Editing London Underground (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of the London Underground}}

===Early years===
[[File:GWR broad gauge Metropolitan Class.jpg|thumb|The Metropolitan Railway opened in 1863 using GWR broad-gauge locomotives.{{sfnp|Peacock|1970|pp=37–38}}]]

==== Sub-surface lines ====
The idea of an underground railway linking the [[City of London]] with the urban centre was proposed in the 1830s,{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=8}} and the [[Metropolitan Railway]] was granted permission to build such a line in 1854.{{sfnp|Jackson|1986|p=19}} To prepare construction, a short test tunnel was built in 1855 in [[Kibblesworth]], a small town with geological properties similar to London. This test tunnel was used for two years in the development of the first underground train, and was later, in 1861, filled up.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bextor |first1=Robin |title=A History of the London Underground |date=2013 |publisher=Demand Media Limited |isbn=978-1909217379 |page=34}}</ref> The world's first underground railway, it opened in January 1863 between [[Paddington]] and [[Farringdon, London|Farringdon]] using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=8, 14}} It was hailed as a success, carrying 38,000 passengers on the opening day, and borrowing trains from other railways to supplement the service.{{sfnp|Simpson|2003|p=16}} The Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the [[District Railway]]) opened in December 1868 from [[South Kensington]] to [[Westminster]] as part of a plan for an underground "inner circle" connecting London's main-line stations.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=18–24}}  The Metropolitan and District railways completed the [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle line]] in 1884,{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=27–28}} built using the [[cut and cover]] method.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=10–11}} Both railways expanded, the District building five branches to the west reaching [[Ealing]], [[Hounslow]],{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=26}} [[Uxbridge]],{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=33}} [[Richmond, London|Richmond]] and [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]]{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=26}} and the Metropolitan eventually extended as far as {{rws|Verney Junction}} in [[Buckinghamshire]] – more than {{convert|50|mi}} from [[Baker Street tube station|Baker Street]] and the centre of London.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=32}}

==== Deep-level lines ====
For the first deep-level tube line, the [[City and South London Railway]], two {{convert|10|ft|2|in}} diameter circular tunnels were dug between [[King William Street, London|King William Street]] (close to today's [[Bank–Monument station|Monument station]]) and [[Stockwell]], under the roads to avoid the need for agreement with owners of property on the surface. This opened in 1890 with electric locomotives that hauled carriages with small opaque windows, nicknamed ''[[padded cell]]s''.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=40–45}} The [[Waterloo and City Railway]] opened in 1898,{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=50–51}} followed by the [[Central London Railway]] in 1900, known as the "twopenny tube".{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=52–56}} These two ran electric trains in circular tunnels having diameters between {{convert|11|ft|8|in}} and {{convert|12|ft|2.5|in|2}},{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=50, 53}} whereas the [[Great Northern and City Railway]], which opened in 1904, was built to take main line trains from [[Finsbury Park station|Finsbury Park]] to a [[Moorgate station|Moorgate terminus]] in the City and had {{convert|16|ft|adj=on}} diameter tunnels.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=60–61}}

While steam locomotives were in use on the Underground there were contrasting health reports. There were many instances of passengers collapsing whilst travelling, due to heat and pollution, leading for calls to clean the air through the installation of garden plants.<ref name=":4" /> The Metropolitan even encouraged beards for staff to act as an air filter.<ref>Mason, M. (2013). ''Walk the Lines: The London Underground, Overground.'' London: Arrow Books. p.126.  {{ISBN|978-0-099-55793-7}}</ref> There were other reports claiming beneficial outcomes of using the Underground, including the designation of Great Portland Street as a "[[sanatorium]] for [sufferers of ...] [[asthma]] and bronchial complaints", [[tonsillitis]] could be cured with acid gas and the Twopenny Tube cured [[anorexia (symptom)|anorexia]].<ref name=":4" />

