The
London Underground,
Underground or
Tube is a
rapid transitA rapid transit, metro, subway, underground, or elevated railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separated from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically either in underground tunnels or elevated above street level...
system serving a large part of
Greater LondonGreater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and thirty two London boroughs...
and neighbouring areas of
EssexEssex is a county in the East of England region of the United Kingdom. The county town of Essex is Chelmsford.-History:In pre-Roman Britain the territories of Suffolk and Essex were home to the Trinovantes tribe, which had grown wealthy through intensive trade with the Roman Empire, contemporary...
,
HertfordshireHertfordshire , abbreviated Herts, is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford....
and
BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury and the largest town in ceremonial Buckinghamshire is Milton Keynes....
in the UK. The first section opened in 1863, and was the first underground railway system in the world, and, starting in 1890, it was also the first to operate electric trains. It is usually referred to as
the Underground or
the Tube—the latter deriving from the shape of the system's
deep-bore tunnelA tunnel boring machine is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They can bore through hard rock, sand, and almost anything in between. Tunnel diameters can range from a metre to almost 16 metres to date...
s—although about 55% of the network is above ground.
The earlier lines of the present London Underground network were built by various private companies. Apart from the main line railways, they became part of an integrated transport system in 1933 when the
London Passenger Transport BoardThe London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.It was...
(LPTB) or "
London Transport" was created. The underground network became a single entity in 1985, when the UK government created London Underground Limited (LUL). Since 2003 LUL has been a wholly owned subsidiary of
Transport for LondonTransport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England...
(TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for most aspects of the transport system in
Greater LondonGreater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and thirty two London boroughs...
, which is run by a board and a commissioner appointed by the
Mayor of LondonThe Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London . Since 4 May 2008, Conservative Boris Johnson holds the position...
.
The Underground has 270
stationsA metro station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
and about 400 km (250 miles) of track, making it the longest metro system in the world by route length. It also has one of the highest number of stations. In 2007, more than one billion passenger journeys were recorded, making it the third busiest metro system in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
after
ParisThe Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit system in Paris. It is a symbol of the city, notable for its station architecture, influenced by Art Nouveau. It has 16 lines, mostly underground, and a total length of 214 km . There are 300 stations...
and
MoscowThe Moscow Metro , which spans almost the entire Russian capital, is the world's second most heavily used rapid-transit system. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art.-Description of the Metro:In...
.
The
tube mapThe tube map is the schematic diagram representing the lines and stations of London's rapid transit rail system, the London Underground ....
, with its schematic non-geographical layout and colour-coded lines, is considered a design classic, and many other transport maps worldwide have been influenced by it.
History
Railway construction in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
began in the early 19th century. By 1854 six separate railway terminals had been built just outside the centre of London:
London BridgeLondon Bridge station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Southwark, which occupies a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross...
,
EustonEuston station, also known as London Euston, is a major railway station to the north of central London in the London Borough of Camden and is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 British railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast...
, Paddington, King's Cross,
BishopsgateBishopsgate station was a railway station located on Shoreditch High Street in the East End of London...
and Waterloo. At this point, only
Fenchurch Street StationFenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a railway station in the south eastern corner of the City of London close to the Tower of London and two miles east of Charing Cross. The station is the smallest terminus in terms of platforms in London and one of the most...
was located in the actual
City of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. Traffic congestion in the city and the surrounding areas had increased significantly in this period, partly due to the need for rail travellers to complete their journeys into the city centre by road. The idea of building an underground railway to link the City of London with the mainline terminals had first been proposed in the 1830s, but it was not until the 1850s that the idea was taken seriously as a solution to traffic congestion.
The first underground railways
In 1854 an
Act of ParliamentAn act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament....
was passed approving the construction of an underground railway between
Paddington StationPaddington station, also known as London Paddington, is a major National Rail and London Underground station complex in the Paddington area of central London, England....
and
Farringdon StreetFarringdon station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Clerkenwell, just north of the City of London in the London Borough of Islington.-Services:...
via King's Cross which was to be called the
Metropolitan RailwayMetropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan and Metropolitan District Railways, the first two underground railways to be built in London...
. The
Great Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835, and ran its first trains three years later...
(GWR) gave financial backing to the project when it was agreed that a junction would be built linking the underground railway with their mainline terminus at Paddington. GWR also agreed to design special trains for the new subterranean railway.
A shortage of funds delayed construction for several years. The fact that this project got under way at all was largely due to the lobbying of
Charles PearsonCharles Pearson was Solicitor to the City of London, a reforming campaigner, and – briefly – Member of Parliament for Lambeth...
, who was
SolicitorSolicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter apart from conducting proceedings in courts , with some exceptions. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers, and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
to the City of London Corporation at the time. Pearson had supported the idea of an underground railway in London for several years. He advocated plans for the demolition of the unhygienic slums which would be replaced by new accommodation for their inhabitants in the suburbs, with the new railway providing transportation to their places of work in the city centre. Although he was never directly involved in the running of the Metropolitan Railway, he is widely credited as being one of the first true visionaries behind the concept of underground railways. And in 1859 it was Pearson who persuaded the City of London Corporation to help fund the scheme. Work finally began in February 1860, under the guidance of chief engineer John Fowler. Pearson died before the work was completed.
The Metropolitan Railway opened on 10 January 1863. Within a few months of opening it was carrying over 26,000 passengers a day. The
Hammersmith and City RailwayThe Hammersmith & City line is a line of the London Underground, coloured salmon pink on the London Underground Map, running between Hammersmith in West London and Barking in East London...
was opened on 13 June 1864 between
HammersmithHammersmith is a London Underground station in Hammersmith. It is the western terminus of the Hammersmith & City Line. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2 and is a short walk from the identically named but separate Hammersmith station on the Piccadilly and District lines. The two stations are...
and Paddington. Services were initially operated by GWR between Hammersmith and Farringdon Street. By April 1865 the Metropolitan had taken over the service. On 23 December 1865 the Metropolitan's eastern extension to
Moorgate StreetMoorgate station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the City of London, on Moorgate, north of London Wall. At one time the station was named "Moorgate Street"...
opened. Later in the decade other branches were opened to
Swiss CottageSwiss Cottage tube station is a London Underground station at Swiss Cottage. It is on the Jubilee Line, between Finchley Road and St. John's Wood...
,
South KensingtonSouth Kensington is a London Underground station in Kensington, west London. It is served by the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines. On the District and Circle lines, the station is between Gloucester Road and Sloane Square, and on the Piccadilly Line, it is between Gloucester Road and...
and Addison Road, Kensington (now known as Kensington Olympia). The railway had initially been
dual gaugeA dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
, allowing for the use of GWR's signature
broad gaugeBroad gauge railways use a rail gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For a list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
rolling stock and the more widely used
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
stock. Disagreements with GWR had forced the Metropolitan to switch to standard gauge in 1863 after GWR withdrew all its stock from the railway. These differences were later patched up, however broad gauge was totally withdrawn from the railway in March 1869.
On 24 December 1868, the Metropolitan District Railway began operating services between South Kensington and
WestminsterWestminster is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster. The station is served by the Circle, District and Jubilee lines. On the Circle and District lines the station is between St. James's Park and Embankment stations. On the Jubilee line it is between Green Park and Waterloo stations...
using Metropolitan Railway trains and carriages. The company, which soon became known as "
the District", was first incorporated in 1864 to complete an Inner Circle railway around
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in conjunction with the Metropolitan. This was part of a plan to build both an Inner Circle line and
Outer CircleThe Outer Circle was a railway route in London operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries over tracks which are now mainly owned by Network Rail but include parts of the London Underground...
line around London.
A fierce rivalry soon developed between the District and the Metropolitan. This severely delayed the completion of the Inner Circle project as the two companies competed to build far more financially lucrative railways in the suburbs of London. The
London and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. During the late...
(LNWR) began running their Outer Circle service from Broad Street via Willesden Junction, Addison Road and
Earl's CourtEarl's Court tube station is a London Underground station in Earls Court. The station is located between Earls Court Road and Warwick Road . It is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 1 and Zone 2 and is in both zones....
to
Mansion HouseMansion House is a London Underground station in the City of London, near Mansion House . It is a sub-surface station served by trains on the Circle and District Lines. It is between Blackfriars and Cannon Street stations. The station is located at junction of Queen Victoria Street and Cannon...
in 1872. The Inner Circle was not completed until 1884, with the Metropolitan and the District jointly running services. In the meantime, the District had finished its route between
West BromptonWest Brompton is a Network Rail West London Line and London Underground District Line station in west London. It is located on Old Brompton Road immediately south of Earls Court Exhibition Centre and to the west of Brompton Cemetery....
and
BlackfriarsBlackfriars station, also known as London Blackfriars, is a London Underground and National Rail station in the City of London, England. It is adjacent to Blackfriars Bridge at the junction of New Bridge Street and Queen Victoria Street and is in Travelcard Zone 1...
in 1870, with an interchange with the Metropolitan at South Kensington. In 1877, it began running its own services from Hammersmith to
RichmondRichmond station is a London Underground, London Overground and National Rail station in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London....
, on a line originally opened by the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1869. The District then opened a new line from
Turnham GreenTurnham Green is a London Underground station in Chiswick in west London. The station is served by the District and Piccadilly Lines although Piccadilly Lines trains normally only stop at the station at the beginning and end of the day, running through non-stop at other times...
to
EalingEaling Broadway is an east-west National Rail and London Underground station in Ealing in west London. The station is located in Haven Green , at the termination of The Broadway, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-Services:...
in 1879 and extended its West Brompton branch to
FulhamFulham Broadway is a London Underground station on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line. It is between West Brompton and Parsons Green stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2. The station is located on Fulham Broadway . It is notable as the nearest station to Stamford Bridge stadium, the home of...
in 1880. Over the same decade the Metropolitan was extended to
Harrow-on-the-Hill station Harrow-on-the-Hill station is a London Underground station served by National Rail and London Underground trains. It is located between College Road and Lowlands Road in the Greenhill area of Harrow, about a half-mile north of the locality from which it takes its name.-Railway geography:The...
in the north-west.
The early tunnels were dug mainly using cut-and-cover construction methods. This caused widespread disruption and required the demolition of several properties on the surface. The first trains were steam-hauled, which required effective ventilation to the surface. Ventilation shafts at various points on the route allowed the engines to expel steam and bring fresh air into the tunnels. One such vent is at Leinster Gardens, W2. In order to preserve the visual characteristics in what is still a well-to-do street, a five-foot-thick (1.5 m) concrete façade was constructed to resemble a genuine house frontage.
On 7 December 1869 the
London, Brighton and South Coast RailwayThe London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
(LB&SCR) started operating a service between
WappingWapping railway station is a closed station near Wapping in east London, England. It is in zone 2, and on the East London Line between Shadwell and Rotherhithe....
and
New Cross GateNew Cross Gate station is a railway station in New Cross, London. It is about 600 metres west of New Cross station. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. The station is operated by London Overground.- History :...
on the
East London RailwayEast London Railway may refer* To the East London line of London Underground which ran mainly on what had been the route of the East London Railway Company , whose short line crossed under the Thames at the east side of London...
(ELR) using the
Thames TunnelThe Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet high and is 1,300 feet long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river's surface...
designed by Marc Brunel, who designed the revolutionary
tunnelling shieldA tunnelling shield is a protective structure used in the excavation of tunnels through soil that is too soft or fluid to remain stable during the time it takes to line the tunnel with a support structure of concrete, cast iron or steel...
method which made its construction not only possible, but safer, and completed by his son
Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British engineer. He is best known for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels...
