View source for Central line (London Underground)

{{About|the London Underground line|other uses|Central line (disambiguation){{!}}Central line}}
{{Short description|London Underground line}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Central line
| logo                            = Central line flag box.svg
| logo_width                      = 250px
| logo_alt                        = 
| image                           = London Underground 1992 Stock at Theydon Bois by tompagenet.jpg
| image_width                     = 250px
| image_alt                       = 
| caption                         = A [[London Underground 1992 Stock|1992 stock]] Central line train leaving [[Theydon Bois tube station|Theydon Bois]]
| type                            = [[Rapid transit]]
| system                          = [[London Underground]]
| mapcolour                       = Red
| mapcolourlink                   = Tube map
| stations                        = 49
| ridership2                      = 301.127&nbsp;million (2019)<ref>{{cite web |title=London Assembly Questions to the Mayor |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/tube-usage-1|publisher=London Assembly |year=2022 |access-date=29 February 2024}}</ref> passenger journeys
| open                            = {{start date and age|1900|07|30|df=y}}
| lastextension                   = 1949
| character                       = Deep-level tube
| depot                           = {{plainlist|
* [[Ruislip Depot|Ruislip]]
* [[Hainault Depot|Hainault]]
* [[White City Depot|White City]]<ref name="Tfl Key Facts" />
}}
| stock                           = [[London Underground 1992 Stock|1992 Stock]]
| linelength_km                   = 74
| tracklength_km                  = 
| gauge                           = {{Track gauge|sg|allk=on}}
| electrification                 = {{630 V DC|conductor=fourth rail}} 
| website                         = [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ tfl.gov.uk]
| map_name                        = [[Transport for London]] {{nowrap|rail lines}}
| map                             = {{London rail lines}}
| map_state                       = collapsed
}}
The '''Central line''' is a [[London Underground]] line that runs through central London, from {{lus|Epping}}, [[Essex]], in the north-east to {{lus|Ealing Broadway}} and {{lus|West Ruislip}} in west London. Printed in red on the [[Tube map]], the line serves 49 stations over {{convert|46|mi}}, making it the system's longest line.<ref name="Line Facts" /> It is one of only two lines on the Underground network to cross the [[Greater London]] boundary, the other being the [[Metropolitan line]]. One of London's [[London Underground infrastructure#Sub-surface network and deep-level tube lines|deep-level railways]] traversing narrow tunnels, Central line trains are smaller than those on British main lines.

The line was opened as the [[Central London Railway]] in 1900, crossing central London on an east–west axis along the central shopping street of [[Oxford Street]] to the financial centre of the [[City of London]]. It was later extended to the western suburb of [[Ealing]]. In the 1930s, plans were created to expand the route into the new suburbs, taking over steam-hauled outer-suburban routes to the borders of London and beyond to the east. These projects were mostly realised after the [[Second World War]], when construction stopped and the unused tunnels were used as air-raid shelters and factories. However, suburban growth was limited by the [[Metropolitan Green Belt]]: of the planned expansions one (to {{rws|Denham}}, Buckinghamshire) was cut short and the eastern terminus of {{rws|Ongar}} ultimately closed in 1994 due to low patronage; part of this section between Epping and Ongar later became the [[Epping Ongar Railway]]. The Central line has mostly been operated by [[automatic train operation]] since a major refurbishment in the 1990s, although all trains still carry drivers. Many of its stations are of historic interest, from turn-of-the-century Central London Railway buildings in west London to post-war modernist designs on the West Ruislip and Hainault branches, as well as Victorian-era [[Eastern Counties Railway]] and [[Great Eastern Railway]] buildings east of {{stn|Stratford}}, from when the line to Epping was a rural branch line.

In terms of total passengers, the Central line is the third busiest on the Underground. In 2019, over 300&nbsp;million passenger journeys were recorded on the line.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greater London Authority Questions to the Mayor |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/tube-usage-1|publisher=Greater London Authority |year=2022 |access-date=29 February 2024}}</ref> As of 2013, it operated the second-most frequent service on the network, with 34 trains per hour (tph) operating for half-an-hour in the westbound direction during the morning peak, and between 27 and 30 tph during the rest of the peak.<ref>{{cite web|title=Central Line Timetable|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/wtt-67-central-15-september-2013.pdf|publisher=TfL|access-date=7 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415231448/http://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/wtt-67-central-15-september-2013.pdf|archive-date=15 April 2014}}</ref> The [[Elizabeth line]], which began most of its core operation from 24 May 2022,<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Topham |first=Gwyn |date=21 August 2020 |title=Crossrail delayed again until 2022 and another £450m over budget |work=The Guardian |location= London |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/aug/21/crossrail-delayed-again-until-2022-and-another-450m-over-budget-tfl-covid-19 |access-date=2 November 2020}}</ref> provides interchanges with the Central line at Stratford, {{stn|Liverpool Street}}, {{lus|Tottenham Court Road}}, [[Ealing Broadway station|Ealing Broadway]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Tube Map |url=http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/maps/tube-map |publisher=TfL |access-date=7 July 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170210145406/http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/maps/tube-map |archive-date=10 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and {{stn|Bond Street}}, relieving overcrowding.

== History ==

=== Central London Railway ===
{{Main|Central London Railway}}
[[File:Oxford Circus tube station - Central Line Entrance.jpg|thumb|[[Harry Bell Measures]] designed the surface buildings for the CLR, such as this one at [[Oxford Circus tube station|Oxford Circus]].]]
The [[Central London Railway]] (CLR) was given permission in 1891 for a tube line between [[Shepherd's Bush tube station|Shepherd's Bush]] and a station at [[Cornhill, London|Cornhill]], and the following year an extension to [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]] was authorised, with a station at [[Bank–Monument station|Bank]] instead of at Cornhill.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=52}} The line was built following the streets above rather than running underneath buildings, because purchase of wayleave under private properties would have been expensive.{{efn|To encourage the building of tube railways, the wayleave for building under streets was free.}} While the tracks in opposite directions mostly run side-by-side, in some places one line runs above another due to lack of space, with platforms at different levels at [[St Paul's tube station|St Paul's]], [[Chancery Lane tube station|Chancery Lane]] and [[Notting Hill Gate tube station|Notting Hill Gate]] stations.{{sfn|Green|1987|p=21}} The tunnels were bored with the nominal diameter of {{convert|11|ft|8+1/4|in}}, increased on curves, reduced to {{convert|11|ft|6|in}} near to stations.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=53}} The tunnels generally rise approaching a station, to aid braking, and fall when leaving, to aid acceleration.{{sfn|Green|1987|p=21}}
The Central London Railway was the first underground railway to have the station platforms illuminated electrically.{{sfn|Horne|1987|p=16}} All the platforms were lit by Crompton automatic electric [[arc lamp]]s, and other station areas by [[incandescent lamp]]s. Both the [[City and South London Railway]] and the [[Waterloo and City Railway]] were lit by gas lamps, primarily because the power stations for these lines had been designed with no spare capacity to power electric lighting. With the white glazed tiling, all underground Central London Railway platforms were very brightly lit. The use of electric lighting was further made possible because the Central London was also the first tube railway to use [[Alternating current|AC]] electrical distribution{{efn|Power was generated at 5000 volts at {{frac|33|1|3}} Hertz from six 850 kW generators at Wood Lane.}} and the [[Electrical substation|substation]] [[transformer]]s, not compatible with DC, were able to reduce the voltage to the level required for lighting. Earlier tube lines used [[DC power]] generators at the 500 volts required to run the trains.

