User:Edgepedia/VE/LU1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The London Underground (also known as the Underground or the Tube) is a public metro system serving a large part of Greater London and parts of the home counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. The system serves 270 stations and has 402 kilometres (250 mi) of track, 55 per cent of which is actually above ground. It incorporates the world's first underground railway, which opened in 1863 and now forms part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, as well as the first line to operate underground electric trains, in 1890, now part of the Northern line.[3] The network has expanded to consist of 11 lines and in 2011/12 it carried over 1 billion passengers.
London Underground | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Locale | Greater London and home counties |
Transit type | Rapid transit |
Number of lines | 11 |
Number of stations | 270 served (260 owned) |
Daily ridership | 3.23 million (approximate)[1] 3.66 million (weekdays) (approximate)[2] |
Website | www.tfl.gov.uk/tube |
Operation | |
Began operation | 10 January 1863; 161 years ago (1863-01-10) |
Operator(s) | London Underground Ltd (LUL); part of Transport for London (TfL) |
Technical | |
System length | 402 kilometres (250 mi) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Electrification | 630 V DC fourth rail |
The system's first tunnels were built just below the surface; later, circular tunnels – which give rise to its nickname the Tube – were dug through the London Clay at a deeper level. The early lines were marketed as the UNDERGROUND in the early 20th century on maps and signs at central London stations. The private companies that owned and ran the railways were merged in 1933 to form the London Passenger Transport Board. The current operator London Underground Limited (LUL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for most elements of the transport network in Greater London. As of 2012[update], 91 per cent of operational expenditure is covered by passenger fares.[4] The Travelcard ticket was introduced in 1983 and Oyster, an electronic ticketing system, in 2003.
Today in official publicity and in general, the term 'Tube' embraces the whole Underground system.[5] The schematic Tube map, designed by Harry Beck in 1931, was voted a national design icon in 2006 and now includes other lines such as the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground as well as the Emirates Air Line. London Underground is celebrating 150 years of operations in 2013.[6]