. This had opened in 1843 as a pedestrian tunnel, but in 1865 it was purchased by the ELR (a consortium of six railway companies: the
Great Eastern RailwayThe Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
(GER); London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR);
London, Chatham and Dover RailwayThe London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
(LCDR);
South Eastern RailwaySouth Eastern Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom, which linked London with Kent.The company was formed from the London and Greenwich Railway and the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway...
(SER); Metropolitan Railway; and the Metropolitan District Railway) and converted into a railway tunnel. In 1884 the District and the Metropolitan began to operate services on the line.
By the end of the 1880s, underground railways reached
CheshamChesham lies at the end of the Chesham branch of the Metropolitan line, and opened 8 July 1889 as the original northern terminus of the Metropolitan Railway from Baker Street. There is no station starter signal at Chesham...
on the Metropolitan,
HounslowHounslow West is a London Underground station in Hounslow in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line, between Hatton Cross and Hounslow Central stations. The station is located on Bath Road about 600m from the junction of Bath Road, Great West Road and Great...
,
WimbledonWimbledon station is a National Rail, London Underground, and Tramlink station located in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, and is the only London station that provides an interchange between rail, Underground, and Tramlink services...
and
WhitechapelWhitechapel is a London Underground and future London Overground and Crossrail station in Whitechapel in the East London borough of Tower Hamlets. It is located on Whitechapel Road and is in Zone 2....
on the District and
New CrossNew Cross railway station, in New Cross, is a station for mainline trains. London Underground used to serve this station which closed for major engineering work to convert the East London Line to London Overground which will reopen in 2010...
on the East London Railway. By the end of the 19th century, the Metropolitan had extended its lines far outside of London to Aylesbury, and
BrillBrill is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, close to the boundary with Oxfordshire. It is about north-west of Long Crendon and south-east of Bicester...
, creating new suburbs along the route—later publicised by the company as
Metro-landMetro-land is the suburban areas that were built to the north west of London in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the early part of the 20th century, and were served by the Metropolitan Railway, an independent company until absorbed by the London Passenger Transport...
. Right up until the 1930s the company maintained ambitions to be considered as a main line rather than an urban railway.
First tube lines
Following advances in the use of
tunnelling shieldA tunnelling shield is a protective structure used in the excavation of tunnels through soil that is too soft or fluid to remain stable during the time it takes to line the tunnel with a support structure of concrete, cast iron or steel...
s, electric traction and deep-level tunnel designs, later railways were built even further underground. This caused much less disruption at ground level and it was therefore cheaper and preferable to the cut-and-cover construction method.
The
City & South London RailwayThe City & South London Railway was the first deep-level underground "tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use electric traction...
(C&SLR, now part of the
Northern LineThe Northern line is an underground railway in London, United Kingdom that is coloured black on the London Underground Tube map. The line's two branches carry 206.734 million passengers per year—the highest on the London Underground system. For most of its length it is built as a deep-level...
) opened in 1890, between
StockwellStockwell tube station is a London Underground station in Stockwell, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated between Clapham North and Oval on the Northern Line, and between Vauxhall and Brixton on the Victoria Line. It is also the only station on the Morden branch of the Northern line...
and the now closed original terminus at
King William StreetKing William Street was the original but short-lived northern terminus of the City & South London Railway , the first deep tube underground railway in London and one of the component parts of the London Underground's Northern Line. It was in the City of London, on King William Street, just south...
. It was the first "deep-level" electrically operated railway in the world. By 1900 it had been extended at both ends, to
Clapham CommonClapham Common tube station is a station on London Underground's Northern Line. It lies between Clapham North and Clapham South stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2....
in the south and Moorgate Street (via a diversion) in the north. The second such railway, the Waterloo and City Railway (W&CR), opened in 1898. It was built and run by the
London and South Western RailwayThe London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
.
On 30 July 1900, the Central London Railway (now known as the
Central lineThe Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Out of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
) was opened, operating services from Bank to Shepherd's Bush. It was nicknamed the "Twopenny Tube" for its flat fare and cylindrical tunnels; the "tube" nickname was eventually transferred to the Underground system as a whole. An interchange with the C&SLR and the W&CR was provided at Bank. Construction had also begun in August 1898 on the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway, however work came to a halt after 18 months when funds ran out.
Integration
In the early 20th century the presence of six independent operators running different Underground lines caused passengers substantial inconvenience; in many places passengers had to walk some distance above ground to change between lines. The costs associated with running such a system were also heavy, and as a result many companies looked to financiers who could give them the money they needed to expand into the lucrative suburbs as well as electrify the earlier steam operated lines. The most prominent of these was
Charles YerkesCharles Tyson Yerkes was an American financier, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played a major part in developing mass-transit systems in Chicago and London.-Philadelphia:...
, an American tycoon who secured the right to build the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR) on 1 October 1900. In March 1901, he effectively took control of the District and this enabled him to form the Metropolitan District Electric Traction Company (MDET) on 15 July. Through this he acquired the
Great Northern & Strand RailwayThe Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway , also known as the Piccadilly tube, was a railway company established in 1902 that constructed a deep-level underground "tube" railway in London. The GNP&BR was formed through a merger of two older companies, the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus...
and the
Brompton & Piccadilly Circus RailwayThe Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway , also known as the Piccadilly tube, was a railway company established in 1902 that constructed a deep-level underground "tube" railway in London. The GNP&BR was formed through a merger of two older companies, the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus...
in September 1901, the construction of which had already been authorised by Parliament, together with the moribund Baker Street & Waterloo Railway in March 1902. On 9 April the MDET evolved into the
Underground Electric Railways of London Company LtdThe Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited was the holding company for three of the new deep-level "tube" underground railway lines constructed in London in the first decade of the 20th century...
(UERL). The UERL also owned three tramway companies and went on to buy the
London General Omnibus CompanyThe London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer.- Overview :...
, creating an organisation colloquially known as "the Combine" which went on to dominate underground railway construction in London until the 1930s.
With the financial backing of Yerkes, the District opened its
South HarrowSouth Harrow is a London Underground station on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly Line. The station is between Sudbury Hill and Rayners Lane. It is located on Northolt Road . The station is in Travelcard Zone 5...
branch in 1903 and completed its link to the Metropolitan's
UxbridgeUxbridge is a London Underground station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, north-west London. The station is the terminus of the Uxbridge branches of both the Metropolitan Line and the Piccadilly Line, the next station towards London is Hillingdon...
branch at
Rayners LaneRayners Lane is a London Underground station in the district of Rayners Lane in north west London, amid a 1930s development originally named Harrow Garden Village. The station is on the Uxbridge branch of both the Metropolitan Line, between Eastcote and West Harrow stations, and the Piccadilly...
in 1904—although services to Uxbridge on the District did not begin until 1910 due to yet another disagreement with the Metropolitan. By the end of 1905, all District Railway and Inner Circle services were run by electric trains.
The Baker Street & Waterloo Railway opened in 1906, soon branding itself the
BakerlooThe Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from the Elephant and Castle in south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in north-west of London. The lines serves 25 stations of which 15 are underground...
, and by 1907 it had been extended to
Edgware RoadEdgware Road tube station is a name shared by two separate stations on the London Underground, in Travelcard Zone 1. This article is about the station serving the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City Lines. See Edgware Road Bakerloo Line for the station on that line...
in the north and
Elephant & CastleElephant & Castle tube station, is a station on the London Underground system. It is located in the London Borough of Southwark and on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 1 and 2...
in the south. The newly named
Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton RailwayThe Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway , also known as the Piccadilly tube, was a railway company established in 1902 that constructed a deep-level underground "tube" railway in London. The GNP&BR was formed through a merger of two older companies, the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus...
, combining the two projects acquired by MDET in September 1901, also opened in 1906. With tunnels at an impressive depth of 200 feet below the surface, it ran from Finsbury Park to Hammersmith; a single station branch to
StrandAldwych tube station, originally Strand, is a disused station formerly on the Piccadilly line of the London Underground. It located at the corner of Strand and Surrey Street and is surrounded on either side by the buildings of King's College London. It was the terminus of a short branch from...
(later renamed Aldwych) was added in 1907. In the same year the CCE&HR opened from
Charing CrossCharing Cross tube station is a London Underground station at Charing Cross in the City of Westminster with entrances located in Trafalgar Square and Strand. The station is served by the Northern and Bakerloo lines and provides an interchange with the National Rail network at Charing Cross station...
to
Camden TownCamden Town tube station is a major junction on the Northern Line and one of the busiest stations on the London Underground network...
, with two northward branches, one to
Golders GreenGolders Green tube station is a London Underground station in Golders Green, north London. The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line between Hampstead and Brent Cross...
and one to
HighgateHighgate tube station is a London Underground station on Archway Road, Highgate, not far from Highgate Village in north London. It is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, between Archway and East Finchley, in Travelcard Zone 3....
(now
ArchwayArchway tube station is a London Underground station in north London, underneath the Archway Tower, at the intersection of Holloway Road, Highgate Hill and Junction Road in the area known as Archway....
).
Independent ventures did continue in the early part of the 20th century. The independent
Great Northern & City RailwayThe Northern City Line is a railway line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park in London, once part of the Great Northern Electrics line. It should not be confused with the City branch of the Northern line, nor with the North London Line....
opened in 1904 between Finsbury Park and Moorgate. It was the only tube line of sufficient diameter to be capable of handling main line stock, and it was originally intended to be part of a main line railway. However money soon ran out and the route remained separate from the main line network until the 1970s. The C&SLR was also extended northwards to
EustonEuston tube station is a London Underground station served by the Victoria Line and both branches of the Northern Line. It directly connects with the Euston mainline station above it. The station is in Travelcard Zone 1....
by 1907.
In early 1908, in an effort to increase passenger numbers, the underground railway operators agreed to promote their services jointly as "the Underground", publishing new adverts and creating a free publicity map of the network for the purpose. The map featured a key labelling the Bakerloo Railway, the Central London Railway, the City & South London Railway, the District Railway, the Great Northern & City Railway, the Hampstead Railway (the shortened name of the CCE&HR), the Metropolitan Railway and the Piccadilly Railway. Some other railways appeared on the map but with less prominence than the aforementioned lines. These included part of the ELR (although the map wasn't big enough to fit in the whole line) and the Waterloo and City Railway. As the latter was owned by a main line railway company it wasn't included in this early phase of integration. As part of the process, "The Underground" name appeared on stations for the first time and electric ticket-issuing machines were also introduced. This was followed in 1913 by the first appearance of the famous circle and horizontal bar symbol, known as "the roundel", designed by
Edward JohnstonEdward Johnston, CBE was a British craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the a father of modern calligraphy, in the form of the broad edged pen as a writing tool, a particular form of calligraphy. He was born in San José, Uruguay...
.
On 1 January 1913 the UERL absorbed two other independent tube lines, the C&SLR and the Central London Railway. As the Combine expanded, only the Metropolitan stayed away from this process of integration, retaining its ambition to be considered as a main line railway. Proposals were put forward for a merger between the two companies in 1913 but the plan was rejected by the Metropolitan. In the same year the company asserted its independence by buying out the cash strapped Great Northern and City Railway. It also sought a character of its own. The Metropolitan Surplus Lands Committee had been formed in 1887 to develop accommodation alongside the railway and in 1919 Metropolitan Railway Country Estates Ltd. was founded to capitalise on the post-World War One demand for housing. This ensured that the Metropolitan would retain an independent image until the creation of London Transport in 1933.
