For the urban and suburban rail network, see London Overground.

London Underground

A Central line train at Lancaster Gate Background Greater London and home Locale counties Rapid transit Transit type Number of lines 11 Number of 270 served (260 owned) stations 3.23 million (approximate)[1] 3.66 million (weekdays) Daily ridership (approximate)[2] www.tfl.gov.uk/tube Website Operation Began operation 10 January 1863; 150 years ago London Underground Ltd (LUL); part of Transport for Operator(s) London (TfL) Technical 402 kilometres (250 mi) System length 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard Track gauge gauge

Electrification

630 V DC fourth rail

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The London Underground (also known as the Underground or the Tube) is a public metro system serving a large part of Greater London and parts of the home counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. The system serves 270 stations and has 402 kilometres (250 mi) of track, 55 per cent of which is actually above ground. It incorporates the world's first underground railway, which opened in 1863 and now forms part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, as well as the first line to operate underground electric trains, in 1890, now part of the Northern line.[3] The network has expanded to consist of 11 lines and in 2011/12 it carried over 1 billion passengers. The system's first tunnels were built just below the surface; later, circular tunnels which give rise to its nickname the Tube were dug through the London Clay at a deeper level. The early lines were marketed as the UNDERGROUND in the early 20th century on maps and signs at central London stations. The private companies that owned and ran the railways were merged in

1933 to form the London Passenger Transport Board. The current operator London Underground Limited (LUL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for most elements of the transport network in Greater London. As of 2012, 91 per cent of operational expenditure is covered by passenger fares.[4] The Travelcard ticket was introduced in 1983 and Oyster, an electronic ticketing system, in 2003. Today in official publicity and in general, the term