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滑铁卢及城市线是伦敦地铁的路线之一，连接泰晤士河两端的滑铁卢站和银行站，沿途不设车站。其主要功能，是为在滑铁卢总站乘搭国铁的英格兰西南部之乘客，提供前往直达伦敦市的地铁服务。由于需要来往两地的多为通勤客，该线于每星期日及公众假期均暂停服务。

本线最初由Waterloo & City Railway Company建造，在1898年7月11日启用，路线名称内的"City"即为银行站启用时的站名。本线是都市与南伦敦铁路（现在是北线的一部分）通车后，伦敦第二条通车的电气化地铁线。经过一轮营运业者的易手后，英国铁路被国有化，本线则成为了国铁网络的一部分。一直到1994年，伦敦地铁接手营运此线，并翻新路线设备、引入新型列车。本线与其他铁路路线完全隔绝，且几乎全线处于地底，唯一通往地面之处是滑铁卢车厂厂内的天井。列车需移至别处维修或翻新时，都是经由起重机悬挂进出本线。

本线全长2.37km，迄今为全系统最短的路线，坐毕全程需时约四分钟。此外，它也是总乘客量最低的路线，每年只录得1500万乘客人次；但若除以路线长度计算，则在11条路线中位居第二，仅次于维多利亚线。

历史

路线启用前 (-1898)

开办之背景

在1848年，伦敦及西南铁路 (London & South Western Railway, LSWR) 延伸至滑铁卢总站 (旧称 Waterloo Bridge)，该站成为了连接英格兰西南部地域的交通枢纽。然而，该站坐落于泰晤士河南岸，与作为传统金融区的伦敦市 (The City) 相距甚远，对乘客而言颇为不便。LSWR一直有意兴建新线连接至伦敦市对岸的伦敦桥站，唯随着兴建铁路的热潮减退，此一计划亦不了了之。South Eastern Railway在由伦敦桥西延至查令十字站时，同时建筑了一条前往滑铁卢站的接线；在不同铁路业者的激烈竞争下，此一接线并未有得到充分的利用，继而在1867年被荒废了。

上述前往查令十字站的路线于1869年新增了滑铁卢交汇站 (Waterloo Junction，今称滑铁卢东站)。在必须另购车票转乘列车的情况下，由滑铁卢站前往伦敦市的交通服务依然并不方便。[5]

为解决此一问题，于1864年出现了兴建深层铁路连接滑铁卢站至 Great Scotland Yard 的计划，称之为 Whitehall and Waterloo Railway。该计划提及挖掘一条管道，并且使用达 11 mbar 的气压推动完全紧贴隧道壁的列车，可说是一个活塞系统。有关工程于1865年10月25日展开，然而不足一年后，原先注资的£100,000经已不够令工程继续下去。尽管后来被获批更多资金，此一计划的投资者逐渐失去了信心，工程进度随即中断。及至1881年，再出现了名为 Waterloo and City Railway 的公司，希望可建造一条位处地面的路线通往 Queen Street。此一计划叫价高达230万英镑，不久后亦告失败。[5]

滑铁卢及城市铁路法案

到了19世纪末期，传统的明挖回填工法以及高架铁路在伦敦经已变得不太可行，取而代之的是修建钻挖式隧道。在采用此一工法的城市及南伦敦铁路 (C&SLR, 今属地铁北线一部分) 于1890年启用后，英国国会随即出现了四个有关建造新地底铁路的计划。其中1891年11月被提出的滑铁卢及城市铁路法案 (The Waterloo & City Railway Bill)，建议新增一条由滑铁卢站前往伦敦市市长官邸附近的地底铁路，此一方案得到了LSWR的支持。

基于在当时采用钻挖式工法规模庞大、所费不菲，有关法案获通过的进程可谓相当缓慢。在这一过程中，伦敦郡政府更一度坚持扩阔隧道，以供现存列车抵达滑铁卢站后继续驶至伦敦市，这一构想意味着要在伦敦市新建一个规模与滑铁卢站相近的地底总站。虽然此一法案招来了不少反对的意见，它仍在1893年7月27日被授予御准，获得通过。[5][6]

