View source for Transport in London

{{Short description|none}}
{{about|public transport in general in London, England|the company which manages some of these services|Transport for London|the transport operator in London, Ontario|London Transit}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2010}}
{{Infobox public transit
| image = File:LJ09CEU-2 110813 CPS (11711811094).jpg
| imagesize = 
| alt = 
| caption = Cars, bikes and a [[double-decker bus]] on [[London Bridge]]
| locale = [[London]] and surrounding regions
| transit_type = [[Rapid transit]], [[commuter rail]], [[light metro]], [[light rail]], [[bus]]es, [[car|private automobile]], [[Taxicab]], [[bicycle]], [[pedestrian]]
}}
[[London]] has an extensive and developed [[transport]] network which includes both public and private services. Journeys made on its [[integrated transport network]] account for 37% of London's journeys while private services accounted for 36% of journeys, walking 24% and cycling 2%, according to numbers from 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Travel in London Report 9 |url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-london-report-9.pdf|publisher=TfL|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> London's public transport network serves as the central hub for the [[United Kingdom]] in [[Rail transport|rail]], [[Aviation|air]] and [[Road transport|road]] transport.

Public transport services are dominated by the city's executive agency for transport, [[Transport for London]] (TfL). TfL controls the majority of public transport, including the [[London Underground|Underground]], [[London Buses|Buses]], [[Tramlink]], the [[Docklands Light Railway]], [[London River Services]], [[Elizabeth line]] and the [[London Overground]].

Other rail services are either franchised to [[Train operating company|train operating companies]] by the [[Department for Transport]] (DfT) or, like [[Eurostar]] and [[Heathrow Express]], operated on an [[Open-access operator|open-access]] basis. TfL also controls most major roads in [[London]], but not minor roads. In addition, there are several independent [[Airports of London|airports serving London]], including [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]], the busiest airport in Europe.<ref>{{cite news |last=Butler |first=Alex |title=With passenger numbers hitting record-breaking levels, discover the busiest airports in Europe |work=Lonely Planet |date=23 February 2017 |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2017/02/23/busiest-airports-in-europe/ |access-date=5 July 2018 }}</ref>

==History==
{{further|History of transport in London}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; max-width:450px; margin-left:10px;"
|+ Management of London Transport 1933–2000
|-
! Dates !! Organisation !! Overseen by
|-
| 1933–1947|| [[London Passenger Transport Board]] || [[London County Council]]
|-
| 1948–1962 || [[London Transport Executive]] || [[British Transport Commission]]
|-
| 1963–1969 || [[London Transport Board]] || [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]]
|-
| 1970–1984 || [[London Transport Executive (GLC)|London Transport Executive]] (Greater London only) || [[Greater London Council]]
|-
| 1970–1986 || [[London Country Bus Services]] ([[Green Line Coaches|Green Line]] only) || [[National Bus Company (UK)|National Bus Company]]
|-
| 1984–2000 || [[London Regional Transport]] || [[Secretary of State for Transport]]
|-
| 2000(2003)–present || [[Transport for London]] || [[Mayor of London]]
|}
[[File:Transport in London.png|thumb|340px|Journeys in Greater London by mode from 1997 to 2018<ref>{{cite web |url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-london-report-12.pdf |title=Travel in London Report 12 |page=33}}</ref>]]
Early public transport in London began with [[horse bus|horse-drawn ''omnibus'']] services in 1829, which were gradually replaced by the first motor omnibuses in 1902. Over the years the private companies which began these services amalgamated with the [[London General Omnibus Company]] (LGOC) to form a unified bus service. The [[Underground Electric Railways Company of London]], also formed in 1902, unified the pioneering [[:Category:Underground Electric Railways Company of London|underground railway companies]] which built the [[London Underground]]; in 1912 the Underground Group took over the LGOC and in 1913 it also absorbed the [[Trams in London|London tramway companies]]. The Underground Group became part of the new [[London Passenger Transport Board]] (LPTB) on 1 July 1933, which also took over the Metropolitan Railway. Underground trains, Green Line coaches, trolleybuses and trams then began to operate as London Transport, although the name 'General' continued to be seen on buses and their timetables for a few months longer.

The London Transport name continued in use until 2000 (2003 on the Underground), although the political management of transport services changed several times. The LPTB oversaw transport from 1933 to 1947 until it was re-organised as the [[London Transport Executive]] (1948 to 1962).<ref>{{cite book|title=Instant encyclopaedia of geography. 23. Transportation geography|year=1993|publisher=Mittal publ.|location=New Delhi|isbn=817099506X|page=295|edition=1st|editor1=by S. P. Sinha |editor2=Faguni Ram |editor3=Manager Prasad |display-editors=etal }}</ref> Responsibility for London Transport was subsequently taken over to the [[London Transport Board]] (1963 to 1969), the [[London Transport Executive (GLC)|Greater London Council]] (1970 to 1984) and [[London Regional Transport]] (1984 to 2000/2003).

Following the [[privatisation of London bus services]] in 1986, bus services were [[Corporate spin-off|spun off]] to a separate operation based on competitive tendering, [[London Buses]]. On 3 July 2000, as part of the formation of the new [[Greater London Authority]], responsibility for most of London Transport was taken over by a new transport authority, [[Transport for London]] (TfL), which is the [[state ownership|publicly owned]] transport corporation for the London region now.<ref>Greater London Authority Act 1999 s154 et.seq.</ref><ref>SI 2000 No.1548 The Transport for London (Specified Activities) Order 2000</ref>

However, because of the continuing controversy over public-private partnerships in connection with London Underground maintenance, the new GLA led by Mayor Ken Livingstone was not permitted to take control of the Underground until the PPP contracts had been signed. In the event, London Regional Transport continued in existence as the owner of London Underground Ltd until July 2003.<ref>London Regional Transport: 14 July 2003 Tube transfers to Mayor and TfL at midnight</ref> London Regional Transport was wound up on 15 July.

==Metro and light rail==
[[File:Greater London rail frequency map.svg|thumb|The radial form of the London railway network (light, heavy, and metro)]]
TfL operates three different railway systems across London. The largest is the [[London Underground]], a [[rapid transit]] system operating on sub-surface lines and in deep-level "tube" lines. TfL also operates the [[Docklands Light Railway]] (DLR), an automated [[light rail]] system in the east of the city, and the [[Tramlink]] system.<ref name="tfl-about">{{cite web|title=Company information|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/4510.aspx|work=Transport for London website|access-date=28 December 2012}}</ref>

The London Underground and the DLR account for 40 percent of the journeys between [[Inner London]] and [[Outer London]], making them the most highly used systems in all of [[London]].<ref name="Travel in London">{{cite web |date=2009 |title=Travel in London Report 1 |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-london-report-1-.pdf |access-date=4 August 2014 |website=TfL |publisher=Transport for London}}</ref> These three systems extend to most points of London, creating a comprehensive and extensive system. One major area missed by these systems is [[South London]], which is dominated by a large [[National Rail|suburban rail network]].

===London Underground===
{{Main|London Underground }}
[[File:Tube at waterloo.jpg|thumb|A London Underground [[Bakerloo line]] train arriving into [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo station]]]]
Colloquially known as the Tube, the London Underground was the first rapid transit system in the world, having begun operations in 1863.<ref name=lu-history>{{cite web|title=London Underground History|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1604.aspx|work=Transport for London website|access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref> More than 3&nbsp;million passengers travel on the Underground every day, amounting to [[List of metro systems#List|over 1&nbsp;billion passenger journeys per year]] for the first time in 2006.<ref name=tfl-facts>{{cite web|title=London Underground Key Facts|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx|work=TfL website|access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/4770.aspx
|access-date=22 July 2010
|title=Tube carries one billion passengers for first time
|publisher=Transport for London |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080702030329/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/4770.aspx |archive-date = 2 July 2008}}</ref> The Underground has [[London Underground#Lines|11 lines]], most of which connect the suburbs to [[Central London]] and together form a dense network in central London, linking major railway stations, central business areas and icons. The Underground serves [[North London]] much more extensively than South London. This is the result of a combination of unfavourable geology, historical competition from surface railways and the historical geography of London which was focused to the north of the [[River Thames]]. South London is served primarily by surface railways (the majority of London Underground's route length is actually on the surface rather than in tunnel).

Carrying nearly 50% of London's commuters, the Tube is the most heavily used mode of public transport in the area.<ref name="Travel in London"/>

===Docklands Light Railway===
{{Main|Docklands Light Railway }}
[[File:Docklands Light Railway 129 (6851775078).jpg|thumb|An automated [[Docklands Light Railway]] train at [[Heron Quays DLR station|Heron Quays]], in the [[Canary Wharf]] financial district]]
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light rail system serving the [[London Docklands|Docklands]] area of east London. It complements the London Underground, largely sharing its fares system and having a number of interchanges with it.