==== Electrification ====
With the advent of electric Tube services (the Waterloo and City Railway and the Great Northern and City Railway), the [[Volk's Electric Railway|Volks Electric Railway]], in [[Brighton]], and competition from electric trams, the pioneering Underground companies needed modernising.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|title=The London Underground|last=Emmerson|first=Andrew|publisher=Shire Publications Ltd.|year=2010|isbn=978-0-74780-790-2|location=London}}</ref>  In the early 20th century, the District and Metropolitan railways needed to electrify and a joint committee recommended an [[Alternating current|AC]] system, the two companies co-operating because of the shared ownership of the inner circle. The District, needing to raise the finance necessary, found an investor in the American [[Charles Yerkes]] who favoured a [[Direct current|DC]] system similar to that in use on the City & South London and Central London railways. The Metropolitan Railway protested about the change of plan, but after arbitration by the [[Board of Trade]], the DC system was adopted.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=62–63}}

===Underground Electric Railways Company era===
[[File:Baker Street Waterloo Railway platform March 1906 (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|Passengers wait to board a tube train in 1906.|alt=Sketch showing about a dozen people standing on an underground railway platform with a train standing at the platform. Several more people are visible inside the train, which has the words "Baker St" visible on its side.]]
Yerkes soon had control of the District Railway and established the [[Underground Electric Railways Company of London]] (UERL) in 1902 to finance and operate three tube lines, the [[Baker Street and Waterloo Railway]] (Bakerloo), the [[Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway]] (Hampstead) and the [[Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway]], (Piccadilly), which all opened between 1906 and 1907.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=69–72, 78}}{{sfnp|Green|1987|p=30}} When the "Bakerloo" was so named in July 1906, ''[[The Railway Magazine]]'' called it an undignified "gutter title".{{sfnp|Green|1987|p=30}} By 1907 the District and Metropolitan Railways had electrified the underground sections of their lines.{{sfnp|Green|1987|pp=24–28}}

In January 1913, the UERL acquired the [[Central London Railway]] and the [[City & South London Railway]], as well as many of London's bus and tram operators.{{sfn|Wolmar|2004|p=204}} Only the [[Metropolitan Railway]], along with its subsidiaries the [[Great Northern & City Railway]] and the [[East London Railway]], and the [[Waterloo & City Railway]], by then owned by the main line [[London and South Western Railway]], remained outside the Underground Group's control.{{sfn|Wolmar|2004|p=205}}

A joint marketing agreement between most of the companies in the early years of the 20th century included maps, joint publicity, through ticketing and U<small>NDERGROUN</small>D signs, incorporating the first bullseye symbol,<ref name=":4">Ackroyd, P. (2012). London Under. London: Vintage Books. {{ISBN|978-0-099-28737-7}}</ref> outside stations in Central London.{{sfnp|Horne|2003|p=51}} At the time, the term Underground was selected from three other proposed names; 'Tube' and 'Electric' were both officially rejected.<ref name=":4" /> Ironically, the term Tube was later adopted alongside the Underground. The Bakerloo line was extended north to Queen's Park to join a new electric line from Euston to [[Watford]], but the [[First World War]] delayed construction and trains reached {{rws|Watford Junction}} in 1917. During [[Airstrike|air raids]] in 1915 people used the tube stations as shelters.{{sfnp|Green|1987|p=35}} An extension of the Central line west to [[Ealing]] was also delayed by the war and was completed in 1920.{{sfnp|Green|1987|p=33}} After the war, government-backed financial guarantees were used to expand the network and the tunnels of the City and South London and Hampstead railways were linked at Euston and Kennington;{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=94}} the combined service was not named the Northern line until later.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=122}} The Metropolitan promoted housing estates near the railway with the "[[Metro-land]]" brand and nine housing estates were built near stations on the line. Electrification was extended north from Harrow to [[Rickmansworth]], and branches opened from Rickmansworth to Watford in 1925 and from Wembley Park to Stanmore in 1932.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=84–88}}{{sfnp|Jackson|1986|pp=134, 137}} The [[Piccadilly line]] was extended north to [[Cockfosters]] and took over District line branches to Harrow (later Uxbridge) and Hounslow.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=98–103, 111}}