建造过程

新成立的滑铁卢及城市铁路公司 (Waterloo & City Railway, W&CR) 于1894年3月发表了计划书，发行54000股 (面值10英镑)，并成功全数售出。[5] 经过一轮招标后，建筑工程合约由 John Mowlem & Co Ltd 以£229,064夺得[5]，LSWR的工程师 W R Galbraith 以及盾构 (Tunneling shield) 的开发者之一 James H Greathead 则获任命为工程顾问。[7]

Mowlem started work on 18 June 1894, first building staging in the river about 500 feet (150 m) west of Blackfriars Bridge. Piles were driven for a cofferdam and two vertical shafts of 16 feet (4.9 m) internal diameter were constructed as headings for the tunnel drive. The average depth of the tunnels is about 45 feet (14 m), with its deepest points at the River Thames, at 63 feet (19 m) underground.

Driving the running tunnels started in November 1894, using the Greathead system of shield excavation, cast iron segment lining, compressed air working, and compressed air grouting behind the tunnel lining. 20 men worked in each heading.[8]

The excavated material was removed from the staging near Blackfriars Bridge; it was conveyed to there from the shields by a narrow gauge railway using electric locomotives supplied by the Siemens Company. Two were in use and a third was on order at August 1895. They operated on 18-inch (460 mm) gauge track with a twin overhead trolley wire (i.e., not using the track for current return) at 200 V DC.[8]

The station works at Waterloo were constructed by Perry and Co. The station tracks run in separate but adjacent arches supporting the main line station, which run transversely to the main line track. The arch piers needed to be underpinned to about 8 feet (2.4 m) lower than the original foundations.[5]

走线

本线始于 Spur Road 及 Baylis Road 之交界处，起初的一小段为向西北穿过滑铁卢总站地底，随即接着一条半径短至339呎 (103m) 的急弯改向东北方进发。急弯一段采用了明挖回填法，而占全线大部分的两条钻挖管道则紧接其后，先沿 Stamford Street 地底而行，再转向东北偏北方穿过泰晤士河河底，一直延至 Blackfriars Bridge 之北端附近。在此之后，路线改为转向东面，沿着 Queen Victoria Street 地底，直到位于市长官邸旁边的新车站为止，共长1英里1912码(2535m)。不计上述于滑铁卢站的急弯，本线弯位最急之处的半径为603呎 (184m)。

由滑铁卢站开始计起，东行线最初有900呎 (270m) 的距离以1:30的斜度下降，接着以1:120和1:800的斜度降至河边的通风井。西行线(就行驶方向的相反方而言)则以1:60及1:550的斜度抵达通风井处。两条行车隧道随即维持水平方向前进100呎 (30m)，继而以1:800的斜度攀升，在前进多1300呎 (400m) 后终以1:88的斜度爬到总终点。

隧道在上述603呎弯位的横切面直径达12呎9吋 (3.89m)，而其他路段则阔12呎1 3⁄4吋 (3.70m)，由多段各长20吋 (510mm)的铸铁环隧道壁合并而成。每个铸铁环可分为7段，以1吋大的 (25mm) 螺栓连结在一起。每段之间均有一块油浸木片阻隔，厚度为3/8至1/2吋 (9.5-12.7mm) 不等。不同的木片厚度可以改变隧道的走向，唯在最急的弯位处，依然需要特别铸造弯曲的隧道壁。除此之外，两条管道之间共设有7条联络通道，而管道之顶部距离泰晤士河河底23呎 (7m)。

滑铁卢国铁总站的车站建筑基本上是由一排排横向的拱形结构所组成，而横跨国铁总站的新建地底站亦跟随了此一结构，两个月台分别位于两挂横拱之下。由于掉头路轨位于月台之后，北面的侧式月台只作落客用途，列车在所有乘客下车后会驶至掉头路轨改变行车方向，并回到南面的月台接载乘客。An additional lay-by siding was provided later.[9]

