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How Old Is the Underground in London

How Old Is the Underground in London

London_Underground_Victoria_Line_2009_Stock_Observations

London Underground Victoria Line 2009 Stock Observations

London Cloak-and-dagger Victoria Line 2009 Stock Observations.

The London Hush-hush is a metro system serving a large office of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in England. It is both the earth'south oldest cloak-and-dagger railway and the oldest rapid transit arrangement. It was also the offset underground railway to operate electric trains. It is usually referred to as the Hush-hush or the Tube - the latter deriving from the shape of the system's deep-bore tunnels - although about 55% of the network is above ground.

The earlier lines of the present London Underground network, which were built by various private companies, became role of an integrated transport system (which excluded the master line railways) in 1933 with the creation of the London Passenger Send Lath (LPTB), more commonly known past its shortened name: "London Transport". The underground network became a single entity when London Underground Limited (LUL) was formed by the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland government in 1985. Since 2003 LUL has been a wholly endemic subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for nigh aspects of the send organization in Greater London, which is run past a board and a commissioner appointed past the Mayor of London.

The Underground has 275 stations and approximately 400 km (250 miles) of rails, making it the longest metro arrangement in the world by route length, and one of the near served in terms of stations. In 2007, over 1 billion passenger journeys were recorded.

History [ ]

History_Of_London_Underground-0

History Of London Underground-0

History Of London Underground. Documentary near the history of the London Underground.

Railway structure in the Uk began in the early 19th century. By 1854 six split up railway terminals had been built just exterior the centre of London: London Bridge, Euston, Paddington, King's Cantankerous, Bishopsgate and Waterloo. At this point, only Fenchurch Street Station was located in the actual Metropolis of London. Traffic congestion in the city and the surrounding areas had increased significantly in this period, partly due to the need for rails travellers to consummate their journeys into the city centre by road. The idea of building an underground railway to link the Urban center of London with the mainline terminals had first been proposed in the 1830s, simply it was non until the 1850s that the idea was taken seriously as a solution to the traffic congestion problems.

The starting time underground railways [ ]

In 1854 an Human action of Parliament was passed blessing the construction of an underground railway between Paddington Station and Farringdon Street via Rex's Cross which was to be called the Metropolitan Railway. The Neat Western Railway (GWR) gave financial backing to the project when information technology was agreed that a junction would exist built linking the underground railway with their mainline terminus at Paddington. GWR also agreed to design special trains for the new subterranean railway.

Construction was delayed for several years due to a shortage of funds. The fact that this project got nether style at all was largely due to the lobbying of Charles Pearson, who was Solicitor to the Urban center of London Corporation at the time. Pearson had supported the idea of an undercover railway in London for several years. He advocated plans for the demolition of the unhygienic slums which would be replaced by new adaptation for their inhabitants in the suburbs, with the new railway providing transportation to their places of piece of work in the city centre. Although he was never directly involved in the running of the Metropolitan Railway, he is widely credited as existence 1 of the first true visionaries backside the concept of underground railways. And in 1859 it was Pearson who persuaded the Metropolis of London Corporation to help fund the scheme. Work finally began in February 1860, under the guidance of chief engineer John Fowler. Pearson died earlier the work was completed.

The Metropolitan Railway opened on 10 January 1863. Inside a few months of opening it was conveying over 26,000 passengers a 24-hour interval. The Hammersmith and City Railway was opened on 13 June 1864 between Hammersmith 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 Dec 1865 the Metropolitan'southward eastern extension to Moorgate Street opened. Later in the decade other branches were opened to Swiss Cottage, South Kensington and Addison Road, Kensington (now known as Kensington Olympia). The railway had initially been dual estimate, allowing for the apply of GWR'due south signature broad gauge rolling stock and the more widely used standard gauge stock. Disagreements with GWR had forced the Metropolitan to switch to standard gauge in 1863 later 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 Dec 1868, the Metropolitan District Railway began operating services betwixt South Kensington and Westminster using Metropolitan Railway trains and carriages. The visitor, which shortly became known equally "the District", was showtime incorporated in 1864 to consummate an Inner Circumvolve railway effectually London in conjunction with the Metropolitan. This was part of a plan to build both an Inner Circle line and Outer Circumvolve line effectually London.

The Metropolitan and the District were initially friendly to each other. They shared four directors and the two companies were widely expected to merge once the Inner Circumvolve was completed. Nevertheless a fierce rivalry before long adult when the independent directors on the District board became dissatisfied with the operation of the Metropolitan service providers. On three January 1870 the Metropolitan informed the District that operating agreements would finish in 18 months. The four Metropolitan directors serving on the Commune lath later resigned. This severely delayed the completion of the Inner Circle project as the 2 companies competed to build far more financially lucrative railways in the suburbs of London. The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) began running their Outer Circle service from Broad Street via Willesden Junction, Addison Road and Earl's Court to Mansion House in 1872. The Inner Circumvolve was not completed until 1884, with the Metropolitan and the District jointly running services. In the concurrently, the District had finished its route between West Brompton and Blackfriars in 1870, with an interchange with the Metropolitan at Due south Kensington. In 1877, it began running its own services from Hammersmith to Richmond, on a line which had originally opened by the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1869. The District then opened a new line from Turnham Green to Ealing in 1879 and extended its West Brompton branch to Fulham in 1880. Over the same decade the Metropolitan was extended to Harrow in the north-w.

