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.

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Selected article
The Marchioness disaster was a collision between two vessels on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989, and resulted in the deaths of 51 people. The pleasure steamer Marchioness sank after being hit twice by the dredger Bowbelle at about 1:46 am, between Cannon Street railway bridge and Southwark Bridge. Marchioness had been hired for the evening for a birthday party and had about 130 people on board, four of whom were crew and bar staff. Both vessels were heading downstream, against the tide, Bowbelle travelling faster than the smaller vessel. Although the exact paths taken by the ships, and the precise series of events and their locations, are unknown, the subsequent inquiry considered it likely that Bowbelle struck Marchioness from the rear, causing the latter to turn to port, where she was hit again, then pushed along, turning over and being pushed under Bowbelle's bow. It took thirty seconds for Marchioness to sink; 24 bodies were found within the ship when it was raised. Read more... All selected articles
Selected biography
John Rennie (the Elder) (7 June 1761 – 4 October 1821) was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, and docks. Rennie, a farmer's younger son, was born at Phantassie, near East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. He showed a taste for mechanics at a very early age. After studying at the University of Edinburgh he worked briefly for James Watt in Staffordshire before moving to London in 1784. In London, he worked first as a mechanical engineer before setting up his own business in 1791 at Holland Street, Blackfriars and expanding into the designing of civil engineering projects. Rennie designed many canals, bridges and docks around the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as harbours and lighthouses. Amongst the projects designed by Rennie in London were previous versions of Vauxhall Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Southwark Bridge and London Bridge and the London, East India and West India Docks. After his death, Rennie's sons George and John founded the engineering company J. and G. Rennie. (Full article...) All Selected biographies
Did you know...
...that the Westway, the West Cross Route and the East Cross Route are the only parts of the GLC's 1960s plan for the London Motorway Box to be built? ...that sculptor Henry Moore's first public commission in 1928-29 was a relief sculpture West Wind for the Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway? ...that an estimated half a million mice live on the Underground system, and can often be seen running around the tracks? ...that the District Railway formerly ran services to Shoeburyness in Essex and Windsor in Berkshire? ... that an atmospheric railway once ran between Forest Hill and West Croydon? More Did you know...
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Selected pictures

Image 1Victoria line 2009 Stock train at Euston.
Image 2Sailing 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 3Archer statue by Eric Aumonier at East Finchley Underground station.
Image 4London 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 5"Boris Bikes" from the Santander Cycles hire scheme waiting for use at a docking station in Victoria.
Image 6Woolwich Ferry boats "John Burns" and "James Newman" on the River Thames, 2012.
Image 755 Broadway, headquarters of the UERL and its successors, is a Grade I listed building in Westminster designed by Charles Holden.
Image 8London Underground Battery-electric locomotive L16 designed to operate over tracks where the traction current is turned off for maintenance work.
Image 9Eurostar Class 373 trains at St Pancras station.
Image 10A tram of the London United Tramways at Boston Road, Hanwell, circa 1910.
Image 11The western departures concourse of King's Cross railway station.
Image 12View of Old London Bridge, circa 1632 by Claude de Jongh.
Image 13Tram 2548 calls at Arena tram stop. This is one of the trams on the Tramlink network centred on Croydon in south London.
Image 14Duck tour converted DUKW amphibious vehicle exiting the River Thames.
Image 15The 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 16Hammersmith Bridge, opened in 1887, crosses the River Thames in west London.
Image 17Camden Lock or Hampstead Road Lock in Camden Town, north London is the only twin lock on the Regents Canal.
Image 18Ruislip Lido Railway's 12-inch (300 mm) gauge locomotive "Mad Bess" hauling a passenger train.
Image 19Tower bridge; a bascule bridge across the River Thames.
Image 20Helicopter landing at London Heliport, a jetty constructed in the River Thames in Battersea.
Image 21Albert Bridge, opened in 1873, crosses the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea.
Image 22The original Hampton Court Bridge in 1753, the first of four on the site.
Image 23Original stations on the Metropolitan Railway from The Illustrated London News, 27 December 1862.
Image 24Central London Railway poster, published in 1905.
Image 25Early style tube roundel in mosaic at Maida Vale Underground station.
Image 26Arguably 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 27Hornsey Lane Bridge, Archway, more commonly known as "Suicide Bridge".
Image 28Escalators at Westminster Underground station descend between beams and columns of the station box to reach the deep-level Jubilee line platforms.
Image 29Clapham Common Underground station north and south-bound platforms on the Northern line.
Image 30London Overground Class 378 train on the East London Line in Hoxton.
Image 31Gondolas of the Emirates Air Line cable car cross the River Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks.
Image 32Shaftesbury Avenue from Piccadilly Circus, in the West End of London, 1949.
Image 33Southern approach to the Rotherhithe Tunnel that runs under the River Thames in east London between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.
Image 34Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames opened in 1906 and features sculptures by F. W. Pomeroy.
Image 35Preserved AEC Routemaster coaches in London Transport Green Line livery.
Image 36Planes waiting at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.
Image 37A Hansom cab at Somerset House.
Image 38The New Routemaster built by Wrightbus has three entrances, two staircases and is designed to be reminiscent of the Routemaster.
Image 39TX4 London Taxi at Heathrow Airport.
Image 40Day (left) and Night (right) sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein on the London Underground's headquarters at 55 Broadway.
Image 41Stockwell bus garage, Stockwell, a Grade II* listed building.
Image 42The 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 43Thames Clippers service catamaran on the River Thames.
Image 44Qantas Boeing 747-400 about to land at Heathrow Airport, seen beyond the roofs of Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow.
Image 45An air raid shelter in a London Underground station during The Blitz.
Image 46London 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 47The south façade of King's Cross railway station London terminus of the East Coast Main Line.
Image 48Rail, road and river traffic, seen from the London Eye.
Image 49The Circle routes of Victorian London, comprising the Inner Circle, Middle Circle, Outer Circle and Super Outer Circle.