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This Entry is part of the epic Stations of the London Underground project.

The Metropolitan line begins at Aldgate on the Circle line and runs westwards, but then follows a different route, heading up towards the north after Baker Street. The line then splits into multiple branches after Harrow-on-the-Hill station. This section of the guide deals with the stations on the different branches of the Metropolitan line - for information about stations east of Harrow along with a history of the line, see the Metropolitan Line: East of Harrow section of this guide.

Uxbridge Branch

From Harrow-on-the-Hill, the line splits into two, with one of these branches leading off towards Uxbridge. The branch is joined by the Piccadilly line at Rayners Lane.

West Harrow

Rayners Lane

Eastcote

Ruislip Manor

Ruislip

Ickenham

Hillingdon

This station was completely rebuilt in 1992 to make way for a road bridge over the redeveloped A40. This was, however, a good excuse for a shiny new station which won the 'Underground Station of the Year' award that year. In the late 1990s there were rumours that Hillingdon was such a posh station because it was going to be the main contact point for a Warner Brothers theme park, to be built a few hundred yards away. This led the Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell, who lives near to where the park was planned, to draw a cartoon on the issue. Fortunately, the theme park was never built as it was rejected by local planners and had become a major election issue locally.

Uxbridge

The station originally terminated several hundred yards to the north, and was replaced in 1938 by the current station. The station has some fine stained glass above the exit, and shares the site with the bus station. If you accidentally ended up here instead of Heathrow Airport it's probably quicker to get on the A10 bus than to retrace your steps on the underground. As you leave the station you will see the Old Market Hall straight ahead, with the Brunel Campus lying about a mile from the station but not being visible from the station. There is a reasonable bus service to both sides of the campus, which can also be reached by a 20 minute brisk walk. The station is a terminus for the Piccadilly line as well as the Metropolitan line during rush hours, with the Piccadilly line terminating at Rayners Lane outside rush hours.

Amersham, Chesham and Watford Branches

The other branch heads off towards Amersham, and the remaining three termini share the following stations before the line branches further to the west.

North Harrow

Pinner

Northwood Hills

Northwood

Moor Park

The Watford Branch

The Watford Branch, which serves Croxley and Watford stations, splits off from the line towards Amersham after Moor Park. Although at the time of writing the branch calls only at Croxley and Watford, the line may soon be diverted onto an old, disused mainline railway that runs through Watford to terminate at Watford Junction. See the 'Watford and the Croxley Rail Link' section of Abandoned Lines and Stations for more details.

Croxley

A small overground station on the Watford branch of the Metropolitan line, the most interesting feature of which may be the chocolate vending machine.

Watford

The Amersham Branch

The Amersham Branch then continues westwards, calling at Rickmansworth, Chorleywood and Chalfont & Latimer before splitting into two terminal branches, each having just one station on it. The Amersham branch used to continue all of the way to Verney Junction and to Brill, near Oxford, but closed in the 1930s - see Abandoned Lines and Stations for more details. The mainline service from Amersham runs along a short section of this disused line until it reaches Aylesbury.

Rickmansworth

Chorleywood

Chalfont & Latimer

Chesham

This station holds the record for longest distance between stations, being nearly four miles¹ away from Chalfont & Latimer, the next station on the line.

Amersham

this station is currently the furthest Underground station from central London, lying about 27 miles² from the centre, and is also the highest station above mean sea level.