至于伦敦市新站亦同样设有两个月台，不过则呈岛式月台布置，前方设有交叉渡线。The track connections at the approach were a double slip, not a scissors, so a train could not leave while another was arriving.[10] The left hand platform line was extended by a train length and trains could be stabled in the extension.[5] 另外，渡线一处是用直径较大的Greathead式盾构所建成的。[11] 伦敦市站月台的管道横切面直径达23呎 (7.0m)，为当时全世界最阔的钻挖式隧道。[5]

信号系统

到了1897年末，W&CR 再为路线的信号系统设备招标，有关工程由与 LSWR 签了合约的工程师 W R Sykes 负责。

其中，在滑铁卢站东行月台的南端，以及伦敦市站岛式月台的南端，均放置了信号箱；滑铁卢站南面亦安装了唯一的臂木式号志机，其他号志机则为信号灯。Sykes在这项工程中采用了他所研发的 "Lock-and-block" 联锁系统，并配以机械式计轴器使用。虽然全线属于同一个闭塞区间，Sykes仍然在月台的发车臂木式号志机前方再装设多一组信号灯，称之为 "Advanced starting signal"。滑铁卢站发车号志机的臂木垂下时，代表列车只准驶至前方的信号灯，该信号灯标示可前进列车才可以驶往伦敦市站，借此提升本线的运载能力。在每个信号灯的位置，均装设了一小段金属棒，在信号灯标示禁止通行时接地。列车上同时设有一个伸出的金属臂，与接地的金属棒接触时会切断牵引系统电流，减低列车相撞的可能性。[5]

电力供应系统

西门子公司在1897年1月4日以 55,913 英镑投得了提供及安装本线电力供应设备的合约。本线的电力源自5个气压为 180psi (1200 kPa) 的锅炉，用以推动5个 (后加至6个) 连至发电机的蒸汽引擎，其功率可达 360hp (270kW)。发电机在空载及满载产生的电压分别达 500V 及 530V，转速为 350RPM，故实际上输出的功率为 302hp (225kW)。车站照明系统为一由四盏大灯组成的串联电路，并以路轨引导电流组成回圈。它的电力是由总机直接提供，在电力供应受阻时仍可提供紧急电力；同时设有煤气灯作后备照明系统。

在滑铁卢车厂内，设有一条前往发电锅炉，位置较高的独立侧线。运载着煤的 LSWR 铁路货车会先经由岩士唐升降机 (下述) 由 LSWR 主线放到滑铁卢站此线月台以北的侧线上，继而在电力机车的牵引下，经东行月台驶进滑铁卢车厂，再以另一部升降机运送至这条独立侧线。[5]

伦敦市新车站

在1891年，中央伦敦铁路 (CLR, 今地铁中央线一部分) 随国会通过法案，被批准可将其先前规划好的路线改为前往伦敦市英格兰银行总部。法案规定了 CLR 需在该处兴建新的车站以及连接地面的行人隧道等公共设施。[5][6]另外，其他有意在该处建造铁路车站的铁路公司亦被规定需以行人隧道连接 CLR 的车站，指的明显就是 W&CR。虽然 CLR 的落成日期比 W&CR 迟，但是 CLR 仍需协助兴建 W&CR 伦敦市站的转乘设施。此外，城市及南伦敦铁路 (C&SLR) 亦有在同一地方设站。 与 W&CR 的站名伦敦市站 (City) 不同，CLR 和 C&SLR 均将它们的车站命名为银行站 (Bank)。[12] 在三个站之中，W&CR 伦敦市站设计上距离地面最远，乘客出站时需要爬上又长又斜的楼梯，一直以来都为乘客所诟病。

路轨

本线在建造时，使用了与 LSWR 一样的铁轨，重量为 87lb/yd (43kg/m)；唯在枕木方面则跟随其他钻挖隧道铁路的规格，以与铁轨平行的方向垫底，并非像传统铁路一般横向放置。它的轨距一如以往为标准轨(1435mm)，而弯位较急的位置设有护轨。Cross-bonds paralleling the running rails electrically were provided every 100 feet (30 m) and between tracks at the cross passages.