The early tunnels were dug mainly using cut-and-cover construction methods. This acquired widespread disruption and required the demolition of several properties on the surface. The starting time trains were steam-hauled, which required constructive 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-practice street, a five-foot-thick (1.5 m) concrete faƧade was constructed to resemble a 18-carat house frontage.

On 7 December 1869 the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) started operating a service between Wapping and New Cross Gate on the East London Railway (ELR) using the Thames Tunnel designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This had opened in 1843 equally a pedestrian tunnel, only in 1865 it was purchased by the ELR (a consortium of six railway companies: the Not bad Eastern Railway (GER); London, Brighton and South Declension Railway (LB&SCR); London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR); Southward Eastern Railway (SER); Metropolitan Railway; and the Metropolitan Commune 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, secret railways reached Chesham on the Metropolitan, Hounslow, Wimbledon and Whitechapel on the District and New Cross on the East London Railway. By the end of the 19th century, the Metropolitan had extended its lines far outside of London to Aylesbury, Verney Junction and Brill, creating new suburbs forth the road—subsequently publicised by the company as Metro-land. Right up until the 1930s the company maintained ambitions to exist considered as a main line rather than an urban railway.

The commencement tube lines [ ]

Geographic route map of the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway (1906-1933).

The beginning hole-and-corner railways, excluding the ELR, had been just 10 anxiety deep. Following advances in the utilise of tunnelling shields, electrical traction and deep-level tunnel designs, subsequently railways were built even further underground. This caused much less disruption at basis level and information technology was therefore cheaper and preferable to the cut-and-cover construction method.

The City & South London Railway (C&SLR, now role of the Northern Line) opened in 1890, between Stockwell and the now closed original terminus at Rex William Street. It was the starting time "deep-level" electrically operated railway in the world. By 1900 information technology had been extended at both ends, to Clapham Common in the due south and Moorgate Street (via a diversion) in the north. The second such railway, the Waterloo and City Railway, opened in 1898. It was congenital and run by the London and South Western Railway.

On xxx July 1900 the Central London Railway (at present known every bit the Primal Line) was opened, operating services from Banking concern to Shepherd'south Bush-league. Information technology was nicknamed the "Twopenny Tube" for its flat fare and cylindrical tunnels; the "tube" nickname was eventually transferred to the Hugger-mugger system as a whole. An interchange with the C&SLR was provided at Bank. Construction had also begun in August 1898 on the Bakery Street & Waterloo Railway. However work on this railway came to a halt 18 months after information technology began when funds ran out.

Integration [ ]

In the early 20th century the presence of six independent operators running dissimilar Undercover lines caused passengers substantial inconvenience; in many places passengers had to walk some distance above ground to change betwixt lines. The costs associated with running such a system were also heavy, and as a event many companies looked to financiers who could give them the money they needed to aggrandize into the lucrative suburbs also equally electrify the earlier steam operated lines. The nigh prominent of these was Charles Yerkes, an American tycoon who secured the correct to build the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway (CCE&Hr) on ane Oct 1900. In March 1901 he effectively took control of the District and this enabled him to grade the Metropolitan Commune Electric Traction Visitor (MDET) on 15 July. Through this he acquired the Peachy Northern & Strand Railway and the Brompton & Piccadilly Circus Railway in September 1901, the construction of which had already been authorised by Parliament, together with the moribund Bakery Street & Waterloo Railway in March 1902. On ix April the MDET evolved into the Undercover Electric Railways of London Company Ltd (UERL). The UERL besides owned three tramway companies and went on to purchase the London General Coach Visitor, creating an organisation colloquially known every bit "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 Harrow branch in 1903 and completed its link to the Metropolitan's Uxbridge co-operative at Rayners Lane in 1904 - although services to Uxbridge on the District did non begin until 1910 due to all the same some other disagreement with the Metropolitan. By the finish of 1905 all Commune Railway and Inner Circle services were run past electrical trains.

The Baker Street & Waterloo Railway opened in 1906, soon branding itself the Bakerloo, and by 1907 information technology had been extended to Edgware Road in the n and Elephant & Castle in the due south. The newly named Great Northern, Piccadilly & Brompton Railway, 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 Strand (later renamed Aldwych) was added in 1907. In the aforementioned twelvemonth the CCE&60 minutes opened from Charing Cantankerous to Camden Boondocks, with two northward branches, one to Golders Green and i to Highgate (now Archway).

Contained ventures did continue in the early part of the 20th century. The independent Great Northern & City Railway opened in 1904 between Finsbury Park and Moorgate. It was the only tube line of sufficient bore to be capable of handling chief line stock, and it was originally intended to be part of a main line railway. However money soon ran out and the route remained divide from the main line network until the 1970s. The C&SLR was likewise extended northwards to Euston past 1907.

In early 1908, in an effort to increase passenger numbers, the cloak-and-dagger railway operators agreed to promote their services jointly as "the Underground", publishing new adverts and creating a gratis publicity map of the network for the purpose. The map featured a key labelling the Bakerloo Railway, the Key London Railway, the City & Southward London Railway, the District Railway, the Great Northern & Urban center 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 role of the ELR (although the map wasn't big enough to fit in the whole line) and the Waterloo and Urban center Railway. As the latter was endemic by a main line railway company it wasn't included in this early phase of integration. Equally 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 circumvolve and horizontal bar symbol, known as "the roundel", designed by Edward Johnston.