The Metropolitan also sought to electrify its lines. The District and the Metropolitan had agreed to use the low voltage DC system for the Inner Circle, comprising two electric rails to power the trains, back in 1901. At the start of 1905 electric trains began to work the Uxbridge branch and from 1 November 1906 electric locomotives took trains as far as
Wembley ParkWembley Park tube station is a London Underground station in Wembley Park, north west London. The station is served by the Underground's Metropolitan and Jubilee Lines and is in Travelcard Zone 4...
where steam trains took over. This changeover point was moved to Harrow on 19 July 1908. The Hammersmith & City branch had also been upgraded to electric working on 5 November 1906. The electrification of the ELR followed on 31 March 1913, the same year as the opening of its extension to
WhitechapelWhitechapel is a London Underground and future London Overground and Crossrail station in Whitechapel in the East London borough of Tower Hamlets. It is located on Whitechapel Road and is in Zone 2....
and
ShoreditchShoreditch tube station is a former London Underground station in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It was in Travelcard Zone 2. Despite its name, it was not in Shoreditch; the district of that name is nearby, in the London Borough of Hackney...
. Following the
Grouping ActThe Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
of 1921, which merged all the cash strapped main line railways into four companies (thus obliterating the original consortium that had built the ELR), the Metropolitan agreed to run passenger services on the line.
The Bakerloo line extension to Queen's Park was completed in 1915, and the service extended to
Watford JunctionWatford Junction station is a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Located a short distance from the town centre, it is served by the West Coast Main Line , the Watford DC Line to Euston, currently operated by London Overground services and a branch line to St Albans. Journeys...
via the
London and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. During the late...
tracks in 1917. The extension of the Central line to Ealing Broadway was delayed by the war until 1920.
The major development of the 1920s was the integration of the CCE&HR and the C&SLR and extensions to form what was to become the Northern line. This necessitated enlargement of the older parts of the C&SLR, which had been built on a modest scale. The integration required temporary closures during 1922—24. The
Golders GreenGolders Green tube station is a London Underground station in Golders Green, north London. The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line between Hampstead and Brent Cross...
branch was extended to
EdgwareEdgware tube station is a London Underground station in Edgware, in the London Borough of Barnet, in North London. The station is the terminus of the Edgware branch of the Northern Line and the next station towards central London is Burnt Oak...
in 1924, and the southern end was extended to
MordenMorden station is a London Underground station in Morden in the London Borough of Merton. The station is the southern terminus for the Northern Line, is the most southerly station on the Underground and is in Travelcard Zone 4. The next station north is South Wimbledon...
in 1926.
The
WatfordWatford is a station at the end of the Watford branch of London Underground's Metropolitan Line in the north-western part of the network in Zone 7, previously zone A.- Location and description :...
branch of the Metropolitan opened in 1925 and in the same year electrification was extended to Rickmansworth. The last major work completed by the Metropolitan was the branch to
StanmoreStanmore tube station is a London Underground station at Stanmore. It is the western terminus of the Jubilee Line; the previous station is Canons Park. It is in Travelcard Zone 5...
which opened in 1932.
By 1933 the Combine had completed the
CockfostersCockfosters is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly Line for which it is the northern terminus. The station is located on Cockfosters Road approximately 9 miles from central London and serves Cockfosters in the London Borough of Barnet although it is actually located a short distance...
branch of the Piccadilly Line, with through services running (via realigned tracks between Hammersmith and
Acton TownActon Town is a London Underground station in Acton, west London, served by the Piccadilly and District lines. The station is at the junction of Gunnersbury Lane and Bollo Lane and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-Services:...
) to
Hounslow WestHounslow West is a London Underground station in Hounslow in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line, between Hatton Cross and Hounslow Central stations. The station is located on Bath Road about 600m from the junction of Bath Road, Great West Road and Great...
and
UxbridgeUxbridge is a London Underground station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, north-west London. The station is the terminus of the Uxbridge branches of both the Metropolitan Line and the Piccadilly Line, the next station towards London is Hillingdon...
.
London Transport
In 1933 the Combine, the Metropolitan and all the municipal and independent bus and tram undertakings were merged into the
London Passenger Transport BoardThe London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.It was...
(LPTB), a self-supporting and unsubsidised public corporation which came into being on 1 July 1933. The LPTB soon became known as "
London Transport" (LT).
Shortly after it was created, LT began the process of integrating the underground railways of London into one network. All the separate railways were given new names in order to become lines within it. A free
mapThe tube map is the schematic diagram representing the lines and stations of London's rapid transit rail system, the London Underground ....
of these lines, designed by Harry Beck, was issued in 1933. It featured the
District LineThe District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines and the third busiest overall on the Underground network. Out of the 60...
, the
Bakerloo LineThe Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from the Elephant and Castle in south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in north-west of London. The lines serves 25 stations of which 15 are underground...
, the
Piccadilly LineThe Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the third busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
, the
Edgware, Highgate and Morden LineThe Northern line is an underground railway in London, United Kingdom that is coloured black on the London Underground Tube map. The line's two branches carry 206.734 million passengers per year—the highest on the London Underground system. For most of its length it is built as a deep-level...
, the
Metropolitan LineThe Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in TfL's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening on 10 January 1863...
, the
Great Northern & City LineThe Northern City Line is a railway line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park in London, once part of the Great Northern Electrics line. It should not be confused with the City branch of the Northern line, nor with the North London Line....
, the
East London LineThe East London line was a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. It ran north to south through the East End and Docklands areas of London, entirely in Travelcard Zone 2...
and the
Central London LineThe Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Out of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
. Commonly regarded as a design classic, an updated version of this map is still in use today. The
Waterloo & City lineThe Waterloo & City line is a short underground railway line in London, which was formally opened on 11 July 1898. It has only two stations, Waterloo and Bank...
was not included in this map as it was still owned by a main line railway (the
Southern RailwayThe Southern Railway , was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England and Kent...
since 1923) and not LT.
LT announced a scheme for the expansion and modernisation of the network entitled the
New Works ProgrammeThe "New Works Programme, 1935 - 1940" was the major investment programme delivered by the London Passenger Transport Board , commonly known as London Transport, which had been created in 1933 to coordinate underground train, tram, trolleybus and bus services in the capital and the surrounding areas...
, which had followed the announcement of improvement proposals for the Metropolitan Line. This consisted of plans to extend some lines, to take over the operation of others from main-line railway companies, and to electrify the entire network. During the 1930s and 1940s, several sections of main-line railways were converted into surface lines of the Underground system. The oldest part of today's Underground network is the Central line between
LeytonLeyton tube station is a London Underground station at Leyton. Situated opposite Leyton Mills at the end of Leyton High Street. It is on the Central Line between Stratford and Leytonstone. It is in zone 3.-History:...
and
LoughtonLoughton is a London Underground station, some two miles north of the Greater London boundary, in the Epping Forest district of Essex.It is served by the Central Line and lies between Buckhurst Hill and Debden...
, which opened as a railway seven years before the Underground itself.
LT also sought to abandon routes which made a significant financial loss. Soon after the LPTB started operating, services to Verney Junction and Brill on the Metropolitan Railway were stopped. The renamed "Metropolitan Line" terminus was moved to Aylesbury.
The outbreak of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
delayed all the expansion schemes. From mid-1940, the
BlitzThe Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, in World War II. While the Blitz hit many towns and cities across the country, it began with the bombing of London for 57 consecutive nights...
led to the use of many Underground stations as
sheltersAir-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
during
air raidsAn air strike is a military strike by air forces or other military aviation assets against either a suspected or a confirmed enemy ground position. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as bombers, ground attack aircraft, strike fighters, and Attack helicopters. Weapons used in an...
and overnight. The authorities initially tried to discourage and prevent this, but later supplied
bunkA bunk bed is a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another. The nature of bunk beds allows two people to sleep in the same room while maximizing available floor space...
s,
latrineA latrine is a structure for defecation and urination. Latrines allow for safer and more hygienic disposal of human waste than open defecation. They are used in rural areas and low-income urban communities, with significant use in the developing world...
s, and
cateringCatering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose. Mobile catering is common at outdoor events , workplaces, and downtown business districts.-Event catering:Event ranges...
facilities. Later in the war, eight
London deep-level sheltersThe London deep-level shelters are eight deep-level air-raid shelters that were built under London Underground stations during World War II. Each consists of a pair of parallel tunnels 16 feet 6 inches in diameter and 12,000 feet long. Each tunnel is subdivided into two decks, and each shelter...
were constructed under stations, ostensibly to be used as shelters (each deep-level shelter could hold 8,000 people) though plans were in place to convert them for a new express line parallel to the Northern line after the war. Some stations (now mostly disused) were converted into government offices: for example,
Down StreetDown Street, also known as Down Street , was a station of the London Underground's Piccadilly line which closed in 1932. During World War II it was used as an air-raid shelter, notably by Winston Churchill and his War Cabinet. It is now disused....
was used for the headquarters of the Railway Executive Committee and was also used for meetings of the
War CabinetA War Cabinet is a committee formed by a government in a time of war. It is usually a subset of the full executive cabinet of ministers. It is also quite common for a War Cabinet to have senior military officers and opposition politicians as members....
before the
Cabinet War RoomsThe Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms is a museum in London and one of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum. The Cabinet War Rooms are an underground complex that had been used as an operational command and control centre by the British government throughout the Second World War...
were completed;
Brompton RoadBrompton Road tube station is a disused station on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. It is located between Knightsbridge and South Kensington.-History:...
was used as a control room for
anti-aircraft gunAnti-aircraft warfare, or air defence, is any method of engaging hostile military aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces or denial of passage through a specific airspace region, area or anti-aircraft combat zone...
s and the remains of the surface building are still used by London's University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) and University London Air Squadron (ULAS).
After the war one of the last acts of the LPTB was to give the go-ahead for the completion of the postponed Central Line extensions. The western extension to West Ruislip was completed in 1948, and the eastern extension to
EppingEpping on the London Underground is the north-eastern terminus of the Central Line. The station before Epping is Theydon Bois, which is about three minutes travelling time away. Epping station is in the Epping Forest District of Essex. It is one of eight London Underground stations in this...
in 1949; the single-line branch from Epping to Ongar was taken over and electrified in 1957.
Nationalisation
On 1 January 1948 London Transport was nationalised by the incumbent
LabourThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
government, together with the four remaining main line railway companies, and incorporated into the operations of the
British Transport CommissionThe British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
(BTC). The LPTB was replaced by the
London Transport ExecutiveThe London Transport Executive was the organisation responsible for public transport in the Greater London area, UK, between 1948-1963. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.-Creation:The...
(LTE). This brought the Underground under the remit of central government for the first time in its history.
The implementation of nationalised railways was a move of necessity as well as ideology. The main line railways had struggled to cope with a war economy in the First World War and by the end of World War Two the four remaining companies were on the verge of bankruptcy. Nationalisation was the easiest way to save the railways in the short term and provide money to fix war time damage. The BTC necessarily prioritised the reconstruction of its main line railways over the maintenance of the Underground network. The unfinished parts of the
New Works ProgrammeThe "New Works Programme, 1935 - 1940" was the major investment programme delivered by the London Passenger Transport Board , commonly known as London Transport, which had been created in 1933 to coordinate underground train, tram, trolleybus and bus services in the capital and the surrounding areas...
were gradually shelved or postponed.