===London Passenger Transport Board era===
[[File:The Home Front in Britain during the Second World War HU44272.jpg|thumb|[[Aldwych tube station|Aldwych Underground station]] being used as a bomb shelter in 1940]]
In 1933, most of London's underground railways, tramway and bus services were merged to form the [[London Passenger Transport Board]], which used the [[London Transport (brand)|London Transport brand]].{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=110}} The [[Waterloo & City Railway]], which was by then in the ownership of the main line [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]], remained with its existing owners.<ref name="culgwac">{{cite web |url=http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/waterloo.html |title=Waterloo & City Line |date=14 December 2007 |work=Clive's Underground Line Guides |publisher=Clive Feather |access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-date=12 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412031513/http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/waterloo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the same year that the London Passenger Transport Board was formed, [[Harry Beck]]'s diagrammatic [[tube map]] first appeared.{{sfnp|Green|1987|p=46}}

In the following years, the outlying lines of the former Metropolitan Railway closed, the [[Brill Tramway]] in 1935, and the line from [[Quainton Road railway station|Quainton Road]] to [[Verney Junction railway station|Verney Junction]] in 1936.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=118}} The 1935–40 [[New Works Programme]] included the extension of the Central and Northern lines and the Bakerloo line to take over the Metropolitan's Stanmore branch.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=116}} The [[Second World War]] suspended these plans after the Bakerloo line had reached Stanmore and the Northern line [[High Barnet tube station|High Barnet]] and [[Mill Hill East tube station|Mill Hill East]] in 1941.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=131, 133–134}} Following bombing in 1940, passenger services over the [[West London line]] were suspended, leaving [[Olympia (London)|Olympia exhibition centre]] without a railway service until a District line shuttle from Earl's Court began after the war.{{sfnp|Horne|2006| p=73}} After work restarted on the Central line extensions in east and west London, these were completed in 1949.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=144–145}}

During the war many tube stations were used as air-raid shelters.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=135–136}} They were not always a guarantee of safety however; on 11 January 1941 during the [[London Blitz]], a bomb penetrated the booking hall of [[Bank Station]], the blast from which killed 111 people, many of whom were sleeping in passageways and on platforms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9357000/9357545.stm |title=Tribute to Bank Tube station bomb victims of 1941 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=11 January 2011 |publisher=BBC London News |access-date=15 August 2021 |archive-date=15 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815110331/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9357000/9357545.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> On 3 March 1943, a test of the air-raid warning sirens, together with the firing of a new type of anti-aircraft rocket, resulted in a crush of people attempting to take shelter in [[Bethnal Green tube station|Bethnal Green Underground station]]. A total of 173 people, including 62 children, died, making this both the worst civilian disaster in Britain during the Second World War, and the largest loss of life in a single incident on the London Underground network.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21645163 |title=Bethnal Green Tube disaster marked 70 years on |work=BBC News |date=3 March 2013 |access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-date=6 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306014728/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21645163 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===London Transport Executive and Board era===
[[File:Barons Court Station - geograph.org.uk - 1762897.jpg|thumb|right|A 1959 Stock train at [[Barons Court tube station|Barons Court]]]]
On 1 January 1948, under the provisions of the [[Transport Act 1947]], the [[London Passenger Transport Board]] was nationalised and renamed the [[London Transport Executive]], becoming a subsidiary transport organisation of the [[British Transport Commission]], which was formed on the same day.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2008|p=150}}{{sfn|Cooke|1964|p=739}}{{sfn|Bonavia|1981|p=14}} Under the same act, the country's main line railways were also nationalised, and their reconstruction was given priority over the maintenance of the Underground and most of the unfinished plans of the pre-war New Works Programme were shelved or postponed.{{sfnp|Green|1987|p=54}}

The District line needed new trains and an unpainted aluminium train entered service in 1953, this becoming the standard for new trains.{{sfnp|Green|1987|pp=56–57}} In the early 1960s, the Metropolitan line was electrified as far as [[Amersham]], [[British Railways]] providing services for the former Metropolitan line stations between Amersham and Aylesbury.{{sfnp|Green|1987|p=56}} In 1962, the British Transport Commission was abolished, and the London Transport Executive was renamed the [[London Transport Board]], reporting directly to the [[Secretary of State for Transport|Minister of Transport]].{{sfn|Cooke|1964|p=739}}{{sfn|Day|Reed|2008|p=163}} Also during the 1960s, the [[Victoria line]] was dug under central London and, unlike the earlier tunnels, did not follow the roads above. The line opened in 1968–71 with the trains being driven automatically and magnetically encoded tickets collected by automatic gates gave access to the platforms.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=160–162, 166–168, 171}}

