How do London Underground trains get underground?

Question

I know a little about the London Underground but as far as I am aware, not all the lines on the tube have a surface depot. So, how do the trains get onto the line. I can't find anywhere to confirm this.

Answer 1

about 99% of the london underground lines link lines that mean trains can run along say the cirle line and then use a spure line that will link them onto the Northern Line, the only line where this does not happen is on the Waterloo & City Line, and in that situation there is a shaft that is as long as a single carrage where a crain lowers the train onto the lines and depot below, this means that the roads behind Waterloo Mainline Station has to be closed.

Hey the person who answered after me cheated he copied the details that i put down! The Cheat!

Hay why have I got 7 thumbs down when what I state is fact...I work for the railways and know about the lines! the people who are making me down look like they do not know anything about the railway!!!!

Answer 2

i did see some place when i was in london and they was outside and then they went into this tunnel and it looked liek it leads underground. good question because to think about it how do they repair them lol.

Answer 3

Each line has at least one depot that is on the surface. Maintenance is carried out at these depots and at one time major work was carried out at Acton Works, these days major work involves transporting the stock back by road or rail to the manufacturers or other maintenance facility.

Many lines are linked allowing movement of stock around the network with the the biggest group the Metropolitan, District and Hammersmith and City coming together at Tower Hill, Aldgate East, High Street Kensington and Gloucester Road allowing movement between a large number of depots.

The District and Piccadilly also run together west of Earls Court.

There is a link at the back of West Ruislip Depot (Central Line) to Ruislip (Metropolitan) and Central line also connects with the District line at Ealing Broadway.

Connections between the Piccadilly and Victoria lines are possible at Finsbury Park.

The Northern line is almost self contained with only a complex connection with the Piccadilly between Kings Cross and Euston.

Check out Clive Feathers site for more links between the various lines and the National Rail Network.

Answer 4

Some excellent answers already, so the only thing I can add to them is this:

When the Northern and Jubilee Lines took delivery of their respective 1995 and 1996 stock trains, they were delivered by a combination of road and rail to Ruislip depot. From there, they travelled down the Metropolitan/Piccadilly Line tracks to Rayners Lane, where the lines diverge.

The Jubilee stock continued down the Met. Line to Neasden Depot, which provides access/egress to both the Met. and Jubilee Lines, which run parallel between Wembley Park and Finchley Road.

The Northern stock turned off onto the Piccadilly Line at Rayners Lane, and continued up to Kings Cross where, as previously mentioned by the answerer above, there is a loop linking the Piccadilly and Northern Lines (incidentally, it isn't as complex as it may initially seem!) Once onto the Northern Line (the loop joins the northbound line between Kings Cross and Euston, and is easily visible from the left hand side of a passing train; you can't miss the bright orange light), they continued up to Golders Green depot.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of how the system works for other lines.

ADDED: Thank you all for the thumbs-downs. If you'd actually bother to research the question you'd discover that my answer is actually true. You philistines.

Answer 5

All the lines have sections above ground and there are places where they all join together and join up with the national rail network.  The only exception is the Waterloo and City line which is completely underground and does not join up with any other line.  When they need to change the train stock, they have to be raised and lowered through a big hole in the ground near Waterloo Station.

Answer 6

There is one line on the London Underground that doesn't have a connection to the mainline or any other LU lines, for this line they have an area where they have to crane them underground through a depot they have there, this does involve closing off a few streets mind.

Answer 7

there is actually more of the underground railway line above ground than below, presumably trains cross over lines at various points in the system and eventually reach a surface depot or the underground line that way

Answer 8

Via tunnels.

All surface depots have a physical connection to the underground lines.

Answer 9

Wow! I've been around a while, but it's not often I've seen such acidity - talk about MEOUWWWWW !  Seems like smart-*** and silly American answers aren't going to be tolerated in this section any more - and in any case, all the answers can be found in even the cheapest books about the underground ! ! !

Answer 10

They use these wonderful things called slopes, which enable them to get from one height to another.

Answer 11

Most do have surface depots more of the London under ground is above it than under it. A few lines are totally under ground, these have a carriage length shaft to the surface with huge steel doors when needed these can be opened and carriages lifted in and out by crane to and from low loaders.

Answer 12

Ya get a train goin' fast enough and ya can put it anywhere;  even in earth orbit....