The line between Shepherd's Bush and Bank was formally opened on 30 June 1900, public services beginning on 30 July.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|pp=56–57}} With a uniform fare of 2[[£sd|d]] the railway became known as the "Twopenny Tube".{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|pp=56–57}} It was initially operated by [[electric locomotive]]s, with motor armatures built directly on the axles to eliminate noise-producing gearboxes, hauling carriages. This did not allow springing, and the locomotives' considerable unsprung weight caused much vibration in the buildings above the line, so that the railway rebuilt the locomotives to use geared drives. This allowed higher-speed and lighter motors to be used, which reduced the unsprung, and total, weight of the locomotive. The railway also tried an alternative approach: it converted four coaches to accommodate motors and control gear. Two of these experimental motor coaches were used in a 6-coach train, the control gear being operated by the system used on the Waterloo and City Railway.{{efn|Although the Board of Trade forbade this system being used on any future passenger railway, it was used in this case because the trains were experimental and were forbidden to carry fare-paying passengers.}} The modified locomotives were a considerable improvement, but lighter purpose-designed motor coaches  were even better. The CLR ordered 64 new motor cars{{efn|The CLR adopted the American term of 'car' rather than 'coach' with the introduction of the Electrical Multiple Unit.}} designed to use [[Frank J. Sprague|Sprague]]'s recently developed [[Multiple-unit train control|traction control]] system. The CLR was exclusively using the resulting [[electric multiple units]] by 1903.{{sfn|Green|1987|p=22}}

In July 1907, the fare was increased to 3d for journeys of more than seven or eight stations. The line was extended westwards with a loop serving a single platform at [[Wood Lane (Central line) tube station|Wood Lane]] for the 1908 [[Franco-British Exhibition (1908)|Franco-British Exhibition]]. A reduced fare of 1d, for a journey of three or fewer stations, was introduced in 1909, and [[season ticket]]s became available from 1911. The extension to Liverpool Street opened the following year, providing access to the [[Great Eastern Railway]] station and the adjacent [[Broad Street railway station (London)|Broad Street railway station]] by escalators. The Central London Railway was absorbed into the [[Underground Group]] on 1 January 1913.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|pp=58–59}}

In 1911, the [[Great Western Railway]] won permission for a line from [[Ealing Broadway station|Ealing Broadway]] to a station near to the CLR's [[Shepherd's Bush tube station|Shepherd's Bush station]], with a connection to the [[West London Railway]], and agreement to connect the line to the Central London Railway, and for the CLR to run trains to Ealing Broadway. Construction of the extension from the CLR to Ealing Broadway started in 1912,{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=119}} but opening was delayed by [[World War I]]. The CLR purchased new rolling stock for the extension, which arrived in 1915 and was stored before being lent to the [[Bakerloo line]]. The rolling stock returned when the extension opened in 1920.{{sfn|Bruce|1988|pp=31–33}}

In 1912, plans were published for a railway from Shepherd's Bush to [[Turnham Green tube station|Turnham Green]] and [[Gunnersbury station|Gunnersbury]],<ref name=gazette_1>{{London Gazette|issue=28666|date=26 November 1912|pages=9018–9021}}</ref> allowing the Central London Railway to run trains on [[London and South Western Railway]] (L&SWR) tracks to [[Richmond station (London)|Richmond]]. The route was authorised in 1913,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28747|date=19 August 1913|pages=5929–5931}}</ref> but work had not begun by the outbreak of war the following year.{{sfn|Badsey-Ellis|2005|pp=273–274}} In 1919, an alternative route was published, with a tunnelled link to the disused L&SWR tracks south of [[Shepherd's Bush railway station (L&SWR)|their Shepherd's Bush station]] then via [[Hammersmith (Grove Road) railway station]].<ref name=gazette_2>{{London Gazette|issue=31656|page=14473|date=25 November 1919}}</ref> Authorisation was granted in 1920,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32009|date=6 August 1920|pages=8171–8172}}</ref>{{sfn|Badsey-Ellis|2005|pp=273–274}} but the connection was never built, and the L&SWR tracks were used by the [[Piccadilly line]] when it was extended west of [[Hammersmith tube station (District and Piccadilly lines)|Hammersmith]] in 1932.{{sfn|Green|1987|p=42}}

=== London Transport and the Second World War ===
On 1 July 1933, the Central London Railway and other transport companies in the London area were amalgamated to form the [[London Passenger Transport Board]], generally known as [[London Transport (brand)|London Transport]].{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=110}} The railway was known as the "Central London Line", becoming the "Central line" in 1937.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=North East London Electrification report upon the extension of the Central London line and train services |publisher=[[London Passenger Transport Board]] |year=1935}}</ref>{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=212}} The 1935–40 [[New Works Programme]] included a major expansion of the line.<ref name=":1" /> To the west new tracks were to be built parallel with the [[Great Western Railway]]'s [[Acton-Northolt Line|New North Main Line]] as far as [[Denham railway station|Denham]]. To the east, new tunnels would run to just beyond [[Stratford station]], where the line would be extended over the [[London & North Eastern Railway]] suburban branch to [[Epping tube station|Epping]] and [[Ongar railway station|Ongar]] in Essex, as well as a new underground line between [[Leytonstone tube station|Leytonstone]] and [[Newbury Park tube station|Newbury Park]] mostly under [[A12 road (England)|Eastern Avenue]] so as to serve the new suburbs of north Ilford and the [[Hainault Loop]].{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=116}} Twenty two level crossings would also be removed, [[Grade separation|grade separating]] the line.<ref name=":1" /> Platforms at central London stations would also be lengthened to allow for 8-car trains.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=116}}

Construction started, the tunnels through central London being expanded and realigned and the stations lengthened, but it proved impossible to modify [[Wood Lane tube station (Central line)|Wood Lane station]] to take 8-car trains and a new station at [[White City tube station|White City]] was authorised in 1938.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=124}} The line was converted to the London Underground four-rail electrification system in 1940.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=134}} The positive outer rail is {{convert|40|mm|abbr=on}} higher than on other lines, because even after reconstruction work the tunnels are slightly smaller.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} Most of the tunnels for the extensions to the east of London had been built by 1940, but work slowed due to the outbreak of the Second World War until eventually being suspended in June.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=134}} The unused tunnels between Leytonstone and Newbury Park were equipped by the [[Plessey]] Company as an aircraft components factory, opening in March 1942 and employing 2,000 people.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=142}} Elsewhere, people used underground stations as night shelters during air raids. The unopened [[Bethnal Green tube station|Bethnal Green station]] had space for 10,000 people. In March 1943, 173 people died there in a [[crowd crush]] when a woman entering the shelter fell at the bottom of the steps and those following fell on top of her.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=142}}

