The Victoria line, the first deep-level Underground line to be built across central London since the "tube boom" of 1905-1907, links Walthamstow in north east London with Brixton in south London.
The line opened in stages between 1968 and 1971 penetrating areas of north and south London not previously served by the Underground and designed to ease congestion in the north-east to West End corridor.
The line's origins can be traced back to the Second World War when it was included in the 1943 County of London Plan.
The constraints of the war years and the subsequent re-organisation and nationalisation of London's transport caused the plan to be postponed, and Parliamentary Powers to build the line were not obtained until 1955. Further delays in obtaining funds meant that actual construction work did not start until 1962.
The most important feature of the line is automatic train control system. A driver who has only to push a button to start the train at each station. The train has also been referred to as the driverless train. Many people having been confused with exactly what that meant would not ride on the train.
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The opening of the Victoria Line to Walthamstow in 1968 resulted in the demise of the No. 38 Bus route from Victoria to Chingford.
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