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


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Selected article
The London low emission zone (LEZ) is a charging scheme that aims to reduce the pollution emissions of diesel-fuelled commercial vehicles in London. Vehicles whose emissions exceed pre-determined levels are charged to enter Greater London. Operation of the low emission zone started operating on 4 February 2008 followed by a phased introduction of an stricter emission standard up to 2012. The scheme is administered by Transport for London (TfL) for the Greater London Authority. The scheme applies to diesel engine vehicles over 1.205 tonnes, which must be registered with TfL. The scheme does not affect cars or motorcycles. Owners of vehicles that do not meet these requirements must pay a fee of up to £200 with failure to pay resulting in a fine. A limited range of vehicles are exempted or able to obtain a discount from the charge. Payment of the LEZ charge is in addition to any congestion charge required. Like the congestion charge, the zone is monitored using Automatic Number Plate Reading Cameras to record number plates. Vehicles entering or moving within the zone are checked against the records of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to enable TfL to pursue vehicles that have not paid. (Full article...) All selected articles
Today's anniversary
Sir Edward William Watkin, 1st Baronet (26 September 1819 - 13 April 1901) was chairman or a director of many British railways including the Metropolitan Railway (MR), the South Eastern Railway (SER) and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR). He was intermittently a member of parliament, representing Hythe from 1874 to 1895. Through his leadership of the MR, SER and MS&LR, Watkin had the amibtion to construct a new mainline railway connecting the north of England, via London and Kent to the continent. Although his plans for a channel tunnel to be constructed by his Anglo-French Submarine Railway were never realised, the MS&LR constructed its London extension in the 1890s from Annesley, Nottinghamshire to the MR's station at Quainton Road in Buckinghamshire to a continental loading gauge. Reflecting its enhanced connections the MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1987. To encourage tourist day-trips on the MR, Watkin planned a pleasure grounds at Wembley Park, with a large tower, "Watkin's Tower", intended to be larger than the Eiffel Tower. The park opened in 1896, but because of cost and structural problems, the tower was never completed and was demolished after Watkin's death. The site was subsequently used for Wembley Stadium. (Full article...) All Selected biographies
Did you know...
...that the "Mind the gap" announcement is played when trains stop at stations with curved platforms to warn passengers of gaps between the platform edge and the doors? ...that 900 London buses were commandeered for use as troop transports on the Western Front during World War I? ...that an estimated half a million mice live on the Underground system, and can often be seen running around the tracks? ...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? ... that the Royal Commission on Metropolitan Railway Termini of 1846 was responsible for central London being mostly free of mainline railways and led, indirectly, to the creation of the London Underground? More Did you know...
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Selected pictures

Image 1A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
Image 2Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
Image 3Sailing 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 4Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
Image 5Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
Image 6Eurostar Class 373 trains at St Pancras station.
Image 7Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
Image 8Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
Image 9A Hansom cab at Somerset House.
Image 10The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
Image 11The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
Image 12Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End of London, 1949.
Image 13Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
Image 14The 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 15Arguably 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 16TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
Image 17Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
Image 18Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
Image 19London 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 20Thames Clippers service catamaran on the River Thames.
Image 2155 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
Image 22An air raid shelter in a London Underground station during The Blitz.
Image 23London Overground Class 378 train on the East London Line in Hoxton.
Image 24Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
Image 25Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
Image 26Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
Image 27The 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 28Victoria line 2009 Stock train at Euston.
Image 29Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
Image 30The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
Image 31Camden Lock or Hampstead Road Lock in Camden Town, north London is the only twin lock on the Regent's Canal.
Image 32Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
Image 33London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
Image 34Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
Image 35Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
Image 36Stockwell bus garage, Stockwell, a Grade II* listed building.
Image 37The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
Image 38Tower Bridge; a bascule bridge across the River Thames.
Image 39Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
Image 40"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
Image 41London 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 42View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
Image 43Duck tour converted DUKW amphibious vehicle exiting the River Thames.
Image 44Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
Image 45Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
Image 46Gondolas of the Emirates Air Line cable car cross the River Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks.
Image 47Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
Image 48Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
Image 49The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.