The conductor rail was a steel inverted channel placed centrally, with its upper surface at the same level as the upper surface of the running rails. At pointwork a hardwood ramp was provided to raise the collector shoes 1 1⁄2 inches (38 mm) above running rail level.

用车

Main article: Waterloo & City Railway electric units

本线车辆之合约是由美国的Jackson and Sharp Company以£21,675的价格夺得。制作好的列车会由海路分件运往 Southampton，再在 LSWR 的 Eastleigh 车厂进行组装工序。到了1898年1月6日，列车首先在骨架状态下被放置在隧道内，用以测试车辆限界；同年3月4日，完全组装好的列车由 Eastleigh 车厂驶至滑铁卢站。虽然将列车放进隧道的升降机及部分电机工程尚未完成，列车在同年6月4日的试车中首次成功行走全程。

列车的动力车卡和拖卡分别各长47呎1吋 (14.35m) 和46呎3 1⁄2吋 (14.11m)，阔8呎6吋 (2.59m)，并且由轨面起计高9呎8吋 (2.95m)。两种车卡各有11架，大部分用作组成4卡编组之列车，剩下的则留作后备用途。编组中位于两端的车卡为动力车卡。

此外，列车内部采用开放式设计，不划分房间，在当时是相当新奇的设计；入口并非位于侧面，而是在车厢的末端。动力车卡和拖卡分别可乘载46及56人，其中动力车卡部分位置呈隆起状，用以放置提供动力的转向架。

列车的牵引电动机由西门子所制造，为串联式连接的 60hp (45kW) 无齿轮电动机。车长可直接控制后方动力车卡的电动机。列车起动时，两边的电动机会由串联转变至并联式连接，此一方法需要在车顶装设8条并列的电缆。路线的不少急弯亦导致了集电靴与第三轨间出现空隙，故有另一条电缆将两端的集电靴连接起来，令问题得以解决。起初时，本线每列列车设有6名人员，分别为车长、车长助理、守卫及三名门警；车长助理一职不久后便被废除。本线列车的制动系统则是由 Westinghouse 公司所制造，风缸内的高压气体是在车厂内的空气压缩机所提供。刚充满的风缸气压达 100psi (690kPa)，一直使用至 70psi (480kPa) 左右时便需要重新充气。[5]

调车机车

西门子除了负责提供电力系统外，同时亦需建造一辆机车作调车之用。该机车只设一个驾驶室，设有两个可输出 60hp (45kW) 的牵引电动机，于1898送抵本线；主要是用作运送煤炭至发电机。与载客列车一样，机车制动系统的风缸亦是在车厂内进行充气。这辆第一代机车一直使用至1969年，退役后被放在约克的大英铁路博物馆内作展出。

第二代的机车于1901年投入服务，由 LSWR 的机械总工程师 Dugald Drummond 设计，负责在出现事故时将壊车拖离行车路段。1915年，这辆机车被拖离本线隧道，改为负责拖动运煤的铁路货车，来往温布顿附近的 Durnsford Road 发电厂。它的集电靴亦因而被改装至符合国铁路线供电系统的规格。

The Armstrong Lift

As the line had no connection to any other line, nor any ground level section, it was necessary to provide a hoist to bring the passenger cars to the line, and to get them out for heavy maintenance. This was provided to the west of the Windsor side of Waterloo main line station, and was known as the Armstrong lift, after the manufacturer, Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, who was paid £3,560. It was operated by water power; at the time of construction hydraulic power was commonly used in urban areas, supplied by utility companies, to operate hoists and lifts. The lift was to be capable of lifting 30 short tons (27 t). It was completed in April 1898. There was a smaller 25-short-ton (23 t) hoist within the low-level siding area at Waterloo for the boiler fuel wagons; this had a smaller travel and was installed by John Abbot & Co for £595.[5]

