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London Underground

The London Underground is a metro system serving the City of London, much of Greater London, Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It has the distinction of being the world’s first underground rail system (the first sections opening in 1863). Also known as the ‘Tube’ (due to the tubular shape of the network’s tunnels), the London Underground and the common announcement “mind the gap” have become well known international tourist phenomena. Due to widespread use of the Underground by London residents to travel around London, there is significant controversy when Tube workers strike as it causes large scale disruption to everyday life, especially with regards to people commuting to work.

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Latest articles

Tube could halt at Christmas as unions ballot for five strikes

19.11.09
Tube union bosses order four ballots calling for strike action — and are set to announce a fifth... more

Tube strikes for Christmas as peace talks break down

10.11.09
Threat of Christmas Tube strikes increases dramatically after peace talks over pay and conditions broke apart ... more

Extra trains 'worth £24bn to UK'

27.10.09
... more

Film solves Tube's standing question

21.10.09
... more

Chaos for commuters as half a month’s rain falls in six hours

07.08.09
London commuters were hit by more than 35mm of rain in six hours last night — about half the average rainfall expected for the whole of August... more

Talks continue to avoid fresh Tube strike

24.06.09
... more

All aboard the Metronet gravy train

11.06.09
A day when London has to cope with the chaos caused by a Tube strike is a good day to take a hard look at a report slipped out by the Government late last Friday. When most people in Whitehall were preoccupied with other things, the National Audit Office report into the collapse of Metronet, one of two companies given 30-year contracts to modernise the Tube under the public finance initiative escaped the scrutiny it deserved ... more

Taxpayers' £410m bill for Metronet

05.06.09
Taxpayers lost up to £410 million due to the failure of Tube upgrade firm Metronet, a scathing report has found... more

FA cancels England ticket sales as Tube strike threatens game

04.06.09
Up to 20,000 fans could miss England's World Cup qualifier at Wembley next week because of a planned Tube strike... more

Do you know him? Face of man who jumped in front of Tube and survived

02.06.09
Police appeal for help in identifying a man who threw himself in front of a London Underground train and survived... more

Lords is not a refuge for doomed MPs

29.05.09
The Lords is, even in its unreformed state, meant to be something other than a graveyard for nonentities from the Commons... more

Fall in violent crime on the Tube

20.05.09
The number of robberies on the London Underground has fallen by nearly 30 per cent in the past year, according to police figures... more

£2m to airbrush Metronet out of London commuter history

15.04.09
Plans to wipe out the final traces of Metronet, one of the most unloved names in London's transport history, are to cost passengers and taxpayers up to £2million... more

£1bn shortfall brings Tube upgrade to halt

19.03.09
Improvements to Tube stations and the Underground network have been halted because of a £1billion funding shortfall, a report reveals... more

Astoria owners accuse TfL of rushing closure

07.01.09
The owners of the London Astoria, which is being demolished for Crossrail, blamed Transport for London and London Underground for "rushing" its closure... more

Mind the classic tube logo, please

14.10.08
London Underground has handed its infamous roundel logo over to 100 artists to mess up as they choose.... more

What to do in London this weekend

11.07.08
Visit a fair trade market, watch or join in with a Flash Drumming event and make sure you don't miss Lewisham People's Day.... more

Now showing on Platform 2

30.06.08
Passengers will be able to watch a trailer for the latest movie - or see what's on television that night - while waiting for the Tube... more

What to do in London this week

23.06.08
Visit Shoreditch for a weekend of culture, try Ruby Blue for a fun evening out and see Kevin Spacey in a new light at the Larger Than Life exhibition.... more

What to do in London this week

09.06.08
From a new exhibition at Kensington Palace to a fun night out at The Metro, here's our guide to an entertaining week in London.... more

TfL bosses attacked for giving go-ahead to Tube suicide film

27.03.08
Tube bosses were accused of insensitivity after taking money for a new film in which a driver searches for a suicide victim to jump under his train... more

Revealed: Metronet's £144,000 a year labourers

18.03.08
The astonishing pay rates charged by Metronet for its workers can be revealed today... more

Stations shut each week because of Tube crush

22.02.08
London Underground was forced to close and evacuate at least one Tube station every week last year as it struggled to cope with overcrowding... more

Naked Venus banned from the Tube

13.02.08
A portrait of a naked venus has been banned from London Underground stations after worries it will offend commuters... more

Tickets please, for a ride into London's past

22.11.07
The £22 million-refurbished London Transport Museum in Covent Garden is one stop to nostalgia-heaven, says Philippa Stockley.... more

Go for a Brazilian

12.10.07
Looking for a Latin fiesta every night of the week? Music and passion are always in fashion at Guanabara.... more

Boats beat Tubes and taxis as the best way home

02.08.07
A week ago thousands struggled to get home from the O2 arena when two concerts and a film premiere coincided.... more

A great night out, pity that you can't get home

26.07.07
The O2 arena was hailed as a critical triumph after passing its biggest test - but thousands of people were left struggling to get home.... more

A limbo-ish slice of theatre

28.06.07
The writers of Limbo: Stories From 7/7 blended fact and fiction, with the result being an elliptical and limbo-ish piece of theatre... more

Downloads of the week

03.11.06
Two of the world's biggest bands unite for Music Rising, cult music show The Tube returns in barely recognisable guise and MIA is offering the first fruits of her next album as a free download.... more

More related topics: London Underground and

  • Facts
  • The London Underground has 11 different lines, all of which are colour coded and mapped out on a schematic (as opposed to geographical) map.
  • The estimated total number of passengers carried on the Tube each year is 1073 million, individual passengers: 28 million
  • In total, London Underground boasts 402km (249 miles) of track.
  • The busiest station in terms of passengers each year is Victoria with 76 million.
  • The London Underground’s world-famous logo, ‘the roundel’ (red circle crossed with a horizontal blue bar) first appeared in 1908
  • Average train speeds (including stops) 33km per hour (20.5miles per hour)

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