Portal:London transport

The London transport portal

London transport

The London transport system is one of the oldest and largest public transport systems in the world. Many components of its transport system, such as the double-decker bus, the Hackney Carriage black taxi and the London Underground, are internationally recognised symbols of London.

Most transport services in London are controlled by Transport for London (TfL), an executive agency of the Greater London Authority. TfL-controlled services include the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the London Overground, Buses and Trams, most of which accept payment by the Oyster card. TfL also administers the congestion charge zone and the low emission zone.

London has a comprehensive rail network with several major railway stations linking to the rest of the country. International travel is possible from St Pancras International which connects to mainland Europe through the Eurostar service, or from one of six international airports, including Heathrow or Gatwick.

The M25 is an orbital motorway which enables vehicles to avoid travelling through central London and is one of the busiest motorways in Europe.

More about transport in London


Buses	Taxis	Underground	Overground	DLR	Tramlink	National Rail	River Services	Heathrow Airport

Selected article
The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR), also known as the Piccadilly tube, was a railway company established in 1902 that constructed a deep-level underground "tube" railway in London. Formed through a merger of two older companies, the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus Railway and the Great Northern and Strand Railway, it also incorporated part of a tube route planned by the Metropolitan District Railway. The combined company was a subsidiary of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL). When it opened in 1906, the GNP&BR's line served 22 stations and ran for 14.17 kilometres (8.80 mi) between its western terminus at Hammersmith and its northern terminus at Finsbury Park. A short 720-metre (2,362 ft) branch connected Holborn to the Strand. Within the first year of opening it became apparent to the management and investors that the estimated passenger numbers for the GNP&BR and the other UERL lines were over-optimistic. Despite improved integration and cooperation with the other tube railways, the GNP&BR struggled financially. In 1933 it and the rest of the UERL were taken into public ownership. Today, the GNP&BR's tunnels and stations form the core central section of the London Underground's Piccadilly line. (Full article...) All selected articles
Selected biography
Sir Edgar Speyer, 1st Baronet (7 September 1862 – 16 February 1932) was an American-born financier and philanthropist. He became a British subject in 1892 and was chairman of Speyer Brothers, the British branch of his family's international finance house, and a partner in the German and American branches. He was chairman of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL, forerunner of the London Underground) from 1906 to 1915, a period during which the company opened three underground railway lines, electrified a fourth and took over two more. Speyer was a supporter of the musical arts and a friend of several leading composers, including Edward Elgar, Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy. He was chairman of the Classical Music Society for ten years, and he largely funded the Promenade Concerts between 1902 and 1914. His non-musical charitable activities included being honorary treasurer of the fund for Captain Scott's Antarctic expedition. For his philanthropy he was made a baronet in 1906 and a Privy Counsellor in 1909. After the start of the World War I, he became the subject of anti-German attacks in the Press. In 1915, Speyer offered to resign from the Privy Council and to relinquish his baronetcy, but the Prime Minister turned down the offer. He resigned as chairman of the UERL and went to the United States. In 1921, the British government investigated accusations that Speyer had traded with the enemy during the war, and had participated in other wartime conduct incompatible with his status as a British subject. Speyer denied the charges, but his naturalisation was revoked and he was struck off the list of members of the Privy Council. (Full article...) All Selected biographies
Did you know...
...that Acton is the only place in London to have stations named after all four of the cardinal points, north, south, east, and west? ...that the original carriages on the City and South London Railway were nicknamed "padded cells" due to their high backed cushioned seats and very small windows? ...that the River Thames froze 24 times between 1400 and 1814 and that Frost Fairs were often held on the ice? ...that at 44 tons, the locomotives of the Central London Railway's first underground trains were so heavy that they shook buildings as they passed 60 feet below and were scrapped after three years? More Did you know...
Related portals

Selected pictures
Image 1London Overground Class 378 train on the East London Line in Hoxton. Image 2Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea. Image 3Eurostar Class 373 trains at St Pancras station. Image 4Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery. Image 5The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line. Image 6Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse. Image 7The newly constructed junction of the Westway (A40) and the West Cross Route (A3220) at White City, circa 1970. Continuation of the West Cross Route northwards under the roundabout was cancelled leaving two short unused stubs for the slip roads that would have been provided for traffic joining or leaving the northern section. Image 8View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh. Image 9Arguably the best-preserved disused station building in London, this is the former Alexandra Palace station on the GNR Highgate branch (closed in 1954). It is now in use as a community centre (CUFOS). Image 10Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station. Image 11Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway. Image 12Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy. Image 13Sailing ships at West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs in 1810. The docks opened in 1802 and closed in 1980 and have since been redeveloped as the Canary Wharf development. Image 14A Hansom cab at Somerset House. Image 15Duck tour converted DUKW amphibious vehicle exiting the River Thames. Image 16Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012. Image 17London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work. Image 18Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London. Image 19Victoria line 2009 Stock train at Euston. Image 20Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms. Image 21The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site. Image 22Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line. Image 23The multi-level junction between the M23 and M25 motorways near Merstham in Surrey. The M23 passes over the M25 with bridges carrying interchange slip roads for the two motorways in between. Image 24London Underground A60 Stock (left) and 1938 Stock (right) trains showing the difference in the sizes of the two types of rolling stock operated on the system. A60 stock trains operated on the surface and sub-surface sections of the Metropolitan line from 1961 to 2012 and 1938 Stock operated on various deep level tube lines from 1938 to 1988. Image 25The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster. Image 26The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station. Image 27Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station. Image 28Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train. Image 29Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4. Image 30Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye. Image 31Tower bridge; a bascule bridge across the River Thames. Image 32Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow. Image 3355 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden. Image 34Stockwell bus garage, Stockwell, a Grade II* listed building. Image 35Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London. Image 36Thames Clippers service catamaran on the River Thames. Image 37Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862. Image 38The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle. Image 39Central London Railway poster, published in 1905. Image 40Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge". Image 41Gondolas of the Emirates Air Line cable car cross the River Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks. Image 42Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea. Image 43London General Omnibus Company B-type bus B340 built in 1911 by AEC. One of a number of London buses purchased by the British military during World War I, this vehicle was operated on the Western Front. Image 44An air raid shelter in a London Underground station during The Blitz. Image 45TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport. Image 46Camden Lock or Hampstead Road Lock in Camden Town, north London is the only twin lock on the Regents Canal. Image 47Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End of London, 1949. Image 48A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910. Image 49"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria. All Selected pictures
In the news
10 August – One person dies and two others are injured in a bus crash at Victoria bus station. 20 September – Northern line extension from Kennington to Battersea Power Station opens. 25 October – The Ultra Low Emission Zone extends to include the area of Greater London within the North and South Circular Roads. 22 November – Transport for London announces a series of temporary overnight and weekend closures for repairs to the elevated section of Westway. 15 January – Northern line Bank branch closes between Kennington and Moorgate for 17 weeks for construction works at Bank station. Archive
Anniversaries
25 October 1973 – Maplin Development Act receives Royal Assent authorising construction of London's third airport at Maplin Sands, Essex.