On one January 1913 the UERL captivated two other independent tube lines, the C&SLR and the Central London Railway. As the Combine expanded, simply the Metropolitan stayed away from this process of integration, retaining its ambition to exist considered as a main line railway. Proposals were put frontward 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 ownership out the cash strapped Cracking Northern and City Railway. Information technology 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 mail-World War One demand for housing. This ensured that the Metropolitan would retain an contained 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 depression voltage dc system for the Inner Circle, comprising 2 electrical rails to power the trains, back in 1901. At the kickoff of 1905 electric trains began to piece of work the Uxbridge co-operative and from 1 Nov 1906 electric locomotives took trains equally far as Wembley Park where steam trains took over. This changeover signal was moved to Harrow on 19 July 1908. The Hammersmith & City co-operative had also been upgraded to electric working on 5 November 1906. The electrification of the ELR followed on 31 March 1913, the same yr equally the opening of its extension to Whitechapel and Shoreditch. Following the Grouping Act of 1921, which merged all the cash strapped main line railways into 4 companies (thus obliterating the original consortium that had built the ELR), the Metropolitan agreed to run rider services on the line.

The Bakerloo line extension to Queen's Park was completed in 1915, and the service extended to Watford Junction via the London and N Western Railway 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&Hour 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 minor scale. The integration required temporary closures during 1922—24. The Golders Green branch was extended to Edgware in 1924, and the southern cease was extended to Morden in 1926.

The Watford branch of the Metropolitan opened in 1925 and in the same year electrification was extended to Rickmansworth. The last major work completed past the Metropolitan was the branch to Stanmore which opened in 1932.

Past 1933 the Combine had completed the Cockfosters branch of the Piccadilly Line, with through services running (via realigned tracks betwixt Hammersmith and Acton Town) to Hounslow West and Uxbridge.

London Transport [ ]

In 1933 the Combine, the Metropolitan and all the municipal and independent jitney and tram undertakings were merged into the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), a cocky-supporting and unsubsidised public corporation which came into existence on 1 July 1933. The LPTB shortly became known as "London Send" (LT).

Shortly later on it was created, LT began the process of integrating the hole-and-corner railways of London into i network. All the separate railways were given new names in order to become lines within it. A free map of these lines, designed by Harry Beck, was issued in 1933. It featured the District Line, the Bakerloo Line, the Piccadilly Line, the Edgware, Highgate and Morden Line, the Metropolitan Line, the Great Northern & Urban center Line, the Due east London Line and the Central London Line. Commonly regarded as a pattern archetype, an updated version of this map is even so in use today. The Waterloo & City line was non included in this map equally it was notwithstanding owned by a chief line railway (the Southern Railway since 1923) and not LT.

LT announced a scheme for the expansion and modernisation of the network entitled the New Works Programme, which had followed the announcement of improvement proposals for the Metropolitan Line. This consisted of plans to extend some lines, to take over the performance of others from primary-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 Leyton and Loughton, which opened every bit a railway seven years before the Hush-hush itself.

LT also sought to abandon routes which fabricated a pregnant fiscal loss. Shortly 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 2 delayed all the expansion schemes. From mid-1940, the Blitz led to the employ of many Hole-and-corner stations as shelters during air raids and overnight. The authorities initially tried to discourage and prevent this, but afterwards supplied bunks, latrines, and catering facilities. Later in the war, eight London deep-level shelters were constructed under stations, ostensibly to be used every bit shelters (each deep-level shelter could concur 8,000 people) though plans were in place to convert them for a new express line parallel to the Northern line subsequently the state of war. Some stations (now mostly disused) were converted into regime offices: for example, Downwards Street was used for the headquarters of the Railway Executive Committee and was also used for meetings of the War Cabinet before the Cabinet State of war Rooms were completed; Brompton Route was used as a command room for anti-aircraft guns and the remains of the surface building are nevertheless used by London'south 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 get-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 Epping in 1949; the unmarried-line branch from Epping to Ongar was taken over and electrified in 1957.

Nationalisation [ ]

On 1 January 1948 London Ship was nationalised past the incumbent Labour authorities, together with the four remaining chief line railway companies, and incorporated into the operations of the British Transport Commission (BTC). The LPTB was replaced by the London Transport Executive (LTE). This brought the Hugger-mugger under the remit of primal regime for the first fourth dimension in its history.

The implementation of nationalised railways was a motion of necessity as well as ideology. The chief line railways had struggled to cope with a war economy in the Beginning World War and by the terminate of Earth War 2 the iv remaining companies were on the verge of bankruptcy. Nationalisation was the easiest manner to save the railways in the short term and provide money to set war time damage. Notwithstanding the BTC prioritised the reconstruction of its main line railways over the maintenance of the Underground network. The unfinished parts of the New Works Programme 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 organisation where they all the same operated. This stage of the programme was completed when the Metropolitan Line was electrified to 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 betwixt Amersham and Aylesbury. The concluding steam shunting and freight locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1971.

In 1963 the LTE was replaced by the London Transport Lath, directly accountable to the Ministry of Transport. On 1 January 1970, the Greater London Council (GLC) took over responsibility for London Ship.