To this day, rolling stock exchanges require the use of road vehicles. Before the construction of Waterloo International terminal in 1990, the vehicles were hoisted individually by the Armstrong Lift outside the north wall of Waterloo main line station. The procedure is now carried out using a road-mounted crane in a shaft adjacent to the depot, south of Waterloo main line station on Spur Road. This is only necessary for major maintenance work that requires lifting of the car body, as the Waterloo depot is fully equipped for routine maintenance work. The remaining stub of the siding tunnel that led to the Armstrong Lift can still be seen on the left-hand side of the train shortly after leaving Waterloo for Bank, but the lift itself was buried (along with the entire Western sidings) in 1992 as part of the construction of Waterloo International station, the terminal for Eurostar trains.

Formal opening

After everything was ready, and the Board of Trade inspecting officer passed the line as fit, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge formally opened the line on 11 July 1898. About 400 persons travelled from Waterloo to the City station and immediately back to Waterloo.

Arrangements had been made for the LSWR to work the line, but now not everything was in place for immediate opening: there was a delay of four weeks.

The line in operation

The Waterloo & City Railway opened to the public at 8 a.m. on Monday 8 August 1898, with a train leaving each terminal simultaneously at that time. The fares were 2d one class only, payable at a turnstile, but returns and season tickets, and add-ons to surface tickets were available. From 1900 the turnstiles were done away with and conductors travelled on the trains, carrying Bell Punch ticket machines. The daily average receipts in January 1899 were £86,[9] and with steadily rising passenger usage and income the Company was able to pay a 3% dividend out of income following the annual general meeting of February 1902.[5] Sunday services were not considered at this period, and in 1906 it was stated that "it would cost £20 each Sunday to run the trains, and they would not get that back in receipts."[13]

Very soon after operation, it was realised that the line was running to capacity at the business peaks, then referred to as the rush, and very lightly used for the remainder of the day. Accordingly, in the spring of 1899 an order was placed with Dick, Kerr & Co. for five new motor cars for single operation. The driving cabs were half width; the traction motors, two per car, were 75 hp (56 kW) nose suspended with single reduction gear. As with the earlier cars, the air brake reservoir was charged from static equipment at Waterloo. Five of these single cars were delivered in February 1900 and entered service in the spring. From that time they alone worked the off-peak service, and the original vehicles only worked the peak services.

Absorption by the LSWR

The line had been worked by the LSWR from the outset, and in 1906 the LSWR made overtures to the W&CR concerning an outright absorption. It was suggested at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the W&CR that increasing competition motivated the LSWR. An enabling Act was passed on 20 July 1906 and shareholders' approval being obtained, the transfer took place on 1 January 1907, with the shareholders receiving LSWR shares, and the W&CR ceased to exist.[5]

In 1915 the LSWR started electrifying its suburban routes, and for the purpose it built a large generating station at Wimbledon, Durnsford Road. The power for train operation on the Waterloo & City line was supplied from this from December 1915, and the original W&CR generating plant now served only ancillary purposes in the line, but also heating and lighting of the main LSWR Waterloo offices. The traction voltage on the W&CR was altered to 600 V (from the original 530 V[14][15][better source needed]).

In 1921 it had been considered desirable to augment train lengths at the busy periods, and four new trailer coaches to the original specification were built at Eastleigh; 24 five-car trains were run per hour at the busiest times.[5]

Southern Railway

By the Railways Act 1921, the main line railway companies of Great Britain were grouped, effective at the beginning of 1923. The LSWR was now part of the Southern Railway. Due to the Waterloo & City's status as part of one of the "Big Four" railway companies, it was not taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) at the latter's formation in 1933, making the W&C the only tube railway in London not to fall under the control of the LPTB. Despite this anomaly, the line was included on most versions of the Underground map produced by the LPTB and its successors up until the line's absorption into the London Underground network in 1994.