However the BTC did authorise the completion of the electrification of the network, seeking to replace steam locomotives on the parts of the system where they still operated. This phase of the programme was completed when the
Metropolitan LineThe Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in TfL's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening on 10 January 1863...
was electrified to
CheshamChesham lies at the end of the Chesham branch of the Metropolitan line, and opened 8 July 1889 as the original northern terminus of the Metropolitan Railway from Baker Street. There is no station starter signal at Chesham...
in 1960. Steam locomotives were fully withdrawn from London Underground passenger services on 9 September 1961, when British Railways took over the operations of the Metropolitan line between Amersham and Aylesbury. The last steam shunting and freight locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1971.
In 1963 the LTE was replaced by the
London Transport BoardThe London Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1963-1970. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
, directly accountable to the
Ministry of TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
.
GLC Control
On 1 January 1970, the
Greater London CouncilThe Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area.-Creation:...
(GLC) took over responsibility for London Transport. This period is perhaps the most controversial in London's transport history, characterised by staff shortages and a severe lack of funding from central government. In 1980 the
LabourThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
-led GLC began the 'Fares Fair' project, which increased local taxation in order to lower ticket prices. The campaign was initially successful and usage of the Tube significantly increased. But serious objections to the policy came from the
London Borough of BromleyThe London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.The Prime Meridian passes through Bromley.-Geography:...
, an area of London which has no Underground stations. The Council resented the subsidy as it would be of little benefit to its residents. The council took the GLC to the Law Lords who ruled that the policy was illegal based on their interpretation of the Transport (London) Act 1969. They ruled that the Act stipulated that London Transport must plan, as far as was possible, to break even. In line with this judgement, 'Fares Fair' was therefore reversed, leading to a 100% increase in fares in 1982 and a subsequent decline in passenger numbers. The scandal prompted
Margaret Thatcher'sMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
Government to remove the London Transport from the GLC's control in 1984, a development that turned out to be a prelude to the abolition of the GLC in 1986.
However the period saw the first real post-war investment in the network with the opening of the carefully planned
Victoria LineThe Victoria line is part of the London Underground system and is a deep-level line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map and, in terms of the average number of journeys per mile, is the busiest line on the network...
, which was built on a diagonal northeast-southwest alignment beneath Central London, incorporating centralised signalling control and automatically driven trains. It opened in stages between 1968 and 1971. The Piccadilly line was extended to
Heathrow AirportHeathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 is a London Underground station at Heathrow Airport on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line. The station is situated in Travelcard Zone 6....
in 1977, and the
Jubilee lineThe Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections - initially to Charing Cross in Central London, and later extended in 1999 to Stratford in East London. The later stations are notable for their larger size and safety features...
was opened in 1979, taking over part of the Bakerloo line, with new tunnels between
Baker StreetBaker Street tube station is a station on the London Underground located at the junction of Baker Street and the Marylebone Road. The station lies in Travelcard Zone 1 and is served by five different lines. On the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines it is between Great Portland Street and Edgware...
and
Charing CrossCharing Cross tube station is a London Underground station at Charing Cross in the City of Westminster with entrances located in Trafalgar Square and Strand. The station is served by the Northern and Bakerloo lines and provides an interchange with the National Rail network at Charing Cross station...
. There was also one important legacy from the 'Fares Fair' scheme, the introduction of ticket zones, which remain in use today.
London Regional Transport
In 1984
Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
's
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
Government removed London Transport from the GLC's control, replacing it with
London Regional TransportLondon Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
(LRT) on 19 June 1984 - a statutory corporation for which the
Secretary of State for TransportThe Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
was directly responsible. The Government planned to modernise the system while slashing its subsidy from taxpayers and ratepayers. As part of this strategy London Underground Limited was set up on 1 April 1985 as a wholly owned subsidiary of LRT to run the network.
The prognosis for LRT was good. Oliver Green, the then Curator of the London Transport Museum, wrote in 1987:
However cost-cutting was not without its critics. At 19:30 on 18 November 1987 a
fireThe King's Cross fire was a fatal underground fire in London which broke out at approximately 19:30 on 18 November 1987, and which killed 31 people.It took place at King's Cross St. Pancras, a major interchange on the London Underground...
swept through King's Cross St Pancras Undeground station, the busiest station on the network, killing 31 people. It later turned out that the fire had started in an escalator shaft serving the Piccadilly Line, which was burnt out along with the top level (entrances and ticket hall) of the deep-level tube station. The escalator on which the fire started had been built just before
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The steps and sides of the escalator were partly made of wood, meaning that they burned quickly and easily. Although smoking was banned on the subsurface sections of the London Underground in February 1985 (a consequence of the
Oxford Circus fireThe Oxford Circus fire occurred on Friday November 23, 1984 at 9:50 p.m. at the London Underground Oxford Circus station. Oxford Circus station is in the heart of London's shopping district and is served by three deep-level tube lines; the Bakerloo Line, Central Line and Victoria Lines...
), the fire was most probably caused by a commuter discarding a burning match, which fell down the side of the escalator onto the running track (Fennell 1988, p. 111). The running track had not been cleaned in some time and was covered in grease and fibrous detritus. The
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for the area,
Frank DobsonFrank Gordon Dobson is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 1979; he served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health from 1997 to 1999, and was the official Labour Party candidate for Mayor of London in 2000, ultimately...
, informed the
House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members...
that the number of transportation employees at the station, which handled 200,000 passengers every day at the time, had been cut from 16 to ten, and the cleaning staff from 14 to two. The tragic event led to the abolition of wooden escalators at all Underground stations and pledges of greater investment.
In 1994, with the
privatisationPrivatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector...
of
British RailBritish Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997...
, LRT took control of the Waterloo and City line, incorporating it into the Underground network for the first time. This year also saw the end of services on the little used
Epping-OngarThe Epping Ongar Railway operates on a preserved railway along the final section of the old Great Eastern Railway and London Underground Central Line branch line between Epping and Ongar, with an intermediate station at North Weald...
branch of the Central Line and the Aldwych branch of the Piccadilly Line after it was agreed that necessary maintenance and upgrade work would not be cost effective.
In 1999 the Jubilee line extension to
StratfordStratford station is a railway station in Stratford, Newham, East London on National Rail, London Underground, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway lines. It is served by the Underground Central and Jubilee lines, and by London Overground, National Express East Anglia and c2c. It is in...
in London's East End was completed. This plan included the opening of a completely refurbished interchange station at
WestminsterWestminster is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster. The station is served by the Circle, District and Jubilee lines. On the Circle and District lines the station is between St. James's Park and Embankment stations. On the Jubilee line it is between Green Park and Waterloo stations...
. The Jubilee line's old terminal platforms at Charing Cross were closed but maintained operable for emergencies.
Public Private Partnership
Transport for London (TfL) replaced LRT in 2000, a development that coincided with the creation of a directly-elected Mayor of London and the
London AssemblyThe London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget. The Assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
.
In January 2003 the Underground began operating as a
Public-Private PartnershipPublic-private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
(PPP), whereby the infrastructure and rolling stock were maintained by two private companies (
MetronetMetronet Rail was the brand of a public-private partnership within the London Underground group that was responsible for the maintenance, renewal, and upgrade of the infrastructure on nine London Underground lines. This includes track, trains, signals, civil work and stations. From 18 July 2007 to...
and
Tube LinesTube Lines Limited, also known as Tube Lines JNP, is a private company responsible for the maintenance, renewal and upgrade of the infrastructure, including track, trains, signals, civil work and stations, of three London Underground lines...
) under 30-year contracts, whilst London Underground Limited remained publicly owned and operated by TfL.
There was much controversy over the implementation of the PPP. Supporters of the change claimed that the private sector would eliminate the inefficiencies of public sector enterprises and take on the risks associated with running the network, while opponents said that the need to make profits would reduce the investment and public service aspects of the Underground. There has since been criticism of the performance of the private companies; for example the January 2007 edition of
The LondonerThe Londoner was a newsletter in the style of a newspaper published by the Mayor of London and delivered free to most households in Greater London.In the words of the Mayor of London's office, it was "a newsletter for Londoners from the Mayor of London...
, a newsletter published periodically by the Greater London Authority, listed
Metronet's mistakes of 2006 under the headline Metronet guilty of 'inexcusable failures.
Metronet was placed into
administrationAdministration, as a legal concept, is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent companies and allows them to carry on running their business...
on 18 July 2007. TfL has since taken over Metronet's outstanding commitments.
The UK government has made concerted efforts to find another private firm to fill the vacuum left by the liquidation of
MetronetMetronet Rail was the brand of a public-private partnership within the London Underground group that was responsible for the maintenance, renewal, and upgrade of the infrastructure on nine London Underground lines. This includes track, trains, signals, civil work and stations. From 18 July 2007 to...
. However so far only TfL has expressed a plausible interest in taking over Metronet's responsibilities. Even though
Tube LinesTube Lines Limited, also known as Tube Lines JNP, is a private company responsible for the maintenance, renewal and upgrade of the infrastructure, including track, trains, signals, civil work and stations, of three London Underground lines...
appears to be stable, this has put the long-term future of the PPP scheme in doubt. The case for PPP was also weakened in 2008 when it was revealed that the demise of Metronet had cost the UK government £2 billion. The five private companies that made up the Metronet alliance had to pay £70m each towards paying off the debts acquired by the consortium. But under a deal struck with the government in 2003 the companies were protected from any further liability. The UK taxpayer therefore had to foot the rest of the bill. This undermined the argument that the PPP would place the risks involved in running the network into the hands of the private sector.
Transport for London
Transport for London (TfL) was created in 2000 as the integrated body responsible for London's transport system. It replaced London Regional Transport. It assumed control of London Underground Limited in July 2003.
TfL is part of the
Greater London AuthorityThe Greater London Authority is the city-wide governing body for London, England. It consists of a directly-elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers.-Purpose:...
and is constituted as a statutory corporation regulated under local government finance rules. It has three subsidiaries: London Transport Insurance (Guernsey) Ltd., the TfL Pension Fund Trustee Co. Ltd. and Transport Trading Ltd (TTL). TTL has six wholly-owned subsidiaries, one of which is London Underground Limited.
The TfL Board is appointed by the
Mayor of LondonThe Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London . Since 4 May 2008, Conservative Boris Johnson holds the position...
. The Mayor also sets the structure and level of public transport fares in London. However the day-to-day running of the corporation is left to the
CommissionerCommissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission, in the sense of a mandate, whether individually or shared, notably as member of a collegial commission....
of Transport for London. The current Commissioner is
Peter HendyPeter Hendy, CBE is the current Commissioner of Transport for London.-Early career:He started his career in the public transport industry in 1975 as a London Transport graduate trainee...
.
The Mayor is responsible for producing an integrated transport strategy for London and for consulting the GLA, TfL, local councils and others on the strategy. The Mayor is also responsible for setting TfL's budget. The GLA is consulted on the Mayor's transport strategy, and inspects and approves the Mayor's budget. It is able to summon the Mayor and senior staff to account for TfL's performance. London TravelWatch, a body appointed by and reporting to the Assembly, deals with complaints about transport in London.
Stations and lines
The London Underground's 11 lines are the
Bakerloo lineThe Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from the Elephant and Castle in south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in north-west of London. The lines serves 25 stations of which 15 are underground...
,
Central lineThe Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Out of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
, Circle line,
District lineThe District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines and the third busiest overall on the Underground network. Out of the 60...
,
Hammersmith & City lineThe Hammersmith & City line is a line of the London Underground, coloured salmon pink on the London Underground Map, running between Hammersmith in West London and Barking in East London...
