A new Tube line is in the dress rehearsal stage before opening to passengers next year, Transport for London (TfL) has said. Londoners will be able to take the Elizabeth line between Paddington and Abbey Wood from the first half of 2022. The line is currently undergoing the trial stage, to ensure the safety and reliability of the railway for public use and to test the … [Read more...] about London’s Elizabeth line reaches dress rehearsal stage ahead of 2022 launch
The Tube
London’s Night Tube to return in November
London Underground’s Night Tube will resume next month after being suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Transport for London (TfL) said services on the Central and Victoria lines will run through the night on Fridays and Saturdays from Saturday, November 27. Tens of thousands of people signed a petition calling for the Night Tube to resume to help … [Read more...] about London’s Night Tube to return in November
London’s Black History Celebrated in New Black history Themed Tube map
London’s Tube map has been reimagined to celebrate the contribution black people have made to British life throughout history. The 272 station names have been replaced by notable black figures from pre-Tudor times to the present day. They include the first black woman to serve in the Royal Navy, who disguised herself as a man called William Brown. Putting … [Read more...] about London’s Black History Celebrated in New Black history Themed Tube map
London Underground Northern Line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea opens to great fanfare
London Underground’s first major line expansion this century has opened (discounting a new station at Heathrow in 2008). Two new Northern line stations opened in south London following a £1.1 billion project. The first train on the new route departed from Battersea Power Station at 5.28 am. The ticket hall at Nine Elms station (TfL/PA) It called at the other new … [Read more...] about London Underground Northern Line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea opens to great fanfare
The Tube: New stations added to Tube map in major network expansion to Battersea Power Station
Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled a new Tube map showing the first major expansion of the network this century. The map features the two new stations making up the Northern line extension in south London. Trains will begin serving Nine Elms, and Battersea Power Station from around 5.30 am on Monday. The ticket hall at Nine Elms station (TfL/PA) It is the … [Read more...] about The Tube: New stations added to Tube map in major network expansion to Battersea Power Station
Tube News: Opening date revealed for major expansion of Tube network on the Northern Line
The first major expansion of the London Underground this century will open later this month. Tube trains will begin serving Battersea in south London on September 20, Transport for London (TfL) announced. The £1.2 billion extension of the Northern line features two new stations – Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station – which will be within 15 minutes of the West End and … [Read more...] about Tube News: Opening date revealed for major expansion of Tube network on the Northern Line
Tube travel now at 50% of pre-pandemic levels
London Underground usage is regularly reaching at least half of pre-pandemic levels, Transport for London (TfL) said. Demand for the Tube on weekdays is often at 50% of what it was before the coronavirus crisis, and is hitting more than 60% at weekends. This is up from about 40% across the entire week in early May. An average of more than 1.8 million … [Read more...] about Tube travel now at 50% of pre-pandemic levels
London Alert: There’s a Possible London Underground Strike Looming Next Week – TFL Warns of Significant Disruption
UPDATE FRIDAY AUGUST 20TH: The strike has been called off. Nothing to see here, move along. Planned strikes by London Underground drivers will cause severe disruption if they go ahead, Transport for London (TfL) has warned. Members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union are due to walk out for 24 hours from noon on Tuesday, August 24, and Thursday, August 26, … [Read more...] about London Alert: There’s a Possible London Underground Strike Looming Next Week – TFL Warns of Significant Disruption
Crossrail almost at ‘dress rehearsals’ ahead of possible February 2022 opening
Crossrail is set to have its “dress rehearsals” this year and could open by February 2022, MPs have been told. The Transport for London (TfL) project has faced problems in a number of areas, including construction work and signaling systems, with the impact of coronavirus also costing it £230 million, it has been said. However, Crossrail Ltd chief executive Mark Wild told … [Read more...] about Crossrail almost at ‘dress rehearsals’ ahead of possible February 2022 opening
London Tube to get full mobile phone coverage by the end of 2024
Passengers on the London Underground will have mobile coverage throughout the network by the end of 2024, the Mayor of London has said. This is good news for travelers as we'll now be able to use our phones while on the Tube to find our way. Transport for London (TfL) said work on preparing some of the capital’s busiest stations – including Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court … [Read more...] about London Tube to get full mobile phone coverage by the end of 2024
The Tube: Waterloo & City line reopens in London for first time since March 2020
The Waterloo & City line will reopen today for the first time since the start of the pandemic, Transport for London (TfL) has announced. The important London commuter link, which connects Waterloo and Bank stations in the center of the capital, closed in March 2020. Services will now run every five minutes Monday to Friday from 6 am to 10 am and 3.30 pm to 7 … [Read more...] about The Tube: Waterloo & City line reopens in London for first time since March 2020
LONDON UNDER: Exploring Hidden London’s Abandoned Charing Cross Station
London Transport Museum has a really interesting selection of ‘Hidden London’ tours that give us occasional access to tunnels and stations on the London transport network that are no longer in operational use. The ‘Charing Cross: Access All Areas’ tour looks at the out of service Jubilee line platforms and construction tunnels left over from the excavation of the Jubilee line … [Read more...] about LONDON UNDER: Exploring Hidden London’s Abandoned Charing Cross Station
A Guide to London’s Underground Abandoned Ghost Stations