The DLR serves over 101 million passengers a year and is an essential piece of infrastructure to [[East London]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Light Rail and Tram Statistics: England 2013/14|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320645/light-rail-and-tram-statistics-2013-14.pdf|website=Government of the UK|publisher=Department for Transport|access-date=5 August 2014}}</ref> The DLR's most heavily used stations are [[Bank DLR station|Bank]], [[Canary Wharf DLR station|Canary Wharf]], [[Canning Town DLR station|Canning Town]], [[Lewisham DLR station|Lewisham]] and [[Woolwich Arsenal DLR station|Woolwich Arsenal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/147052/response/359385/attach/3/FOI%201813%201213%20DLR.xls|date=12 February 2013|access-date=10 November 2013|publisher=[[Transport for London]]|title=Freedom of Information DLR usage 1213}}</ref>

Partly thanks to the success of [[Canary Wharf]], the system has expanded several times and now has five main branches connecting the [[Isle of Dogs]] and [[Royal Docks]] to each other and to the [[City of London]], [[Stratford, London|Stratford]], [[Woolwich]] and [[Lewisham]] south of the river. It also serves [[London City Airport]] and [[Stratford International]]. A further extension to [[Dagenham Dock railway station|Dagenham Dock]] was proposed, but later cancelled by Mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2008.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7712002.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=TfL scraps projects and cuts jobs | date=6 November 2008 | access-date=1 May 2010}}</ref> The Dagenham Dock extension has featured in later plans,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mts.tfl.gov.uk/documents/MTS09-Chapter-5-Proposals.aspx|title=Mayor's Transport Strategy, Chapter five—transport proposals|publisher=[[Transport for London]]|access-date=21 October 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091017032016/http://mts.tfl.gov.uk/documents/MTS09-Chapter-5-Proposals.aspx|archive-date=17 October 2009}}</ref> but its status is uncertain. Further extensions are under consideration.

===Tramlink===
{{Main|Tramlink}}
[[File:Tram 2548 at Arena.jpg|thumb|A [[Tramlink]] tram bound for [[Beckenham Junction station|Beckenham Junction]] stopping at Arena station]]
The [[Tramlink]] is a [[tram]] and light rail system serving Croydon and surrounding areas. It operates in the boroughs of [[London Borough of Bromley|Bromley]], [[London Borough of Croydon|Croydon]] and [[London Borough of Merton|Merton]] and [[Sutton, London|Sutton]] and has 39 stations. In 2011, it carried over 28 million passengers, up from 18&nbsp;million in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|title=TRAMLINK OPERATIONS|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/Item06-RUP-12-July-2011-Tramlink-Operations-v2SC.pdf|website=tfl.gov.uk|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=27 August 2014}}</ref>

The network consists of 39 stops along {{convert|28|km|0|abbr=on}} of track,<ref>{{cite web|title=London Trams|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/what-we-do/london-trams?intcmp=2647|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108184124/https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/what-we-do/london-trams?intcmp=2647|archive-date=8 November 2016|access-date=9 November 2016|publisher=Transport for London}}</ref> on a mixture of street track shared with other traffic, dedicated track in public roads, and off-street track consisting of new rights-of-way, former railway lines, and one right-of-way where the Tramlink track runs parallel to a [[third rail]]-electrified [[Network Rail]] line.

The system runs on its own right of way, mixed use rails and with street traffic. The network has connections with the London Underground, the [[London Overground]] and the National Rail system. There are several extensions planned for the system, such as expanding its coverage and further integrating it into the Underground system.

==Heavy rail==
{{Main|London station group|Rail transport in Great Britain}}
[[File:Clock and view over concourse, Waterloo Station, London.jpg|thumb|Waterloo is the [[List of busiest railway stations in Great Britain|busiest railway station]] in London and the UK, with nearly a hundred million entries and exits from the station every year. It is also the country's largest station in terms of floor space and has the greatest number of platforms.]]
London is the focal point of the British railway network, with [[London station group|18 major stations]] providing a combination of suburban, intercity, airport and international services; 14 of these stations are termini and 5 are through stations, while two others are both. Most areas of the city not served by the Underground or DLR are served by suburban [[heavy rail]] services into one of these stations. These suburban rail services are not part of Transport for London (apart from [[London Overground]] and [[Elizabeth line|Elizabeth Line]]) but are owned and operated by a number of private rail firms and use TfL's [[Oyster card]] system.

The terminal (only) stations are [[Cannon Street station|Cannon Street]], [[Charing Cross railway station|Charing Cross]], [[Euston railway station|Euston]], [[Fenchurch Street railway station|Fenchurch Street]], [[London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross]], [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]], [[Marylebone station|Marylebone]], [[Moorgate station|Moorgate]], [[Paddington station|Paddington]], [[London Victoria station|Victoria]] and [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo]].

The through stations are [[Waterloo East railway station|Waterloo East]], [[City Thameslink railway station|City Thameslink]], [[Old Street station|Old Street]], [[Vauxhall station|Vauxhall]]. The 'mixed' stations are [[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras]], [[Blackfriars station|Blackfriars]] and [[London Bridge station|London Bridge]]. London is also linked by rail to mainland [[Europe]] by [[High Speed 1]] (HS1) through the [[Channel Tunnel]] Rail Link. High-speed [[Eurostar]] trains serve [[Gare du Nord|Paris]], [[Brussels-South railway station|Brussels]] and Amsterdam central station. Eurostar's London terminus is at [[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras International]] and the HS1 route passes through [[Stratford International railway station|Stratford International]] and two stations in the county of [[Kent]], [[Ashford International railway station|Ashford International]] and [[Ebbsfleet International railway station|Ebbsfleet International]].

{{panorama
| image = Major railway stations of London map.svg
| caption = Map of the railway stations of central London. Unlike other cities in the country, London has numerous railway termini dotted around the place serving different lines.
| height = 300px
}}

===Suburban and regional===
{{Main|Urban rail in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Cross-london-rail.png|thumb|Cross-London rail routes]]
London is the centre of an extensive radial commuter railway network which, along with Paris, is the busiest and largest in Europe, comprising [[List of London railway stations|368 railway stations]] in the [[London fare zones|London Travelcard Zones]], serving Greater London and the surrounding [[London metropolitan area|metropolitan area]]. Each terminus is associated with commuter services from a particular segment of this area. The majority of commuters to central London (about 80% of 1.1&nbsp;million) arrive by either the Underground (400,000 daily) or by surface railway into these termini (860,000 daily).<ref>[http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/transport/trans_strat.jsp The Mayor's Transport Strategy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060115103147/http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/transport/trans_strat.jsp |date=15 January 2006 }} – Figure 2.20 and Paragraph 2.76.</ref>

For historical reasons, London's commuter rail network is arranged in a radial form, and as a result the majority of services entering London terminate at one of the terminal stations around the edge of the city centre. Two long-distance National Rail lines currently go across London: the [[Thameslink|Thameslink route]] runs between the more distant towns of {{stnlnk|Bedford}} in the north and {{stnlnk|Brighton}} on the south coast, passing through the City of London north-south, London suburbs as well as [[Luton Airport Parkway railway station|Luton Airport Parkway]] and {{stnlnk|Gatwick Airport}}, while the [[Elizabeth line]] passes through the city east{{ndash}}west and is operated by [[MTR Elizabeth line]] running between {{stnlnk|Reading}} in the west and {{stnlnk|Shenfield}} in the east.<ref name="southlondon-RUS">{{cite web|title=South London Route Utilisation Strategy|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/south%20london/south%20london%20rus.pdf|publisher=Network Rail|access-date=29 November 2012|date=March 2008|archive-date=19 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119025209/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/south%20london/south%20london%20rus.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> A major expansion of the Thameslink route is planned 2013–18, in which a number of existing regional rail services will be redirected via the cross-London Thameslink corridor.<ref name="dft-thameslink">{{cite web|title=Consultation on the combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2719/consultation-thameslink.pdf|publisher=Department for Transport|access-date=29 November 2012}}</ref>

Constantly increasing pressure on the commuter rail systems and on the Underground to disperse passengers from the busy terminals led to the multibillion-pound [[Crossrail]] project to develop the Elizabeth line. When it opened in May 2022, the Elizabeth line added further cross-London line passing through Paddington and Liverpool Street. New or upgraded stations have been provided at key city centre locations, linking to the Underground.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/crossrail-elizabeth-line-opening-date-announced-may-24-london-tube-tfl-transport-for-london-b997837.html |title= Crossrail opening date finally announced|date= 4 May 2022}}</ref>

While most stations in central London are termini, there are a few notable exceptions. London Bridge station has several through lines to the more central termini at Cannon Street and Charing Cross, and trains to the latter also call at [[Waterloo East railway station|Waterloo East]], linked to [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo]] by a footbridge. London Bridge's through platforms are also used by the Thameslink services of [[Govia Thameslink Railway]], which cross the city centre, calling at Blackfriars, City Thameslink, [[Farringdon station|Farringdon]] and St Pancras.