A Blackfriars station proposed

In 1934 the LPTB, which now operated most of the London Underground system, proposed that the Waterloo & City should have a new intermediate station at Blackfriars, connecting with the District line station there. They further proposed that the Waterloo & City line should be extended to Liverpool Street station and Shoreditch, the trains there continuing over the East London Railway to New Cross and New Cross Gate. It is not clear whether the scheme had been costed, but nothing came of it.[16]

New rolling stock and signalling, and City station renamed

In 1937 the Southern Railway carried out a thorough review of the technical aspects of the line, now 40 years old. This led to an immediate proposal to order new rolling stock in five-car formations, in association with the provision of escalators at the City station. The scheme was delayed and the declaration of war on 3 September 1939 led to cancellation of the escalator scheme. However the rolling stock work was considered to be well advanced, and 12 motor coaches and 16 trailers were ordered from English Electric, and built at the Dick, Kerr works at Preston.

The trains were run in five-car formations, Motor coach + trailer + trailer + trailer + motor coach, with spares for overhaul. They were constructed of welded steel, and were styled in an Art Deco appearance. The motor coaches had cabs at each end, enabling single-car operation by them; they had two axle-hung traction motors rated at 190 hp (140 kW) for one hour. The new trains had on-board compressors for the air brakes, and interior lights were in two circuits, one fed from the motor car at one end of the unit, and one from the other, avoiding total lighting loss in passing conductor rail gaps. The conductor rail was altered to the outside position normal for the third-rail system. There was no train power line, and each motor coach collected its own electric supply. (This new stock was eventually classified Class 487.)

The new units were delivered through 1940, and the old cars were removed from the line on 25 October 1940, the new cars starting work on 28 October, with the line closed over the intervening weekend. The 100-pound-per-yard (50 kg/m) third rail installation had been progressive since January, with the rail put in place but not made live. New automatic signalling with trainstops was also commissioned, although Waterloo signal box was retained. The City signal box was abolished, and fully automatic working implemented there; the lay-by sidings there were abolished. The new stock did not require travelling conductors, and tickets were issued at the terminals.

When the line reopened as normal on 28 October, the City station was renamed Bank in conformity with the usage of the LPTB there.[5]

British Railways

On 1 January 1948 the main line railways of Great Britain were nationalised, forming British Railways.

Armstrong Lift accident

On 13 April 1948 a serious accident took place at the Waterloo Armstrong Lift; coal was still taken down to the original generating station which powered station offices at Waterloo. A shunt of wagons was being propelled on to the lift at the upper level; four pawls were supposed to be engaged to provide partial support to the lift table, but it appears that some had not engaged. The table tilted, drawing the wagons and M7 locomotive number 672 on to the table; the table and the entire shunt including the locomotive fell down the shaft. The locomotive and wagons were cut up in situ. There is no information as to the fate of the locomotive driver.

The Travolator

When the line was built, the platforms at the Bank (then known as City) were located a considerable distance from the surface exits, and a long sloping tunnel had to be negotiated on foot. This led to constant complaints and from 1929 there were many proposals to improve the arrangements, as passenger numbers increased, adding congestion to the physical exertion. The proposals had variously included new escalators, direct connection to adjacent Central London Railway (later Central line) platforms, and new, closer, tunnelled exits.

In the 1950s a Speedwalk system of people mover consisting of a continuous rubber belt system, was implemented in certain American cities. After considerable delay considering this and alternatives, British Railways let a contract on 4 July 1957 for the civil engineering works in driving a new sloping access tunnel, in which a pair of travolators (at the time often written Trav-O-Lator) would be installed by Waygood Otis. Otis did not, at this stage, get a contract.

However, as work was getting under way, the Government imposed heavy cuts in capital expenditure on the railways, and after considerable deliberation, it was decided once again to defer alleviation of the problem; no financial benefit was anticipated from the scheme, whereas competing schemes would significantly reduce operational costs. The consulting engineers were directed to suspend work on 11 December 1957, although some enabling work, particularly a sewer diversion, proceeded.