,
Jubilee lineThe Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections - initially to Charing Cross in Central London, and later extended in 1999 to Stratford in East London. The later stations are notable for their larger size and safety features...
,
Metropolitan lineThe Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in TfL's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening on 10 January 1863...
,
Northern lineThe Northern line is an underground railway in London, United Kingdom that is coloured black on the London Underground Tube map. The line's two branches carry 206.734 million passengers per year—the highest on the London Underground system. For most of its length it is built as a deep-level...
,
Piccadilly lineThe Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the third busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
,
Victoria lineThe Victoria line is part of the London Underground system and is a deep-level line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map and, in terms of the average number of journeys per mile, is the busiest line on the network...
, and
Waterloo & City lineThe Waterloo & City line is a short underground railway line in London, which was formally opened on 11 July 1898. It has only two stations, Waterloo and Bank...
.
Until 2007 there was a twelfth line, the
East London lineThe East London line was a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. It ran north to south through the East End and Docklands areas of London, entirely in Travelcard Zone 2...
, but this has closed for rebuilding work. It will be reopen as part of
London OvergroundLondon Overground is a commuter rail service in London, UK, the brand applied by Transport for London to the services on four railway lines: the Watford DC Line, the North London Line, the West London Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.The name has been used since 2007, when TfL took over...
- part of the
National RailNational Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
network and eventually connected to its
North London LineThe North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
- in 2010.
London Underground lines
| Name |
Map colour |
First
operated |
First section
opened* |
Name dates
from |
Type |
Length
(km) |
Length
(miles) |
Stations |
Current Stock |
Future Stock |
Journeys
per annum (x 1,000) |
Average journeys
per mile (x 1,000) |
Bakerloo lineThe Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from the Elephant and Castle in south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in north-west of London. The lines serves 25 stations of which 15 are underground...
|
| 1906 |
1906 |
1906 |
Deep level |
23.2 |
14.5 |
25 |
1972 StockThe London Underground 1972 stock is a fleet of trains used on the London Underground. The 1972 Stock was ordered to make up the shortfall in trains on the Northern Line's 1959 Tube Stock fleet....
|
|
104,000 |
7,172 |
Central lineThe Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Out of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
|
| 1900 |
1856 |
1900 |
Deep level |
74 |
46 |
49 |
1992 StockThe 1992 Tube Stock was built by ABB for the Central Line as the result of the extensive testing of the three 1986 tube stock prototype trains...
|
n/a |
199,000 |
4,326 |
| Circle line |
| 1884 |
1863 |
1949 |
Subsurface |
22.5 |
14 |
26 |
C Stock |
S StockThe S Stock is a class of sub-surface train currently under construction by Bombardier for the London Underground to replace 177 existing trains on the Metropolitan, District, Hammersmith & City, and Circle Lines, with a new fleet of standardized car design, totalling 191 trains or 1395 cars...
from 2010 |
74,000 |
5,286 |
District lineThe District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines and the third busiest overall on the Underground network. Out of the 60...
|
| 1868 |
1868 |
1868–1905 |
Subsurface |
64 |
40 |
55 |
C Stock and D78 StockThe London Underground D Stock is a type of electric multiple unit used on the London Underground District Line 1.The entire fleet is due to be replaced in 2015.- History :...
|
S Stock from 2015 |
188,000 |
4,700 |
Hammersmith & City lineThe Hammersmith & City line is a line of the London Underground, coloured salmon pink on the London Underground Map, running between Hammersmith in West London and Barking in East London...
|
| 1863 |
1858 |
1988 |
Subsurface |
26.5 |
16.5 |
26 |
C Stock |
S StockThe S Stock is a class of sub-surface train currently under construction by Bombardier for the London Underground to replace 177 existing trains on the Metropolitan, District, Hammersmith & City, and Circle Lines, with a new fleet of standardized car design, totalling 191 trains or 1395 cars...
from 2010 |
50,000 |
3,030 |
Jubilee lineThe Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections - initially to Charing Cross in Central London, and later extended in 1999 to Stratford in East London. The later stations are notable for their larger size and safety features...
|
| 1979 |
1879 |
1979 |
Deep level |
36.2 |
22.5 |
25 |
1996 StockThe 1996 Stock is a type of British EMU used on London Underground's Jubilee Line and are among the newest trains currently running on the network. They were built by Alstom and began service in 1997...
|
n/a |
127,584 |
5,670 |
Metropolitan lineThe Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in TfL's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening on 10 January 1863...
|
| 1863 |
1863 |
1863 |
Subsurface |
66.7 |
41.5 |
35 |
A60 and A62 Stock |
S StockThe S Stock is a class of sub-surface train currently under construction by Bombardier for the London Underground to replace 177 existing trains on the Metropolitan, District, Hammersmith & City, and Circle Lines, with a new fleet of standardized car design, totalling 191 trains or 1395 cars...
from 2010 |
58,000 |
1,398 |
Northern lineThe Northern line is an underground railway in London, United Kingdom that is coloured black on the London Underground Tube map. The line's two branches carry 206.734 million passengers per year—the highest on the London Underground system. For most of its length it is built as a deep-level...
|
| 1890 |
1867 |
1937 |
Deep level |
58 |
36 |
48 |
1995 StockThe 1995 Stock used on London Underground's Northern Line. There are 106 trains in operation, each of six cars; they entered service between 12 June 1998 and 10 April 2001. Despite the 1995 Stock designation, the step-plates found on the trains read '1996'...
|
|
206,987 |
5,743 |
Piccadilly lineThe Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the third busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
|
| 1906 |
1869 |
1906 |
Deep level |
71 |
44.3 |
52 |
1973 StockThe 1973 Tube Stock operates on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground, and was introduced in 1975 for the opening of the extension to Heathrow Central ....
|
2014 Stock The 2014 stock is London Underground rolling stock currently on order for the Piccadilly Line and Bakerloo Line to replace the line's original 1973 tube stock and 1972 tube stock....
from 2014/2015 |
176,177 |
3,977 |
Victoria lineThe Victoria line is part of the London Underground system and is a deep-level line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map and, in terms of the average number of journeys per mile, is the busiest line on the network...
|
| 1968 |
1968 |
1968 |
Deep level |
21 |
13.25 |
16 |
1967 StockThe 1967 Stock is the deep-level tube stock currently in operation on the Victoria Line. It is currently the oldest type of deep tube stock in service on London Underground....
|
2009 Stock The 2009 stock is a type of London Underground train built by Bombardier Transportation as part of their Movia family at their Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, England. Bombardier Transportation UK was formerly ADtranz, and before that ABB Asea Brown Boveri, who built the 1992 Stock currently used...
currently being rolled out. |
174,000 |
13,132 |
Waterloo & City lineThe Waterloo & City line is a short underground railway line in London, which was formally opened on 11 July 1898. It has only two stations, Waterloo and Bank...
|
| 1898† |
1898 |
1898 |
Deep level |
2.5 |
1.5 |
2 |
1992 StockThe 1992 Tube Stock was built by ABB for the Central Line as the result of the extensive testing of the three 1986 tube stock prototype trains...
|
n/a |
9,616 |
6,410 |
* Where a year is shown that is earlier than that shown for First operated, this indicates that the line operates over a route first operated by another Underground line or by another railway company.
† Prior to 1994, the Waterloo & City line was operated by British Rail and its predecessors. |
The Underground serves 268 stations by rail; an additional six stations that were on the East London line are served by Underground replacement buses. Fourteen Underground stations are outside Greater London, of which five (
AmershamAmersham station is a railway station serving Amersham in Buckinghamshire. It is located in Travelcard Zone 9 .Amersham Station is a terminus of the Metropolitan Line branch of the London Underground...
,
Chalfont & LatimerChalfont and Latimer station is a station in Travelcard Zone 8 on the Metropolitan line, in Buckinghamshire. It is the junction between the through service to Amersham and a shuttle service to Chesham...
,
CheshamChesham lies at the end of the Chesham branch of the Metropolitan line, and opened 8 July 1889 as the original northern terminus of the Metropolitan Railway from Baker Street. There is no station starter signal at Chesham...
,
ChorleywoodChorleywood station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Travelcard Zone 7 on the Metropolitan line. The town of Chorleywood is located in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire about 20 miles from London....
,
EppingEpping on the London Underground is the north-eastern terminus of the Central Line. The station before Epping is Theydon Bois, which is about three minutes travelling time away. Epping station is in the Epping Forest District of Essex. It is one of eight London Underground stations in this...
) are beyond the
M25 London Orbital motorwayThe M25 motorway is a 117 mile orbital motorway which encircles Greater London, United Kingdom except for the tolled Dartford Crossing where it crosses the River Thames to the east of London...
. Of the 32
London boroughThe administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
s, six (
BexleyThe London Borough of Bexley lies to the south east of Greater London, one of those boroughs referred to as Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west and the River Thames is the northern boundary with the...
,
BromleyThe London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.The Prime Meridian passes through Bromley.-Geography:...
,
CroydonThe London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in south-west London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London...
,
KingstonThe Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in south-west London, England. The main area in the borough is Kingston upon Thames, but it covers a wider area also including places such as Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth...
,
LewishamThe London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham and its council is based at Catford.The Prime Meridian passes through Lewisham....
and
SuttonThe London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London...
) are not served by the Underground network, while
HackneyThe London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of north London, and forms part of inner London.Between 1999 and 2001 serious concerns were expressed about Hackney's performance as a council by the Audit Commission, and many aspects of council services were failing...
only has Old Street and
Manor HouseManor House tube station is a station on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground, on the boundary between Travelcard Zone 2 and Zone 3. It straddles the border between the London Boroughs of Hackney and Haringey, the postal address and three of the entrances being in the former, and one...
on its boundaries.
Lines on the Underground can be classified into two types: subsurface and deep-level. The subsurface lines were dug by the cut-and-cover method, with the tracks running about below the surface. The deep-level or tube lines, bored using a
tunnelling shieldA tunnelling shield is a protective structure used in the excavation of tunnels through soil that is too soft or fluid to remain stable during the time it takes to line the tunnel with a support structure of concrete, cast iron or steel...
, run about below the surface (although this varies considerably), with each track in a separate tunnel. These tunnels can have a diameter as small as and the
loading gaugeA loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
is thus considerably smaller than on the subsurface lines. Lines of both types usually emerge onto the surface outside the central area.
While the tube lines are for the most part self-contained, the subsurface lines are part of an interconnected network: each shares track with at least two other lines. The subsurface arrangement is similar to the
New York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
, which also runs separate "lines" over shared tracks.
Rolling stock and electrification
The Underground uses
rolling stockRolling stock is the collective term that describes all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
built between 1960 and 2005. Stock on subsurface lines is identified by a letter (such as A Stock, used on the
Metropolitan lineThe Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in TfL's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening on 10 January 1863...
), while tube stock is identified by the year in which it was designed (for example,
1996 StockThe 1996 Stock is a type of British EMU used on London Underground's Jubilee Line and are among the newest trains currently running on the network. They were built by Alstom and began service in 1997...
, used on the Jubilee line). All lines are worked by a single type of stock except the
District lineThe District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines and the third busiest overall on the Underground network. Out of the 60...
, which uses both
CC Stock is the name given to the trains currently running on London Underground's Circle and Hammersmith & City lines as well as on the District Line between Edgware Road and Wimbledon. They are maintained at Hammersmith Depot....
and
DThe London Underground D Stock is a type of electric multiple unit used on the London Underground District Line
1.The entire fleet is due to be replaced in 2015.- History :...
