Automation of the London Underground Automation of the London Underground Automation of London Underground rolling stock has been partially implemented since the introduction of automatic train operation on the Hainault to Woodford section of the Central line in 1964. It is currently in use on four lines. Transport for London plans to extend this to other lines by 2022. Partially automated trains using Automatic Train Operation (ATO) have been used on passenger services on the Victoria line since 1968. The side doors to the driver's cab were sealed, so that access was normally through the passenger saloon. Since the trains were to be operated by
Timeline of the London Underground Timeline of the London Underground The transport system now known as the London Underground began in 1863 with the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway. Over the next forty years, the early sub-surface lines reached out from the urban centre of the capital into the surrounding rural margins, leading to the development of new commuter suburbs. At the turn of the nineteenth century, new technology—including electric locomotives and improvements to the tunnelling shield—enabled new companies to construct a series of "tube" lines deeper underground. Initially rivals, the tube railway companies began to co-operate in advertising and through shared branding,