{{panorama
| image = Railway stations, lines and termini in central London.png
| caption = Stations, lines and termini of commuter suburban and regional railways in central London as of 2022 (excluding international services)
| height = 400px
}}

====London Overground====
{{Main|London Overground}}
[[File:Unit 378005 at Canonbury.jpg|thumb|[[London Overground]] running a [[North London line]] service. This forms part of London's orbital route.]]
In addition to London's radial lines and cross-London routes, there are also several orbital National Rail lines connecting peripheral inner-London suburbs. These lines have been under the management of TfL since November 2007 and are operated by private contract under the [[London Overground]] brand. This commuter transport is operated as a rapid transit system with high-frequency services around a circular route with radial branch lines and is designed to reduce stress from the inner-city Tube network by allowing commuters to travel across London without going through the central Zone 1.<ref name=tfl-LO>{{cite web|title=About London Overground|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/1558.aspx|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=9 December 2012}}</ref>

London Overground was formed by joining a series of existing railway lines to form a circular route around the city and incorporates the oldest part of the Underground's history, the [[Thames Tunnel]] under the [[River Thames]], which was completed in 1843. The routes comprise:

*The [[North London line]], which arcs across [[North London]] from [[Richmond (London) station|Richmond]] in the west via [[Willesden Junction station|Willesden Junction]] and [[Highbury & Islington station|Highbury & Islington]] to [[Stratford station|Stratford]] in the east.
*The [[West London line]] linking {{stnlnk|Clapham Junction}} to Willesden Junction with some trains to Stratford via the North London Line.
*The [[East London line]] (including the [[South London line]]), a former London Underground line which was converted to heavy rail operation in 2010; part of the [[Brighton Main Line]] between [[New Cross Gate railway station|New Cross Gate]] and [[Norwood Junction railway station|Norwood Junction]]; and the [[South London line]] which was added to the London Overground network in December 2012, completing the circuit across the South London suburbs to [[Clapham Junction railway station|Clapham Junction]].<ref name=bbc-orbital>{{cite news|title=Outer London rail orbital opens for passengers|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20557061|access-date=9 December 2012|publisher=BBC News|date=9 December 2012}}</ref> Running from Highbury & Islington to [[New Cross station|New Cross]], [[West Croydon railway station|West Croydon]], and Crystal Palace, and via the South London Line, Clapham Junction.

Other routes operated include:
*The [[Gospel Oak to Barking line]] which links inner North London to the northeastern suburbs, and was extended to [[Barking Riverside]] in 2022.
*The inner-suburban [[Watford DC line]] from [[Euston railway station|Euston]] to {{stnlnk|Watford Junction}}.
*Suburban services from [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]] to [[Chingford railway station|Chingford]], [[Enfield Town railway station|Enfield Town]] and [[Cheshunt railway station|Cheshunt]] via [[Hackney Downs railway station|Hackney Downs]].
*The [[Romford to Upminster Line]] via [[Emerson Park railway station|Emerson Park]].

====Airport services====
[[File:London airport links map.png|thumb|Map of rail and Tube links to London Airports]]
[[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]], [[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]] and [[Stansted Airport|Stansted]] airports are served by dedicated train services, and are also served by standard commuter services. The [[Heathrow Express]] service from Paddington is provided by the airport operator, [[Heathrow Airport Holdings]], whilst the [[Gatwick Express]] from Victoria and [[Stansted Express]] from Liverpool Street are provided by franchised train operating companies.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Airport !! Train operator !! Central London station  !! Notes
|-
|[[London City Airport|City]]||[[Docklands Light Railway|DLR]]||[[Bank DLR station|Bank]]/[[Tower Gateway DLR station|Tower Gateway]]|| 
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]]||[[Gatwick Express]]||[[London Victoria railway station|Victoria]]|| Non-stop service, sub brand of [[Govia Thameslink Railway]]
|-
|[[Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)|Southern]]|| Victoria || Semi-fast and fast service via [[Clapham Junction railway station|Clapham Junction]]
|-
| [[Govia Thameslink Railway|Thameslink]]||[[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras]]/[[Farringdon railway station|Farringdon]]/[[City Thameslink railway station|City Thameslink]]/[[Blackfriars railway station|Blackfriars]]/[[London Bridge railway station|London Bridge]]||[[Thameslink]] route service
|-
|rowspan="3"| [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]] ||[[Heathrow Express]]|| Paddington || Non-stop service between Central London and the Airport, serves Terminals 2 & 3, then terminates at [[Heathrow Terminal 5 station|Terminal 5]]
|-
| [[London Underground]]|| Several including [[Earl's Court tube station|Earl's Court]] and [[King's Cross St Pancras tube station|King's Cross St Pancras]]||[[Piccadilly line]] service
|-
| [[Elizabeth line]] || [[Paddington railway station|Paddington]], [[Bond Street station|Bond Street]], [[Tottenham Court Road station|Tottenham Court Road]], [[Farringdon railway station|Farringdon]], [[Liverpool Street railway station|Liverpool Street]] || Stopping service, formerly [[Heathrow Connect]]
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Luton Airport|Luton]] || [[Govia Thameslink Railway|Thameslink]] || St Pancras/Farringdon/City Thameslink/Blackfriars/London Bridge/Elephant & Castle   || Thameslink route service
|-
|[[East Midlands Railway]] ||[[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras International]] ||Regional services from St Pancras to Corby
|-
|[[London Stansted Airport|Stansted]]||[[Stansted Express]]||[[Liverpool Street railway station|Liverpool Street]]|| Limited stop service, sub brand of [[Greater Anglia]]
|-
|[[Southend Airport|Southend]]||[[Greater Anglia]]|| Liverpool Street || 
|}

====Operators====
[[File:700110 - London Blackfriars 3T13.JPG|thumb|A [[Thameslink]] train on a cross-London route at [[Blackfriars station]] in central London]]
Unlike the Underground, which is a single system owned and operated by Transport for London, National Rail lines in and around London are run by a number of separate [[Train operating company|train operating companies]] (TOCs) under contract with the Department for Transport. This results from the [[privatisation of British Rail]] in the 1990s which split the former state railway operator [[British Rail]] into a number of smaller franchises in order to increase competition and allow railways to operate in a [[free market]]. This structure has now been abandoned in favour of operating contracts, for which the commercial risk is taken by the government. The former franchises were abolished in September 2020.<ref>Department for Transport: 21 September 2020 Rail franchising reaches the terminus as a new railway takes shape</ref>

Among the firms operating passenger services in London, some are owned by foreign companies or by [[State ownership|state-owned]] railways of other European countries.<ref name=haywood>{{cite book|last=Haywood|first=Russell|title=Railways, urban development and town planning in Britain : 1948-2008|year=2009|publisher=Ashgate|location=Farnham, England|isbn=9780754673927|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vWhpkyrFvjAC&q=foreign-owned+train+operating+companies+london&pg=PA266|edition=[Online-Ausg.].|access-date=10 December 2012|page=266}}</ref><ref name=brummer>{{cite book|last=Brummer|first=Alex|title=Britain for Sale: British Companies in Foreign Hands|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-1448136810|chapter=7. the Export of Transport|year=2012}}</ref><ref name=guardian-arriva>{{cite news|title=Arriva takeover bid revives foreign takeover row|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/apr/22/foreign-takeovers-row-deutsche-bahn|access-date=17 April 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 April 2010|author=Macalister, Terry|author2=Milmo, Dan}}</ref> London Overground is operated by a private company under contract to Transport for London, as is Docklands Light Railway. Heathrow Express is not part of the National Rail contract system, being an [[open-access operator]] instead.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! width=180pt| Train operator
! Franchise/services
! width=180pt| Parent company/owner
|-
| [[Arriva Rail London]] || [[London Overground]] metro service across London|| [[Arriva UK Trains|Arriva]]
|-
| [[c2c]] || [[Essex Thameside]] – local and regional/commuter services from [[Fenchurch Street railway station|Fenchurch Street]] to East London and South Essex || [[Trenitalia]]
|-
| [[Chiltern Railways]] || [[London to Aylesbury Line]] – local and regional/commuter services from [[Marylebone railway station|Marylebone]] to North West London, [[Buckinghamshire]] || [[Arriva UK Trains|Arriva]]
|-
| [[East Midlands Railway]] || Regional services from [[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras]] to [[Corby railway station|Corby]] || [[Transport UK Group]]
|-
| [[MTR Elizabeth line]] || [[Elizabeth line]] cross-London regional / commuter service from {{rws|Reading}} and [[Heathrow Airport]] in the west, through the centre of the city to [[Stratford station|Stratford]] and {{rws|Shenfield}} in the east || [[MTR Corporation#United Kingdom|MTR Corporation]]
|-
| [[Govia Thameslink Railway]] || [[Thameslink Southern & Great Northern franchise]] – operate under the [[Gatwick Express]], Great Northern, [[Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)|Southern]], and Thameslink brands from [[London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross]], [[Moorgate station|Moorgate]], [[Blackfriars railway station|Blackfriars]], [[London Bridge railway station|London Bridge]] and [[London Victoria railway station|Victoria]] to North London, South London, [[Hertfordshire]], [[Cambridgeshire]], [[Bedfordshire]], [[Kent]] and [[Sussex]], also operate cross city services via the [[Thameslink]] route || [[Govia]]
|-
| [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] || {{ubl|[[Greater Western franchise]] – local and regional/commuter services from [[Paddington railway station|Paddington]] to [[West London (sub region)|West London]] and the [[Thames Valley]]|[[Heathrow Express]] Non-stop service from Paddington to [[Heathrow Airport]] (infrastructure owned by [[Heathrow Airport Holdings]])}} || [[FirstGroup]]
|-
| [[Greater Anglia (train operating company)|Greater Anglia]] || [[East Anglia franchise]] – local and regional/commuter services from [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]] to [[Essex]], [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Cambridgeshire]], also operate the ''[[Stansted Express]]'' || [[Transport UK Group]] / [[Mitsui & Co.|Mitsui]]
|-
| [[West Midlands Trains#London Northwestern Railway|London Northwestern Railway]] || Local and regional/commuter services from [[Euston railway station|Euston]] to Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and [[Northamptonshire]], [[Warwickshire]], [[Staffordshire]] and [[Birmingham]] || [[Transport UK Group]] / [[East Japan Railway Company|JR East]] / Mitsui
|-
| [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]] || [[South Western franchise]] – local services from [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo]] to South West London and regional/commuter services to [[Surrey]], [[Hampshire]], [[Dorset]] & [[Berkshire]] || FirstGroup / [[MTR Corporation]]
|-
| [[Southeastern (train operating company)|Southeastern]] || [[South Eastern franchise]] – local metro services across South East London and commuter and regional services from [[London Victoria railway station|Victoria]], [[Charing Cross railway station|Charing Cross]], [[Cannon Street railway station|Cannon Street]], [[Blackfriars railway station|Blackfriars]] and high speed services from [[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras]] to [[Kent]] || [[DfT Operator]] on behalf of [[Department for Transport]]
|}
[[File:St Pancras railway station MMB E1 395025.jpg|thumb|[[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras station]] is one of London's main domestic and international transport hubs providing both commuter rail and high-speed rail services across England.]]

