Why is the train called the Tube?

The London Underground is often called the Tube because of the shape of the tunnels. The London Underground is one of the oldest metro systems in the world, opening in 1863. When the Central Line Railway opened in 1900, it was called the Twopenny Tube, referencing the price of a ticket.



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London has a famous underground railway system which we locals call the 'Tube'. This is because many of the tunnels are a round tube shape. Although people call it the 'Underground' or 'Tube', half of the stations are actually above the ground.

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“The Tube” refers to the London Underground that services most of the city, “The Overground” is the rail network that serves Greater London, and “The National Rail” is the train service that connects London to other parts of the UK.

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Similar to the New York Subway or the Paris Metro, the London Underground is London's series of (largely) underground trains that run a regular service throughout the city. Since the trains underground run through a series of tunnels, many people (Londoners and visitors alike!) refer to it as the tube.

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In America metro is usually short for metropolitan area (a big city and its area of influence). SUMMARY (simplified) = the tube (or the underground) = the subway / the train.

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London Underground, also called the Tube, underground railway system that services the London metropolitan area.

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The average speed on the Underground is 20.5 mph (33.0 km/h). Outside the tunnels of central London, many lines' trains tend to travel at over 40 mph (64 km/h) in the suburban and countryside areas. The Metropolitan line can reach speeds of 62 mph (100 km/h).

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'Train' comes from a French verb that meant to draw; drag. It originally referred to the part of a gown that trailed behind the wearer. The word train has been part of English since the 14th century—since its Middle English days.

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The four rail system was first used in the early twentieth century. The isolated traction current return allowed a train's position to be detected using DC track circuits, and reduced any earth leakage currents that could affect service pipes, telephone cables, or cast iron tunnel liners.

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Since then the Underground network, affectionately nicknamed the Tube by generations of Londoners, has grown to 272 stations and 11 lines stretching deep into the Capital's suburbs and beyond.

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Wheel arrangement The number of wheels per locomotive or car varies in both size and number to accommodate the needs of the railcar or locomotive. Regardless of these factors, pairs of identically sized wheels are always affixed to a straight axle as a singular unit, called a wheelset.

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A city's underground railway system is usually called the underground (often the Underground) in British English and the subway in North American English. Speakers of British English also use subway for systems in American cities and metro for systems in other European countries.

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The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway, situated in the English city of Leeds. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway, run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd.

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The system is operated by a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The subway system is usually just referred to as the trains. Locals say I can take the train to your place to generally mean that they take the subway. The subway is never referred to as the metro, underground, or tube.

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The Oldest Subways in the World
  • London Underground History (1863) – the oldest tube line. ...
  • The Istanbul Tunnel (1875) ...
  • Chicago 'L' (1892) ...
  • Glasgow Circular Underground (1896) ...
  • Budapest's historic metro line (1896) ...
  • The Paris Metropolitain (1900) ...
  • The Berlin U-Bahn (1902) ...
  • New York, the subway that never closes (1904)


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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. It also may result from the fact that London is quite hilly and trains don't like going up hills, so the tube goes through the hill. Some stations are above ground.

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The deepest station is Hampstead on the Northern line, which runs down to 58.5 metres. 15. In Central London the deepest station below street level is also the Northern line.

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Paris Metro (Metro de Paris) is a rapid transit metro system serving the capital city of Paris within Île-de-France.

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The Metropolitan line is the oldest underground railway in the world. The Metropolitan Railway opened in January 1863 and was an immediate success, though its construction took nearly two years and caused huge disruption in the streets.

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