Stock. Two types of stock are currently being developed —
2009 StockThe 2009 stock is a type of London Underground train built by Bombardier Transportation as part of their Movia family at their Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, England. Bombardier Transportation UK was formerly ADtranz, and before that ABB Asea Brown Boveri, who built the 1992 Stock currently used...
for the Victoria line and
S stockThe S Stock is a class of sub-surface train currently under construction by Bombardier for the London Underground to replace 177 existing trains on the Metropolitan, District, Hammersmith & City, and Circle Lines, with a new fleet of standardized car design, totalling 191 trains or 1395 cars...
for the subsurface lines, with the Metropolitan line A Stock being replaced first. Rollout of both is expected to begin about 2009. In addition to the
Electric Multiple UnitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power.- Types :...
s described above, there is
engineering stockOver the years, London Underground has acquired various types of engineering stock to help with the construction of new lines and maintenance of existing lines. Some of these wagons were inherited from its predecessors, many were built new and some were acquired second-hand from British Rail...
, such as ballast trains and brake vans, identified by a 1-3 letter prefix then a number.
The Underground is one of the few networks in the world that uses a four-rail system. The additional rail carries the electrical return that on third-rail and overhead networks is provided by the running rails. On the Underground a top-contact third rail is beside the track, energised at +420 V DC, and a top-contact fourth rail is centrally between the running rails, at -210 V DC, which combine to provide a traction voltage of 630 V DC.
In cases where the lines are shared with mainline trains which use a three-rail system, the third rail is set at +630 V, and the fourth rail at 0 V DC.
Cooling
In summer, temperatures on parts of the London Underground can become very uncomfortable due to its deep and poorly ventilated tube tunnels: temperatures as high as were reported in the
2006 European heat waveThe 2006 European heat wave was a period of exceptionally hot weather that arrived at the end of June 2006 in certain European countries. The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany were most affected. Several records were...
. Posters may be observed on the Underground network advising that passengers carry a bottle of water to help keep cool.
Planned improvements and expansions
There are many planned improvements to the London Underground. A new station opened on the Piccadilly line at
Heathrow Airport Terminal 5Heathrow Terminal 5 station is a shared railway station at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 which was opened on 27 March 2008. Designed by architects HOK International in conjunction with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners....
on 27 March 2008 and is the first extension of the London Underground since 1999. Each line is being upgraded to improve capacity and reliability, with new computerised signalling,
automatic train operationAutomatic train operation ensures partial or complete automatic train piloting and driverless functions.Most systems elect to maintain a driver to mitigate risks associated with failures or emergencies....
(ATO), track replacement and station refurbishment, and, where needed, new
rolling stockRolling stock is the collective term that describes all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
. A trial programme for a groundwater cooling system in
Victoria stationVictoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a major London Underground, National Rail and coach station in the City of Westminster. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo. It is in Travelcard Zone 1...
took place in 2006 and 2007; it aimed to determine whether such a system would be feasible and effective if in widespread use. A trial of mobile phone coverage on the Waterloo & City line aims to determine whether coverage can be extended across the rest of the Underground network. Although not part of London Underground, the
CrossrailCrossrail is a project to build major new railway connections under central London. The project's name refers to the first of two routes proposed by Cross London Rail Links Ltd, based around an east-west tunnel from Paddington to Liverpool Street station...
scheme will provide a new route across central London integrated with the tube network.
The long proposed
Chelsea-Hackney lineThe Chelsea-Hackney line is a safeguarded route for an underground railway running from south-west London to north-east London. During the early 2000s the plan was developed by Cross London Rail Links Ltd., the developers of Crossrail , and the line is therefore sometimes known as Crossrail...
, which is planned to begin operation in 2025, may be part of the London Underground, which would mean it would give the network a new Northeast to South cross London line to provide more interchanges with other lines and relieve overcrowding on other lines. However it is still on the drawing board. It was first proposed in 1901 and has been in planning since then. In 2007 the line was passed over to Cross London Rail Ltd, the current developers of Crossrail. Therefore, the line may be either part of the London Underground network or the National Rail network. There are advantages and disadvantages for both.
The
Croxley Rail LinkThe Croxley Rail Link is a railway engineering proposal to re-route part of a London Underground line in Hertfordshire, outside London, UK. The project would divert Metropolitan line Watford branch services east of Croxley station away from Watford station to via intermediate stations using a...
proposal envisages diverting the Metropolitan line Watford branch to Watford Junction station along a disused railway track. The project awaits funding from
Hertfordshire County CouncilHertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. It currently consists of 77 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 55 councillors, 17 Liberal Democrats, versus 3 Labour...
and the
Department for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
, and remains at the proposal stage.
London Mayor Boris Johnson suggested he may be thinking of extending the Bakerloo line to
LewishamLewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, as South London lacks Underground lines but has a major
Suburban railNational Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
network instead.
Ticketing
The Underground uses TfL's
TravelcardThe Travelcard is an inter-modal travel ticket for unlimited use on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, Tramlink, London Buses and National Rail services in the Greater London area. Travelcards can be purchased for a period of time varying from one day to a year,...
zones to calculate fares. Greater London is divided into 6 zones;
Zone 1Travelcard Zone 1 is the central zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. For most tickets travel through the zone is...
is the most central, with a boundary just beyond the Circle line, and
Zone 6Travelcard Zone 6 is an outer zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. The zone was created in January 1991; from May 1983...
is the outermost and includes
London Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the world's busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic. It is the world's second busiest airport in total passenger traffic. It is also the largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom...
. Stations on the Metropolitan line outside Greater London are in Zones 7-9.
Travelcard zones 7–9 also apply on the Euston-Watford Junction line (part of the London Overground) as far as Watford High Street. Watford Junction is outside these zones and special fares apply.
There are staffed ticket offices, some open for limited periods only, and ticket machines usable at any time. Some machines that sell a limited range of tickets accept coins only, other touch-screen machines accept coins and banknotes, and usually give change. These machines also accept major credit and debit cards: some newer machines accept cards only.
More recently, TfL has introduced the
Oyster cardThe Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems including London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway ,...
, a smartcard with an embedded contactless RFID chip, that travellers can obtain, charge with credit, and use to pay for travel. Like Travelcards they can be used on the Underground, buses, trams and the Docklands Light Railway. The Oyster card is cheaper to operate than cash ticketing or the older-style magnetic-strip-based Travelcards, and the Underground is encouraging passengers to use Oyster cards instead of Travelcards and cash (on buses) by implementing significant price differences. Oyster-based Travelcards can be used on National Rail throughout London. Pay as you go is available on a restricted, but increasing,
number of routesThe acceptance of Oyster Card on National Rail in London, England has been limited to a restricted number of National Rail services since the introduction of the stored-value product on London Underground in January 2004...
.
Since the GLC days there has been a concessionary fare scheme for disabled and elderly London residents. This is in effect a free Annual All-Zones Travelcard; it is available for free travel on TfL-operated routes at all times for the disabled persons' version, and at all times except between 04:30–09:00 Monday to Friday for the elderly persons' version; it is also available on National Rail services within the London area, at all times except between 04:30–09:30 Monday to Friday for both versions. These permits are renewable bi-annually, in March of every even-numbered year; since 2006 the scheme has been called the "Freedom Pass" and the permit itself has been an Oyster Card.
For tourists or other non-residents, not needing to travel in the morning peak period, the all day travelcard is one of the better ticketing options available. These are available from any underground station. These cost around £5.50 and allow unlimited travel on the network from 9:30am onwards for the rest of the day. This provides excellent value for money and a huge saving considering one single journey on the network can cost close to £5. However for some travellers, it will be more advantageous to buy a Pay as You Go Oystercard; the issue of children complicates the fare structure for short-term visitors further, leading to a slew of websites attempting to help visitors through the ticketing system. Travel cards for multiple days are also available.
Penalty fares and fare evasion
In addition to automatic and staffed ticket gates, the Underground is patrolled by both uniformed and plain-clothes ticket inspectors with hand-held
Oyster cardThe Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems including London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway ,...
readers. Passengers travelling without a ticket valid for their entire journey are required to pay a £50 (or £25 if paid within 21 days)
penalty fareOn the United Kingdom's public transport systems, a penalty fare is a special fare charged at a higher than normal price because the purchaser did not comply with the normal ticket purchasing rules...
and can be prosecuted for fare evasion under the
Regulation of Railways Act 1889The Regulation of Railways Act 1889 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
under which they are subject to a fine of up to £1,000, or three months' imprisonment.
Oyster cardThe Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems including London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway ,...
pre-pay users who have failed to touch in at the start of their journey are charged the maximum cash fare (£4, or £5 at some
National RailNational Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
stations) upon touching out. In addition, an Oyster card user who has failed to touch in at the start of their journey and who is detected mid-journey (i.e. on a train) by an Inspector is now liable to a penalty fare of £50, which is reduced to £25 if paid within 21 days. No £4 maximum charge will be applied to their destination as the inspector will apply an 'exit token' to their card.
While the Conditions of Carriage require period
TravelcardThe Travelcard is an inter-modal travel ticket for unlimited use on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, Tramlink, London Buses and National Rail services in the Greater London area. Travelcards can be purchased for a period of time varying from one day to a year,...
holders to touch in and touch out at the start and end of their journey, any Oyster card user who has a valid period Travelcard covering their entire journey is not liable to pay a Penalty fare where they have not touched in. Neither the Conditions of Carriage or Schedule 17 of the
Greater London Authority Act 1999The Greater London Authority Act 1999 is the Act of Parliament that established the Greater London Authority, the London Assembly and the Mayor of London....
, which shows how and when Penalty fares can be issued, would allow the issuing of a Penalty fare to a traveller who had already paid the correct fare for their journey.
Delays
According to statistics obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the average commuter on the Metropolitan line wasted three days, 10 hours and 25 minutes in 2006 due to delays (not including missed connections). Between 17 September 2006 and 14 October 2006, figures show that 211 train services were delayed by more than 15 minutes. Passengers are entitled to a refund if their journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more due to circumstances within the control of TfL.
Hours of operation
The Underground does not run 24 hours a day (except at New Year and major public events - such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the
London OlympicsThe 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, are due to take place in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
in 2012) because most lines have only two tracks (one in each direction) and therefore need to close at night for cleaning and planned maintenance work. First trains start operating from approximately quarter to five in the morning, generally for shorter journeys such as the Piccadilly Line's Osterley-Heathrow only rather than the full length of the line, with the remainder operating by 05:30, running until around 01:00. Unlike systems such as the
New York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
, few segments of the Underground have third or fourth tracks that allow trains to be routed around maintenance sites. Recently, greater use has been made of weekend closures of parts of the system for scheduled engineering work.
Accessibility
AccessibilityAccessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product is accessible by as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" the functionality, and possible benefit, of some system or entity...
by people with mobility problems was not considered when most of the system was built, and most older stations are inaccessible to disabled people. More recent stations were designed for accessibility, but
retrofitRetrofitting refers to the addition of new technology or features to older systems. An example of this is car customizing, where older vehicles are fitted with new technologies: power windows, cruise control, remote keyless systems, electric fuel pumps, etc....
ting accessibility features to old stations is at best prohibitively expensive and technically extremely difficult, and often impossible. Even when there are already
escalatorAn escalator is a moving staircase conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the world...
s or
liftAn elevator or lift is a vertical transport vehicle that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building...
s, there are often steps between the lift or escalator landings and the platforms.
