Transport for London
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Explore the Capital the Metropolitan way
The Metropolitan line is undergoing a complete transformation as part of TfL's Tube improvement plan.
Fifty-eight air-conditioned trains have recently been introduced to the line, giving customers more space, dedicated on-board travel information and faster, more reliable journeys.
What better way to get to some of London's top attractions?
Victorian London
Head for the Old Spitalfields Market, just a stone's throw from Liverpool Street station. Built in 1876, it is one of the finest surviving Victorian Market Halls.
Nestled among the cobbled streets between Brick Lane and Bishopsgate, visitors will discover an array of themed markets operating seven days a week. Also worth a visit is Threadneedle Street where you can take a look at the Bank of England. The building is affectionately known as The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, a name taken from the legend of Sarah Whitehead whose ghost is said to haunt the bank's garden.
Return to Liverpool Street station and take the Metropolitan line to Barbican station. Here you will find London Wall, which once defined the outer limits of the City and is now a major road, home to Smithfield Market on Charterhouse Street, and the Museum of London where you can see the Lord Mayor's Coach.
Park life
Next, take the line to Baker Street. From here visit the famous Madame Tussauds museum and see celebrities, sporting heroes and royalty in all their waxwork glory. Just down the road is Regent's Park with 395 acres of parkland, gardens and sports facilities. The royal park, designed by John Nash, includes Queen Mary's Gardens which feature more than 30,000 roses of 400 varieties, as well as the restored William Andrews Nestfield's Avenue Gardens.
The park also houses the Open Air Theatre, London Zoo and Primrose Hill, which has a large waterfowl collection and 100 species of wild birds.
Holmes' House
Walk back along Baker Street and stop at number 221b. This is the world-famous address of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The building is protected for its 'special architectural and historical interest' and the first floor study overlooking Baker Street is still faithfully maintained to represent what it would have looked like in Victorian times.
Improving theMetropolitan line
TfL's upgrade of the Metropolitan line is its first for 50 years and includes new trains, tracks and signalling. For customers, it means more trains, running more often with fewer failures. When the upgrade is complete, capacity will have increased by 27 percent, which means the line will be able to carry approximately 9,500 more customers per hour at the busiest times.
