London’s transport system is the oldest and largest
public transport system in the world and includes Underground, London Buses, Tramlink,
Docklands Light Railway and London Overground rail services. The majority of
public transport in London is controlled by Transport for London (TFL).
Horse drawn Omnibus was the first transport in London
and was replaced by Motor Omnibuses in 1902. Since 1933 a series of public
transport authorities in London used the name ‘London Transport’ as a brand and
public figure. Oyster card is an electronic ticketing system in Greater London
and people can use this card to travel on underground, Docklands Light Railway,
London Buses, Trams, River boat services and National Rail services.
Below are the transportation options available in
London:
Underground:
London Underground is also known as the Tube. It was
the first metro system in the world and successfully completes 150 years of
operation by this year. The tube serves a major part of Greater London and
parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. This transport system serves
270 stations and forms a part of Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan
Lines. The metro operates from 5:00pm until 1:00 the following morning and
closed timings are used for sustenance. The Circle, Hammersmith and City and
metropolitan Lines are a sub surface network with tunnels just below the
surface. The Bakerloo, Central, Northern, Jubilee, Piccadilly and Waterloo and
City lines belong to deep level tubes. The underground has eleven lines and is
the fourth longest metro system in the world. The London Underground is
facilitated with 426 escalators and 164 elevators.
Docklands
Light Railway:
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light rail
system that serves the redeveloped Docklands area of London. It has been
extended several times and now it reaches Stratford, Lewisham, Tower Gateway
and Bank in London, Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal. The DLR
has 45 stations and is 25 miles long. The Stratford international extension
over North London Line links the Docklands area with services on High speed1.
Tramways:
The new Tram system was opened in the year 2000 and is
the light rail system in South London. This Tramlink serves the London Borough
of Croydon. It serves seven National Rail stations and there are four routes:
Route 1 from Elmers End to Croydon, Route 2 from Beckenham Junction to Croydon,
Route 3 from New Addington to Wimbledon and Route 4 from Therapia lane to
Elmers End. This transport system has one interchange with the Underground at
Wimbledon for the district line and one with Overground at West Croydon for the
Overground East London Line.
Heavy
Railway:
Heavy Railway serves most of the areas in the city and
is run by a number of private rail firms. The heavy rail system is operated by the British
railway network and serves 18 major stations. High speed Eurostar connects the United Kingdom’s and Europe’s high speed
network.
London Overground:
London Overground is an urban and suburban rail
network and serves the greater part of London and Hertfordshire. It serves 83
stations with six lines and this network interchanges with Bakerloo, Central,
Hammersmith and City, District, Jubilee, Northern and Victoria Tube lines, DLR
and Tram link networks.
Buses:
The London red bus is one of the bigesst icons of
London and serves a huge number of passengers in comparison to the London
Underground. This transport system serves over 700 different routes with 6800
services every week and it provides 24 hour services.
River
Boats:
London River Services are controlled by Transport for
London and are one of the best ways of travel for tourists to explore the
beauty of this city. TFL provides three different services according to the
season – Commuter Services, Ferry Services and leisure Services.
Cycling:
This is the most inexpensive and healthy way of
travelling to nearby places. The Barclays Cycle hire scheme was introduced in
2010 and many Londoners love to ride the bicycles in the city. However people
cannot choose this mode of transport for long distances.
Taxi:
Black cabs and private taxis are the best way to have
a hassle free journey in and around the city. Most visitors
and Londoners prefer minicab in London
for airport transfers and transfers to other locations. Private Hire Vehicles
and minicabs must always be booked in advance.