===Post war===
[[File:Loughton station building.JPG|thumb|Loughton station was rebuilt in the 1930s, with a central track accessed by two platforms for the Central line extension. Opening in 1940, it was not served by Central line trains until 1948.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|pp=88–89}} Today, the station is a [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE |num= 1141221 |access-date=11 November 2017 }}</ref>]]
Construction restarted after the war, and the western extension opened as far as Greenford in 1947{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=288}} and West Ruislip in 1948.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=294}} The powers to extend the line to Denham were never used due to post-war establishment of the [[Metropolitan Green Belt|Green Belt]] around London, which restricted development of land in the area.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=294}} The eastern extension opened as far as Stratford in December 1946, with trains continuing without passengers to reverse in the cutting south of Leyton.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=286}} In 1947, the line opened to Leytonstone, and then Woodford and Newbury Park.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=287, 291}} Stations from Newbury Park to Woodford via Hainault and from Woodford to Loughton were served by tube trains from 1948.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=294}} South of Newbury Park, the west-facing junction with the main line closed in the same year to allow expansion of Ilford carriage depot.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=291}} The extension transferred to London Underground management in 1949, when Epping began to be served by Central line trains. The single line to Ongar was served by a steam [[autotrain]] operated by British Rail (BR) until 1957, when the line was electrified.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|pp=295–297}} BR trains accessed the line via a link from Temple Mills East to Leyton.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=296}}

On 8 April 1953, 12 people were killed and 46 were injured as a result of a [[Stratford tube crash|rear-end collision]] in a tunnel just to the east of [[Stratford station]], caused by [[Motorman (locomotive)|driver]] error after a [[Railway signal|signal]] failure.<ref name="mcmullen-195332">{{cite report |url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Stratford1953.pdf |title=Report on the Collision which occurred on 8th April 1953 near Stratford on the Central Line |last=McMullen |first=D. |author2=London Transport Executive |date=October 1953 |publisher=Her Majestry's Stationery Office |editor=Ministry of Transport |work=Railway Accidents}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |year=1953 |title=Tube Train Crash – Stratford |work=[[Pathé News]] |format=black & white newsreel |url=http://www.britishpathe.com/video/tube-train-crash-stratford |url-status=live |access-date=12 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604025001/http://www.britishpathe.com/video/tube-train-crash-stratford |archive-date=4 June 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The Central line stations east of Stratford kept their goods service for a time, being worked from [[Temple Mills]], with the Hainault loop stations served via Woodford.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=296}} The BR line south of Newbury Park closed in 1956{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=291}} and Hainault loop stations lost their goods service in 1965, the rest of the stations on the line following in 1966. Early morning passenger trains from Stratford (Liverpool Street on Sundays) ran to Epping or Loughton until 1970.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=347}} The single-track section from Epping to Ongar was electrified in 1957{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=149}} and then operated as a shuttle service using short tube trains. However, carrying only 100 passengers a day and losing money, the section closed in 1994, and is now used by the heritage [[Epping Ongar Railway]].{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=200}}

The entire Central line was shut between January and March 2003, after 32 passengers were injured when a train derailed at Chancery Lane due to a traction motor falling on to the track. The line was not fully reopened until June.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|pp=214–215}}<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/HSE_ChanceryLane2003_Final.pdf |title=Derailment at Chancery Lane, 25 January 2003 |date=March 2006 |publisher=Health and Safety Executive}}</ref> In 2003, the infrastructure of the Central line was partly privatised in a [[public–private partnership]], managed by the [[Metronet (British infrastructure company)|Metronet]] consortium. Metronet went into [[Administration (law)|administration]] in 2007, and [[Transport for London]] (TfL) took over its responsibilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/london-underground-ppp-performance-report-2009-2010.pdf |title=PPP Performance Report |year=2010 |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=7 March 2012 |pages=7–8 |archive-date=26 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426034334/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/london-underground-ppp-performance-report-2009-2010.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Route ==

=== Map ===
{{wide image|Central line & London map.svg|900px|{{centre|The route of the Central line through the [[London Boroughs]] and the county of [[Essex]]}}|center}}

=== Railway line ===
{{Central Line RDT}}
The Central line is {{convert|46|mi|order=flip}} long and serves 49 stations.<ref name="Line Facts">{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/keyfacts/13164.aspx |title=Central line facts |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=1 December 2012 |archive-date=26 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926042128/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/keyfacts/13164.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Key Facts">{{cite web |title= Key facts |publisher= Transport for London |url= http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx |access-date=1 December 2012 |archive-date=15 December 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111215025236/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref> The line is predominantly double-track, widened to three tracks for short sections south of Leytonstone and west of White City; no track is shared with any other line, though some sections run parallel to other routes. Total track length is {{convert|147.1|km}}, of which {{convert|52.8|km}} is in tunnel;<ref name="Line Facts" /><ref name="map">{{cite web |url= http://cartometro.com/cartes/metro-london/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200728161716/http://cartometro.com/cartes/metro-london/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= 28 July 2020 |title=Detailed London Transport Map |access-date=1 December 2012 |work=cartometro.com }}</ref> this track is electrified with a four-rail DC system: a central conductor rail is energised at&nbsp;−210&nbsp;V and a rail outside the running rail at +420&nbsp;V, giving a potential difference of 630&nbsp;V.<ref name="Martin2012">{{cite book |last= Martin |first=Andrew |title= Underground, Overground: A Passenger's History of the Tube |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vh3n5WD_YqsC&pg=PT137 |access-date=7 December 2012 |date=26 April 2012 |publisher=Profile Books |location =London |isbn=978-1-84765-807-4 |pages=137–138}}</ref>

The single-track line north of Epping, which closed in 1994, is now the [[Epping Ongar Railway|Epping Ongar]] [[heritage railway]]. Shuttle services operate, mostly on some weekends and for special events, between North Weald and Ongar and North Weald and [[Coopersale]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Our Train and Vintage London Bus Timetables | publisher=Epping Ongar Railway | url=https://www.eorailway.co.uk/visit/#left}} Updated to show times for the following months.</ref> These do not call at [[Blake Hall tube station|Blake Hall]], as the station platform was removed by London Transport after the station closed, and the remaining building is now a private residence.

