Guide To The London Underground

The London Underground is an amazing labyrinth – an underground railway system that serves Greater London, Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It first opened in 1863 as the first underground railway system in the world and it had another first in 1890 when it started operating electric trains. Although it is called the Underground or The Tube, 45% of it is above ground. The Underground has 270 stations, which cover 250 miles of track, and it is therefore the longest metro system in the world lengthwise. The Paris metro for example covers but 133 miles. The London Underground map now has an almost cult status, and many other transport maps have been strongly influenced by it.

The Central line opened in 1900 as a cross-route from Bank to Shepherd’s Bush, and gained the nickname of the Twopenny Tube due to its fare of two old pence. The line has been extended to serve White City Exhibition, Liverpool Street and Ealing Broadway. The Central Line is now 46 miles – the Underground’s longest line, and serves 49 stations. Staying on the Central Line from West Ruislip to Epping is the longest continuous journey you can take on the tube and takes 1 hour 28 minutes. The line needs 72 trains to operate the peak period service and accommodates approximately 590,000 each week day.

The Waterloo and City line links with Bank without any intermediate stations. It stretches 1.5 miles, all underground. In 2006 the line had upgrade works which included a new track, improved signaling and new trains. More than 37,000 people travel on the Waterloo and City line each weekday.

The Metropolitan line runs from Aldgate to Amersham, with branches to Chesham, Uxbridge and Watford covering 41.5 miles, with just 6 miles underground. Kings Cross with an annual passenger count of 87 million is the busiest station on the Metropolitan line.

The Piccadilly line is now over 100 years old, having opened in 1906, and has been extended many times over the years, with the most recent additions accommodating the Heathrow airport terminals. The line now covers 44 miles and serves 52 stations transporting almost 530,000 passengers on a daily (weekday ) basis. There are 4 disused stations on the line, some parts of which can be seen as the trains whizz by – York Road, Down Street, Brompton Road and Osterley and Spring Grove.

The Jubilee line is the Underground’s newest line, but serves stations which originally opened over 100 years ago. The line covers 22.5 miles and serves 27 stations between Stanmore and Stratford. It is the only line on the Underground to connect with all other existing lines, and accommodates more than 400,000 passengers during weekday journeys.

The Circle line shares its 14 mile route with the District, Hammersmith and City and the Metropolitan lines. It serves 27 stations, and a round trip would take one hour to complete. The principle depot is Hammersmith and the line itself serves almost 68.5 million passengers per year.