Why isn the Circle line direction defined by clockwise and anticlockwise instead of westbound & eastbound ?
It’s probably because the Circle isn’t an entirely separate line, but shares track and stations with the District Line, Hammersmith and City Line, and the Metropolitan Line. Having Eastbound and Westbound directions makes sense for these other lines, and having separate Clockwise and Anticlockwise definitions for Circle Line trains would just lead to confusion. Interestingly the only true circular line in Britain, the Glasgow Subway, does not use “clockwise” and “anticlockwise” – instead, the terms “outer circle” and “inner circle” are used. Because trains in Britain always drive on the left, outer circle means clockwise and inner circle means anticlockwise.
