   the metropolitan district railway (commonly known as the district railway) was a passenger railway that served london from 1868 to 1933. established in 1864 to complete the inner circle, an underground railway in london, the first part of the line opened using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. the metropolitan railway operated all services until the district introduced its own trains in 1871. the railway was soon extended westwards through earl's court to fulham, richmond, ealing and hounslow. after completing the inner circle and reaching whitechapel in 1884, it was extended to upminster in east london in 1902. to finance electrification at the beginning of the 20th century, american financier charles yerkes took it over and made it part of his underground electric railways company of london (uerl) group. electric propulsion was introduced in 1905, and by the end of the year electric multiple units operated all of the services. on 1 july 1933, the district railway and the other uerl railways were merged with the metropolitan railway and the capital's tramway and bus operators to form the london passenger transport board. today, former district railway tracks and stations are used by the london underground's district, piccadilly and circle lines.  ==history== ===origins, 1863â1886=== ====inner circle==== in 1863, the metropolitan railway (also known as the met) opened the world's first underground railway. the line was built from paddington beneath the new road, connecting the main line railway termini at ,  and . then it followed farringdon road to a station at farringdon street in smithfield, near the capital's financial heart in the city. left|thumb|an earlier view of the district railway in the embankment at charing cross station.|alt=in this drawing the railway is shown on the left, underground in a rectangular tunnel. on the right is the thames and between them is a wall and earth. the met's early success prompted a flurry of applications to parliament in 1863 for new railways in london, many competing for similar routes. the [[house of lo
Metropolitan_District_Railway Predecessor_companies_of_the_London_Underground Railway_companies_disestablished_in_1933 Railway_companies_established_in_1864 Transport_in_Barking_and_Dagenham Transport_in_Berkshire Transport_in_Brent Transport_in_Ealing Transport_in_Essex Transport_in_Hammersmith_and_Fulham Transport_in_Harrow Transport_in_Havering Transport_in_Hillingdon Transport_in_Hounslow Transport_in_Kensington_and_Chelsea Transport_in_Merton Transport_in_Newham Transport_in_Tower_Hamlets Transport_in_Wandsworth Transport_in_the_City_of_London Transport_in_the_City_of_Westminster Underground_Electric_Railways_Company_of_London