The financial restrictions were not long-lasting, and on 10 July 1958 it was announced that the work would resume. It progressed without further major difficulties and a formal opening by the Lord Mayor of London took place on 27 September 1960, coming into public use immediately. There were two parallel travolators, each with a moving surface having 488 platform sections each 40 by 16 inches (1,020 mm × 410 mm); the whole length is 302 feet (92 m) on an inclination of 1 in 7. There was a moving handrail. In the morning peak both travolators would operate upwards, with arriving passengers being required to walk down the original ramps; at other times one travolator operated in each direction. The original Otis Trav-O-Lators have since been replaced by CNIM machines.

In association with the work, some improvements were made to the station environment at the Waterloo station, and a 2½ minute frequency was implemented in the peaks; this involved some minor signalling changes, reversion to alternating platform use at Bank, and the use of turnover drivers and guards (where the arriving driver and guard are replaced by staff waiting at the appropriate place for the change of direction, sometimes referred to as "stepping up"). A Rear Cab Clear plunger is provided at Bank so that the arriving driver can confirm that he is clear of the cab and the "step-back" driver can depart when the signal clears.

The work had cost £910,500.[5]

New rolling stock in 1993

Main articles: British Rail Class 482 and London Underground 1992 Stock A train of 1992 stock in its original Network SouthEast livery stands at Bank station on the Waterloo & City line.

Toward the end of the 1980s the 1940 rolling stock fleet was giving increasingly difficult service. The decision was taken to acquire new vehicles as an extension to a rolling stock acquisition programme on the Central line of London Transport (LT). This required implementation of fourth rail traction current system to maintain consistency with the LT fleet: a new aluminium centre current rail was provided. (The original steel positive rail was replaced by an aluminium one in 2008.) The new vehicles had passenger operated door opening buttons, which were unlikely to be required on the Waterloo & City line.

At the same time as the rolling stock project, the construction of what became the Eurostar terminal at Waterloo main line station was being planned, requiring construction over a large area on the north side of the station, and burying the Armstrong Lift. Also, the carriages of the new rolling stock were significantly longer than those of the 1940 stock and could not be accommodated on the Armstrong Lift. Since its removal, vehicles have been craned in and out of the Waterloo depot by a mobile crane positioned near Spur Road.

On 28 May 1993 all of the old rolling stock was withdrawn, the train service being suspended temporarily. A temporary bus service was run while the old rolling stock was physically removed and the new rolling stock brought in, and the track and signalling works undertaken, with staff training. The line reopened on 19 July 1993, with a peak service frequency of 3½ minutes.

Since its introduction, this stock on the Waterloo & City has diverged significantly from that used on the Central line through various modifications, including the adoption of automatic train operation on the latter, that the two are no longer interchangeable; the Waterloo & City line continues to use train stops.

Transfer to London Underground Ltd

On 1 April 1994 the line was transferred to London Underground Ltd.[3] At the time staff were given the option of transferring with the line or remaining in British Rail employment, and all except one chose the latter. The drivers are currently based at Leytonstone.

From 15 April 1996 the line worked to a new timetable, with three trains departing in each ten minutes during the morning peak.

Up to the time of closure for refurbishment the Class 482 trains carried the original blue British Rail Network SouthEast livery that they had when they were introduced, despite having been part of London Underground for a number of years.[5]

In January 2003, the Waterloo & City was closed for over three weeks for safety checks after a major derailment on the Central line, which required all 1992 tube stock trains to be modified. That same year, responsibility for the line's maintenance was given to the Metronet consortium under the terms of a public–private partnership arrangement.

Extension proposals

There have been proposals to extend the Waterloo & City line for nearly a century. After acquiring the Great Northern & City Railway (GN&C) in 1913 (the current Northern City Line), the Metropolitan Railway considered proposals to join the GN&C to the Waterloo & City or to the Circle line, but these never came to fruition. Any extension of the line north would be difficult because of the complex web of tube lines around Bank, and an extension south would be unlikely to provide demand that matched the cost. The narrow tunnels and short train lengths of the current route make any extension less cost-effective than larger projects such as Crossrail 2, which cost more but start with modern tunnels and promise far greater benefits.