===National InterCity===
Long-distance [[Inter-city rail|intercity]] services are provided at some London rail termini. Because the termini and intercity routes were largely built by competing companies, many termini serve cities in overlapping regions or different parts of the same region:

*[[Euston railway station|London Euston]] for the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]], [[Wales]], [[North West England]] and [[Scotland]]
*[[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]] for the East Midlands, [[Yorkshire and the Humber]], North East England and Scotland
*[[Paddington station|London Paddington]] for [[South West England]], the West Midlands and Wales
*[[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]] for the [[East Midlands]], Yorkshire and the Humber and [[Kent]]
*[[Liverpool Street station|London Liverpool Street]] for [[East of England]]
*[[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]] for trains to the south coast and South West England.
[[File:E320 Eurostar nearest the camera, older Alsthom stock behind at St Pancras.jpg|thumb|[[Eurostar]] high speed trains at [[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras station]]]]

===International===
[[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras]] provides international [[Eurostar]] services via the [[Channel Tunnel]] to cities including [[Paris]], [[Brussels]], [[Lyon]] and [[Marseille]], with journeys to Paris in around 2 hours 15 minutes and to Brussels in around 1 hour 50 minutes. Journeys have also started to [[Amsterdam Centraal station|Amsterdam]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7093761.stm |title=England &#124; London &#124; Eurostar arrives in Paris on time |publisher=BBC News |date=14 November 2007 |access-date=27 April 2010}}</ref>

It is also possible to purchase combined train and ferry tickets on the [[Dutchflyer]] service to the Netherlands<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry-to-holland/rail-and-sail|title=Rail & Sail &#124; Ferry and train to Holland &#124; Stena Line|website=stenaline.co.uk}}</ref> as well as the [[Irish Ferries]] service to the Republic of Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/special-offers-from-britain-to-ireland/rail-sail/|title=Sail & Rail From Britain to Ireland With Irish Ferries|website=irishferries.com}}</ref>

==Ticketing==
{{anchor|ticketing}}
{{main|Oyster card}}
[[File:Oystercard.jpg|thumb|right|The TfL Oyster card electronic ticket]]
London commuters mostly gain access to public transport services in London by using one of the inter-modal travel tickets provided by Transport for London. Oyster card is a credit-card-sized [[electronic ticket]] which offers almost unlimited use on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, Tramlink, London Buses and National Rail services in the [[Greater London]] area.<ref name=tfl-tickets>{{cite web|title=Tickets|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/|work=Transport for London website|access-date=3 December 2012}}</ref> Commuters entering London from further afield may rely on the older paper [[Travelcard]] (combined with a National Rail ticket) which offers the same inter-modal access but is valid at the regional railway stations not yet equipped to offer electronic ticketing. Oyster card is generally not valid outside the London fare zones or on certain airport express services.

Both Travelcard and Oyster card fares are calculated by using a system of fare zones which divides London's transport network into concentric circles numbered 1–6. Individual transport operators may also offer their own ticketing and fare tariffs for travel on one mode of transport.

The [[London Pass]] offers tourists visiting London a combination of the Travelcard and admissions to a number of tourist attractions for a set fee in advance.

==Roads==
[[File:Space taken vs numbers in City of London (transport).png|thumb|300px|Numbers of people using different transport types in the City of London in 2017 against the road space used by that type<ref>{{cite web|url=https://democracy.cityoflondon.gov.uk/documents/s91800/Appendix+1+-+Traffic+in+the+City+2018.pdf|title=TRAFFIC IN THE CITY 2018|website= City of London Corporation}}</ref>]]
London has a hierarchy of roads ranging from major radial and orbital trunk roads down to minor "side streets". At the top level are motorways and [[grade-separated]] [[dual carriageways]], supplemented by non-grade-separated urban dual carriageways, major single carriageway roads, local distributor roads and small local streets.

Most of the streets of central London were laid out before cars were invented, and London's road network is often congested. Attempts to tackle this go back at least to the 1740s, when the [[New Road (London)|New Road]] was built through the fields north of the city; it is now just another congested central London thoroughfare. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, new wide roads such as [[Victoria Embankment]], [[Shaftesbury Avenue]] and [[Kingsway, London|Kingsway]] were created. In the 1920s and 1930s a series of new radial roads, such as the [[Western Avenue, London|Western Avenue]] and [[Eastern Avenue, London|Eastern Avenue]], were constructed in the new suburban outskirts of London, but little was done in the congested central area.

A 1938 report, ''The Highway Development Survey'', by [[Charles Bressey|Sir Charles Bressey]] and [[Edwin Lutyens|Sir Edwin Lutyens]] for the [[Department for Transport|Ministry of Transport]] and [[Patrick Abercrombie|Sir Patrick Abercrombie's]] 1943 ''[[County of London Plan]]'' and 1944 ''Greater London Plan'' all recommended the construction of many miles of new roads and the improvement of existing routes and junctions; but little was done to implement the recommendations. In the 1960s the [[Greater London Council]] prepared a drastic plan for a network of [[London Ringways]] including the construction of the [[London Ringways#Ringway 1|London Motorway Box]] which would have involved massive demolition and huge cost to bring motorways into the heart of the city. Resistance from central government over the costs, and campaigns of objections from local residents, caused the cancellation of most of the plans in 1973. By the end of the 20th century policy swung towards a preference for public transport improvements, although the 118-mile (190&nbsp;km) [[M25 motorway|M25]] orbital motorway was constructed between 1973 and 1986 to provide a route for traffic to bypass the London urban area.

===Major routes===
[[File:M25 motorway - geograph.org.uk - 3930198.jpg|thumb|The busy [[M25 motorway]] that circles the urban area]]
[[File:Greater London road network map.png|thumb|Map of all primary routes and motorways in Greater London]]
Due to the opposition to the Ringway plan and earlier proposals there are few [[grade separation|grade-separated]] routes penetrating to the city centre. Only the western [[A40 road (Great Britain)|A40]], northeastern A12 Leyton By-pass, eastern [[A13 road (Great Britain)|A13]] and southeastern [[A2 road (Great Britain)|A2]] are grade-separated for most of the way into central London. There is also the eastern A1203, a dual carriageway tunnel around the Docklands area, which directly links onto the A13.

There is a technical distinction between the motorways, operated by [[National Highways]], and other major routes, operated by TfL as the ''Transport for London Route Network (TLRN)''. Many of London's major radial routes continue far beyond the city as part of the national motorway and trunk road network.

From the north, clockwise (and noting a key commuter location served by each rather than the final destination), the major radial routes are the [[A10 road (Great Britain)|A10]] (north to [[Hertford]]), the [[M11 motorway|M11]] (north to [[Cambridge]]), the [[A12 road (Great Britain)|A12]] (northeast to [[Chelmsford]]), the [[A127 road|A127]] (east to [[Southend]]), the [[A13 road (Great Britain)|A13]] (also east to [[Southend]]), the [[A2 road (Great Britain)|A2]]/[[M2 motorway (Great Britain)|M2]] (east to [[Chatham, Medway|Chatham]]), the [[A20 road (Great Britain)|A20]]/[[M20 motorway|M20]] (east to [[Maidstone]]), the [[A23 road (Great Britain)|A23]]/[[M23 motorway|M23]] (south to [[Gatwick Airport]] and [[Brighton]]), the [[A3 road|A3]] (southwest to [[Guildford]]), [[A316 road|A316]]/[[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3]] (southwest to [[Basingstoke]]), the [[A4 road (Great Britain)|A4]]/[[M4 motorway|M4]] (west to [[Heathrow Airport]] and [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]), the [[A40 road (Great Britain)|A40]]/[[M40 motorway|M40]] (west to [[Oxford]]), the [[M1 motorway|M1]] (northwest to [[Luton]] & [[Milton Keynes]]) and the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] (north to [[Stevenage]]).