The section between [[Leyton tube station|Leyton]] and just south of [[Loughton tube station|Loughton]] is the oldest railway alignment in use on the current London Underground system, having been opened on 22 August 1856 by the [[Eastern Counties Railway]] (ECR). Loughton to [[Epping tube station|Epping]] was opened on 24 April 1865 by the ECR's successor, the [[Great Eastern Railway]] (GER), along with the section to Ongar. The [[Hainault Loop]] was originally the greater part of the [[Fairlop Loop]] opened by the GER on 1 May 1903.{{sfn|Brown|2012}}

The line has three junctions:
* Woodford Junction is a flat junction
* north of Leytonstone the branch to Newbury Park descends into tube tunnels under the older route to Woodford
* west of North Acton there is another [[Flying junction|burrowing junction]] separating the lines to Ealing Broadway and West Ruislip.<ref name=map />

The line has the shortest escalator on the London Underground system, at [[Stratford station|Stratford]] (previously at Chancery Lane), with a rise of {{convert|4.1|m}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Key facts|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=22 November 2013 |archive-date=15 December 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111215025236/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref> and, at Stratford and Greenford, the only stations where escalators take passengers ''up'' to the trains. The escalator at [[Greenford tube station|Greenford]] was the last one with wooden treads on the system until it was replaced in March 2014. They were exempt from fire regulations because they were outside the tunnel system.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.london24.com/news/transport/tube_s_only_wooden_escalator_to_carry_last_passengers_1_3419976 |access-date=29 November 2014 |date=11 March 2014 |title=Tube's only wooden escalator to carry last passengers |website=london24.com |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141029143253/http://www.london24.com/news/transport/tube_s_only_wooden_escalator_to_carry_last_passengers_1_3419976 |archive-date=29 October 2014 }}</ref>

The line has the shallowest underground Tube platforms on the system, at [[Redbridge tube station|Redbridge]], just {{convert|7.9|m}} below street level, and the sharpest curve, the Caxton Curve, between Shepherds Bush and White City.<ref name="Line Facts" />