The first existent mail service-war investment in the network came with the carefully planned Victoria Line, which was built on a diagonal northeast-southwest alignment beneath Central London, incorporating centralised signalling control and automatically driven trains, and opened in stages between 1968 and 1971. The Piccadilly line was extended to Heathrow Airport in 1977, and the Jubilee line was opened in 1979, taking over office of the Bakerloo line, with new tunnels between Baker Street and Charing Cantankerous.

In 1984 Margaret Thatcher'south right-wing Conservative authorities removed London Ship from the GLC's control, replacing it with London Regional Send (LRT) - a statutory corporation for which the Secretary of State for Transport was directly responsible. The regime planned to modernise the system whilst slashing its subsidy from taxpayers and ratepayers at the same time. As part of this strategy London Underground Express was gear up in 1985 as a wholly owned subsidiary of LRT to run the network. This menstruation saw the introduction of automatic ticketing machines and network-wide Travelcards.

In 1994, with the privatisation of British Runway, LRT took control of the Waterloo and City line, incorporating it into the Surreptitious network for the outset fourth dimension. This year also saw the cease of services on the little used Epping-Ongar branch of the Central Line and the Aldwych co-operative of the Piccadilly Line afterwards information technology was agreed that necessary maintenance and upgrade piece of work would not be cost constructive.

In 1999 the Jubilee line extension to Stratford in London's E Finish was completed. This programme included the opening of a completely refurbished interchange station at Westminster. The Jubilee line'due south quondam last platforms at Charing Cantankerous were airtight but maintained operable for emergencies.

Public Private Partnership [ ]

The route of the District line through the London Boroughs (2013).

Transport for London (TfL) replaced LRT in 2000, a development that coincided with the creation of a directly-elected Mayor of London and the Greater London Associates.

In January 2003 the Undercover began operating as a Public-Individual Partnership (PPP), whereby the infrastructure and rolling stock were maintained past ii private companies (Metronet and Tube Lines) under thirty-yr 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 have on the risks associated with running the network, while opponents said that the demand to make profits would reduce the investment and public service aspects of the Cloak-and-dagger. There has since been criticism of the performance of the private companies; for example the January 2007 edition of The Londoner, 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 administration on 18 July 2007.TfL has since taken over Metronet's outstanding commitments.

The Uk government has fabricated concerted efforts to find some other individual firm to fill the vacuum left by the liquidation of Metronet. However so far simply TfL has expressed a plausible involvement in taking over Metronet's responsibilities. Even though Tube Lines appears to be stable, this has put the long-term future of the PPP scheme in doubt. The example for PPP was also weakened in 2008 when it was revealed that the demise of Metronet had cost the Britain government £2 billion. The 5 private companies that made upward 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, when the PPP scheme began operating, the companies were protected from any farther liability. The Uk taxpayer therefore had to foot the residual of the bill. This undermined the argument that the PPP would identify the risks involved in running the network into the hands of the private sector.

Northern Line extension [ ]

In 2021, the Northern Line was extended with a branch running from Kennington to two new stations at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station. This connects to the Charing Cross co-operative just, and then passengers for the Bank branch take to change at Kennington. There are longer term proposals to extend the new line to Clapham Junction, merely this nigh likely won't happen until Crossrail 2 opens, as trains would probable go so full at Clapham Junction that passengers at the other two stations would be unable to board. Unlike the Jubilee Extension, the new stations don't have platform edge doors, but they have been designed so they can exist retrofitted with them.

Ship for London [ ]

Transport for London (TfL) was created in 2000 equally the integrated torso responsible for London's transport system. It replaced London Regional Transport. It causeless command of London Surreptitious Limited in July 2003.

TfL is part of the Greater London Authority and is constituted every bit a statutory corporation regulated under local regime finance rules.[20] It has three subsidiaries: London Ship Insurance (Guernsey) Ltd., the TfL Pension Fund Trustee Co. Ltd. and Send Trading Ltd (TTL). TTL has vi wholly-owned subsidiaries, i of which is London Secret Limited.

The TfL Board is appointed past the Mayor of London. The Mayor besides sets the structure and level of public transport fares in London. Still the solar day-to-day running of the corporation is left to the Commissioner of Send for London. The current Commissioner is Peter Hendy.

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'due south budget. The GLA is consulted on the Mayor's ship strategy, and inspects and approves the Mayor's budget. It is able to summon the Mayor and senior staff to account for TfL'southward operation. London TravelWatch, a body appointed by and reporting to the Assembly, deals with complaints about transport in London.

Infrastructure [ ]

London_Underground_Battery_locos_25_54_on_Engineers_Train_674_@_Rayners_Lane_30_12_13

London Underground Battery locos 25 54 on Engineers Train 674 @ Rayners Lane 30 12 13

London Underground Battery locos 25+54 on Engineers Train 674 @ Rayners Lane thirty/12/xiii.

See the Wikipedia page [1].

  1. The total length of railway on London Hole-and-corner is 250 miles (402 km).
  2. It is made up of the sub-surface network and the deep-tube lines.In 1971/72 it was remeasured in kilometres using Ongar every bit the null point.
  3. The Hush-hush serves 270 stations. 14 Underground stations are outside Greater London, of which 5 (Amersham, Chalfont & Latimer, Chesham, and Chorleywood on the Metropolitan line and is Epping on the Central line) are beyond the M25 London orbital motorway.
  4. There are 426 escalators on the London Surreptitious arrangement and the longest, at 60 metres (200 ft), is at Affections. The shortest, at Stratford, gives a vertical rise of 4.1 metres (13 ft).
  5. There are 164 lifts, and numbers have increased in recent years post-obit a program to increase accessibility.

