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

Selected article
The Leyland Titan was a model of double-decker bus produced by the Leyland Truck & Bus division of British Leyland from 1977 until 1984, almost exclusively for London Transport. The Titan was first conceptualised in 1973 as project B15, and was intended as a replacement for the Leyland Atlantean, Daimler Fleetline and Bristol VRT. Following the success of the single-deck Leyland National, it was decided from the outset that the vehicle would be very standardised, and of integral construction. This allowed more flexibility in the location of mechanical components, and allowed a reduced step height. The move away from body on chassis construction caused concern for the bodybuilders who had already lost market to the Leyland National. Talks regarding licensing agreements were held with Alexander and Northern Counties, both major suppliers to their respective local markets, but no agreements were reached. This, in combination with other factors, led Northern Counties to develop the Foden-NC, and Alexander to develop a close working relationship with Volvo with the Volvo Ailsa B55. The Titan entered service in 1978 with London Transport, which ordered a total of 1,425 of the model up until 1984. Titan buses operated mainly in the east and south-east of the capital. The model was withdrawn in stages from 1992 with the final bus being taken out of service in 2003. (Full article...) All selected articles
Selected biography
Sir John Fowler (15 July 1817 – 20 November 1898) was a British civil engineer specialising in the construction of railways and railway infrastructure. Fowler's was a long and eminent career, spanning most of the 19th century's railway expansion, and he was engineer, adviser or consultant to many British and foreign railway companies and governments. Fowler had a busy practice, working on many railway schemes across the country. In 1853, he became chief engineer of the Metropolitan Railway in London, the world's first underground railway. Constructed in shallow "cut-and-cover" trenches beneath city streets, the line opened between Paddington and Farringdon in 1863. Fowler was also engineer for the associated District Railway and the Hammersmith and City Railway. Later in his career, he was also a consultant with his partner Benjamin Baker and with James Henry Greathead on two of London's first tube railways, the City and South London Railway and the Central London Railway. As part of his railway projects, Fowler designed numerous bridges, including the Grosvenor Bridge, the first railway bridge over the River Thames, the 13-arch Dollis Brook Viaduct for the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway and, most famously, the Forth Railway Bridge for which he was made a baronet. (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 the first railway terminus in London was Spa Road station in Bermondsey, opened by the London and Greenwich Railway on 8 February 1836? ...that the longest distance between two adjacent stations on the London Underground is 6.26 km (3.89 miles), between Chalfont & Latimer and Chesham on the Metropolitan line? ...that Underground Electric Railways Company of London chairman Sir Edgar Speyer was accused of being a German spy during World War I? ...that at Euston Underground station, a passenger changing between the Victoria line and Northern line Bank branch will find that trains on adjacent platforms travel in opposite directions even though both are either northbound or southbound? More Did you know...
Related portals

Selected pictures

Image 1Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
Image 2Camden Lock or Hampstead Road Lock in Camden Town, north London is the only twin lock on the Regent's Canal.
Image 3The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
Image 4Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
Image 5Arguably 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 6The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
Image 7A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
Image 8London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
Image 9Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
Image 10Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
Image 11Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
Image 12London 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 13Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
Image 14Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
Image 15Thames Clippers service catamaran on the River Thames.
Image 16Gondolas of the Emirates Air Line cable car cross the River Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks.
Image 17The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
Image 18Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
Image 19Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
Image 20Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
Image 21Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
Image 22Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
Image 23The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
Image 24Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
Image 25London Overground Class 378 train on the East London Line in Hoxton.
Image 26An air raid shelter in a London Underground station during The Blitz.
Image 27London 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 28Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
Image 29Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End of London, 1949.
Image 3055 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
Image 31Eurostar Class 373 trains at St Pancras station.
Image 32TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
Image 33A Hansom cab at Somerset House.
Image 34Duck tour converted DUKW amphibious vehicle exiting the River Thames.
Image 35The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
Image 36Tower Bridge; a bascule bridge across the River Thames.
Image 37The 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 38Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
Image 39Victoria line 2009 Stock train at Euston.
Image 40Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
Image 41Stockwell bus garage, Stockwell, a Grade II* listed building.
Image 42The 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 43Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
Image 44View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
Image 45"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
Image 46Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
Image 47Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
Image 48Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
Image 49Sailing 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.