There are also three [[ring roads]] linking these routes orbitally. The innermost, the Inner Ring Road, circumnavigates the [[London congestion charge|congestion charging zone]] in the city centre. The generally grade-separated [[North Circular Road]] (the A406 from [[Gunnersbury]] to [[East Ham]]) and the non-separated [[South Circular Road, London|South Circular Road]] (the A205) form a suburban ring of roughly 10&nbsp;km radius. Finally, the [[M25 motorway|M25]] encircles most of the urban area with roughly a 25&nbsp;km radius. The western section of the M25 past Heathrow Airport is one of Europe's busiest, carrying around 200,000 vehicles per day.

None of these roads have [[toll road|tolls]], although the [[Dartford Crossing]], which links the two ends of the M25 to the east of London, is tolled. The [[Blackwall Tunnel]] and [[Silvertown Tunnel]] will be tolled from 2025, with charges expected to be similar to the Dartford Crossing.

===Distributor and minor routes===
The major roads mentioned above are supplemented by a host of standard single-carriageway main roads, operated as part of the afore-mentioned TLRN. These roads generally link suburbs with each other, or deliver traffic from the ends of the major routes into the city centre.

The TLRN is supplemented by local distributor roads operated by the local authorities, the London boroughs. These non-strategic roads only carry local traffic.

===Congestion charge and emissions charges===
{{main|London congestion charge|Ultra Low Emission Zone}}
[[File:Contributors to London air pollution.png|thumb|NOx emissions from road transport in Greater London (GLA boundary) from 2013 to 2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cleancitiescampaign.org/2022/03/03/diesel-cars-cause-three-times-as-much-pollution-as-hgvs/|title=Diesel cars pollutes more than trucks & lorries combined|date=2 March 2022}}</ref>]]
In 2003, TfL introduced the [[London congestion charge|congestion charge]]<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2770721.stm |title=Smooth start for congestion charge |publisher=BBC News |date=18 February 2003 |access-date=26 May 2007}}</ref> for all non-exempt vehicles entering Central London during busy periods with the aim of reducing traffic congestion and improving journey times for buses, cars, and delivery vehicles. Within three years, traffic congestion within the operational area had dropped by 30%,<ref name="fourthreport">{{Cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Fourth-Annual-Report-Overview.pdf |title=Impacts monitoring – Fourth Annual Report Overview |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=26 May 2007 |date=June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016173354/https://content.tfl.gov.uk/Fourth-Annual-Report-Overview.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-16}}</ref> with delays dropping from 2.3 to 1.8 delay minutes per kilometre{{r |fourthreport |p=4}}, though its effectiveness is contested by critics. The charge was increased to £8 per day in 2005.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4399059.stm  | title=Congestion charge increases to £8 |publisher=BBC News |date=1 April 2005 |access-date=8 April 2006}}</ref> From 2007 to December 2010, the zone was extended to cover most of Kensington and Chelsea.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/article2283984.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221040537/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/article2283984.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 February 2007 |title=Capital's congestion charge area extended |first=Peter |last=Woodman |date=19 February 2007 |access-date=26 May 2007 | location=London | work=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2010/october/mayor-confirms-removal-of-congestion-charge-western-extension-zone-by-christmas-and-introduction-of-cc-auto-pay-in-new-year|title= Mayor confirms removal of Congestion Charge Western Extension Zone by Christmas and introduction of CC Auto Pay in New Year|date=20 October 2010|accessdate= 29 July 2018|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20210703081106/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2010/october/mayor-confirms-removal-of-congestion-charge-western-extension-zone-by-christmas-and-introduction-of-cc-auto-pay-in-new-year |archivedate=3 July 2021|url-status=live}})</ref> As of 2019, around 90,000 vehicles drive into the congestion charging zone each day, down from over 100,000 in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/two-in-three-vehicles-in-ulez-already-comply-with-new-pollution-rules-data-reveals-a4111891.html |title=Two in three vehicles in ULEZ already comply with new pollution rules, data reveals|date=8 April 2019}}</ref>

In April 2019, the [[Ultra Low Emission Zone]] (ULEZ) came into force across Central London, which operates 24/7 and applies to vehicles which do not meet Euro 4 standards for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel. ULEZ replaced the older [[T-charge]] which only required Euro 4 standards.<ref name=TCharge>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/17/london-to-introduce-vehicle-pollution-charge-in-october-says-mayor-sadiq-khan |title=London to introduce £10 vehicle pollution charge, says Sadiq Khan | first=Rowena |last=Mason | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=17 February 2017 | access-date=23 February 2017}}</ref><ref name=TCharge02>{{cite news | url=http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-news/95559/london-introduces-new-10-t-charge-to-cut-vehicle-pollution |title=London introduces new £10 'T-charge' to cut vehicle pollution | first= Martin |last=Saarinen | work=[[Auto Express]] | date=17 February 2017 | access-date=23 February 2017}}</ref>

From 25 October 2021, ULEZ will be extended to the North and South Circular, covering an area containing 3.8&nbsp;million people.<ref name="fleetnewsnov2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-industry-news/2017/11/03/london-mayor-confirms-ultra-low-emission-zone-will-start-in-2019|title=London Mayor confirms Ultra-Low Emission Zone will start in 2019|website=fleetnews.co.uk|access-date=25 July 2018|archive-date=25 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725104307/https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-industry-news/2017/11/03/london-mayor-confirms-ultra-low-emission-zone-will-start-in-2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47814416 |title=ULEZ: The politics of London's air pollution|publisher=BBC News|date=5 April 2019}}</ref> Once the zone is expanded, an estimated 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries will pay the charge daily.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2019-04-08/ultra-low-emission-zone-comes-into-force-in-central-london/ |title=Ultra-low emission zone comes into force in central London|date=7 April 2019}}</ref> In August 2023 it was extended to cover all of [[Greater London]], and is the largest low emission zone in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World's first Ultra Low Emission Zone expands to cover inner London {{!}} London City Hall |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/ultra-low-emission-zone-covers-all-of-inner-london |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=london.gov.uk}}</ref>

===Road casualties in London===
Fatal road casualties have decreased by half in since the mid-2000s, with a [[Vision Zero]] target of 2041 for no deaths and serious injuries on London's transport network.<ref name="VisionZero">{{Cite web |title=Vision Zero for London |url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/safety-and-security/road-safety/vision-zero-for-london |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=Transport for London}}</ref> Work to reduce road casualties has included:<ref name="VisionZero" />

* introduction of lower speed limits (often [[20 mph zone|20 mph]])
* redesign of junctions & removal of Gyratories such as [[Elephant and Castle]]
* introduction of [[Cycle Superhighway|segregated cycle lanes]] on key corridors
* improving safety of larger vehicles like buses & [[Heavy goods truck|heavy goods vehicles]] through the [[Direct Vision Standard]] (which ensures drivers have a reasonable view of the road) 
* education and marketing (such as Think! [[Road traffic safety|Road safety]] campaign)
* training for vulnerable road users (such as motorcyclists and cyclists)

The following table shows the number of casualties, grouped by severity, on the roads of Greater London (including the City of London), over recent years.
However, data from the years 2017 and onwards should not be directly compared with previously collected data due to the introduction of online self reporting.<ref name="TFL2019">Transport for London (July 2019). [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2018.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2018].</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! width="80" |
! width="50" | 2008<ref>Transport for London (2009). [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/casualties-greater-london-2008.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2008].</ref>
! width="50" | 2009<ref name="Casualties-2010">Transport for London (2011). [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Cycling/casualties-in-greater-london-2010.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2009 and 2010].</ref>
! width="50" | 2010<ref name="Casualties-2010" />
! width="50" | 2011<ref>Transport for London (June 2012). [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/casualties-in-greater-london-2011.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2011].</ref>
! width="50" | 2012<ref>Transport for London (June 2013). [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-greater-london-2012.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2012].</ref>
! width="50" | 2013<ref>Transport for London (June 2014). [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2013.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2013].</ref>
! width="50" | 2014<ref>Transport for London (June 2015). [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2014.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2014].</ref>
! width="50" | 2015<ref>Transport for London (June 2016). [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2015.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2015].</ref>
! width="50" | 2016<ref>Transport for London (September 2017). [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2016.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2016].</ref>
! width="50" | 2017<ref>Transport for London (September 2018). [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2017.pdf Casualties in Greater London during 2017].</ref>
! width="50" | 2018<ref name="TFL2019" />
!2019<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2020 |title=Casualties in Greater London during 2019 |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2019.pdf |access-date=12 June 2022 |publisher=Transport for London}}</ref>
!2020<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2021 |title=Casualties in Greater London during 2020 |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2020.pdf |access-date=12 June 2022 |publisher=Transport for London}}</ref>
|-
| Fatal || 204 || 184 || 126 || 159 || 134 || 132 || 127 || 136 || 116 || 131 || 112
|125
|96
|-
| Serious || 3,322 || 3,043 || 2,760 || 2,646 || 2,884 || 2,192 || 2,040 || 1,956 || 2,385 || 3,750 || 3,953
|3,780
|2,974
|- style="background: lightgray;"
| Total || 3,526 || 3,227 || 2,886 || 2,805 || 3,018 || 2,324 || 2,167 || 2,092 || 2,501 || 3,881 || 4,065
|3,905
|3,070
|-
| Slight || 24,627 || 24,752 || 26,003 || 26,452 || 25,762 || 24,875 || 28,618 || 28,090 || 27,769 || 28,686 || 26,526
|26,102
|21,275
|- style="background: silver;"
| Grand Total || 28,361 || 27,979 || 28,889 || 29,257 || 28,780 || 27,199 || 30,785 || 30,182 || 30,270 || 32,567 || 30,591
|25,341
|21,001
|}

