The Metropolitan line is officially the fastest tube line on the London Underground, and it is about to get even faster. A revamp to the signalling system between Finchley Road and Preston Road has already cut journey times by one minute as of July 2026.
Faster journeys and new timetable
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that due to the added swiftness, a new timetable for the Metropolitan line will be introduced in January 2027. From 2028, passengers can expect to see 30 Metropolitan line trains travelling through central London every hour, a significant boost for commuters.
Part of a wider modernisation project
These tweaks are part of a wider £5.5 billion project to modernise four London Underground lines: the Metropolitan, District, Circle, and Hammersmith & City lines. Together, these lines make up 40 percent of the tube system. The 'Four Lines Modernisation' scheme, launched in 2015, has already upgraded the trains to a 192-strong fleet of air-conditioned, walk-through vehicles.
Signalling upgrades continue
The current stage focuses on replacing outdated signalling systems, some of which have not been upgraded since the 1940s. More than half of the signalling projects have been completed across different parts of the four lines so far. The next sections to be upgraded include the Metropolitan line between Preston Road and Moor Park (passing Northwick Park, Harrow-on-the-Hill, North Harrow, and Pinner), and two sections of the District line: between Fulham Broadway and East Putney and between Barons Court and Stamford Brook.
Delays and completion date
The date for completing all signalling improvements has been pushed back from 2027 to 2028 due to delays in Metropolitan line improvements. Once finished, TfL will start introducing software optimisations before the whole project comes to a close in 2029.
