Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 38, 2012

The Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District Railway) was a passenger railway that served London from 1868 to 1933. Established in 1864 to complete the inner circle, an underground railway in London, the first part of the line opened using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. Initially the Metropolitan Railway operated all services before the District introduced its own trains in 1871. The railway was soon extended westwards through Earl's Court to Fulham, Richmond, Ealing and Hounslow. After completing the inner circle and reaching Whitechapel in 1884, it was extended to Upminster in East London in 1902. Needing to finance electrification at the beginning of the 20th century, American financier Charles Yerkes took it over and it became part of his Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) group. Electric traction was introduced in 1905, and by the end of the year electric multiple units operated all of the services. On 1 July 1933, the District Railway and the other underground railways of the UERL were merged with the Metropolitan Railway and the capital's tramway and bus operators to form the London Passenger Transport Board. Today, former District Railway tracks and stations are used by the London Underground's District, Piccadilly and Circle lines.