{{Clear}}

== List of stations ==

=== Open stations ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Station
! rowspan="2" | Image 
! colspan="2" | Distance between stations<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-08-14 |title=Distance between adjacent Underground stations - a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London |url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/distance_between_adjacent_underg |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=WhatDoTheyKnow |language=en}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" | Opened{{sfn|Rose|2007}} or services started 
! rowspan="2" | Branch 
! rowspan="2" class=unsortable | Notes
|-
! km
! mi
|-
| [[West Ruislip station|West Ruislip]] {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}}
| [[File:West Ruislip stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Ruislip branch 
| Connects with [[National Rail]] services. Opened as Ruislip & Ickenham in 1906 by Great Western and Great Central Joint Committee (GW&GCJC), renamed West Ruislip (for Ickenham) in 1947; the suffix was later dropped.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=152}}
|-
| [[Ruislip Gardens tube station|Ruislip Gardens]] 
| [[File:Ruislip Gardens stn entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.04|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Ruislip branch
| Opened in 1934 by GW&GCJC, main line services withdrawn 1958.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=117}}
|-
|[[South Ruislip station|South Ruislip]] {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}}
| [[File:South Ruislip stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.86|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Ruislip branch 
| Connects with National Rail services. Opened as Northolt Junction by GW&GCJC in 1908, renamed South Ruislip & Northolt Junction in 1932, and renamed in 1947.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=126}}
|-
|[[Northolt tube station|Northolt]] 
| [[File:Northolt station building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.28|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Ruislip branch 
| Replaced a nearby GWR station that had opened in 1907.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=126}}
|-
|[[Greenford station|Greenford]] {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}} {{Access icon}}
| [[File:Greenford station entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.78|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|6|30}} 
| Ruislip branch 
| Connects with National Rail services to [[West Ealing railway station|West Ealing]] (in bay platform). GWR station opened in 1904.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=64}} The station was the last one to retain a wooden escalator, replaced in 2014 by the first [[incline lift]] on the Underground.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Incline lift at Greenford Tube station is UK first |url= https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/october/uk-first-as-incline-lift-opens-at-greenford-tube-station |date=20 October 2015 |access-date=23 March 2021 |publisher= Transport for London |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160629225202/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/october/uk-first-as-incline-lift-opens-at-greenford-tube-station |archive-date=29 June 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|[[Perivale tube station|Perivale]] 
| [[File:Perivale station building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.69|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|6|30}} 
| Ruislip branch
| Opened by GWR as "Perivale Halt" in 1904, closed 1915–20; Halt suffix lost in 1922.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=108}}
|-
|[[Hanger Lane tube station|Hanger Lane]] 
| [[File:Hanger Lane stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.10|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|6|30}} 
| Ruislip branch ||
|- style="border-top:4px solid #ccc"
|[[Ealing Broadway station|Ealing Broadway]] {{rail-interchange|london|elizabeth}} {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}}
| [[File:Ealing Broadway stn 8th May 2022 02.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1920|08|3}} 
| Ealing branch 
| Connects with [[District line]], [[Elizabeth line]] and National Rail services. Opened by [[District Railway]] in 1879, link to main-line station opened in 1965/6.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=42}}
|-
|[[West Acton tube station|West Acton]] 
| [[File:West Acton stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.53|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1923|11|5}} 
| Ealing branch ||
|- style="border-top:4px solid #ccc"
| rowspan="2" |[[North Acton tube station|North Acton]] 
| rowspan="2" | [[File:North Acton stn entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
|{{cvt|2.49|km|disp=table}} {{smalldiv|from Hanger Lane}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1923|11|5}} 
| rowspan="2" | Main route 
| rowspan="2" | GWR station opened in 1904, moved to its current position in 1913 and closed in 1947.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=97}}
|-
|{{cvt|1.77|km|disp=table}} {{smalldiv|from West Acton}}
|-
|[[East Acton tube station|East Acton]] 
| [[File:East Acton Tube Station.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.11|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1920|08|3}} 
| Main route 
| Right-hand running ends some distance southeast of the station from White City.
|-
|[[White City tube station|White City]] 
| [[File:White City stn entrance2.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.06|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|11|23}} 
| Main route ||Connects with [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle]] and [[Hammersmith & City line|Hammersmith & City]] lines from [[Wood Lane tube station|Wood Lane]]. Trains run right-handed through this station
|-
|[[Shepherd's Bush tube station|Shepherd's Bush]] {{rail-interchange|london|overground}} {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}}
| [[File:Shepherd's Bush tube stn eastern entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.16|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route 
| Connects with [[London Overground]] and [[National Rail]] services from [[Shepherd's Bush railway station|Shepherd's Bush National Rail station]]. Refurbished in 2008. To the west of the station, right-hand running starts en route to White City.
|-
|[[Holland Park tube station|Holland Park]] 
| [[File:Holland Park stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.87|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route ||
|-
|[[Notting Hill Gate tube station|Notting Hill Gate]] 
| [[File:Notting_Hill_Gate_tube_entrance_2020_south.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.61|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route ||Connects with [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle]] and [[District line|District]] lines.
|-
|[[Queensway tube station|Queensway]] 
| [[File:Queensway tube station.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.69|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route ||Opened as Queens Road; renamed 1 September 1946
|-
|[[Lancaster Gate tube station|Lancaster Gate]] 
| [[File:Lancaster Gate stn entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.90|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route ||
|-
|[[Marble Arch tube station|Marble Arch]] 
| [[File:Marble Arch Underground Station.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.20|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route ||
|-
|[[Bond Street tube station|Bond Street]] {{Access icon}} {{rail-interchange|london|elizabeth}}
| [[File:Bond_Street_station_-_entrance_on_Marylebone_Lane.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.55|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|9|24}} 
| Main route 
| Connects with [[Jubilee line]] and [[Elizabeth line]], the latter since 24 October 2022.
|-
|[[Oxford Circus tube station|Oxford Circus]] 
| [[File:Oxford Circus tube station - Central Line Entrance.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.66|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route ||Connects with [[Bakerloo line|Bakerloo]] and [[Victoria line|Victoria]] lines.
|-
|[[Tottenham Court Road tube station|Tottenham Court Road]] {{Access icon}} {{rail-interchange|london|elizabeth}}
| [[File:Tottenham_court_underground_station.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.58|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route 
| Connects with [[Northern line]] and [[Elizabeth line]], the latter since 24 May 2022. Opened as Oxford Street; renamed 9 March 1908.
|-
|[[Holborn tube station|Holborn]] 
| [[File:Holborn Tube Station - April 2006.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.88|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1933|9|25}} 
| Main route ||Originally opened as a [[Piccadilly line]] station on 15 December 1906, Central line platforms opened later and station renamed Holborn (Kingsway); the suffix was later dropped.
|-
|[[Chancery Lane tube station|Chancery Lane]] 
| [[File:Chancery Lane stn northeast entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.40|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route 
| Renamed Chancery Lane (Gray's Inn) 25 June 1934; the suffix was later dropped
|-
|[[St Paul's tube station|St Paul's]] 
| [[File:St Paul's stn entrance2.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.03|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route ||Opened as Post Office; renamed 1 February 1937. Interchangeable from [[City Thameslink]] from walking distance.
|-
|[[Bank–Monument station|Bank]] {{rail-interchange|london|dlr}} 
| [[File:Bankwbankofengland.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.74|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1900|7|30}} 
| Main route ||Connects with [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle]], [[District line|District]], [[Northern line|Northern]] and [[Waterloo & City line|Waterloo & City]] lines and [[Docklands Light Railway|DLR]].
|-
|[[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]] {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}} {{rail-interchange|london|elizabeth}} {{rail-interchange|london|overground}} 
| [[File:Liverpool Street Underground concourse entr.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.74|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1912|7|28}} 
| Main route ||Connects with [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle]], [[Hammersmith & City line|Hammersmith & City]] and [[Metropolitan line|Metropolitan]] lines, [[London Overground]], Elizabeth line and National Rail services.
|-
|[[Bethnal Green tube station|Bethnal Green]] 
| [[File:Bethnal Green stn southwest entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.27|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1946|12|4}} 
| Main route ||
|-
|[[Mile End tube station|Mile End]] 
| [[File:Mile End stn entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.64|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1946|12|4}} 
| Main route ||[[Cross-platform interchange]] with [[District line|District]] and [[Hammersmith & City line|Hammersmith & City]] lines. Opened in 1902 for District Railway services.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=92}}
|-
|[[Stratford station|Stratford]] {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}} {{rail-interchange|london|dlr}} {{rail-interchange|london|elizabeth}} {{rail-interchange|london|overground}} {{Access icon}}
| [[File:Stratford_station_(7028902411).jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.83|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1946|12|4}} 
| Main route 
| Connects with [[Jubilee line]], [[London Overground]], [[Docklands Light Railway|DLR]], Elizabeth line with cross-platform interchange and National Rail services. Opened by [[Eastern Counties Railway]] (ECR) in 1839.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=160}}
|-
|[[Leyton tube station|Leyton]] 
| [[File:Leyton stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.09|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|05|5}} 
| Main route 
| Opened as Low Leyton by ECR in 1856, renamed in 1868.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=86}}
|-
|[[Leytonstone tube station|Leytonstone]] 
| [[File:Leytonstone_Station.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.62|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|05|5}} 
| Main route 
| Opened by ECR in 1856.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=87}}
|- style="border-top:4px solid #ccc"
|[[Wanstead tube station|Wanstead]] 
| [[File:Wanstead_Underground_station,_entrance.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.72|km|disp=table}} {{smalldiv|from Leytonstone}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|12|14}} 
| Hainault loop 
| Used during the war as an air-raid shelter and the tunnels as a munitions factory for Plessey electronics.
|-
|[[Redbridge tube station|Redbridge]] 
| [[File:Redbridge station entrance east.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.22|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|12|14}} 
| Hainault loop 
| During the war, the completed tunnels at Redbridge were used by the Plessey company as an aircraft parts factory.
|-
|[[Gants Hill tube station|Gants Hill]] 
| [[File:Gants Hill stn southwest entrance.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.27|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|12|14}} 
| Hainault loop 
| During the war, it was used as an air-raid shelter and the tunnels as a munitions factory for Plessey electronics.
|-
|[[Newbury Park tube station|Newbury Park]] {{Access icon}}
| [[File:Newbury Park Tube station.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.36|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|12|14}} 
| Hainault loop 
| Opened 1903 on the GER Ilford to Woodford [[Fairlop Loop]] line.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=96}}
|-
|[[Barkingside tube station|Barkingside]] 
| [[File:Barkingside station building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.11|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|5|31}} ||Hainault loop 
| Opened 1903 on the GER Fairlop Loop, closed 1916–19.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=18}}
|-
|[[Fairlop tube station|Fairlop]] 
| [[File:Fairlop station building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.22|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|5|31}} ||Hainault loop 
| Opened 1903 on the GER Fairlop Loop.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=54}}
|-
|[[Hainault tube station|Hainault]] {{Access icon}}
| [[File:Hainault stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|0.75|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|5|31}} ||Hainault loop 
| Opened 1903 on the GER Fairlop Loop, closed 1908–30.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=65}}
|-
|[[Grange Hill tube station|Grange Hill]] 
| [[File:Grange Hill stn entr.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.12|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Hainault loop 
| Opened 1903 on the GER Fairlop Loop.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=63}}
|-
|[[Chigwell tube station|Chigwell]] 
| [[File:Chigwell stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.32|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Hainault loop 
| Opened 1903 on the GER Fairlop Loop.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=54}}
|-
|[[Roding Valley tube station|Roding Valley]] {{Access icon}}
| [[File:Roding Valley stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.28|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Hainault loop ||Trains continue to Woodford. Opened 1936 by the LNER on the Fairlop Loop.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=115}}
|- style="border-top:4px solid #ccc"
|[[Snaresbrook tube station|Snaresbrook]] 
| [[File:Snaresbrook station building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.57|km|disp=table}} {{smalldiv|from Leytonstone}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|12|14}} 
| Epping branch 
| Opened as Snaresbrook & Wanstead by ECR in 1856, renamed Snaresbrook for Wanstead in 1929, renamed for the transfer to the Central line.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=86}}
|-
|[[South Woodford tube station|South Woodford]] {{Access icon}}
| [[File:South_Woodford_entrance_west.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.29|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|12|14}} 
| Epping branch 
| Opened by ECR in 1856 as George Lane, and renamed South Woodford (George Lane) in 1937, current name from 1950. "(George Lane)" still appears on some of the platform [[London Underground#Roundel|roundels]].{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=127}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Woodford tube station|Woodford]] {{Access icon}}
| rowspan="2" |[[File:Woodford Station.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]]
| {{cvt|1.80|km|disp=table}} {{smalldiv|from South Woodford}} 
| rowspan="2" |{{dts|format=dmy|1947|12|14}}
| rowspan="2" |Epping branch/<br>Hainault loop
| rowspan="2" |Opened by ECR in 1856.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=87}}
|-
| {{cvt|1.33|km|disp=table}} {{smalldiv|from Roding Valley}}
|- style="border-top:4px solid #ccc"
|[[Buckhurst Hill tube station|Buckhurst Hill]] {{Access icon}}
| [[File:Buckhurst Hill stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.31|km|disp=table}} {{smalldiv|from Woodford}} 
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Epping branch 
| Opened as a single line by ECR in 1856, moved slightly when line doubled in 1881/2.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=27}}
|-
|[[Loughton tube station|Loughton]] 
| [[File:Loughton station building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|1.83|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1948|11|21}} 
| Epping branch 
| Opened by ECR in 1856, moved when line was extended to Ongar in 1865, and again in 1940.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=87}}
|-
|[[Debden tube station|Debden]] {{Access icon}}
| [[File:Debden Tube Station.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.02|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1949|9|25}} 
| Epping branch 
| Opened by GER in 1865 as Chigwell Road, renamed Chigwell Lane later the same year. Closed 1916–19, named changed when transferred to Central line.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=41}}
|-
|[[Theydon Bois tube station|Theydon Bois]] 
| [[File:Theydon Bois stn building.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|3.34|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1949|9|25}} 
| Epping branch 
| Opened by GER in 1865 as Theydon, renamed later the same year.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=134}}
|-
|[[Epping tube station|Epping]] {{Access icon}}
| [[File:Epping_station_building2.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]] 
| {{cvt|2.54|km|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:center" |{{dts|format=dmy|1949|9|25}} 
| Epping branch 
| Opened by GER in 1865.{{sfn|Leboff|1994|p=53}}
|}