Stations and lines [ ]

Road map of London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Lite Railway and Crossrail, including near green-lighted proposals. Writer- User: Sameboat.

The London Cloak-and-dagger's 11 lines are the Bakerloo Line, Central Line, Circle line, District Line, Hammersmith & City Line, Jubilee Line, Metropolitan Line, Northern Line, Piccadilly Line, Victoria Line, and Waterloo & City Line.  Until 2007 there was a twelfth line, the East London Line, simply this closed for conversion work and was transferred to the London Overground when it reopened in 2010.

Prior to its transfer to the London Underground in 1994, the Waterloo and City line was operated by British Rail and its mainline predecessors. The line fist began appearing on most tube maps, from the mid-1930s.

London Underground Lines
Name Map colour Showtime
operated
First section
opened *
Proper name dates
from
Blazon Length
/km
Length
/miles
Stations Journeys
per annum (000s)
Average journeys
per mile (000s)
Bakerloo Line Chocolate-brown 1906 1906 1906 Deep level 23.two 14.5 25 95,947 6,617
Central Line Red 1900 1856 1900 Deep level 74 46 49 183,582 iii,990
Circle Line Yellowish 1884 1863 1949 Subsurface 22.5 14 27 68,485 4,892
District Line Green 1868 1858 1868-1905 Subsurface 64 forty 60 172,879 four,322
Hammersmith & City Line Pinkish 1863 1858 1988 Subsurface 26.5 16.5 28 45,845 2,778
Jubilee Line Greyness 1979 1879 1979 Deep level 36.ii 22.5 27 127,584 v,670
Metropolitan Line Corporate Magenta 1863 1863 1863 Subsurface 66.7 41.5 34 53,697 ane,294
Northern Line Black 1890 1867 1937 Deep level 58 36 fifty 206,987 v,743
Piccadilly Line Dark Blue 1906 1869 1906 Deep level 71 44.3 52 176,177 three,977
Victoria Line Light Blue 1968 1968 1968 Deep level 21 thirteen.25 sixteen 161,319 12,175
Waterloo & City Line Teal 1898 1898 1898 Deep level 2.five 1.5 two 9,616 vi,410
Tramlink 2020 2020 2020 Deep level i.3 two.one 6 10,166 two,322
* Where a yr is shown that is earlier than that shown for First operated, this indicates that the line operates over a route first operated by some other Underground line or by another railway company .

Lines on the Secret tin 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 five one thousand (16 ft 5 in) below the surface. The deep-level or tube lines, bored using a tunnelling shield, run almost 20 m (65 ft 7 in) beneath the surface (although this varies considerably), with each track in a split up tunnel. These tunnels can take a bore as small every bit iii.56 1000 (eleven ft viii in) and the loading approximate is thus considerably smaller than on the subsurface lines. Lines of both types unremarkably emerge onto the surface exterior the fundamental expanse.

While the tube lines are for the virtually part cocky-contained, the subsurface lines are function of an interconnected network: each shares runway with at least two other lines. The subsurface organisation is similar to the New York City Subway, which besides runs separate "lines" over shared tracks.

Rolling stock and electrification [ ]

P stock in red with R Stock at Upminster. CP (ruddy) and R (white) stock District Line trains at Upminster Station. Photographed by SPSmiler.

The Underground uses rolling stock built betwixt 1960 and 2005. Stock on subsurface lines is identified by a alphabetic character (such as A Stock, used on the Metropolitan line), while tube stock is identified past the twelvemonth in which information technology was designed (for example, 1996 Stock, used on the Jubilee line). All lines are worked by a single blazon of stock except the Commune line, which uses both C and D Stock. Ii types of stock are currently being developed — 2009 Stock for the Victoria line and S stock for the subsurface lines, with the Metropolitan line A Stock existence replaced first. Rollout of both is expected to begin about 2009. In addition to the Electric Multiple Units described above, there is technology stock, such as ballast trains and brake vans, identified by a 1-3 alphabetic character prefix then a number.

The Undercover is i of the few networks in the earth that uses a 4-runway system. The additional rail carries the electrical return that on tertiary-runway and overhead networks is provided by the running rails. On the Secret a elevation-contact third rail is beside the runway, energised at +420 V DC, and a top-contact fourth track is centrally between the running rails, at -210 V DC, which combine to provide a traction voltage of 630 V DC.

The Deep Tube Programme, is investigating into replacing the trains for the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines. It is also looking for trains with better energy conservation and regenerative braking.

Of all the stations on the network, 135 of them are below street/ground level, this equates to 50% of the 270 stations.

  • 114 are located completely cloak-and-dagger (not open up to the heaven).
  • 21 are open cut stations that are partially open to the sky (All of these stations apart from White City and North Acton take platforms serving subsurface lines).
  • 135 are either elevated or at basis level.

The number of below ground stations volition rise from 135 to 138 once new stations are built at Nine Elms, Battersea Park and Watford Loftier Street (which is already on the London Overground).

The number of overground stations will rise from 135 to 137 with the opening of the Cassiobridge, Watford JCN and Watford Vicarage Route stations along with the closure of the little used current Watford tube station.

By line these are the sections below ground that comprise stations, small-scale tunnels/cuttings that comprise no stations are not included.