==Cycling==
{{Main|Cycling in London}}
[[File:Santander Cycles.jpg|thumb|[[Santander Cycles]] docking station on Exhibition Road]]
Cycling in London is a widely popular [[mode of transport]] and leisure activity within London. {{As of|2008}} more than one million Londoners owned bicycles, an 83 per cent increase over ownership in 2000.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=15612 |title=Greater London Authority – Press Release |publisher=London.gov.uk |access-date=27 April 2010 |archive-date=16 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216202308/http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=15612 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There are currently an estimated 480,000 cycle journeys each day in the capital. The growth in cycling can partly be attributed to the launch in 2010 by [[Transport for London]] (TfL) of the capital's [[Santander Cycles|cycle hire system]] throughout the city's centre. By 2013, the scheme was attracting a monthly ridership of approximately 500,000, peaking at a million rides in July of that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/bch-transparency-december-2013.pdf|title=Barclays Cycle Hire: Frequently requested statistics|date=December 2013|website=[[Transport for London]]|access-date=25 June 2014}}</ref> [[Santander Cycles]] (originally named ''Barclays Cycle Hire)'' are available at 750 docking stations across London.

==Buses==
{{Main|Buses in London}}
[[File:LT 518 (LTZ 1518) Arriva London New Routemaster (19394946574).jpg|thumb|A [[New Routemaster]] bus entering Park Lane on [[London Buses route 73|route 73]] to [[Stoke Newington]]]]
The London bus network is extensive, with over 6,800 scheduled services every weekday carrying about six million passengers on over 700 different routes making it one of the most extensive bus systems in the world and by far the largest in Europe.<ref>[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/1548.aspx London Buses], Transport for London. Accessed 10 May 2007.</ref> Catering mainly for local journeys, it carries more passengers than the Underground. In addition to this extensive daytime system, a 100-route [[night bus service]] is also operated, providing a 24-hour service.

Over 800 buses in the 8,700 strong bus fleet are [[Battery electric bus|battery electric]] and [[Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle|hydrogen fuel cell]] buses, the 2nd largest zero emission bus fleet in Europe (behind [[Electric buses in Moscow|Moscow]]).<ref name="TfL bus fleet audit">{{cite web |date=31 March 2022 |title=Bus fleet audit—31 March 2022 |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/fleet-annual-audit-report-31-march-2022.pdf|access-date=12 June 2022 |publisher=Transport for London}}</ref> In 2006, London became one of the first major cities in the world to have an accessible, low floor bus fleet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-12-02 |title=Start of Low floor buses - a Freedom of Information request to Transport for London |url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/start_of_low_floor_buses |access-date=2021-08-07 |website=WhatDoTheyKnow}}</ref><ref name="TfL Independent Living Award">{{Cite web |date=14 December 2007 |title=Transport for London wins Independent Living Award |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2007/december/transport-for-london-wins-independent-living-award |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810223758/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2007/december/transport-for-london-wins-independent-living-award |archive-date=10 August 2021 |access-date=2021-08-10 |website=Transport for London|quote=We have the biggest wheelchair accessible bus network in the world}}</ref>

The [[London Buses]] network and its branded services, the [[Red Arrow (London Buses)|Red Arrow]] and [[East London Transit]] systems are managed by TfL through its arms-length subsidiary company, [[London Buses]] Ltd. As a result of the [[privatisation of London bus services]] in the mid-1990s, bus operations in London are put out to [[Procurement|competitive tendering]]; routes are operated by a number of private companies, while TfL sets the routes, frequencies, fares and types of vehicle used ([[Greater London]] was exempted from the [[bus deregulation in Great Britain]]). Transport companies may bid to run London bus services for a fixed price for several years, with incentives and penalties in place to encourage good performance against certain criteria.<ref name="parker">{{cite book|last=Parker|first=David|title=The official history of privatisation|url=https://archive.org/details/officialhistoryp00park|url-access=limited|year=2009|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=9780203881521|page=[https://archive.org/details/officialhistoryp00park/page/n254 232]}}</ref> The tendering system is open to transport operators from a [[globalisation|global market]], with the result that some London bus services are now operated by international groups such as [[RATP Group]], the state-owned operator of the [[Transport in Paris|Paris public transport system]].<ref name="brummer" /><ref name="guardian-arriva" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Operator !! Routes !! TfL routes !! Parent company
|-
| [[Arriva London]] || London || Yes || [[Arriva]]
|-
| [[Carousel Buses]] || Buckinghamshire || No || [[Go-Ahead Group]]
|-
| [[First Beeline]] || Berkshire || No || rowspan="2" |[[FirstGroup]]
|-
| [[First Bus London]] || London || Yes
|-
| [[Go-Ahead London]] || London || Yes || Go-Ahead Group
|-
| [[Green Line Coaches]] || Express services to Berkshire & Hertfordshire || No || Arriva
|-
| [[London Sovereign]] || North London || Yes || rowspan="3" |FirstGroup 
|-
| [[London Transit (bus company)|London Transit]] || North, West & Central London || Yes
|-
| [[London United Busways|London United]] || West & Central London || Yes
|-
| [[Metrobus (South East England)|Metrobus]] || South and South-east London, and parts of Surrey, Kent, West and East Sussex || No || Go-Ahead Group
|-
| [[Metroline]] || North & West London || Yes || [[ComfortDelGro]]
|-
| [[Stagecoach London]] || South and East London || Yes || [[Stagecoach Group]]
|-
| [[Sullivan Buses]] || Hertfordshire & North London || Yes || -
|-
| [[Transport UK London Bus]] || London || Yes || [[Transport UK Group]]
|-
| [[Uno (bus company)|Uno]] || Hertfordshire & North London || Yes || [[University of Hertfordshire]]
|}

Many services are operated with the iconic red double-decker buses, virtually all using modern low-floor accessible vehicles rather than the traditional open-platform [[AEC Routemaster]]s, now limited to two city centre "heritage routes" after a phase out in 2006. However a [[New Routemaster]] entered service following the withdrawal of the [[Articulated buses in London|articulated buses]] in 2012.

The bus system has been the subject of much investment since TfL's inception in 2000, with consequent improvements in the number of routes (particularly night services), their frequency, reliability and the standard of the vehicles used.

==Taxis==

===Black cabs and hire cars===
[[File:Taxis - Londres - London - photo picture image photography (9586469208).jpg|thumb|240x240px|The iconic [[Hackney carriage]] or black cab]]
[[File:Cabs in London.png|thumb|310px|Taxis and private hire driver licences in London from 2010 to 2022<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/licensing-information|title=Licensing information |website=Transport for London}}</ref>]]
The iconic [[Hackney carriage|black cab]] remains a common sight. They are driven by the only taxicab drivers in the world who have spent at least three years learning the city's road network to gain [[Taxicabs of the United Kingdom#The Knowledge|"The Knowledge"]]. All London taxicabs are licensed by TfL's [[Taxicabs of the United Kingdom|Public Carriage Office]] (PCO), who also set taxicab fares along with strict maximum vehicle [[emission standards]]. Black cabs can be hailed on the street or hired from a taxicab rank (found at all the mainline railway termini and around the major business, shopping and tourist centres). Taxicab fares are set by TfL and are calculated using a [[taximeter]] in the vehicle (hence the name "taxicab") and are calculated using a combination of distance travelled and time.