=== Former stations ===
*On the Denham extension, aborted due to its location in a sparsely populated area within the Metropolitan Green Belt:
**[[Denham railway station|Denham]]; it was never connected.
**[[Harefield Road tube station|Harefield Road]]; it was never opened.
*[[Wood Lane (Central line) tube station|Wood Lane]]; closed 22 November 1947,{{sfn|Rose|2007}} replaced by White City.
*[[British Museum tube station|British Museum]]; closed 24 September 1933,{{sfn|Rose|2007}} replaced by two new platforms at the Piccadilly line's Holborn station.
*On the [[Epping Ongar Railway|shuttle service from Epping to Ongar]], closed in September 1994:
**[[North Weald railway station|North Weald]]; it was first served by the Central line on 25 September 1949,{{sfn|Rose|2007}} taking over the Great Eastern Railway (GER)'s services. It closed on 30 September 1994.{{sfn|Rose|2007}}
**[[Blake Hall tube station|Blake Hall]]; it was first served by the Central line 25 September 1949. The station closed on 31 October 1981.{{sfn|Rose|2007}}
**[[Ongar railway station|Ongar]]; it was first served by the Central line, which took over the GER services, on 25 September 1949.{{sfn|Rose|2007}} It was closed on 30 September 1994{{sfn|Rose|2007}}

== Rolling stock ==

=== Former rolling stock ===
[[File:Central London Railway 1903 stock motor car.png|thumb|Illustration of Bank station in 1903 showing the original electric multiple units]]
When the railway opened in 1900, it was operated by [[London Underground electric locomotives|electric locomotives]] hauling [[London Underground carriages|carriages]] with passengers boarding via lattice gates at each end. The locomotives had a large unsprung mass, which caused vibrations that could be felt in the buildings above the route. After an investigation by the [[Board of Trade]], by 1903 the carriages had been adapted to run as trailers and formed with new motor cars into [[electric multiple unit]]s.{{sfn|Bruce|1988|pp=25–29}} The [[London Underground 1900/1903 Stock|Central London Railway trains]] normally ran with six cars: four trailers and two motor-cars, although some trailers were later equipped with control equipment to allow trains to be formed with 3 cars.{{sfn|Bruce|1988|p=30}} Work started in 1912 on an extension to [[Ealing Broadway station|Ealing Broadway]], and new more powerful motor-cars were ordered. These arrived in 1915, but completion of the extension was delayed because of [[World War I]], and the cars were stored. In 1917, they were lent to the [[Bakerloo line]], where they ran on the newly opened extension to [[Watford Junction station|Watford Junction]]. Returning in 1920/21, and formed with trailers converted from the original carriages, they became the Ealing Stock.{{sfn|Bruce|1988|pp=31–33}} In 1925–28, the trains were rebuilt, replacing the gated ends with air-operated doors, allowing the number of guards to be reduced to two.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|pp=201–202}} After reconstruction of the Central London Railway tunnels, the trains were replaced by [[London Underground Standard Stock|Standard Stock]] transferred from other lines and the last of the original trains ran in service in 1939.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|pp=247–248}}
[[File:Epping Station auto-train geograph-2988854-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|left|Standard Stock behind a steam autotrain service at Epping in 1957]]
The Standard Stock ran as 6-car trains until 1947, when 8-car trains became possible after [[Wood Lane tube station|Wood Lane]] was replaced by a new station at [[White City tube station|White City]]. More cars were transferred from other lines as they were replaced by [[London Underground 1938 Stock|1938 Stock]].{{sfn|Bruce|1988|pp=71–72}} In the early 1960s, there was a plan to re-equip the Piccadilly line with new trains and transfer its newer Standard Stock to the Central line to replace the older cars there, some of which had been stored in the open during the Second World War and were becoming increasingly unreliable.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|pp=313, 318}} However, after the first deliveries of [[London Underground 1959 Stock|1959 Stock]] were running on the Piccadilly it was decided to divert this stock to the Central line, together with extra non-driving motor cars to lengthen the trains from 7-car to 8-car. [[London Underground 1962 Stock|1962 Stock]] was ordered to release the [[London Underground 1959 Stock|1959 Stock]] for the Piccadilly line. The last Standard Stock train ran on the Central line in 1963,{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=328}} and by May 1964 all 1959 Stock had been released to the Piccadilly line.{{sfn|Bruce|1988|p=92}}

The single track section from Epping to Ongar was not electrified until 1957, prior to which the service was operated by an [[autotrain]], carriages attached to a steam locomotive capable of being driven from either end, hired from British Railways, and an experimental AEC three-car lightweight [[diesel multiple unit]] operated part of the shuttle service Monday-Friday in June 1952.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=149}} Upon electrification, [[London Underground 1935 Stock|1935 Stock]] was used,{{sfn|Bruce|1988|p=76}} until replaced by four-car sets of [[London Underground 1962 Stock|1962 Stock]] specially modified to cope with the limited current.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} The section closed in 1994, and is now the heritage [[Epping Ongar Railway]].