There are 270 functioning stations across the 249 miles of Transport for London network. But more interesting to us for this article are the 40+ Overground and Underground stations still in existence that are no longer used for travel. Some people refer to these simply as abandoned stations and others use the name 'ghost stations' (my preferred name choice). All refer to … [Read more...] about A Guide to London’s Underground Abandoned Ghost Stations
HIDDEN LONDON: The Lost Tunnels of Euston Station
London Transport Museum’s ‘Hidden London’ tours are great to know about as you get access to tunnels and stations on the London transport network that are not usually open to the public. In Londontopia magazine issue #1 I reported back about the hidden tunnels at Charing Cross station. So it was a treat to join another tour, this time at Euston station. This one was a treat … [Read more...] about HIDDEN LONDON: The Lost Tunnels of Euston Station
Scenes from the Tube: A London Photo Essay
I am in love with The Tube. It's a magical thing, this network of underground (and overground) trains that can take you anywhere in London. London is a city that grew organically, chaotically, yet the Tube gives the city an order that is entirely unexpected. Just looking at the Tube map evokes a romance for London - the names of all the distant places on the Tube map are … [Read more...] about Scenes from the Tube: A London Photo Essay
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the London Overground
A complement to the London Underground, the London Overground is the Tube’s lesser-known cousin, a network over commuter trains that rely on above-ground tracks. This is similar to the group of private-owned organizations that make up National Rail, though the Overground is a public service owned by Transport for London and is exclusive to the city. Today, the London … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the London Overground
The DLR: Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About Docklands Light Railway
Like a little brother to the London Underground, the Docklands Light Rail transportation system was developed following the revitalization of the Docklands in East London. The DLR as it’s known opened in 1987 serving much of Eastern London like its own little Underground. While still under Transport for London, it’s run as a separate light metro rail service, though it does … [Read more...] about The DLR: Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About Docklands Light Railway
The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Victoria Line
Named for one of the greatest monarchs in British history, the Victoria line is one of the newer additions to the London Underground, if newer can be said to include a line that opened over fifty years ago. Of course, saying that it’s named for Queen Victoria could also be a stretch, since originally the line ran from Victoria station to Walthamstow. Of course, even though … [Read more...] about The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Victoria Line
The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Northern Line
Running from Southwest London to Northwest London on a crescent-shaped path, the Northern Line has an interesting history that separates it from the other Underground routes. Whereas most of the other original lines that made up the London Underground were formed out of complete, pre-existing railways when they merged as part of the London Transport Safety Board, the Northern … [Read more...] about The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Northern Line
The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly Line is one of the most popular in the London, owing largely to the facts that most of the city’s greatest monuments fall along its route including the British Museum, Hyde Park, and Buckingham Palace. Running from Cockfosters, it spits towards its western terminus with one line going to Uxbridge and the other to Heathrow Airport, which helps to make it the … [Read more...] about The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About the Piccadilly Line
The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts About the Metropolitan Line
The Metropolitan Line (or “Met” as it’s known) is the oldest line on the London Underground. It was founded in 1863 as the Metropolitan Railway and ran from Paddington to Farrington Street, mostly running goods as well as people. It expanded further shortly after it opened and today runs from Aldgate all the way out to Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. In all that time, the … [Read more...] about The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts About the Metropolitan Line
The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts About the Central Line on the London Underground
Earning its name by running through Central London, the Central Line is one of the most important lines in the London Underground. The Central Line started as the Central London Railway in 1900 running east to west through the city. In 120 years of its existence, the Central Line has built up a very interesting history and some great facts to go with it. Combing through the … [Read more...] about The Tube: Ten Interesting Facts About the Central Line on the London Underground
Terror on the Tube: A History of Disasters on the London Underground
First off, we should point out that despite the horrific title of this article, the Tube is an incredibly safe mode of transportation when you’re in London. However, no safety record is perfect, and the Tube has on rare occasions been the target of terror groups. In fact, the London Underground sees over one billion passengers per year and averages an accident per 300 million … [Read more...] about Terror on the Tube: A History of Disasters on the London Underground
London History: A Guide to Metroland – The Suburban Expansion of London Brought On By The Tube
Also known as Metro-land, this suburban area north-west of London was a major project by the railway to transform unused land into a series of residential communities. Metroland wasn’t the first time a rail company was instrumental in growing London. In truth, the continued influx of people from the countryside to London in the 19th Century had caused the city’s metropolitan … [Read more...] about London History: A Guide to Metroland – The Suburban Expansion of London Brought On By The Tube
Hidden London Announces New Tour: London Moorgate Disused Station Tour
The Hidden London tours run by the London Transport Museum are some of my favorite special tours to go on in London. We've been on several over the years, as has our London correspondent Laura Porter. Tickets will go on sale very soon for their next roster of tours, and this time around they have added a new one - an exploration of the Moorgate Disused Station. Details from … [Read more...] about Hidden London Announces New Tour: London Moorgate Disused Station Tour
Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!