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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

They say...

To get smarter read a random wiki article everyday! I try to do this sometimes. I found todays rather interesting, The London Underground.


The London Underground (also known as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of BuckinghamshireEssex and Hertfordshire in England. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway in the world, with the first section being opened in 1863 on which is now the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.[3] In 1890 it became the first to operate electric trains.[4] Despite its name, about 55% of the network is above ground. The whole network is commonly referred to by Londoners and in official publicity as[5] the Tube, although the term originally applied only to the deep-level bored lines, along which run slightly lower, narrower trains along standard-gauge track, to distinguish them from the sub-surface "cut and cover" lines that were built first.
The earlier lines of the present London Underground network were built by various private companies. Apart from the main line railways, they became part of an integrated transport system in 1933 when the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) or London Transport was created. The underground network became a single entity in 1985, when the UK government created London Underground Limited (LUL).[6] Since 2003 LUL has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for most aspects of the transport system inGreater London, which is run by a board and a commissioner appointed by the Mayor of London.[7]
The Underground has 270 stations and 402 kilometres (250 mi) of track,[1] making it the second longest metro system in the world after the Shanghai Metro.[8] It also has one of the highest number of stations. In 2007, more than one billion passenger journeys were recorded,[2] making it the third busiest metro system in Europe after Paris and Moscow. The tube is a international icon for London, with the tube map, considered a design classic, have influenced many other transport maps worldwide. Although shown on the Tube map, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Overgroundare not part of the network.

I have visited London many times and this was nice to stumble upon

2 comments:

  1. I don't like to be underground, I can't breathe.

    But it's interesting to know how this has been built.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmm, I will try reading a random article as well.

    ReplyDelete