Fun fact: did you know the Metropolitan is actually the fastest tube line on the London Underground?
Sure, when you’re crammed on there like a sweaty sardine, face inches from a stranger’s armpit, the burgundy might not feel particularly speedy, but trains on the Met can make some serious time. And now they’re getting even speedier.
A revamp to the Metropolitan line’s signalling system between Finchley Road and Preston Road means that as of this month trains are travelling through the area one minute faster than they were previously. Thanks to this added swiftness, TfL has said it’ll introduce a new timetable for the line in January 2027.
From 2028, we can expect to see 30 Metropolitan line trains travelling through central London every hour – a welcome boost if you’re running a little late to the office in the morning. Tweaks are part of a wider £5.5bn project to modernise four London Underground lines which together make up 40 percent of the tube system – the Metropolitan, District, Circle and Hammersmith and City lines.
The ‘Four Lines Modernisation’ scheme, launched in 2015, has already upgraded the trains themselves to a 192-strong fleet of air-conditioned, walk-through vehicles. Its current stage is focused on replacing outdated signalling systems, some of which haven’t been upgraded since the 1940s.
More than half of the signalling projects have been completed across different parts of the four lines so far. Up next will be the section of the Metropolitan line between Preston Road and Moor Park (passing Northwick Park, Harrow-on-the-Hill, North Harrow, and Pinner). Two sections of the District line – between Fulham Broadway and East Putney and between Barons Court and Stamford Brook – are also next on the agenda, meaning faster journey times and (fingers crossed) less disruption.
The date for completing all the signalling improvements has been pushed back from 2027 to 2028 due to delays in Metropolitan line improvements. Once finished, TfL will start introducing some software optimisations before the whole project comes to a close in 2029.
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