Although the Hammersmith & City Line only dates from 1990 when it appeared on the tube map for the first time, some of it's route dates back to the 1860s and the earliest of London's underground railways. A line was built jointly by the Metropolitan and Great Western Railways from Paddington to Hammersmith, then a developing suburb of London. The line, and it's later extensions out east became the Hammersmith & City route of the Metropolitan Railway later Line. Finally, in 1990 it was given an identity on the network of it's own.
The Hammersmith & City Line starts in Hammersmith in west London, heading east along shared tracks with the other sub-surface lines through some of the major rail termini like Paddington. Kings Cross and Liverpool Street. It then heads out into east London through Whitechapel, Plaistow and finally arriving at Barking. For nearly all of it's length, the Hammersmith & City shares tracks and stations with the other three sub-surface lines though on the tube map there is a short stretch between Moorgate and Aldgate East where the pink line of the Hammersmith & City is all on it's own!
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| Hammersmith |
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| Moorgate |
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| West Ham |
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| Barking |