The London Plan Working Party Report of 1949 envisaged as its Route G the electrification of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway (LTS), and its diversion away from Fenchurch Street to Bank and on through the Waterloo & City tunnels to Waterloo and its suburban lines.[17] The Waterloo & City tunnels would have had to be bored out to main line size to enable this, at prohibitive cost. In the event only the electrification of the LTS took place, though the Docklands Light Railway tunnel from Minories to the Bank follows part of the envisaged route.

The revised Working Party Report of 1965 did not mention the Route G proposal, though it does say that "[t]he possibility of extending the Waterloo & City line northwards to Liverpool Street has been examined, but found to be physically impracticable."[18] More recently the Green Party has revived the Metropolitan's plan of connecting the Northern City and Waterloo & City lines as a Crossrail route.[19]

Refurbishment

The line has been closed on a number of occasions for repairs and vehicle checks. The line was shut on 1 April 2006 for refurbishment works. It re-opened on 11 September 2006, 11 days after the predicted completion date of the project. As well as the repainting and cleaning of the trains, the work included refurbishment of the tunnels, platforms and depot, and an upgrade of the track and signalling systems. During this time, the trains were also refurbished, which involved the fitting of new seat covers, a repaint of grab poles and a full exterior repaint into London Underground's corporate livery.[20] These and other works completed by 2007 were expected to boost rush-hour capacity by 25% and line capability by 12% at a cost of tens of millions of pounds. It was also claimed that the average journey will be up to 40 seconds faster.

Four new 75 hp (56 kW) battery-powered locomotives, named Walter, Lou, Anne and Kitty, were built by Clayton Equipment in Derby to haul materials and plant along the line during the closure.

Beyond these changes, Metronet had planned to refurbish Bank station by 2011,[21] but TfL's current plan now shows that the Bank refurbishment work should be complete by 2021.[22]

The same plan shows that TfL planned to install a further entrance to Bank station in Walbrook Square for completion by 2014. This was delayed, and a press release of 2014[23] announced an opening date of the end of 2017.

Map and stations

Station	Image	Opened	Additional Information
Bank		8 August 1898	Opened as City, renamed 28 October 1940map 1
Waterloo		8 August 1898	map 2

Opening hours

The line opens and closes as follows:

• Monday to Friday: 06:15 to 00:30
• Saturday: 08:00 to 00:30
• Sunday: Closed
• Bank Holiday Monday, Christmas and New Year: Closed

The line ran trains on Sundays during the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics between late July and early September 2012,[25] on 27 January 2013, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday 2013, and on 14 July 2013 to ease congestion when the majority of the Northern line had engineering works.

Use as a filming location

Because the Waterloo and City line is closed on Sundays, it has become a well-established and convenient location for filming, not least because in the days of British Rail (and predecessor) ownership, it could be used in the event of London Transport being either unable or unwilling to allow access to their stations or lines. It can be seen in the 1962 Norman Wisdom film On the Beat; filming took place on 12 August 1961.

On 23 May 1967 scenes for a murder in the film The Liquidator were filmed at the Bank station.[5]

The second series of the BBC's Survivors, representing various parts of the Central and Northern lines was filmed on the line; and in the 1984 TV adaptation of The Tripods, Waterloo masquerades as Porte de la Chapelle station on the Paris Métro. It was also used in the 1998 Peter Howitt film Sliding Doors, portraying Embankment and one other unknown District line station.

Miscellaneous

The remnants of one of the Greathead tunnelling shields used in the construction of the line can be seen in the interchange tunnel at Bank linking the Waterloo and City with the Northern line and the Docklands Light Railway.[26]

The Waterloo & City is colloquially known as The Drain.[27] It has been suggested that this nickname came about due to the tunnels beneath the Thames leaking and needing to be continually pumped out.[28]

Uniquely among London's Underground lines, the Waterloo & City runs underground for its entire length, including both stations. (The Victoria line is also underground for the entire passenger route and all stations, but has a surface depot for maintenance.)

Similar services

• The 42nd Street Shuttle on the New York City Subway runs between Times Square and Grand Central.
• The Ramal on the Madrid Metro, linking Ópera and Príncipe Pío stations.