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The Tube in London

The Tube refers to the London Underground rapid transit system. It is found all over the United Kingdom, and has been around since 1863. London Underground gets its nickname of The Tube from its circular tunnels the trains travel through. The Tube is a convenient and fast way to get around not only the United Kingdom, but from one place to another in London.

Cost and Information

Depending on what time of the year it is will make a little difference as to what visitors will pay. During peak seasons the fare will generally cost around six pounds whereas during the down seasons it will run about 4.5 pounds.

The Tube does not run 24 hours, but it comes very close to that. On certain days of the year including New Years and other major events the Tube will be open for 24 hours. Most lines only have two tracks, with one going in each direction and they close at night for cleaning and maintenance. Depending on the location, the first train will begin operation at 4:45 am daily while some do not open until 5:30 am. Trains will stop around 1:00 am depending on where along the line it is.

Stations

In total, London Underground serves 270 stations by rail, 14 of which are located outside of the greater London area. With so many stations, there are 12 different lines that are divided into two different classes. The lines that are underground, include Central, Jubilee, Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Waterloo, and City lines.

With so many different lines and stations, there are certainly a few that are slightly busier than others. Among those that get the most traffic on a daily basis are Waterloo, Victoria, King's Cross Station Pancras, Oxford Circus, and Liverpool Street.

Waterloo is the busiest of any of the stations along the Tube. It serves four different lines and has been opened since 1898, making it one of the oldest stops along the line. It is connected via a 140 meter walkway to the Jubilee station, making it one of only two stations that are connected in this manner.

Another of the interesting stations along the Tube is Victoria. This station is located in central London and is named after Victoria Street. It is the second busiest station not only in London, but in the entire UK, behind Waterloo. One interesting aspect of Victoria is the air terminal included in the station, which will take passengers from the station to Gatwick Airport.

Another of the busier stations along the Tube is King's Cross St. This station is in the Camden and serves King's Cross St. and Pancras main line stations. While it is not as busy as Waterloo or Victoria Station, it serves more lines than any other stop along the London Underground. It consists of mulitple lines and tracks, making this one of the busier and interesting stations along the Tube.

Oxford Circus is a station that is located on the corner of Oxford Street and Regent Street. It is unique in that it has entrances on all four corners of the intersection, making for easy access compared to other stations. It is on the Central line, Bakerloo line, and Victoria line. This station is relatively new compared to the others and has only been open for just over 20 years, but has already developed into one of the busiest stations along the Tube.

Liverpool Street is another station that has a lot of traffic. It is one of the busiest in London behind Waterloo and Victoria with more than 123 million visitors passing through every year. It is also one of the oldest stations along the rail, having been open since 1874.

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The Tube in London