Most stations on the surface have at least a short flight of stairs to gain access from street level, and the great majority of below-ground stations require use of stairs or some of the system's 410 escalators (each going at a speed of per minute, approximately ). There are also some lengthy walks and further flights of steps required to gain access to platforms. The emergency stairs at
Covent GardenCovent Garden is a London Underground station in Covent Garden. It is on the Piccadilly Line between Leicester Square and Holborn. The station is on the corner of Long Acre and James Street...
station have 193 steps to reach the exit (equivalent to climbing to the top of a 15-floor building), so passengers are advised to use the lifts as climbing the steps can be dangerous.
The escalators in Underground stations include some of the longest in Europe, and all are custom-built. The longest escalator is at
Angel stationAngel tube station is a London Underground station in The Angel, Islington. It is on the Bank branch of the Northern Line, between Old Street and King's Cross St. Pancras stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 1....
, long, with a vertical rise of . They run 20 hours a day, 364 days a year, with 95% of them operational at any one time, and can cope with 13,000 passengers per hour. Convention and signage stipulate that people using escalators on the Underground stand on the right-hand side so as not to obstruct those who walk past them on the left.
TfL produces a map indicating which stations are accessible, and since 2004 line maps indicate with a
wheelchairA wheelchair is a wheeled mobility device in which the user sits. The device is propelled either manually or via various automated systems. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness , injury, or disability...
symbol those stations that provide step-free access from street level. Step height from platform to train is up to , and there can be a large gap between the train and curved platforms. Only the
Jubilee Line ExtensionThe Jubilee line extension is the extension of the London Underground Jubilee line from Green Park to Stratford through south and east London. An eastward extension of the Jubilee line was first proposed in the 1970s and a modified route was constructed during the 1990s...
is completely accessible.
TfL plans that by 2020 there should be a network of over 100 fully accessible stations, consists of those recently built or rebuilt, and a handful of suburban stations that happen to have level access, along with selected 'key stations', which will be rebuilt. These key stations have been chosen due to high usage, interchange potential, and geographic spread, so that up to 75% of journeys will be achievable step-free.
Overcrowding
Overcrowding on the Underground has been of concern for years and is very much the norm for most commuters especially during the morning and evening rush hours. Stations which particularly have a problem include
Camden Town stationCamden Town tube station is a major junction on the Northern Line and one of the busiest stations on the London Underground network...
and
Covent GardenCovent Garden is a London Underground station in Covent Garden. It is on the Piccadilly Line between Leicester Square and Holborn. The station is on the corner of Long Acre and James Street...
, which have access restrictions at certain times. Restrictions are introduced at other stations when necessary. Several stations have been rebuilt to deal with overcrowding issues, with Clapham Common and Clapham North on the Northern line being the last remaining stations with a single narrow platform with tracks on both sides. On particularly busy occasions, such as football matches,
British Transport PoliceThe British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
may be present to help with overcrowding.
Some stations are closed or are made exit-only stations due to overcrowding in peak periods. At other times trains simply don't stop at the overcrowded station and go onto the next closest station, in places where there is another station within walking distance. Overcrowding can also be limited by temporarily disallowing passengers from passing through ticket gates to the platforms at some stations.
According to a 2003 House of Commons report, commuters faced a "daily trauma" and were forced to travel in "intolerable conditions".
Safety
Accidents on the Underground networkThe London Underground network carries more than a billion passengers a year. On a system of this scale it is impossible to completely prevent accidents although a lot of measures are taken. When such things occur the chance of fatalities is very real...
, which carries around a billion passengers a year, are rare. There is one fatal accident for every 300 million journeys. There are several
safetySafety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
warnings given to passengers, such as the '
mind the gap"Mind the gap" is a warning to train passengers of the gap between the train door and the station platform. It was introduced in 1969 by the London Underground. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that Transport for London sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.-...
' announcement and the regular announcements for passengers to keep behind the yellow line. Relatively few accidents are caused by overcrowding on the platforms, and staff monitor platforms and passageways at busy times prevent people entering the system if they become overcrowded.
Most fatalities on the network are
suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
s. Most platforms at deep tube stations have pits beneath the track, originally constructed to aid drainage of water from the platforms, but they also help prevent death or serious injury when a passenger falls or jumps in front of a train.
Design and the arts
TfL's
Tube mapThe tube map is the schematic diagram representing the lines and stations of London's rapid transit rail system, the London Underground ....
and "
roundelA roundel in heraldry is any circular shape; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
"
logoA logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition...
are instantly recognisable by any Londoner, almost any Briton, and many people around the world. It has become a major pop culture symbol.
TfL licences the sale of clothing and other accessories featuring its graphic elements and it takes legal action against unauthorised use of its trademarks and of the Tube map. Nevertheless, unauthorised copies of the logo continue to crop up worldwide.
Map
The original maps were often street maps with the lines superimposed, but as well as being visually complex, this produced problems of space, as central stations were far closer together than outlying ones.
The modern stylised Tube map evolved from a design by electrical engineer Harry Beck in 1933. It is characterized by a schematic non-geographical layout (thought to have been based on
circuit diagramA circuit diagram is a simplified conventional graphical representation of an electrical circuit...
s) and the use of colour coding for lines.
The map is now considered a design classic; virtually every major urban rail system in the world now has a similar map, and many bus companies have also adopted the concept.
There are many references in culture to the map, including parodies of it using different station-names, particularly in London advertisements for unrelated products & services.
Typography
Edward Johnston designed TfL's distinctive
sans-serifIn typography, a sans-serif or sans serif typeface is one that does not have the small features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the Latin word sans, meaning "without"....
typefaceIn typography, a typeface is a set of one or more fonts, in one or more sizes, designed with stylistic unity, each comprising a coordinated set of glyphs. A typeface usually comprises an alphabet of letters, numerals, and punctuation marks; it may also include ideograms and symbols, or consist...
, in 1916. The typeface is still in use today although substantially modified in 1979 by Eiichi Kono at Banks & Miles to produce "
New JohnstonJohnston is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by and named after Edward Johnston. The capitals of the typeface are based on Roman square capitals, and the lower-case on the humanistic minuscule, the handwriting in use in Italy in the fifteenth century...
". It is noted for the curl at the bottom of the minuscule l
, which other sans-serif typefaces have discarded, and for the diamond-shaped tittleA tittle is a small distinguishing mark, such as a diacritic or the dot on a lowercase i or j. The tittle is an integral part of the glyph of i and j, but diacritic dots can appear over other letters in various languages...
on the minuscule i
and j
, whose shape also appears in the full stopA full stop or period is the punctuation mark commonly placed at the end of several different types of sentences in English and many other languages...
, and is the origin of other punctuation marks in the face. TfL owns the copyright to and exercises control over the New Johnston typeface, but a close approximation of the face exists in the TrueTypeTrueType is an outline font standard originally developed by Apple Computer in the late 1980s as a competitor to Adobe's Type 1 fonts used in PostScript....
computer font Paddington, and the
Gill SansGill Sans is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Eric Gill.The original design appeared in 1926 when Douglas Cleverdon opened his own bookshop in his home town of Bristol, where Eric Gill painted the fascia over the window in sans-serif capitals that would be later be known as Gill Sans...
typeface also takes inspiration from Johnston.
The roundel
The origins of the
roundelA roundel in heraldry is any circular shape; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
, in earlier years known as the 'bulls-eye' or 'target', are obscure. While the first use of a roundel in a London transport context was the 19th-century symbol of the
London General Omnibus CompanyThe London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer.- Overview :...
— a wheel with a bar across the centre bearing the word GENERAL — its usage on the Underground stems from the decision in 1908 to find a more obvious way of highlighting station names on platforms. The red circle with blue name bar was quickly adopted, with the word "U
NDERGROUND" across the bar, as an early corporate identity. The logo was modified by
Edward JohnstonEdward Johnston, CBE was a British craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the a father of modern calligraphy, in the form of the broad edged pen as a writing tool, a particular form of calligraphy. He was born in San José, Uruguay...
in 1919.
Each station displays the Underground roundel, often containing the station's name in the central bar, at entrances and repeatedly along the platform, so that the name can easily be seen by passengers on arriving trains.
The roundel has been used for buses and the tube for many years, and since
TfLTransport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England...
took control it has been applied to other transport types (taxi,
tramTramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
,
DLRThe Docklands Light Railway is a light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of East London, England...
, etc.) in different colour pairs. The roundel has to some extent become a symbol for London itself.
The 100th anniversary of the roundel was celebrated by TfL commissioning 100 news works that celebrate the design.
Contribution to arts
The Underground currently sponsors and contributes to the arts via its
Platform for ArtArt on the Underground, previously called Platform for Art, is a visual arts showcase sponsored by London Underground, the rapid transit system for London, England.-History:...
and
Poems on the UndergroundPoems on the Underground is a project to bring poetry to a wider audience by displaying various poems or stanzas on advertising boards across the London Underground rapid transit network.-History:...
projects. Poster and billboard space (and in the case of
Gloucester Road tube stationGloucester Road is a London Underground station in South Kensington. It is served by the District, Circle and Piccadilly Lines. On the District and Piccadilly lines the station is between South Kensington and Earl's Court, and on the Circle Line it is between South Kensington and High Street...
, an entire disused platform) is given over to artwork and poetry to "create an environment for positive impact and to enhance and enrich the journeys of ... passengers".
Its artistic legacy includes the employment since the 1920s of many well-known graphic designers, illustrators and artists for its own publicity posters. Designers who produced work for the Underground in the 1920s and 1930s include
Man RayMan Ray, born Emmanuel Radnitzky , was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal...
, Edward McKnight Kauffer and
FougasseCyril Kenneth Bird, pen name Fougasse was a British cartoonist best known for his editorship of Punch magazine and his iconic World War II warning propaganda posters....
. In recent years the Underground has commissioned work from leading artists including
R. B. KitajRonald Brooks Kitaj was an American-born artist who spent much of his life in England.-Life:...
,
John BellanyJohn Bellany, CBE, RA is a Scottish painter.He was born in Port Seton. During the 1960s, he studied at Edinburgh College of Art and then at the Royal College of Art in London....
and
Howard HodgkinSir Gordon Howard Eliot Hodgkin CH, CBE is a British painter and printmaker. His work is most often associated with abstraction.-Education:Howard Hodgkin was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset...
.
In architecture,
Leslie GreenLeslie William Green was an English architect known especially for his design of iconic stations constructed on the London Underground railway system in central London during the first decade of the 20th century....
established a house style for the new stations built in the first decade of the 20th century for the Bakerloo, Piccadilly and Northern lines which included individual Edwardian tile patterns on platform walls. In the 1920s and 1930s,
Charles HoldenCharles Henry Holden was an English architect best known for his designs of some of the 1920s and 1930s stations on the London Underground railway system, but who was already a distinguished architect before then, notably in his Imperial War Graves Commission war cemeteries in Belgium and northern...
designed a series of modernist and art-deco stations for which the Underground remains famous. Holden's design for the Underground's headquarters building at
55 Broadway55 Broadway is a notable building overlooking Saint James's Park in London. It was designed by Charles Holden and built between 1927–29. It was built as a new headquarters building for the London Electric Railway Company , the main forerunner of London Underground...
included avant-garde sculptures by
Jacob EpsteinSir Jacob Epstein was an American-born British sculptor who worked chiefly in the UK, where he pioneered modern sculpture, often producing controversial works that challenged taboos concerning what public artworks appropriately depict...
,
Eric GillArthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
and
Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
(his first public commission).