Private hire vehicles (PHVs or minicabs) are cars which are not licensed to pick people up on the street. They must always be booked in advance by phone or the internet or at the operator's offices. From 1 January 2023, all PHVs licensed for the first time must be Zero Emissions Capable and conform to Euro 6 pollution standards.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/emissions-standards-for-phvs | title=Emissions standards for PHVS }}</ref>

===Bicycle taxis and pedicabs===
[[Pedicab]]s are a fairly recent addition, being mostly used by tourists and operating in the central areas. Cambridge Trishaws Ltd moved from Cambridge to London in 1998 as the first such company to work within the city. There are now 5–10 such companies providing competing services. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) went to the High Court to try to force them to become licensed, but lost their case in 2004.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3531724.stm |title=Taxi driver: London |date=4 August 2004 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=28 May 2007}}</ref>

There has been a move, led by Chris Smallwood, chairman of the London Pedicab Operators Association, to bring in more relevant legislation. Smallwood helped to draft an amendment to a bill to be put before the House of Lords that would introduce these 'lighter' pedicab regulations. This was followed in 2005 by Transport Committee scrutiny to determine the future of the then nascent industry. This led in turn, to a 2006 TfL consultation "for the introduction of a licensing regime that is appropriate for pedicabs and their riders".<ref>{{Cite press release |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/3584.aspx |title=Public Carriage Office begins consultation on licensing pedicabs in London |date=29 June 2006 |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=28 May 2007}}</ref>

==Airports==
{{Main|Airports of London}}
[[File:Heathrow Airport - geograph.org.uk - 3994266.jpg|thumb|London's [[Heathrow Airport]] is one of the busiest airports in the world.]]
The London airport system is [[List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic|the busiest in the world]], with more than 170&nbsp;million passengers using its six airports in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Revealed: The most crowded skies on the planet |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/the-busiest-skies-on-the-planet/london/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/the-busiest-skies-on-the-planet/london/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=The Telegraph |access-date=2 March 2020 |date=27 July 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In order of size, these airports are [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]], [[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]], [[Stansted Airport|Stansted]], [[Luton Airport|Luton]], [[London City Airport|London City]], and [[Southend Airport|Southend]].

Heathrow and Gatwick serve long-haul, European and domestic flights; Southend is used mostly for European flights; Stansted and Luton handle low-cost European and domestic services; whilst London City caters for business passengers to short-haul and domestic destinations. A small number of long-haul flights depart from Stansted and London City.

The closest airport to the city centre is London City in the [[London Docklands|Docklands]] area, about 10&nbsp;km east of the [[City of London]] financial district. A branch of the [[Docklands Light Railway]] links the airport to the City in under 25 minutes.<ref>[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/dlr/pdf/timetables/tt_lcy.pdf London City Airport train timetable], www.tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2005.</ref>

Two other airports are at the edge of the city but within the [[Greater London]] boundary: Biggin Hill, around 23&nbsp;km southeast of the centre, and London's principal airport, Heathrow, 20–25&nbsp;km from central London.
[[File:Heathrow T5 station AB.JPG|thumb|[[Heathrow Express]] train prepares to depart from platform 3 at [[Heathrow Terminal 5 station]] with a service to London.]]
[[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]] handles nearly 80&nbsp;million passengers per annum, making it Europe's busiest airport. On the western edge of the city in the [[London Borough of Hillingdon]], it has two runways and five passenger terminals, with the £4bn fifth terminal opening in 2008. It is connected to central London by the dedicated [[Heathrow Express]] rail service, the [[Elizabeth line]] local rail service and London Underground's [[Piccadilly line]], and is connected to the [[M4 motorway|M4]] and [[M25 motorway|M25]] motorways.

[[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]] is just under 40&nbsp;km south of central London in [[Sussex]], some distance outside London's boundary. With a single runway and two terminals, it handles about 32&nbsp;million passengers per year from domestic, short-haul and long-haul flights, and is linked to London by the [[Gatwick Express]], [[Govia Thameslink Railway|Thameslink]] and [[Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)|Southern]] rail services, and by the [[M23 motorway|M23]]. It is the busiest single-runway airport in the world.

[[Southend Airport|Southend]] is to the east of London, and was developed rapidly to be usable by short-haul passenger flights in time for the [[2012 Summer Olympics]]. It is connected to London via the [[A127]] road, and an on-airport station with services through [[Stratford station|Stratford]] to [[Liverpool Street railway station|London Liverpool Street]]. Passenger numbers have risen significantly from April 2012 when low-cost flights commenced to 13 European destinations.

[[Stansted Airport|Stansted]] is London's most distant airport, about 50&nbsp;km north of the centre, in [[Essex]]. With a single runway and terminal, it handles about 20&nbsp;million passengers annually, mostly from low-cost short-haul and domestic leisure flights. It is connected to London by the [[Stansted Express]] rail service and the [[M11 motorway]].

[[Luton Airport]] is about 45&nbsp;km northwest of London, connected to it by the [[M1 motorway|M1]] and [[Govia Thameslink Railway|Thameslink]] trains from nearby [[Luton Airport Parkway railway station|Luton Airport Parkway station]]. It has a single terminal and a runway considerably shorter than the other London airports, and like Stansted it caters mainly for low-cost short-haul leisure flights.

[[Northolt Aerodrome|RAF Northolt]] in west London is used by private jets, and [[London Heliport]] in [[Battersea]] is used by private helicopters. There are also [[Biggin Hill]] and [[Farnborough Airfield]]. [[Croydon Airport]] was originally London's main airport, but was replaced by Heathrow, and closed in 1959.

An airfield at [[Lydd]] has been rebranded [[London Ashford Airport|London Ashford]], but currently has little traffic. In August 2009, Oxford Airport, some 95&nbsp;km from London's city centre, rebranded itself as [[London Oxford Airport]],<ref>{{cite news|title=London Oxford Airport - a Tale of Two Cities|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/6054748/London-Oxford-Airport-a-tale-of-two-cities.html|access-date=26 October 2016|work=The Telegraph|date=19 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530034059/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/6054748/London-Oxford-Airport-a-tale-of-two-cities.html|archive-date=30 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> while [[Kent International Airport|Kent International]] was briefly called London Manston; it is 120&nbsp;km from London.

In addition, [[RAF Brize Norton]] with direct flights to the [[Falkland Islands]] is less than two hours away by car.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/51.75,-1.583611/@51.75,-1.583611,3336m/data=!4m2!2m1!4b1|title=Google Maps|website=Google Maps}}</ref> Though not generally considered London airports, [[Birmingham Airport]] and [[Southampton Airport]] have been suggested as alternative airports for London due to the existence of direct rail links serving Central London.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elledge |first1=John |title=How many airports does London have? {{!}} CityMetric |url=https://www.citymetric.com/transport/how-many-airports-does-london-have-4673 |website=CityMetric |access-date=1 March 2020 |date=1 July 2019}}</ref>

===Airport transit===
Four of London's airports provide varieties of [[automated people mover]] (APM) along guided tracks to shuttle passengers between terminals. These small-scale transport systems operate independently of London's main transportation network.

The [[Gatwick Airport Shuttle|Gatwick Airport inter-terminal transit]], originally built in 1983 and refurbished in 2010, was the first airport driverless train system outside the USA;<ref name="hudson">{{Cite book|last=Hudson|first=Kenneth |title=Industrial history from the air|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=1984|chapter=Airports and Airfields|isbn=978-0-521-25333-8|page=113}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |url=http://www.gatwickairport.com/business/media-centre/press-releases/gatwick-shuttle/ |title=Press release 2010 – London Gatwick – we have lift on! |publisher=Gatwick Airport |access-date=15 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803224818/http://www.gatwickairport.com/business/media-centre/press-releases/gatwick-shuttle/ |archive-date=3 August 2010 }}</ref> a similar system, the [[Stansted Airport Transit System]], was opened in 1991 at Stansted Airport to provide [[airside (airport)|airside]] terminal transfers.<ref name="stansted transit">{{cite web|title=24. BAA Stansted Airport Transit|url=http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/physics_at_work/2008/exhibit/Industry/sats.pdf|work=Physics at Work 2008|publisher=[[BAA Limited|BAA Stansted]]/[[Cambridge University]] [[Cavendish Laboratory]]|access-date=4 December 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213184522/http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/physics_at_work/2008/exhibit/Industry/sats.pdf|archive-date=13 February 2012}}</ref> At Luton Airport, the [[Luton DART]] (''Direct Air-Rail Transit''), opened in 2023, conveys travellers from Luton Airport Parkway station to the airport terminal.<ref name ="luton-dart">{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64919546 | publisher = BBC News |date = 10 March 2023 | access-date = 10 March 2023 | title = Luton Dart airport shuttle welcomes first passengers}}</ref>

At Heathrow Airport, an automated people mover system called the [[Heathrow Terminal 5 Transit|Transit]] operates airside at the newer [[Heathrow Terminal 5]],<ref name="bombardier-heathrow">{{cite web |title=INNOVIA APM Automated People Mover System - London Heathrow, UK - United Kingdom - Bombardier |url=https://www.bombardier.com/en/transportation/projects/project.innovia-london-uk.html |website=Bombardier |access-date=29 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331113703/https://www.bombardier.com/en/transportation/projects/project.innovia-london-uk.html |archive-date=31 March 2014 |date=31 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and since 2011 a [[personal rapid transit]] system called [[ULTra (rapid transit)|Heathrow Pod]] has operated between Terminal 5 and the car parks.<ref name=ultra-huffington>{{cite news|title=Heathrow: Driverless ULTra Pods Replace Buses at Terminal 5|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/09/12/heathrow-driverless-pods-_n_958262.html|access-date=4 December 2012|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=12 November 2011}}</ref>

