The Victoria Line is a line of the London Underground, coloured light blue on the Tube map. It is a deep-level line running from the south-west to the north-east of London. It was built in the 1960s to relieve congestion on other lines, in particular the Piccadilly Line. The Victoria line was designed to maximise the possible interchanges, yet keep a large distance between stations for trains to build up speed.

Many stations on the route were rearranged for cross-platform interchange. In some cases this was achieved by placing the Victoria Line tubes on either side of the existing station; in others the Victoria Line uses one of the old platforms while the older line was diverted into a new platform. At Euston, while northbound Victoria and Northern Line (City branch) trains run along adjacent platforms, they go in opposite directions along them. Other cross-platform interchanges are at Stockwell (with the Northern Line), Oxford Circus (with the Bakerloo Line), Highbury & Islington (with the WAGN Northern City Line) and Finsbury Park (with the Piccadilly Line). There is a connection from Seven Sisters to the Line Depot at Northumberland Park .

The Victoria Line is served by a fleet of forty-three 1967 Tube Stock trains. Each train is made up of two four car units giving a total of eight cars per train. The line is equipped with an automatic train operation system: the train operator (driver) needs only to close the train doors and press a pair of "start" buttons, and if the way ahead is clear, the ATO will drive the train at a safe speed to the next station and stop there. This system has been in place since the line opened in 1968.

Duncan Gordon Boyes, VC is presently being celebrated on posters on the Victoria line, London underground (November 2004) along with nine other recipients of the Victoria Cross. Details of the poster campaign are here.

Map

Geographically accurate map of the Victoria Line (Large)

Stations

in order from north to south

Inside a Victoria Line carriage

• Walthamstow Central, opened: September 1, 1968.
• Blackhorse Road, opened: September 1, 1968.
• Tottenham Hale, opened: September 1, 1968.
• Seven Sisters, opened: September 1, 1968.
• Finsbury Park, opened: September 1, 1968.
• Highbury & Islington, opened: September 1, 1968.
• King's Cross St. Pancras, opened: December 1, 1968.
• Euston, opened: December 1, 1968.
• Warren Street, opened: December 1, 1968.
• Oxford Circus, opened: March 7, 1969.
• Green Park, opened: March 7, 1969.
• Victoria, opened: March 7, 1969 (railway station)
• Pimlico, opened: September 14, 1972.
• Vauxhall, opened: July 23, 1971.
• Stockwell, opened: July 23, 1971.
• Brixton, opened: July 23, 1971.

Depot

• Northumberland Park Depot

External links

• Victoria Line at Clive's UndergrounD Line Guides
• Tube Prune description of the Victoria Line ATO system