A shuttle operated on the section from [[Hainault tube station|Hainault]] to [[Woodford tube station|Woodford]] after a train of [[London Underground 1960 Stock|1960 Stock]] was modified to test the [[automatic train operation]] system to be used on the [[Victoria line]]. As each 1967 Stock train was delivered, it ran in test for three weeks on the shuttle service.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=338}}

=== Current rolling stock ===
When the signalling on the Central line needed replacement by the late 1980s, it was decided to bring forward the replacement of the 1962 Stock, due at about the time as the replacement of the 1959 Stock. The signalling was to be replaced with an updated version of the [[Automatic Train Operation]] (ATO) system used on the Victoria line, the line traction supply boosted and new trains built.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=470}} Prototype trains were built with two double and two single doors hung on the outside of each carriage of the train, and with electronic traction equipment that gave [[regenerative braking|regenerative]] and [[rheostatic braking]].{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|pp=471–473}}

In accordance with this plan, the first 8-car trains of [[London Underground 1992 Stock|1992 Stock]] entered service in 1993,{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=198}}<ref name="RSI">{{cite web |title=Rolling Stock Information Sheets|date=March 2007|url=https://foi.tfl.gov.uk/FOI-2519-1718/Rolling_stock_Data_Sheet_2nd_Edition%5B1%5D.pdf|publisher=London Underground |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004231025/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/foi/Rolling_stock_Data_Sheet_2nd_Edition.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and while the necessary signalling works for ATO were in progress, [[One person operation|One Person Operation]] (OPO) was phased in between 1993 and 1995.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=200}} [[Automatic train protection]] was commissioned from 1995 to 1997 and [[Automatic train operation|ATO]] from 1999 to 2001, with a centralised control centre in West London.<ref name="Line Facts" />

The five-year Central Line Improvement Programme (CLIP) to refurbish the 30-year-old trains started in 2023, as it was considered cheaper than replacing the trains.<ref name=lydall>{{cite news| last=Lydall | first=Ross | title=Central line unlikely to improve until December after delays to refurbished trains | newspaper=Evening Standard | date=12 September 2024 | url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/central-line-tube-delays-refurbished-rains-timetable-tfl-b1181614.html}}</ref> New motors, lighting, doors, and seats will be installed, and the trains will have passenger information displays, wheelchair areas and [[CCTV]]. The programme is being carried out at a new Train Modification Unit (TMU) in Acton, and had been expected to complete in late 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rullion|title=Be a part of the Central Line Improvement Programme|url=https://www.rullion.co.uk/candidate-campaigns/be-a-part-of-the-central-line-improvement-programme/|access-date=17 February 2021|website=Rullion}}</ref> However in November 2020 TfL reported that this had been delayed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]], with expected completion by the end of 2025;<ref>{{cite web | url=https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-1559-2021 | title=FOI request detail }}</ref> {{As of|2024|9|lc=y}} only one refurbished train had re-entered service. A timetable that would improve train frequencies, relieving delays and overcrowding, would not be implemented until December 2024. An expert suggested that in hindsight, given the problems with CLIP, it would have been better to buy new trains.<ref name=lydall/>

=== Future rolling stock ===
{{Main articles|New Tube for London}}
In the mid 2010s, TfL began a process of ordering new rolling stock to replace trains on the Piccadilly, Central, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City lines.<ref name=":43">{{Cite web |date=October 2014 |title=New Tube for London - Feasibility Report |url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/ntfl-feasibility-report.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305014932/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/ntfl-feasibility-report.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=26 June 2022 |publisher=[[Transport for London]]}}</ref> TfL explained that the 1992 Stock used on the Central and Waterloo & City lines was significantly less reliable than more modern rolling stock.<ref name=":43" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hawkins |first=John |date=January 2017 |title=LU Train reliability |url=https://www.lurs.org.uk/02%20nov%2017%20LU%20TRAIN%20RELIABILITY.pdf |access-date=5 March 2021}}</ref> A feasibility study into the new trains showed that new generation trains and re-signalling could increase capacity on the Central line by 25%, with 36 trains per hour.<ref name=":43" />

In June 2018, the [[Siemens Mobility]] [[Siemens Inspiro|Inspiro]] design was selected.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=15 June 2018 |title=Siemens to supply London Underground deep tube fleet |url=http://www.metro-report.com/news/news-by-region/europe/single-view/view/siemens-to-supply-london-underground-deep-tube-fleet.html |magazine=Metro Report International}}</ref> These trains would have an open gangway design, wider doorways, air conditioning and the ability to run automatically with a new signalling system.<ref name=":14">{{Cite news |date=4 March 2021 |title=Piccadilly Line: Plans for new 'walk-through' trains unveiled |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-56273283 |access-date=5 March 2021}}</ref> TfL could only afford to order Piccadilly line trains at a cost of £1.5bn.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Simon |date=3 January 2018 |title=Plan to sell part of Tube fleet branded 'quite mad' |website=ITV News |url=https://www.itv.com/news/london/2018-01-03/plan-to-sell-part-of-london-underground-fleet-branded-quite-mad |access-date=6 March 2021}}</ref> However, the contract with Siemens includes an option for 100 trains for the Central line in the future.<ref name=":3">{{cite press release |date=15 June 2018 |title=Siemens Mobility Limited to be awarded TfL contract to design and manufacture a new generation of Tube trains |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2018/june/siemens-mobility-limited-to-be-awarded-tfl-contract-to-design-and-manufacture-a-new-generation-of-tube-trains |access-date=16 June 2018 |publisher=Transport for London}}</ref> This would take place after the delivery of the Piccadilly line trains in the 2030s.<ref name=":14" />

=== Depots ===
There are three depots: [[Ruislip Depot|Ruislip]], [[Hainault Depot|Hainault]] and [[White City Depot|White City]].<ref name="Tfl Key Facts">{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx |title=London Underground Key Facts |publisher=Transport for London |date=n.d. |access-date=21 May 2008 |archive-date=15 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215025236/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> White City depot first opened in 1900 when the initial line went into operation; Ruislip and Hainault depots were completed in 1939. During the Second World War, anti-aircraft guns were made at Ruislip Depot and the [[Transportation Corps|U.S. Army Transportation Corps]] assembled rolling stock at Hainault between 1943 and 1945.{{sfn|Croome|Jackson|1993|pp=294–295}} As part of the construction of the [[Westfield London]] shopping centre, the depot at White City was replaced underground, opening in 2007.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=White City Central Line Sidings |url= https://www.ianritchiearchitects.co.uk/projects/white-city-central-line-sidings/ |website=Ian Ritchie Architects |access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

== Services ==
During the off-peak, services on the Central line are grouped by branch lines: trains on the West Ruislip branch run to/from Epping, while trains to/from Ealing Broadway run on the Hainault Loop. Services at peak times are less structured, and trains can run between any two terminus stations at irregular intervals (e.g. from Ealing Broadway to Epping).<ref name="WTT70">{{Cite web |url= http://content.tfl.gov.uk/wtt-70-central-26-jan-2020.pdf |title=Central line working timetable |publisher= London Underground Ltd |date=26 January 2020 |access-date=13 April 2020 |archive-date=23 December 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191223001338/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/wtt-70-central-26-jan-2020.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{As of|2020|1}}, the typical off-peak service, in trains per hour (tph), is:<ref name="WTT70" />
*9 tph between {{stn|West Ruislip}} and {{lus|Epping}};
*3 tph between {{lus|Northolt}} and {{lus|Loughton}};
*3 tph between {{lus|Hainault}} and {{lus|Woodford}};
*6 tph between Ealing Broadway and {{lus|Hainault}} (via {{lus|Newbury Park}});
*3 tph between Ealing Broadway and Newbury Park;
*3 tph between {{lus|White City}} and Hainault.

