New Works Programme - London Underground

London Underground

The Programme saw major reconstructions of many central area Underground stations, with escalators being installed to replace lifts as well as extensions of several tube lines, and connection to and electrification of a number of suburban lines. These included:

• Metropolitan Line (The majority of projects were initially planned by the Metropolitan Railway, the owner of the line prior to nationalisation in 1933.)
  • provision of additional parallel tracks between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Rickmansworth
  • electrification of the tracks from Rickmansworth to Aylesbury and Chesham
  • installation of colourlight signals on the line between Rickmansworth and Aylesbury and platform extensions for stations on this stretch of the line
• Bakerloo Line
  • new tunnels to form a branch from Baker Street to Finchley Road where they connected with and took over the realigned slow tracks of the Metropolitan Line to Wembley Park and the Stanmore branch
  • new Bakerloo Line stations at St. John's Wood and Swiss Cottage between Finchley Road and Baker Street to replace three closing stations on the Metropolitan Line.
• Northern Line (The Northern Heights Plan)
  • transfer of the Metropolitan Line's Great Northern & City (GN&C) branch to Northern Line operation
  • connection of the GN&C branch at Finsbury Park to the LNER's line to the Edgware, High Barnet and Alexandra Palace
  • construction of new tunnels from Archway (then Highgate) to Highgate and East Finchley to connect to the Edgware and High Barnet branches.
  • extension from Edgware to Bushey Heath

• Central Line
  • relining of the tunnels and lengthening of station platforms between Shepherd's Bush and Liverpool Street to increase speeds and allow longer trains
  • replacement of the line's non-standard track power supply with the Underground's normal fourth rail system
  • western extension from North Acton to connect to and take over the GWR's suburban line to Denham
  • eastern extension from Liverpool Street via Stratford to connect to and take over the LNER's lines to Epping, Ongar and Hainault
• Rolling stock
  • design and construction of a new fleet of trains, the 1938 stock, to operate on the Central Line and Northern Line extensions.
  • Further Conversion of existing locomotive hauled "Dreadnaught" coaches to Electric Working for the newly electrified Metropolitan Mainline to Aylesbury. Extra "T" stock driving motor coaches had been constructed to allow for this. This scheme was abandoned and later new stock was designed. When rolled out, this was to be the A60 stock.
  • Design and construction of a new fleet of trains for the Hammersmith and City Line,the "O" stock
  • Provision of similar new trains for the Metropolitan line to Uxbridge, the "P" stock,
  • Conversion of existing hand worked door stock to air-door operation and the construction of some new stock for the District Line, the "Q" stock programme.
• Infrastructure
  • improvements to the power supply system from Lots Road Power Station
  • improvements to and rebuilding of many busy central area stations including the installation of escalators to replace lifts