==Water transport==

===River Thames===
{{See also|London River Services}}
[[File:London, Islington, Regent's Canal (102).jpg|thumb|Regent's Canal in Islington]]
The [[River Thames]] is navigable to ocean-going vessels as far as [[London Bridge]], and to substantial craft well upstream of Greater London. Historically, the river was one of London's main transport arteries. Although this is no longer the case, passenger services have seen something of a revival since the creation in 1999 of [[London River Services]], an arm of Transport for London. LRS now regulates and promotes a small-scale network of river bus commuter services and a large number of leisure cruises operating on the river. Boats are owned and operated by a number of private companies, and LRS manages five of central London's 22 piers.<ref>{{Cite web
|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/river
|title=London River Services
|author=Transport for London
|access-date=1 April 2008
}}</ref>

===Canals===
{{See also|Canals of the United Kingdom}}
{{Map of canals in London}}
London also has several [[Canals of the United Kingdom|canals]], including the [[Regent's Canal]], which links the Thames to the [[Grand Union Canal]] and thus to the waterway network across much of England. These canals were originally built in the [[Industrial Revolution]] for the transport of coal, raw materials and foods. Although they now carry few goods, they are popular with private [[narrowboat]] users and leisure cruisers, and a regular [[Transport on the Regent's Canal|"water bus" service]] operates along the Regent's Canal during the summer months.

===Cargo===
Some bulk cargoes are carried on the Thames, and the Mayor of London wishes to increase this use. [[Port of London|London's port]] used to be the country's busiest when it was located in Central London and east London's [[London Docklands|Docklands]]. Since the 1960s, [[containerisation]] has led to almost all of the port's activities moving further downstream and the ceasing of port-related activity at the extensive network of docks (which were built in the 19th and early 20th centuries). A purpose-built container port at [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury]] in [[Essex]], around ten kilometres outside the [[Greater London]] boundary, is today the busiest part of the port, though activity remains along stretches of the Thames, mainly downstream of the [[Thames Barrier]]. Fifty riverside wharfs have been safeguarded from development in Greater London. Today the port is the UK's second largest by cargo handled (53&nbsp;million [[tonne]]s in 2008).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pla.co.uk/pdfs/pp/POLA_Reveiw_Final_design_C_11.pdf|title=Port of London Annual Review 2008|publisher=Port of London Authority|access-date=9 May 2009}}</ref> The [[Port of London Authority]] is responsible for most port activities and navigation along the River Thames in London and on the [[Thames estuary]].
{{clear}}

==Aerial lift==
{{Main|London Cable Car}}
The [[London Cable Car]] is a [[Aerial lift|cable car]] link across the [[River Thames]]. The service opened on 28 June 2012 and is operated by [[Transport for London]] (TfL).<ref name="Emirates">{{cite news|date=7 October 2011|title=Emirates sponsors Thames cable car|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15217173|access-date=7 October 2011}}</ref> In addition to transport across the river, the service advertises "a unique view of London".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Local attractions|url=http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/local-attractions/|access-date=6 June 2015|website=emiratesairline.co.uk}}</ref>

The service comprises a {{convert|0.62|mi|km|adj=on|abbr=}} gondola line that crosses the Thames from the [[Greenwich Peninsula]] to the [[Royal Victoria Dock]], to the west of [[ExCeL London]]. The cable car is based on monocable detachable gondola (MDG) technology, a system which uses a single cable for both propulsion and support, used also on the [[Metrocable (Medellín)|Metrocable]] in [[Medellín]], Colombia. The MDG system was reportedly cheaper and quicker to install than a more complex three-cable system which would have allowed larger-capacity cars.<ref name="gondola-project">{{cite web|last=Dale|first=Steven|title=Exploring the Thames Cable Car Costs|url=http://gondolaproject.com/2011/09/26/exploring-the-thames-cable-car-costs/|access-date=8 October 2011|work=The Gondola Project|date=26 September 2011 }}</ref>

== Accessibility ==
{{Main|Accessibility of transport in London}}
[[File:Wayfinding_for_lifts_at_Southwark_station.jpg|thumb|Signs for lifts at [[Southwark station]]]]
The accessibility of public transport services across Greater London is incomplete. Much of the rail network in London (including the London Underground and London Overground) was built before accessibility was a requirement.<ref name="Cathcart-Keays-2014">{{Cite web |last=Cathcart-Keays |first=Athlyn |date=2014-10-29 |title=Disabled man takes on Tube challenge |url=http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/29/disabled-man-tube-challenge-london-underground-accessibility |url-status= |access-date=2021-10-11 |website=the Guardian |language=en |quote=Until 1993, fire regulations prohibited the use of wheelchairs on the underground}}</ref> Until 1993, wheelchair passengers were not permitted to use the Underground.<ref name="Cathcart-Keays-2014" /> In recent years, major station upgrades and new infrastructure such as the Elizabeth Line has increased the number of step-free stations on the Transport for London (TfL) network to over 270, with all new Underground stations since 1999 opened as accessible stations.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=27 February 2023 |title=Mayor of London visits new accessible ticket hall at Bank Underground station, as its major &pound;700m upgrade completes |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/february/mayor-of-london-visits-new-accessible-ticket-hall-at-bank-underground-station-as-its-major-700m-upgrade-completes |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Transport for London |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-26 |title=Campaigners celebrate their Crossrail access win as line finally opens, eight years on |url=https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/campaigners-celebrate-their-crossrail-access-win-as-line-finally-opens-eight-years-on/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Disability News Service |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Other modes of transport are significantly more accessible. The Docklands Light Railway and Tramlink have been accessible since opening in 1987 and 2000 respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997 |title=Monograph - "Starting from Scratch" - the development of transport in London Docklands (1997) - The Detailed Story (1) |url=http://www.lddc-history.org.uk/transport/tranmon3.html#7.DLR%22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105140858/http://www.lddc-history.org.uk/transport/tranmon3.html#7.DLR%22 |archive-date=5 Jan 2023 |access-date=2021-08-25 |website= |publisher=[[London Docklands Development Corporation]] |quote=Another important principle established at this stage was that all stations and trains should allow for disabled access. This meant that lifts and ramps were available at all stations, and trains were designed with platform height floors.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Michael. |first=Steward |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/48533869 |title=Tramlink : official handbook |date=2000 |publisher=Capital Transport |isbn=1-85414-222-4 |oclc=48533869}}</ref> In 2006, London became one of the first major cities in the world to have an accessible, low floor bus fleet – 10 years ahead of the national requirement.<ref name="TfL Independent Living Award" /> Taxis in London have been accessible since 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mashburn |first=Rick |date=2004-04-18 |title=Rolling Along in London |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/travel/rolling-along-in-london.html |access-date=2021-08-26 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |quote=All taxis built since 2000 are equipped with the fold-out ramp and wide doors. Older cabs now carry a portable ramp.}}</ref>

== Public transport statistics ==
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transport in London, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 84 minutes, and 30% of passengers ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average length of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 10 minutes. The average length of a public transport journey is 8.9&nbsp;km, while 20% travel for over 12&nbsp;km in a single direction.<ref>{{cite web|title=London Public Transportation Statistics|publisher= Global Public Transit Index by Moovit|url=https://moovitapp.com/insights/en/Moovit_Insights_Public_Transit_Index_United_Kingdom_London_and_South_East-2122|access-date=19 June 2017}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence].</ref>

Figures from the [[Department for Transport|DfT]] show in 2018 there were over 15,000 public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, with more devices per person in London. In Autumn 2018, crowding across both morning and afternoon peaks on trains into London was at the lowest level since 2013. People made 4.8 billion local bus passenger journeys in England, 58% of all public transport journeys. There were 1.8 billion rail passenger journeys in England. Light rail and tram travel also continued to grow, to the highest level (0.3 million journeys) since comparable records began in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019|title=Department for Transport: Transport Statistics Great Britain 2019|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/870647/tsgb-2019.pdf|website=Department for Transport}} [[File:UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg|30x30px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|London transport}}
* [[List of bus routes in London]]
* [[History of public transport authorities in London]]
* [[List of heads of public transport authorities in London]]
* [[London fare zones]]
*[[Transport in England]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons and category|Public transport in London}}
* {{Official website|1=http://www.tfl.gov.uk|2=Official website of Transport for London}}, the executive agency in charge of most transport operations
* [http://www.dft.gov.uk Department for Transport], central government department overseeing the national railway network
* [http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/london_local_group London Campaign for Better Transport] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014210609/http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/london_local_group |date=14 October 2007 }}, campaigns on local issues, and supports the national organisation in pressing for [[sustainable transport]]. A current project is a possible "Brent Cross Railway" in north London.

{{Transport in London}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport in London}}
[[Category:Transport in London| ]]
[[Category:Infrastructure in London]]