The London Underground (also known as The Tube or The Underground) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England. It is the oldest underground railway in the world, the first section of which opened in 1863 on what are now the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.[3] In 1890 it became the first to operate electric trains.[4] The whole network is commonly referred to by Londoners and in official publicity as the Tube,[5] although that term originally applied only to the deep-level bored lines, along which run trains of a smaller and more circular cross-section, to distinguish them from the sub-surface "cut and cover" lines that were built first.
The earlier lines of the present London Underground network were built by various private companies. They became part of an integrated transport system in 1933 when the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) or London Transport was created. The underground network became a separate entity in 1985, when the UK Government created London Underground Limited (LUL).[6] Since 2003 LUL has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London, which is run by a board and a commissioner appointed by the Mayor of London.[7]
The Underground serves 270 stations and has 402 kilometres (250 mi) of track,[1] making it the second largest metro system in the world in terms of route miles, after the Shanghai Metro.[8] It also has one of the largest numbers of stations. In 2007, more than one billion passenger journeys were recorded,[2] making it the third busiest metro system in Europe, after Moscow and Paris. The tube is an international icon for London, with the tube map, considered a design classic, having influenced many other transport maps worldwide. Although also shown on the Tube map, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Overground are not part of the LUL network.
Currently, about half the London Underground's costs are met from passenger fares collected and half from a grant by the Department for Transport
Railway construction in the United Kingdom began in the early 19th century, and six railway terminals had been built just outside the centre of London by 1854: London Bridge, Euston, Paddington, London King's Cross, Bishopsgate and Waterloo.[10] At this point, only Fenchurch Street station was located in the actual City of London. 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 earlier lines of the present London Underground network were built by various private companies. They became part of an integrated transport system in 1933 when the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) or London Transport was created. The underground network became a separate entity in 1985, when the UK Government created London Underground Limited (LUL).[6] Since 2003 LUL has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London, which is run by a board and a commissioner appointed by the Mayor of London.[7]
The Underground serves 270 stations and has 402 kilometres (250 mi) of track,[1] making it the second largest metro system in the world in terms of route miles, after the Shanghai Metro.[8] It also has one of the largest numbers of stations. In 2007, more than one billion passenger journeys were recorded,[2] making it the third busiest metro system in Europe, after Moscow and Paris. The tube is an international icon for London, with the tube map, considered a design classic, having influenced many other transport maps worldwide. Although also shown on the Tube map, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Overground are not part of the LUL network.
Currently, about half the London Underground's costs are met from passenger fares collected and half from a grant by the Department for Transport
Railway construction in the United Kingdom began in the early 19th century, and six railway terminals had been built just outside the centre of London by 1854: London Bridge, Euston, Paddington, London King's Cross, Bishopsgate and Waterloo.[10] At this point, only Fenchurch Street station was located in the actual City of London. 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
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