Line covers 23.2 km (14.5 miles) and serves 25 stations, of which 14 are managed either by other Underground lines or, north of Queen's Park, by North London Railways. North of Queen's Park, Bakerloo Line trains run over tracks owned by Railtrack.

Many of the stations, though subsequently refurbished, date from the early years of this century and were designed in the ? Arts and Crafts" style by the Underground Group's Architect, Leslie Green. September 1994 saw the opening of the new international ticket office area at Waterloo Underground station. This impressive new customer facility has been spaciously designed to accommodate the fast-growing numbers of passengers arriving in London on the Channel Tunnel Eurostar trains.

Trains run between Elephant & Castle and Queen's Park every 2½ minutes during peak periods, when there is a ten-minute service to and from Harrow & Wealdstone. From late 1996 until July 1997, the service was curtailed south of Piccadilly Circus to allow strengthening of the tunnels under the Thames.

The type of train operated on the line is 1972 Mark Two tube stock, manufactured by Metro-Cammell of Birmingham, with each train made up of seven cars. These trains have recently been modernised. They were mechanically modified and given an all-over face-lift to make them brighter and cleaner, and more pleasant and comfortable to ride in. 31 trains are required to be available for service.

Depôts

The main depôt for the Bakerloo Line is at Stonebridge Park. Built in the late 1970s on the site of a former British Rail power station, it handles the maintenance of the line's fleet. There are two smaller depô ts at London Road (near Elephant & Castle) and Queen's Park where some of the trains are stabled. Queen's Park is the only depôt on the Underground through which trains run in service.

Further Informations

If you wish to comment on the Bakerloo Line services, or would like to know more about the line, please contact:

Customer Services
Bakerloo Line
London Underground Limited
Baker Street Station Offices
13 Allsop Place
London NW1 5LJ
Telephone 020 7918 0800