10 incredible facts you may not know about the Metropolitan line

Did you know that Baker Street station once had a pub called the Moriarty on platform 2?

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Liz Connor1 July 2016

Coloured purple on the Tube map, the Metropolitan line might not be the most popular route on the London Underground, but it’s one with the an incredible history.

As one of the oldest lines on the map, the first section of the Underground ever to be built ran between Paddington (Bishop's Road) and Farringdon Street and opened in 1863. The same route is still used by the Metropolitan line today, as well as the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines,

Known as ‘the Met’, the railway was originally built as a passenger and goods railway with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. So brilliant was the line upon opening, that In 1871, when plans were presented for an underground railway in Paris, it was called the Métropolitain in imitation.

In fact, the modern word 'metro' is a short form of the French word.

Today the Metropolitan line covers a whopping distance of over 40 miles, and serves over 34 stations - taking commuters from Aldgate to further-flung parts of the capital such as Watford and Chesham.

But that there are plenty more interesting things to note about this historic transport route: brush up on your pub quiz trivia and click through our gallery to discover 10 things you might not know about the transport route.