London’s (Underground) Tube
3 April 2011
Tottenham Court Road Station Alert
Northern Lines tube trains will not be stopping at TCR station until the end of November 2011. This is due to construction for Crossrail. Central Line trains will continue to stop at TCR.
The Tube
The tube is, in a word, exciting. Thousands of people scurrying down escalators hundreds of feet below the street and running through metal tubes to catch a train to places afar. The tube works best for you if you need to get across town but it is not bad for short hops either. If you are lucky you can reach your destination using one line. Sometimes you may need to switch lines and this can be an event in itself. Some stations require a bit of a walk (escalators too) between lines. This can be breathtaking at rush hour.
The system has 12 lines: Bakerloo, Central, Circle, District, East London, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria and Waterloo & City. The District & Circle lines are circular in their route. The others are more or less east – west or north – south in their movements.
How to Find Your Way
It is best to start with your trip with a Journey Planner or other map with a tube map included. This will display the lines and stations. The nice thing about the tube map is that all lines are color coded. To plan your journey look at the station you are near and find the one you want to go to. This will show the line or station that you need to change for. When you walk through a station you will see a display of the line with all of the stations. Typically there will be one for eastbound and westbound travel. Just look for your station and follow the signs.
A Journey Planner is a small foldable underground system map. It shows all the routes and stations along with other important information such as which stations are wheelchair accessible. The Jubilee line is the newest and it and the Dockland Light Railway should be fully accessible. The problem with many of the older stations is that they have stairs with or without escalators but no lifts.
Some words about the mind the gap saying, if you please. Some stations have a curved platform that does not allow the train to fit right next to the platform. A gap can exist between the car and the platform at the door. This can be dangerous as one can fall between the crack. Transport for London staff is on hand to remind us to mind the gap.
Ticket In & Out
When you enter you will pass a turnstile in which you insert a paper ticket or touch your Oyster on the pad. Agents are there to watch and to help if you have large luggage or baby carriages. Security is everywhere and so are the cameras. Yes, you are being watched. But so are the pickpockets and hooligans.
Once you get in do not discard your paper ticket, even if you are not planning another journey. When you exit a station you will need to insert or touch out just as you did when you entered. Keep tabs on you paper ticket and card as thieving hands can be too close for comfort.
Getting Help
You can buy tickets and get information from the window agent. Information including tube maps and local area maps are on the wall for taking. You can but a ticket quickly by using a dispensing machine too. Also, don’t forget to look at the message board near the turnstiles, as they will tell of disruptions or other problems in the system. Staff members are very nice and are there for your safety. They will help you if you need shoved in the right direction too.
Buskers
As you travel through the underground system you will musicians performing off to the side. You will also see their bag on the ground to collect whatever money you wish to give. Do not be alarmed as they are legitimate. Transport for London has a program where Buskers audition and pay a license fee for the opportunity to make your day a little bit pleasant. They are not paid for this and only collect what you desire.
Wrong Stop
If you think that you went too far just get off and come back. Trains run parallel to one another and you can get off an eastbound and walk right onto a westbound. It’s just too easy. You do not need to exit a platform and re-enter the other one to go the other way.
Feel the Force
The tube is no larger than need be to allow a train to pass through. Getting back to school physics you will see how the train acts as a piston and compresses the air in the tube as it races ahead. The air has no place to go but out towards the platform you are standing on. When a train approaches you can feel the gust of wind blowing in. Keep a hand on your skirt, hat or toupee.
Mice
If you look down in the tracks next to the platform you can see the church mice scurrying about. Just like the people, they have someplace to go in a hurry. An interesting site for animals on the tube is http://www.solo2.abac.com/themole/tubeanimals.html.
Heathrow Airport
The Piccadilly line serves all five terminals at Heathrow. Expect a journey time of 1 to 1½ hours from central London in the afternoon. The carriages have limited space near the doors for luggage and don’t expect to sit next to yours. You can buy your ticket near the platforms.
If you plan of this make sure that you check the TfL web site as engineering works may cause disruptions.
Resources
The web for Transport for London is http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube. Actually, if you go to http://www.tfl.gov.uk you will be at the beginning of all things for transport in London.
If you mistakenly type in http://tfl.co.uk, you will be at the wrong site. This site is Time for Looking (for best deals of the day). It’s safe and not bad looking. So is www.tfl.com.