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, 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


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Selected article
The London Ringways were a series of four ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre. They were part of a comprehensive scheme developed by the Greater London Council to alleviate traffic congestion on the city's road system by providing high speed motorway-standard roads within the capital linking a series of radial roads taking traffic into and out of the city. The plan was hugely ambitious and met, almost immediately, with opposition from a number of directions including residents associations, London Borough councils, the Treasury and the Department of Transport. Despite this opposition the GLC continued to develop its plans and began the construction of some of the earlier parts of the scheme. In 1972, in an attempt to placate the plan's vociferous opponents, the GLC dropped parts of the two innermost ringways, but the scheme was cancelled in 1973 at which point only three sections had been constructed – the East Cross Route, part of the West Cross Route and the Westway. Significant sections of the report's proposals have also been built over the subsequent years including improvements to the North Circular Road and, most importantly, the M25 and M26 motorways which were formed from an amalgamation of parts of the two outermost rings. (Full article...) All selected articles
Today's anniversary
George Shillibeer (11 August 1797–21 August 1866) was an English coachbuilder and operator of the first omnibus service in London from 1829. Shillibeer was born in St Marylebone, London, the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Shillibeer. Christened in St Marys Church, St Marylebone on 22 October 1797, Shillibeer worked for the coach company Hatchetts in Long Acre, the coach-building district of the capital. In the 1820s he was offered work in Paris, France where he was commissioned to build some unusually large horse-drawn coaches of "novel design". The aim was to design a coach capable of transporting a whole group of people, perhaps two dozen, at a time. Shillibeer's design worked, and was very stable. It was introduced into the streets of Paris in 1827 and Shillibeer concluded that operating similar vehicles in London, but for the fare-paying public with multiple stops, would be a paying enterprise, so he returned to his native city. His first London "Omnibus" began service on 4 July 1829 on a route between Paddington (The Yorkshire Stingo) and "Bank" (Bank of England) via the "New Road" (now Marylebone Rd), Somers Town and City Rd. Four services were provided in each direction daily. (Full article...) All Selected biographies
Did you know...
...that Arsenal is the only Underground station to be named after a London football club (it was previously known as Gillespie Road)? Watford and West Ham are both named after the areas they serve. ...that there has been five stations named Shepherd's Bush, three called Wood Lane and two titled White City? ...that the River Thames froze 24 times between 1400 and 1814 and that Frost Fairs were often held on the ice? ...that a stuffed puffer fish, a samurai sword, human skulls, breast implants and a lawnmower are amongst items handed into TfL's lost property office during its 75-year existence? ...that the 60 m (197 ft) long escalators at Angel Underground station are the longest on the system? More Did you know...
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Selected pictures

Image 1Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
Image 2The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.
Image 3Victoria line 2009 Stock train at Euston.
Image 4London Overground Class 378 train on the East London Line in Hoxton.
Image 5The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
Image 6London 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 7Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
Image 8Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
Image 9TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
Image 10Eurostar Class 373 trains at St Pancras station.
Image 11Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
Image 12Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
Image 13Sailing 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 14Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End of London, 1949.
Image 15Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
Image 16"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
Image 17The 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 18The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
Image 19Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
Image 20London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
Image 21Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
Image 22Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
Image 23Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
Image 24Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
Image 25Camden Lock or Hampstead Road Lock in Camden Town, north London is the only twin lock on the Regents Canal.
Image 26View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
Image 27Duck tour converted DUKW amphibious vehicle exiting the River Thames.
Image 28Gondolas of the Emirates Air Line cable car cross the River Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks.
Image 29Tower Bridge; a bascule bridge across the River Thames.
Image 30Stockwell bus garage, Stockwell, a Grade II* listed building.
Image 31A Hansom cab at Somerset House.
Image 3255 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
Image 33A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
Image 34The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
Image 35The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
Image 36Thames Clippers service catamaran on the River Thames.
Image 37Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
Image 38Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
Image 39Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
Image 40London 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 41Arguably 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 42An air raid shelter in a London Underground station during The Blitz.
Image 43Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
Image 44Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
Image 45The 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 46Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
Image 47Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
Image 48Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
Image 49Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.

All Selected pictures

Anniversaries

11 August

1797 – Birth of George Shillibeer, bus operator.
1854 – Metropolitan Railway granted powers to construct railway between Paddington and Farringdon.

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