The above services combine to give a total of 24 trains per hour each way (one every 2 minutes and 30 seconds) in the core section between White City and Leytonstone. At peak times, the frequency increases further, with up to 35 trains per hour each way in the core section.

A 24-hour [[Night Tube]] service began on the Central line on 19 August 2016, running on Friday and Saturday nights.<ref>{{Cite map/Standard Night Tube Map}}</ref> Night tube services are:
*3 tph between Ealing Broadway and Hainault (via Newbury Park)
*3 tph between White City and Loughton

===Peak-time frequency===
In September 2013, the frequency in the morning peak period was increased to 35 trains per hour, giving the line the most intensive train service in the UK at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/18075.aspx |publisher= Transport for London |title= Tube improvement plan: Central line |date= n.d. |access-date= 8 January 2014 |archive-date= 22 January 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140122171923/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/18075.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref> Before that date, the [[Victoria line]] held the record with 33 trains per hour; it regained it in May 2017 with an increased frequency of 36 trains per hour (one every 100 seconds) during peak periods.<ref>{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Templeton |url= http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/metros/new-victoria-line-timetable-increases-frequency.html |title=New Victoria Line timetable increases frequency |newspaper= International Railway Journal |location= London |date=26 May 2017 |access-date=14 July 2017}}</ref>

== Proposed and cancelled extensions ==

=== Hillingdon ===
The Central crosses over the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines' shared Uxbridge branch near West Ruislip depot, and a single track linking the two routes was laid in 1973. In the 2010s, the [[London Borough of Hillingdon]] has lobbied TfL to divert some or all Central trains along this to [[Uxbridge tube station|Uxbridge]], as [[West Ruislip station]] is located in a quiet suburb and [[Uxbridge tube station|Uxbridge]] is a much more densely populated regional centre. TfL has stated that the link will be impossible until the Metropolitan line's signalling is upgraded in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/west-london-news/local-uxbridge-news/2011/06/17/extending-central-line-to-uxbridge-will-cut-traffic-113046-28897325/ |author=Coombs, Dan |work=Uxbridge Gazette |title= Extending Central Line to Uxbridge will cut traffic |date=17 June 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110809004014/http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/west-london-news/local-uxbridge-news/2011/06/17/extending-central-line-to-uxbridge-will-cut-traffic-113046-28897325/ |archive-date=9 August 2011}}</ref>

=== Additional stations ===
The Central line runs directly below [[Shoreditch High Street station]] and an interchange has been desired locally since it opened in 2010. The station would lie between Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green, one of the longest gaps between stations in inner London. Although there would be benefits to this interchange, it was ruled out on grounds of cost, the disruption it would cause to the Central line while being built and because the platforms would be too close to sidings at Liverpool Street and would not be developed until after the [[Crossrail]]-developed [[Elizabeth line]] became fully operational.<ref>{{cite report|last=Hawkins|first=John|title=Meeting Reports: The East London Line Extension|date=13 January 2009|url=http://lurs.org.uk/documents/pdf09/sept/meeting_reports.pdf|publisher=London Underground Railway Society}}</ref>

The developers of the ''First Central'' business park at [[Park Royal]], west London, were planning a new station between North Acton and [[Hanger Lane tube station|Hanger Lane]]. This would have served the business park and provided a walking-distance interchange with [[Park Royal tube station|Park Royal Piccadilly line station]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstcentral.co.uk/ |title=First Central Business Park| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083311/http://www.firstcentral.co.uk/ |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref> This is not being actively pursued; London Underground said that the transport benefits of a Park Royal station on the Central line were not sufficient to justify the costs of construction.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.brent.gov.uk/tps.nsf/Files/LBBA-674/$FILE/London%20Regional%20Diageo%20Cov%20Let.pdf |date=20 October 2009 |title=Proposed Park Royal Central Line station |publisher= London Borough of Brent}}{{Deadlink|date=September 2024|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

=== Harlow extension ===
In 2021, [[Harlow District Council]] proposed extending the line from its eastern terminus in Epping to [[Harlow]]. They argued this would reduce travel times to Epping and London, and help with efforts to add 19,000 new homes to the town and expand the population to 130,000. However, no funding has been allocated for this proposed extension.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-08-11 |title=Harlow's addition to London Underground proposed by council |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-58172373 |access-date=2023-03-26}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Joe |title=London Railway Atlas |edition=3rd|date=1 October 2012|publisher=Ian Allan Publishing|isbn=978-0-7110-3728-1}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Badsey-Ellis |first1=Antony |title=London's Lost Tube Schemes |publisher=Capital Transport |isbn=1-85414-293-3 |year=2005}}
* {{cite book |first1=J Graeme|last1=Bruce |title=The London Underground Tube Stock |publisher=Ian Allan
 |location=Shepperton |year=1988 |isbn=0-7110-1707-7 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Croome|first1=D.|last2=Jackson|first2=A|title=Rails Through The Clay – A History of London's Tube Railways|edition=2nd|year=1993|publisher=Capital Transport|isbn=1-85414-151-1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Day|first1=John R|last2=Reed|first2=John |title=The Story of London's Underground|edition=11th|year=2010| orig-year=1963 |publisher=Capital Transport|isbn=978-1-85414-341-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Green|first1=Oliver |year=1987 |title=The London Underground&nbsp;— An illustrated history |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing|Ian Allan]] |isbn=0-7110-1720-4 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Horne |first1=Mike A.C. |year=1987 |title=The Central Line: A Short History |location=North Finchley |publisher=Douglas Rose |isbn=1-870354-01-X |oclc=59844512 |ol=12070417M }}
* {{cite book|last1=Leboff|first1=David |title=London Underground Stations|year=1994|publisher=Ian Allan|isbn=978-0-7110-2226-3}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rose|first1=Douglas|title=The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History|edition=8th|date=December 2007|orig-year=1980|publisher=Capital Transport|isbn=978-1-85414-315-0}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|London transport}}
{{Commons category|Central Line}}
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/keyfacts/13164.aspx |title= Central line facts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926042128/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/keyfacts/13164.aspx |archive-date=26 September 2012 }} – Transport for London page with line facts and brief history
*{{cite web|url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html#1914small |title=A History of the London Tube Maps – 1914 tube map showing proposed extension to Gunnersbury|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815041850/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html#1914small |archive-date=15 August 2007 }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.eorailway.co.uk/ |title=Epping Ongar Railway}} – The company currently owning the Epping and Ongar branch and running trains on it.
* {{cite news|url=https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/reduced-central-line-service-until-2023-1-6460040|title=Reduced Central line service between Woodford and Hainault will be in place until 2023 |date= 10 January 2020 |first1=Imogen |last1=Braddick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111161731/https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/reduced-central-line-service-until-2023-1-6460040|newspaper=Ilford Recorder|archive-date=11 January 2020 }}

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