Misha BlackSir Misha Black was an Azerbaijan-born British architect and designer. From 1959 to 1975 he was a professor of industrial design at the Royal College of Art in London, England. He was also a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers, and winner of the Minerva Medal, the Society's highest award...
was appointed design consultant for the 1960s Victoria Line, contributing to the line's uniform look, while the 1990s extension of the Jubilee line featured stations designed by leading architects such as
Norman FosterNorman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM, FRIBA, FCSD, RDI, is a English architect whose company maintains an international design practice. He is Britain's most prolific builder of landmark office buildings.-Biography:...
,
Michael HopkinsSir Michael Hopkins, CBE, RA, AADipl is an English architect. He studied at the Architectural Association and after working for Frederick Gibberd and a spell in partnership with Norman Foster he set up his own practice with his wife, Patricia...
,
Will AlsopWill Alsop is a British architect based in London. He is responsible for several distinctive and controversial modernist buildings, most in the United Kingdom. Alsop's buildings are usually distinguished by their use of bright colour and unusual forms...
and Ian Ritchie. These architects were commissioned by Roland Paoletti, chief architect for the Jubilee Line Extension (JLE).
Many stations also feature unique interior designs to help passenger identification. Often these have themes of local significance. Tiling at
Baker StreetBaker Street tube station is a station on the London Underground located at the junction of Baker Street and the Marylebone Road. The station lies in Travelcard Zone 1 and is served by five different lines. On the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines it is between Great Portland Street and Edgware...
incorporates repetitions of
Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of British author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...
's silhouette.
Tottenham Court RoadTottenham Court Road is a station on the London Underground, serving as an interchange between the Central line and the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line....
features semi-abstract mosaics by
Eduardo PaolozziSir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi, KBE, FRA , was a Scottish sculptor and artist. He was a major figure in the international art world working without compromise on his own interpretation and vision of the world around us. Paolozzi investigated how we can fit into the modern world to resemble our...
representing the local music industry at
Denmark StreetDenmark Street is a short narrow road in central London, notable for its connections with British popular music, and is known as the British Tin Pan Alley. The road connects Charing Cross Road at its western end with St Giles High Street at its eastern end. Denmark Street is in the London Borough...
. Northern line platforms at
Charing CrossCharing Cross tube station is a London Underground station at Charing Cross in the City of Westminster with entrances located in Trafalgar Square and Strand. The station is served by the Northern and Bakerloo lines and provides an interchange with the National Rail network at Charing Cross station...
feature murals by
David GentlemanDavid Gentleman is an English artist, illustrator and designer.Gentleman studied at the St Albans School of Art and the Royal College of Art, under Edward Bawden and John Nash. Gentleman has worked in various media - watercolour, lithography, wood engraving - and at scales ranging from postage...
of the construction of
Charing CrossCharing Cross denotes the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in Westminster within Central London, England. It is named after the site of a long demolished Eleanor cross located at the former hamlet of Charing, at this point...
itself.
In popular culture
The Underground has been featured in many movies and television shows, including
Sliding DoorsSliding Doors is a 1998 film written and directed by Peter Howitt. It starred Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah, and featured John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Virginia McKenna. The original music score was composed by David Hirschfelder.- Plot :...
, Tube TalesTube Tales is a collection of nine short films based on the true-life experiences of London Underground passengers as submitted to Time Out magazine. The stories were scripted and filmed independently of each other...
and NeverwhereNeverwhere is an urban fantasy television series by Neil Gaiman that first aired in 1996 on BBC Two. The series is set in "London Below", a magical realm coexisting with the more familiar London, referred to as "London Above". It was devised by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry, and directed by Dewi...
. The London Underground Film Office handles over 100 requests per month. The Underground has also featured in music such as The JamThe Jam were an English rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore neatly tailored suits rather than ripped clothes and incorporated a number of mainstream 1960s rock...
's "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight"Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" was the second single taken from the album All Mod Cons by The Jam. Released on 21 October 1978 it charted at number 15 and was backed by a cover of the Who song "So Sad About Us", and "The Night", written by Bruce Foxton...
" and in literature such as the graphic novel V for VendettaV for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic-book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s about the 1990s...
. Popular legends about the Underground being haunted persist to this day.
After placing a number of spoof announcements on her web page, London Underground voiceover artiste
Emma ClarkeEmma Clarke is a writer of comedy and drama scripts and an award-winning voice-over artist, best known as the voice of the automated messages issued in the London Underground train network....
had further contracts cancelled in 2007.
The announcement "
mind the gap"Mind the gap" is a warning to train passengers of the gap between the train door and the station platform. It was introduced in 1969 by the London Underground. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that Transport for London sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.-...
", heard when trains stop at certain platforms, has also become a well known catchphrase, as well as a name of a band.
The
Amateur TransplantsAmateur Transplants are a London based, British parody musical duo consisting of medical professionals, Dr. Adam Kay and Dr. Suman Biswas, who came to prominence in 2005 with a song about London Underground, parodying the Jam song "Going Underground"...
have made a spoof of the song "
Going Underground"Going Underground" was the first British number one chart single by The Jam, released in March 1980. It went straight in at number one, a rare feat at the time, and spent three weeks at the top...
" by
The JamThe Jam were an English rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore neatly tailored suits rather than ripped clothes and incorporated a number of mainstream 1960s rock...
, and changed the name to London Underground. They sing about all the "bad things underground".
The London Underground map serves as a playing field for the conceptual game of
Mornington CrescentMornington Crescent is a game featured in the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. The game satirises complicated strategy games, particularly the obscure jargon involved in such games as contract bridge or chess....
, and the board game
The London GameThe London Game is a British board game based on the London Underground in London, England.The game was first released in 1972 by the game company Condor...
.
Records
- Longest Journey without changing trains- Central Line from West Ruislip to Epping at 34.1 miles taking 1 hour 28 minutes.
- Shortest Distance between stations- Leicester Square to Covent Garden at 0.16 miles on the Piccadilly Line.
- Shortest Escalator- At Chancery Lane station at 30 ft with 50 steps.
- Longest Escalator- At Angel station at 197 ft taking 80 seconds to complete to carry passengers up and down.
- Deepest lift shaft- At Hampstead station at 181 ft. (55.2m).
- Deepest Station- Contrary to popular belief, it's Hampstead at 221 ft (67.4m) below sea level.
- Highest Station- Amersham at 490 ft above sea level.
- Furthest Outpost- Chesham (formerly Ongar before the closure of the Epping to Ongar branch in 1994).
- Longest distance between adjacent stations- Between Chalfont and Latimer and Chesham at 3.89 miles.
- Line serving the most stations- The District Line serving 60 stations.
- Busiest Station- Kings Cross St Pancras with 87 million passengers passing each year.
- Highest point above ground level- Dollis Brook viaduct on the Northern Line's Mill Hill East branch at 60 ft. (18.3m).
- Only line to connect with an airport- The Piccadilly Line since 1977 has operated connections to Heathrow airport.
- Shortest Line- The Waterloo and City line, connects between Waterloo and Bank with no intermediate stations at 1.5 miles.
See also
- 7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings, also known as 7/7, were a series of coordinated suicide attacks on London's public transport system during the morning rush hour...
- British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
- Closed London Underground stations
There are several dozen permanently closed London Underground stations across the London Underground network. Some were simply built too near to other stations to be useful; others experienced too little use to make their retention worthwhile, or became redundant after lines were rerouted...
- Connect Project
The Connect Project is a project name for a radio communications system developed for Transport for London. The system will introduce TETRA technology to the London Underground.-Overview:...
- Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build major new railway connections under central London. The project's name refers to the first of two routes proposed by Cross London Rail Links Ltd, based around an east-west tunnel from Paddington to Liverpool Street station...
- Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is a light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of East London, England...
- Glasgow Subway
The Glasgow Subway is an underground metro line in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro. Formerly a cable railway, the Subway was later electrified, but its twin circular...
- Merseyrail
Merseyrail is the name given to the electric commuter rail network, centred on Liverpool in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The system has 67 stations spread across 75 miles of track, and runs underground and overground, carrying over 100,000 passengers each day...
- Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a metro system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007-2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
- Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Connect is a train service in London provided jointly by Heathrow Express and First Great Western, connecting Heathrow Airport with Paddington station. The service follows the same route as the Heathrow Express service but serves intermediate stations en route, thus connecting several...
- Inspector Sands
Inspector Sands is a code phrase used by public transport authorities in the United Kingdom. The phrase is used in public address announcements in public places to alert authorities to a potential emergency, and possibly its location, without causing panic amongst members of the public by...
- Leinster Gardens
Leinster Gardens is a street in Bayswater, London. It has two false façades at numbers 23 & 24, constructed at the time of the original steam engine-hauled underground railway that had a short section exposed to the surface....
- List of largest subway systems in the world
- List of London Underground-related fiction
- List of London Underground stations
- List of rapid transit systems
- London Overground
London Overground is a commuter rail service in London, UK, the brand applied by Transport for London to the services on four railway lines: the Watford DC Line, the North London Line, the West London Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.The name has been used since 2007, when TfL took over...
- London Post Office Railway
The Post Office Railway, also known as Mail Rail, was a narrow-gauge driverless private underground railway in London built by the Post Office to move mail between sorting offices...
and other features of Subterranean LondonThe metropolis of London has been occupied for millennia, and has over that time acquired a large number of subterranean structures.These have served a number of purposes:- Water and waste :Since its foundation, the Thames has been at the heart of London...
- London Underground air pollution
- London Underground anagram map
A parody map of the London Underground with the station and line names replaced with anagrams was circulated on the web in February 2006 and featured on thousands of blogs before a Transport for London lawyer requested that the map be removed. It inspired some people to create anagram versions of...
- Lots Road power station
Lots Road Power Station is a disused coal and later oil-fired power station on the River Thames at Lots Road in Chelsea, London which supplied electricity to the London Underground system...
- Mind the gap
"Mind the gap" is a warning to train passengers of the gap between the train door and the station platform. It was introduced in 1969 by the London Underground. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that Transport for London sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.-...
- Mornington Crescent (game)
Mornington Crescent is a game featured in the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. The game satirises complicated strategy games, particularly the obscure jargon involved in such games as contract bridge or chess....
- Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 and was subsequently featured in several books, most recently in 2008, written by Michael Bond and first illustrated by Peggy Fortnum....
- Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit system in Paris. It is a symbol of the city, notable for its station architecture, influenced by Art Nouveau. It has 16 lines, mostly underground, and a total length of 214 km . There are 300 stations...
- The London Game
The London Game is a British board game based on the London Underground in London, England.The game was first released in 1972 by the game company Condor...
- The Tube (London Underground TV series)
The Tube is a multi-award-winning television programme shown on ITV London and certain BSkyB television channels including Sky Travel and Sky3....
- Tramlink
Tramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
- Transport in London
London's transport forms the hub of the road, rail and air networks in the United Kingdom. It has its own dense and extensive internal private and public transport networks, as well as providing a focal point for the national road and railway networks...
(overview)
- Timeline of the London Underground
The transport system now known as the London Underground began in 1863 with the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway. Over the next forty years, the early sub-surface lines reached out from the urban centre of the capital into the surrounding rural margins, leading to the...
- Tube Map
The tube map is the schematic diagram representing the lines and stations of London's rapid transit rail system, the London Underground ....
- Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a metro system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007-2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
- Underground Ernie
Underground Ernie is a Computer-animated children's television series produced by Joella Productions in the UK and shown by the BBC on both CBeebies and BBC Two...
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