Portal:London transport

The London transport portal

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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, the London Overground, 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


Buses	Taxis	Underground	Overground	DLR	Tramlink	National Rail	River Services	Heathrow Airport

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Selected article
British Rail class 378 unit 378013 at Imperial Wharf railway station London Overground is a commuter rail service in London, the brand applied by Transport for London (TfL) to the services on four railway lines: the Watford DC line, the North London line, the West London Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking line. The name has been used since 2007, when TfL took over the majority of the 'Metro' sector from the Silverlink train operating company franchise. In 2010 it is planned that the Overground network will include the East London Line (formerly part of London Underground) which is being extended to connect with the North London Line. This section is currently closed. The Overground is part of the National Rail network, run as a rail franchise by the train operating company London Overground Rail Operations Limited (LOROL), but the contracting authority is TfL rather than central Government. This arrangement is similar to the model adopted for Merseyrail. The lines continue to be owned and maintained by Network Rail except for the Dalston-New Cross section of the East London Railway, which will remain TfL property when it becomes part of the Overground. The Overground is a commuter rail system, as many of the lines share traffic with freight services, although there is an intention to introduce metro-style frequencies eventually on all routes. Read more... All selected articles
Selected biography
Edward Johnston, CBE (11 February 1872 – 26 November 1944) was a British craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the father of modern calligraphy, in the form of the broad edged pen as a writing tool, a particular form of calligraphy. He was born in San José, Uruguay. Johnston started teaching at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London's Southampton Row, where he influenced the typeface designer and sculptor Eric Gill. Then he moved on to the Royal College of Art and many students were inspired by his teachings. In 1912 Johnston followed Gill to Ditchling where he died in 1944. He is most famous for designing the sans-serif Johnston typeface that was used throughout the London Underground system until it was re-designed in the 1980s, as well as the famous roundel symbol used throughout the system. He has also been credited for reviving the art of modern penmanship and lettering single-handedly through his books and teachings. Johnston also devised the simply crafted round calligraphic handwriting style, written with a broad pen, known as the foundational hand. In 1921, students of Johnston founded the Society of Scribes & Illuminators (SSI), probably the world's foremost calligraphy society. (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 Sir Jacob Epstein's statute Day on the Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway caused controversy when it was unveiled due to the length of the penis on one of the figures? Epstein later reduced the length. ...that the shortest distance between two stations on the London Underground is 250 metres (0.16 miles), between Leicester Square and Covent Garden on the Piccadilly line? ...that Elfric Wells Chalmers Kearney proposed the construction of an underground monorail line from Cricklewood to The Oval? ... that an atmospheric railway once ran between Forest Hill and West Croydon? More Did you know...
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Selected pictures

Image 1An air raid shelter in a London Underground station during The Blitz.
Image 2Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
Image 3London 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 4Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
Image 5Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
Image 6Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
Image 7The 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 8Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
Image 9Sailing 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 10Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
Image 11The 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 12A Hansom cab at Somerset House.
Image 13Stockwell bus garage, Stockwell, a Grade II* listed building.
Image 14Duck tour converted DUKW amphibious vehicle exiting the River Thames.
Image 15Gondolas of the Emirates Air Line cable car cross the River Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks.
Image 16Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
Image 17TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
Image 18Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
Image 19Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
Image 20London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
Image 21London Overground Class 378 train on the East London Line in Hoxton.
Image 22Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
Image 23Camden Lock or Hampstead Road Lock in Camden Town, north London is the only twin lock on the Regents Canal.
Image 24Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
Image 25London 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 26Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
Image 27"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
Image 28The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
Image 29Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
Image 30Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
Image 31Eurostar Class 373 trains at St Pancras station.
Image 32Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
Image 33Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
Image 34View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
Image 35Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
Image 36The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
Image 37The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
Image 38Arguably 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 39Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
Image 40Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End of London, 1949.
Image 41Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
Image 42A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
Image 4355 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
Image 44Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
Image 45The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
Image 46Tower bridge; a bascule bridge across the River Thames.
Image 47The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
Image 48Thames Clippers service catamaran on the River Thames.
Image 49Victoria line 2009 Stock train at Euston.