Bakerloo Line: Between Queens Park and the terminus at Elephant and Castle.

Central Line: Betwixt Eastward Acton and Stratford and another section containing the Wanstead, Redbridge and Gants Hill stations. North Acton station is in a cutting.

Circumvolve Line: All of the line apart from the Hammersmith Branch beyond Paddington.

District Line: Betwixt Ravenscourt Park and Bromley By Bow, with Fulham Broadway in it's ain tunnelled section.

Hammersmith and City Line: Between Imperial Oak and Bromley Past Bow.

Jubilee Line: Between West Hampstead and Canning Town.

Metropolitan Line: Between Wembley Park and the Terminus at Aldgate, Harrow on the Hill is in a cutting.

Northern Line: Morden (which is in a cutting) to E Finchley/Golders Green.

Piccadilly Line: Between Turnham Light-green and Arnos Grove with some other tunnelled section between Hounslow W and the Terminus at Heathrow Final five. Southgate station is in information technology's own short tunnelled department.

Victoria Line: Entirely Hugger-mugger.

Waterloo and Metropolis Line: Entirely Undercover

Cooling [ ]

In summer, temperatures on parts of the London Undercover tin get very uncomfortable due to its deep and poorly ventilated tube tunnels: temperatures as loftier as 47 °C (117 °F) were reported in the 2006 European heat wave. Posters may be observed on the Underground network advising that passengers carry a bottle of water to help keep absurd.

Planned improvements and expansions [ ]

At that place are many planned improvements to the London Surreptitious. A new station opened on the Piccadilly line at Heathrow Airport Final 5 on 27 March 2008 and is the start extension of the London Underground since 1999. Each line is beingness upgraded to amend chapters and reliability, with new computerised signalling, automatic train operation (ATO), runway replacement and station refurbishment, and, where needed, new rolling stock. A trial programme for a groundwater cooling system in Victoria station took place in 2006 and 2007; it aimed to decide whether such a system would be feasible and constructive if in widespread apply. A trial of mobile telephone coverage on the Waterloo & City line aims to determine whether coverage tin can be extended across the rest of the Underground network. Although non part of London Undercover, the Crossrail scheme will provide a new route across key London integrated with the tube network.

The long proposed Chelsea-Hackney line, which is planned to begin performance in 2025, may exist part of the London Underground, which would mean information technology would give the network a new Northeast to S cross London line to provide more interchanges with other lines and save overcrowding on other lines. However information technology is still on the drawing lath. It was outset proposed in 1901 and has been in planning since then. In 2007 the line was passed over to Cantankerous London Rail Ltd, the current developers of Crossrail. Therefore, the line may be either part of the London Underground network or the National Track network. There are advantages and disadvantages for both.

The Croxley Rail Link proposal envisages diverting the Metropolitan line Watford co-operative to Watford Junction station forth a disused railway track. The project awaits funding from Hertfordshire County Council and the Department for Send, and remains at the proposal stage.

Travelling [ ]

Ticketing [ ]

The Underground uses TfL's Travelcard zones to summate fares. Greater London is divided into six zones; Zone 1 is the most primal, with a boundary just beyond the Circle line, and Zone six is the outermost and includes London Heathrow Airport. 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 exterior these zones and special fares apply.

At that place are staffed ticket offices, some open for limited periods just, and ticket machines usable at whatsoever time. Some machines that sell a limited range of tickets accept coins simply, other touch-screen machines accept coins and banknotes, and usually give change. These machines also accept major credit and debit cards: some newer machines take cards only.

More recently, TfL has introduced the Oyster bill of fare, a smartcard with an embedded contactless RFID chip, that travellers can obtain, charge with credit, and apply to pay for travel. Similar Travelcards they can be used on the Hole-and-corner, 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 Clandestine is encouraging passengers to utilise Oyster cards instead of Travelcards and cash (on buses) past implementing significant toll differences. Oyster-based Travelcards can be used on National Track throughout London. Pay as you become is available on a restricted, but increasing, number of routes.

For tourists or other not-residents, not needing to travel in the morning height menstruum, the all day travelcard is the best ticketing option bachelor. These are available from any underground station. These cost around £5.50 and allow unlimited travel on the network from 9:30am onward for the residue of the day. This provides fantabulous value for coin and a huge saving because one unmarried journey on the network can cost shut to £5. Travel cards for multiple days are also available.

Penalty fares and fare evasion [ ]

In addition to automated and staffed ticket gates, the Underground is patrolled by both uniformed and apparently-clothes ticket inspectors with hand-held Oyster bill of fare readers. Passengers travelling without a ticket valid for their entire journey are required to pay at least a £20 penalty fare and can exist prosecuted for fare evasion under the Regulation of Railways Human action 1889 under which they are subject to a fine of upwardly to £i,000, or three months' imprisonment. Oyster pre-pay users who have failed to affect in at the commencement of their journey are charged the maximum cash fare (£iv, or £v at some National Rails stations) upon touching out. In addition, an Oyster card user who has failed to affect in at the outset of their journey and who is detected mid-journey (i.due east. on a railroad train) by an Inspector is now liable to a penalty fare of £twenty. No £4 maximum charge volition be applied at their destination as the inspector will apply an 'get out token' to their card.

