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 London Transport Museum, based in Covent Garden, central London, seeks to conserve and explain the transport heritage of Britain's capital city. The majority of the museum's exhibits originated in the collection of London Transport, but, since the creation of Transport for London (TfL) in 2000, the remit of the museum has expanded to cover all aspects of transportation in the city. Galleries cover subjects including the development of transport in London from the 19th century, the construction and operation of the London Underground, London's bus and tram systems, the expansion of suburban London and transport design. The museum also operates the London Transport Museum Depot at Acton in west London, which provides 6,000 square metres of storage space for over 370,000 items of all types including very large items such as rolling stock, buses and trams. The depot is no permanently open to the public, but hosts a number of open days throughout the year. (Full article...) All selected articles
Selected biography
Leslie Green (6 January 1875—31 August 1908) was an English architect known for his design of iconic stations constructed on the London Underground railway system in central London during the first decade of the 20th century. In 1903 he was appointed as Architect for the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) to design stations for three underground railway lines then under construction — the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway and the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway, which, respectively, became parts of the present day Piccadilly line, Bakerloo line and Northern line. The station buildings were designed to a uniform Arts and Crafts style which was adapted to suit the individual station location and were clad in non-loadbearing ox-blood red glazed terracotta blocks, with the ground floor divided into wide bays by columns and featured large semi-circular windows at first floor level and a heavy dentilated cornice above. The railways were to open in 1906 and 1907 and the pressure of producing designs and supervising the works to so many stations in such a short period of time, placed a strain on Green's health. He was elected a Fellow of the RIBA in 1907. but died in 1908 at the age of 33. (Full article...) All Selected biographies
Did you know...
...that London Heathrow Airport is the world's busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic? ...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 controversial demolition of the original Euston station and the destruction of the iconic Euston Arch in the early 1960s was opposed by many including John Betjeman and Nikolaus Pevsner and led to the formation of the modern conservation movement in the Britain? ...that Elfric Wells Chalmers Kearney proposed the construction of an underground monorail line from Cricklewood to The Oval? ...that the 60 m (197 ft) long escalators at Angel Underground station are the longest on the system? More Did you know...
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Selected pictures

Image 1Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
Image 2Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
Image 3Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
Image 4The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
Image 5The 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 6The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
Image 7Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
Image 8"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
Image 9Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
Image 10Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
Image 11Victoria line 2009 Stock train at Euston.
Image 12Duck tour converted DUKW amphibious vehicle exiting the River Thames.
Image 13Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
Image 14Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
Image 15Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
Image 16Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End of London, 1949.
Image 17Camden Lock or Hampstead Road Lock in Camden Town, north London is the only twin lock on the Regent's Canal.
Image 18Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
Image 19London 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 20Stockwell bus garage, Stockwell, a Grade II* listed building.
Image 21Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
Image 22Sailing 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 23Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
Image 24Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
Image 25London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
Image 2655 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
Image 27Thames Clippers service catamaran on the River Thames.
Image 28A Hansom cab at Somerset House.
Image 29The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
Image 30London 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 31Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
Image 32The 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 33The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
Image 34Arguably 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 35Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
Image 36TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
Image 37Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
Image 38London Overground Class 378 train on the East London Line in Hoxton.
Image 39A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
Image 40Eurostar Class 373 trains at St Pancras station.
Image 41Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
Image 42Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
Image 43Gondolas of the Emirates Air Line cable car cross the River Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks.
Image 44Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
Image 45An air raid shelter in a London Underground station during The Blitz.
Image 46Tower Bridge; a bascule bridge across the River Thames.
Image 47The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
Image 48View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
Image 49Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.