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, London Overground, the Elizabeth line, 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


Underground	National Rail	Overground	Elizabeth line	DLR	Trams	Buses	River Services	Air

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Selected article
The Thames Tunnel was the world's first underwater tunnel, excavated beneath the River Thames in London between 1825 and 1841 and opened on 25 March 1843. It was built by Marc Isambard Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel. 35 feet wide (11 m), 20 feet (6 m) high and 1,300 feet (396 m) long, it runs between Rotherhithe and Wapping at a depth of 75 feet (23 m) below the river's surface at high tide. It was originally designed for horse-drawn vehicles, but the tunnel company ran out of money to construct the ramps down to the tunnel and it was opened as a pedestrian tunnel. In 1863, the tunnel was purchased by the East London Railway company for conversion to a railway tunnel. The first trains ran through the tunnel in 1869. From 1884 Metropolitan Railway and District Railway services used the tunnel and it later became part of the London Underground's Metropolitan line and finally it's East London line. In 2007 the tunnel was closed whilst the East London line was converted to become part of the London Overground network. It was reopened in 2010. Recognising its architectural and engineering importance, the tunnel is a Grade II* listed building. (Full article...) All selected articles
Selected biography
Albert Henry Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield, PC, Kt, TD (8 August 1874 – 4 November 1948) was managing director, then chairman of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London and later chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board, during the London Underground's greatest period of expansion. Stanley was born in, Derbyshire, England. In 1880, his family emigrated to Detroit in the United States. In 1888, at the age of 14, Stanley left school and went to work as an office boy at the Detroit Street Railways Company. His abilities were recognised early and Stanley became General Superintendent of the company in 1894. In January 1907 he became general manager of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) and after improving the company's fortunes, he became managing director in 1910. In 1914, he was knighted in recognition of his services to transport. After a period as President of the Board of Trade during World War I, Stanley became chairman of the UERL in 1919 and, in 1920, was made Baron Ashfield, of Southwell in the County of Nottingham. Throughout the 1920s, Stanley and Herbert Morrison worked on plans for a unified transport organisation for London. The London Passenger Transport Board was created in 1933 with Stanley as chairman, a role he performed until 1947, overseeing major expansions of London's Underground network and integration of bus, tram and trolleybus services. (Full article...) All Selected biographies
Did you know...
...that six tube stations are named after pubs: Angel, Elephant & Castle, Manor House, Maida Vale , Royal Oak and Swiss Cottage? ...that sculptor Henry Moore's first public commission in 1928-29 was a relief sculpture West Wind for the Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway? ...that the River Thames froze 24 times between 1400 and 1814 and that Frost Fairs were often held on the ice? ...that a stuffed puffer fish, a samurai sword, human skulls, breast implants and a lawnmower are amongst items handed into TfL's lost property office during its 75-year existence? ...that Tramlink routes first appeared on the standard Tube map in 2016? More Did you know...
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Selected pictures

Image 1Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
Image 2TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
Image 3The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
Image 4The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
Image 5Sailing 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 6The 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 7Duck tour converted DUKW amphibious vehicle exiting the River Thames.
Image 8Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
Image 9London 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 10The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
Image 11"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
Image 1255 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
Image 13Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
Image 14Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
Image 15Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
Image 16The 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 17Thames Clippers service catamaran on the River Thames.
Image 18Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
Image 19Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
Image 20The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
Image 21Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
Image 22Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
Image 23An air raid shelter in a London Underground station during The Blitz.
Image 24Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
Image 25Victoria line 2009 Stock train at Euston.
Image 26Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
Image 27Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
Image 28Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
Image 29London 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 30Eurostar Class 373 trains at St Pancras station.
Image 31London Overground Class 378 train on the East London Line in Hoxton.
Image 32Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
Image 33Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
Image 34Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
Image 35Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
Image 36London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
Image 37Camden Lock or Hampstead Road Lock in Camden Town, north London is the only twin lock on the Regent's Canal.
Image 38A Hansom cab at Somerset House.
Image 39Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
Image 40Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
Image 41Tower Bridge; a bascule bridge across the River Thames.
Image 42Gondolas of the Emirates Air Line cable car cross the River Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks.
Image 43Arguably 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 44Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
Image 45Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End of London, 1949.
Image 46A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
Image 47View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
Image 48Stockwell bus garage, Stockwell, a Grade II* listed building.
Image 49The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.