While the Conditions of Carriage crave period Travelcard holders to touch in and touch out at the starting time and end of their journeying, any Oystercard user who has a valid period Travelcard covering their entire journey is not liable to pay a Penalty fare where they have non touched in. Neither the Conditions of Carriage or Schedule 17 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, which shows how and when Punishment fares can be issued, would allow the issuing of a Penalization fare to a traveler 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 prove that 211 train services were delayed by more than 15 minutes. Passengers are entitled to a refund if their journeying 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 twenty-four hour period (except at New Twelvemonth and major public events - such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the London Olympics in 2012) because almost lines have simply 2 tracks (one in each direction) and therefore need to close at dark for planned maintenance work. Beginning trains start operating effectually 04:30, running until around 01:30. Unlike systems such as the New York Metropolis Subway, few parts of the Underground have express tracks that let trains to be routed around maintenance sites. Recently, greater use has been made of weekend closures of parts of the system for scheduled applied science piece of work.

Accessibility [ ]

Accessibility by people with mobility issues was not considered when virtually of the system was congenital, and almost older stations are inaccessible to disabled people. More recent stations were designed for accessibility, but retrofitting accessibility features to old stations is at best prohibitively expensive and technically extremely difficult, and often incommunicable. Even when there are already escalators or lifts, at that place are often steps between the lift or escalator landings and the platforms.

Most stations on the surface take at least a curt flight of stairs to gain access from street level, and the nifty majority of below-footing stations require employ of stairs or some of the organisation'due south 410 escalators (each going at a speed of 145 ft (44 m) per minute, approximately 1.65 mph (iii km/h)). At that place are also some lengthy walks and farther flights of steps required to gain access to platforms. The emergency stairs at Covent Garden station have 193 steps (the equivalent climbing a fifteen-storey building) to reach the exit, so passengers are advised to use the lifts as climbing the steps tin exist dangerous.

The escalators in Cloak-and-dagger stations include some of the longest in Europe, and all are custom-built. The longest escalator is at Angel station, 60 one thousand (197 ft) long, with a vertical rise of 27.v 1000 (90 ft). They run xx hours a day, 364 days a twelvemonth, with 95% of them operational at any once, and can cope with 13,000 passengers per hour. Convention and signage stipulate that people using escalators on the Underground stand on the right-manus side and so as not to obstruct those who walk past them on the left.

TfL produces a map indicating which stations are attainable, and since 2004 line maps indicate with a wheelchair symbol those stations that provide step-free admission from street level. Step height from platform to train is up to 300 mm (11.viii in), and there can be a large gap betwixt the train and curved platforms. Only the Jubilee Line Extension is completely attainable.

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 scattering of suburban stations that happen to take level admission, along with selected 'primal 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 volition be achievable step-complimentary.

Overcrowding [ ]

Overcrowding on the Underground has been of concern for years and is very much the norm for nearly commuters peculiarly during the morning and evening rush hours. Stations which particularly have a problem include Camden Town station and Covent Garden, which take access restrictions at certain times. Restrictions are introduced at other stations when necessary. Several stations have been rebuilt to bargain with overcrowding bug, with Clapham Common and Clapham North on the Northern line beingness the terminal remaining stations with a single narrow platform with tracks on both sides. At particularly busy occasions, such equally football matches, British Transport Police may exist present to aid with overcrowding. On 24 September 2007 King's Cross undercover station was totally airtight due to "overcrowding". According to a 2003 Firm of Commons report, commuters confront a "daily trauma" and are forced to travel in "intolerable conditions".

Safety [ ]

39-tonne_train_out_of_control_dangerously_through_central_London-0

39-tonne railroad train out of control dangerously through fundamental London-0

A 39-tonne maintenance railroad train out of command dangerously through cardinal London.

Seconds_From_Disaster_King's_Cross_Fire

Seconds From Disaster King'south Cross Fire

Seconds From Disaster King'southward Cantankerous Burn.

Wooden escalators at Greenford tube station in 2006, similar to those that defenseless fire at Rex'south Cantankerous. The escalator was eventually decommissioned on 10 March 2014 to give the station step-costless access.

Accidents on the Hush-hush network, which carries around a billion passengers a twelvemonth, are rare. There is one fatal accident for every 300 one thousand thousand journeys. At that place are several safety warnings given to passengers, such as the 'mind the gap' annunciation and the regular announcements for passengers to keep behind the yellowish line. Relatively few accidents are caused by overcrowding on the platforms, and staff monitor platforms and passageways at decorated times prevent people entering the system if they become overcrowded.

Most fatalities on the network are suicides. Nearly platforms at deep tube stations accept pits beneath the runway, originally synthetic to assistance drainage of h2o from the platforms, but they besides assist prevent decease or serious injury when a passenger falls or jumps in front of a railroad train.

The Male monarch'due south Cross fire broke out on Nov 18th, 1987, at approximately 19:30 at Rex's Cross St. On an escalator serving the Piccadilly line at King's Cross/Pancras tube station, a major interchange on the London Underground.

The subsequent public inquiry determined that the burn had started due to a lit friction match being dropped onto the escalator a 48 year one-time wooden escalator serving the Piccadilly line and 15 minutes afterward beingness reported, as the outset members of the London Burn down Brigade were investigating, the fire flashed over, filling the underground ticket office with rut and smoke. It had all of a sudden increased in intensity over those fifteen minuets due to a previously unknown trench effect.

All wooden escalators were replaced in the years following the Male monarch'south Cross fire in 1987 and smoking was banned by 2006.

