Inside story: London Underground

London Underground is the rapid transit system for London and the surrounding areas.  Owned by Transport For London (Once all the competing companies were merged!) it  first opened in 1863 using steam trains running in Cut and Cover tunnels between Paddington and Farringdon. The network now uses a mixture of Cut and Cover and Deep Level tunnels with Electric Trains. There is now 11 lines with 270 stations. I will go into more detail about lines and stations nearer to the end of this post.

Map:

Up Until 1931 London’s Underground map was just placed on top of a map of London, showing the exact place of the Line. This would become very unclear and wouldn’t properly show stations. In 1931 that map changed when the underground company adopted Harry Beck's variation of the tube map using smooth curves and lines that went one of 8 directions. Both forms of map are shown below;

Pre 1931 Map of London Underground

The Harry Beck Map.

Tickets:

Ticketing on the Underground for regular users is done with a smart card called Oyster. This card makes it easy just to tap on the reader and let the computer system deduct the right ticket fare. Oyster is also valid on National Rail, London Buses, Tramlink and the Emirates Airline (Cable Car) within the London Area. Ticket prices are based on which zones you travel to and from, These are in the background of the tube map. Paper tickets are also available to purchase for single, return or day travel.  Tickets and Oyster Cards Look like this.

Oyster Card

Paper Tickets 

Tube Lines:

Northern line:

The Northern Line is a North south Line and has the Colour Black on the Tube Map. With 3 Branches in the North (Edgware, High Barnet and Mill Hill East) 2 routes through Central London (Via Bank and Via Charing Cross) it is Fairly Unusual. There is also a reversing siding at Kennington meaning that all trains don’t have to continue to Morden which is the most southerly station on the whole London Underground network. The Northern line is built in Deep Level tunnel which first dates back to 1890 being the City & South London Railway between Stockwell and King William St (Now Closed.) The Northern line is now the second busiest tube line on the London Underground network. The Northern Line uses 1995 Stock trains as shown in the picture below:

Northern Line Map

Northern Line 1995 Stock Trains 

Waterloo & City Line:

The Waterloo & City line has only got 2 stations at Waterloo and at Bank. The Waterloo and city line was built in 1898 and is 1.47 miles long. The Waterloo and City line is the only line not to operate on a sunday and Public holidays. The line was owned by British rail as a part of the Network SouthEast area until 1994 when it was transferred to TFL. Due to no connections to ground level therefore trains have to be craned down a hole to Waterloo depot. The Waterloo & City line uses 4 carriage 1992 stock trains and is Turquoise on the Tube map. The Waterloo & City line is a Deep Level tunnel.

Lifting 1992 Stock into Waterloo Depot 

1992 Stock at Waterloo Station 

Piccadilly Line:

The Piccadilly Line runs from Cockfosters in North East London to Heathrow in South West London and Uxbridge in North East London. The opening of the Piccadilly line was in 1906 and is now the 4th busiest line on the network. The Piccadilly line is built of Deep level tube tunnels and uses 1973 stock which provide extra baggage space by the doorways, The tube stock is due to be replaced in 2020 with new trains. The Line is one of the most important on the network serving Heathrow Airport and St Pancras International. The lines colour on the Tube map is Dark Blue.  

Piccadilly Line Map

Piccadilly Line 1973 stock at Hounslow Central. 

Jubilee Line:

The Jubilee line runs from Stratford in East London to Stanmore in North London via Waterloo. The line is the 3rd busiest on the network and serves the Financial district of Canary wharf and Westminster. The line first opened in 1976 to Charing Cross, Taking over the Stanmore Branch from the Bakerloo line from Baker St. The Jubilee was then extended to Stratford from Green Park in 1999. The tunnels are built at Deep Level. The extension has got some nice new features such as the platform edge doors. The Jubilee line uses 1996 Stock trains and is coloured Grey/ Silver on the Tube Map.

Map of the Jubilee Line

Jubilee line 1996 stock 

Victoria Line:

The Victoria line runs from South London in Brixton to the North East at Seven Sisters / Walthamstow Central. The line is entirely underground in Deep level tunnels and has been automatically operated since opening in 1968. The line is the sixth busiest on the network and has been built for ease of access with cross platform interchange for many of the changes. The line uses 2009 stock trains and is Light Blue on the Tube Map.

Victoria Line Map 

2009 Stock Victoria Line Train. 

Bakerloo Line:

The Bakerloo line runs from Elephant & Castle in South London to Harrow & Wealdstone in North West London. The name came about because the line serves Waterloo and Baker St. After Queens Park the line shares the tracks with the Watford DC Lines and runs parallel with the West Coast Main Line. The Bakerloo Line opened in 1906 and ran until 1976 to Stanmore ( Serving Stanmore from 40 years before it was transferred to the Jubilee Line.) The Bakerloo line is the 9th Busiest line on the network and uses 1972 stock trains. The Bakerloo is coloured Brown on the Tube Map.

Map of the Bakerloo Line 

Bakerloo Line 1972 Stock. 

Central Line:

The Central Line runs from Epping in East London to Ealing Broadway and West Ruislip in West and North West London. The line opened in 1900 as the Central London Railway. During the second World War some of the central lines deep level tunnels were put to use as aircraft parts factories. The train stock that is used is 1992 stock which is automatically operated. The colour of the line on the tube map is Red.

Central Line Map

1992 Stock train on the Central Line

Circle, District and Hammersmith & City Line:

These Lines are all sub surface lines built with a cut and Cover method of tunneling. The lines run from Ealing Broadway, Richmond, Hammersmith and Wimbledon in West London to Barking and Upminster in East London. Having Opened in sections between 1863 and 1884 these lines are the 5th busiest on the network. The lines use a mixture of D, C and S Stock trains. The Circle Line is coloured Yellow on the Tube Map.  The District Line is Coloured Green on the Tube Map. The Hammersmith & City Line is Coloured Pink on the Tube Map.

S Stock Train

Metropolitan Line:

The Metropolitan Line runs from Aldgate in Central London to Uxbridge, Watford and Amersham. The line dates back to 1863 and is the 10th busiest line on the Underground. The line is coloured Magenta on the Tube Map and uses S stock trains.