Circle line (London Underground) with the other London Underground sub-surface lines: the Hammersmith & City line from Hammersmith to just before Aldgate; the Metropolitan line from Baker Street to Aldgate; and the District line from Tower Hill station to Edgware Road station. The line is electrified with a four-rail DC system: a central conductor rail is energised at and a rail outside the running rail at , giving a potential difference of . The running rails are not electrified. Much of the double track railway from the Hammersmith terminus to Westbourne Park station is on a high brick viaduct. East of Westbourne Park the
Medium-capacity rail system requisite ridership due to network inadequacies (e.g. single-tracking) or changing demographics. In contrast with most light rail systems, an MCS usually (though not always) runs on a fully grade separated exclusive right-of-way. In some cases, the distance between stations is much longer than typically found on heavy rail networks. An MCS may also be suitable for branch line connections to another mode of a heavy-capacity transportation system, such as an airport or a main route of a metro network. The definition of a medium-capacity system varies due to its non-standardization. Inconsistencies in international definitions are even reflected within individual countries.