Why is the London Underground so deep?

About half of the underground lines, in terms of length, are actually on the surface when out of the central area. It is easier and safer to dig at depth in London because of the nature of the soil and to avoid other infrastructure and the Thames.



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How to Survive a Fall Onto Subway Tracks
  1. Look for others who can help you back onto the platform by offering a hand and pulling you up.
  2. Tuck into an alcove or underneath the platform where you can fit.
  3. Stand between two sets of tracks where there is typically enough clearance to be safe.


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The Royal Borough has two foot tunnels at Greenwich and Woolwich which are used by 1.5 million people a year to cross underneath the river Thames. From Greenwich, you can use the foot tunnel to walk to Island Gardens on the north of the river for the famous Canaletto view of Greenwich.

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London Underground train speeds vary across our network, from as slow as 15MPH, up to 60MPH. The speed of the trains can be impacted by a range of factors including the track infrastructure, the type of signalling system, the distance between stations, and the frequency of services in the timetable.

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As of 2021, the Underground serves 272 stations. 16 stations are outside London region, eight on the Metropolitan line and eight on the Central line.

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The New York Subway has more stations than the London Underground. Both systems have almost the same route miles. The New York Subway has more track miles because many routes have four tracks rather than the London Underground's two tracks.

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London Underground is longer than the Paris Metro at 250 miles, compared to the parisians 133 miles.

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The world's first underground railway opened in London in 1863, as a way of reducing street congestion. Here is a very short history of the Underground.

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Yes, London has an older network, it covers a bigger area, but New York has more stations, more lines (technically speaking) and carries more people each year.

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On 18 May 1827, after a rising tide, the Thames Tunnel's ceiling collapsed under the weight of the river and a torrent of water filled the structure. Brunel narrowly escaped with his life.

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The Thames Tunnel construction was started in 1825 by Marc Isambard Brunel and completed by his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel to open in 1843 as a foot tunnel. It became rather notorious for the goings on in the fairly dark tunnel and was sold to a railway company to serve the docks in the Rotherhithe area.

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Do trains drop waste on the tracks? Not anymore. In the US until the 1960's, some toilets emptied directly onto the tracks. A sign was posted over the toilet reminding passengers not to flush while the train was on the station.

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