tubechallenge.com

As you know i am inexperienced and something is bugging me all the time.
Why is it that (for example) Rayners Lane is entitled to a circle instead of a line as a station marker on the map, whereas Eastcote just gets a straight line? Also the same applies for stations like South Kensington and Gloucester Road, Barking and East Ham, etc.

As I see it:

Rayners Lane is the first station where westbound Piccadilly and Metropolitan line trains start serving the same stations, so it gets the circle (signifying a change station). Putting the circle on all the subsequent stations would just clutter up the map, so to keep it simple they don't bother, even though you can change between the P and M lines at those stations.

This is because it is the first station where the Met and Piccadilly lines merge and so is the first place you can change going towards Uxbridge, and the last place you can change going towards central London. The interchange is highlighted to bring your attention to this.

It is therefore assumed that you won't change between lines at the stations between RL and Uxbridge and that if you arrive at one of those stations to use the tube you will take the correct train anyway.

Good joint posting there

Pipped you to it by mere seconds, tubeguru! About one or two seconds, I think!

May I refer you all to this excellent website where such a matter has been fully disected!

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~ursa/pete ... /inter.htm