The London Underground is the world’s first underground line and an iconic of London city. The “Tube” is a slang name for the London Underground, because the tunnels for some of the lines are round tubes running through the ground. It’s history dates back to 1863, when the Metropolitan line opened for the first time. The newest line of the system opened in 1963 and is called “the Jubilee line”, in honour of the Queen’s silver Jubilee. The total network is made up of over 402 kilometers of track and serves the areas of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex. Even though it is called the Underground, only 45 per cent of the track is underground! In total the London Underground network has 270 stations. The busiest station is “Waterloo” with more than 88 million people passing through this station every year.
The Underground is a fantastic way to get around the City of London for all Londoners and tourists because it is quick, convenient and most importantly, safe. Many people rely on it for getting to work, visiting the city, or going shopping. In fact, the London Underground is one of the busiest underground railways in the world. There are about 2.7 million passengers who use the tube each day, and over one billion in a year. Only Moscow and Paris’ underground systems have more passengers in a year.
The Underground uses zones to collect fares. Zone 1 is the most central, with a boundary just beyond the Circle Line, and Zone 6 is the outermost and includes London Heathrow Airport. Stations on the Metropolitan Line outside London are in special Zones A to D. London Underground fares are now the most expensive of any rail system around the world, and they continue to rise at very high levels. Another problem with the London Underground is overcrowding. Since so many people use this system on a daily basis, the trains are often full of people, which can cause stress, delays, and unclean traveling conditions.
THE OYSTER CARD
In order to ride the Tube you will need to buy a ticket. But if you want to ride the Tube like a true Londoner, you can buy an Oyster Card.
The Oyster Card is the smartest way to travel around London. Instead of using paper tickets, the Oyster Card is a plastic card that uses a “pay as you go” system. This means that you top up the card and use it for as long as your credit lasts. You can also set up an automatic top up account. This makes sure that you never run out of credit when you are out in the city. Whenever your balance falls below £10, the Oyster Card will automatically take money directly from your bank account or credit card to top up your credit. It’s really simple to get your own Osyter Card when you arrive in London. All you have to do is go to a ticket-dispensing machine and follow the instructions for an Oyster Card. You will have to pay a £5 deposit fee. The £5 is returned to you when you return your card. Another cool thing about your Oyster Card is that you can follow all the journeys you’ve made on line. Just log in to the site and you’ll be able to track your movements and see how much you paid.