Sadly, the burn killed 31 people and injured 100 people.

Image [ ]

TfL's Tube map and "roundel" logo are instantly recognisable by whatsoever Londoner, almost any Briton, and many people around the world. The original maps were oft street maps with the lines superimposed, and the stylised Tube map evolved from a design by electrical engineer Harry Beck in 1931. Almost every major urban rail organization in the world now has a map in a similar stylised layout and many bus companies have also adopted the concept. TfL licences the sale of clothing and other accessories featuring its graphic elements and it takes legal activeness against unauthorised use of its trademarks and of the Tube map. Even so, unauthorised copies of the logo continue to crop up worldwide. The annunciation "heed the gap", heard when trains stop at certain platforms, has as well become a well known catchphrase.

The roundel [ ]

The origins of the roundel, in earlier years known as the 'bulls-centre' or 'target', are obscure. While the first utilise of a roundel in a London ship context was the 19th-century symbol of the London General Motorbus Visitor — a wheel with a bar beyond the centre bearing the word General — its usage on the Underground stems from the determination in 1908 to notice a more obvious style of highlighting station names on platforms. The red circumvolve with blue name bar was quickly adopted, with the word "UNDERGROUND" across the bar, as an early corporate identity. The logo was modified by Edward Johnston in 1919.

Each station displays the Underground roundel, frequently containing the station's proper name in the central bar, at entrances and repeatedly along the platform, and then that the name can easily exist seen by passengers on arriving trains.

The roundel has been used for buses and the tube for many years, and since TfL took command it has been applied to other transport types (taxi, tram, DLR, etc.) in different color pairs. The roundel has to some extent become a symbol for London itself.

Typography [ ]

Edward Johnston designed TfL'southward distinctive sans-serif typeface, in 1916. "New Johnston", modified to include lower case, is still in use. It is noted for the roll at the lesser of the minuscule l, which other sans-serif typefaces have discarded, and for the diamond-shaped tittle on the minuscule i and j, whose shape too appears in the total stop, 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 shut approximation of the face exists in the TrueType computer font Paddington, and the Gill Sans typeface also takes inspiration from Johnston.

Contribution to arts [ ]

The Secret currently sponsors and contributes to the arts via its Platform for Art and Poems on the Hugger-mugger projects. Poster and billboard space (and in the instance of Gloucester Route tube station, an unabridged 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 Homo Ray, Edward McKnight Kauffer and Fougasse. In recent years the Underground has commissioned piece of work from leading artists including R. B. Kitaj, John Bellany and Howard Hodgkin.

In architecture, Leslie Green established a firm fashion for the new stations built in the start 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 Holden designed a serial of modernist and art-deco stations for which the Clandestine remains famous. Holden'south design for the Hole-and-corner's headquarters building at 55 Broadway included avant-garde sculptures by Jacob Epstein, Eric Gill and Henry Moore (his get-go public commission). Misha Blackness was appointed pattern consultant for the 1960s Victoria Line, contributing to the line'southward compatible look, while the 1990s extension of the Jubilee line featured stations designed past leading architects such as Norman Foster, Michael Hopkins and Will Alsop.

Many stations as well feature unique interior designs to help passenger identification. Frequently these have themes of local significance. Tiling at Bakery Street incorporates repetitions of Sherlock Holmes'southward silhouette. Tottenham Court Road features semi-abstract mosaics by Eduardo Paolozzi representing the local music manufacture at Denmark Street. Northern line platforms at Charing Cantankerous feature murals by David Admirer of the structure of Charing Cross itself.

In popular culture [ ]

The Underground has been featured in many movies and television shows, including Sliding Doors, Tube Tales and Neverwhere. The London Underground Film Office handles over 100 requests per calendar month. The Hush-hush has also featured in music such as The Jam's "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" and in literature such as the graphic novel 5 for Vendetta. Popular legends most the Secret existence haunted persist to this 24-hour interval.

After placing a number of spoof announcements on her web page, the London Surreptitious's voiceover artiste Emma Clarke had further contracts cancelled in 2007.

Videos [ ]

London_Underground_Simulator_-_Briefing_1_(World_of_Subways_3)

London Underground Simulator - Briefing 1 (Globe of Subways iii)

London Underground Simulator - Briefing #1 (World of Subways three).

London_Underground_2012

London Hole-and-corner 2012

London Secret 2012, a video-mix of London Underground trains around the whole network.

London_Underground_2012_HD

London Underground 2012 HD

London Hole-and-corner 2012[HD]. You can run into the dissimilar rolling stocks and stations and short rides for example A60 Stock.

Secrets_of_Underground_London_-_Original_Narration

Secrets of Undercover London - Original Narration

Secrets of Clandestine London - Original Narration.

London_Underground_-_Battery_Locomotives_Depart_Earls_Court

London Hugger-mugger - Battery Locomotives Depart Earls Court

London Hugger-mugger - Battery Locomotives Depart Earls Court.

London_Underground_-_Traction_Current_Alive_or_Dead?

London Hugger-mugger - Traction Electric current Live or Expressionless?

London Hole-and-corner - Traction Current: Live or Expressionless?

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Encounter also [ ]

  1. Tube Map
  2. Transport for London
  3. Tramlink
  4. London Buses
  5. London Overground
  6. Docklands Calorie-free Railway
  7. Emirates Air Line (cablevision car)

External links [ ]

Official

How Old Is the Underground in London

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