===Greater London Council era===
On 1 January 1970, responsibility for public transport within Greater London passed from central government to local government, in the form of the [[Greater London Council]] (GLC), and the [[London Transport Board]] was abolished. The London Transport brand continued to be used by the GLC.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2008|p=172}}

On 28 February 1975, a southbound train on the [[Northern City Line]] failed to stop at its Moorgate terminus and crashed into the wall at the end of the tunnel, in the [[Moorgate tube crash]]. There were 43 deaths and 74 injuries, the greatest loss of life during peacetime on the London Underground.<ref>{{cite web |title=In Living Memory, Series 11: The 1975 Moorgate tube disaster |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00p2hy4/In_Living_Memory_Series_11_The_1975_Moorgate_tube_disaster/ |work=[[BBC Radio 4]] |date=2 December 2009 |access-date=26 January 2012 |archive-date=4 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204191148/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00p2hy4 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1976, the Northern City Line was taken over by British Rail and linked up with the main line railway at [[Finsbury Park station|Finsbury Park]], a transfer that had already been planned prior to the accident.{{sfnp|Green|1987|pp=55–56}}

In 1979, another new tube, the [[Jubilee line]], named in honour of the [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II]], took over the Stanmore branch from the Bakerloo line, linking it to a newly constructed line between Baker Street and [[Charing Cross tube station|Charing Cross]] stations.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=178–181}} Under the control of the GLC, London Transport introduced a system of [[London fare zones|fare zones]] for buses and underground trains that cut the average fare in 1981. Fares increased following a legal challenge but the fare zones were retained, and in the mid-1980s the [[Travelcard]] and the Capitalcard were introduced.{{sfnp|Green|1987|pp=65–66}}

===London Regional Transport era===
[[File:Westminster.tube.station.jubilee.arp.jpg|thumb|right|Platform edge doors at [[Westminster tube station|Westminster]]]]
In 1984, control of London Buses and the London Underground passed back to central government with the creation of [[London Regional Transport]] (LRT), which reported directly to the [[Secretary of State for Transport]], still retaining the London Transport brand.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=186–187}} [[One person operation]] had been planned in 1968, but conflict with the trade unions delayed introduction until the 1980s.{{sfnp|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=468}}

On 18 November 1987, fire broke out in an [[escalator]] at [[King's Cross St Pancras tube station]]. The [[King's Cross fire|resulting fire]] cost the lives of 31 people and injured a further 100. London Underground was strongly criticised in the aftermath for its attitude to fires underground, and publication of the report into the fire led to the resignation of senior management of both London Underground and London Regional Transport.{{sfn|Fennell|1988|pp=17–18}} Following the fire, substantial improvements to safety on the Tube were implemented – including the banning of smoking, removal of wooden escalators, installation of CCTV and fire detectors, as well as comprehensive radio coverage for the emergency services.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 October 1997 |title=Kings Cross Tragedy Means Safety First For London Underground |url= http://www.londontransport.co.uk/general/latest/kings_x.html#top |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/19980212232127/http://www.londontransport.co.uk/general/latest/kings_x.html#top |archive-date=12 February 1998 |access-date=14 August 2021 |website=London Transport}}</ref>

In April 1994, the [[Waterloo & City Railway]], by then owned by [[British Rail]] and known as the Waterloo & City line, was transferred to the London Underground.<ref name="culgwac"/> In 1999, the [[Jubilee Line Extension]] project extended the Jubilee line from [[Green Park tube station|Green Park station]] through the growing [[London Docklands|Docklands]] to [[Stratford station]]. This resulted in the closure of the short section of tunnel between Green Park and Charing Cross stations. The 11 new stations were designed to be "[[future-proof]]", with wide passageways, large quantities of escalators and lifts, and emergency exits. The stations were the first on the Underground to have [[platform edge door]]s, and were built to have step-free access throughout.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=206–211}} The stations have subsequently been praised as exemplary pieces of 20th-century architecture.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 May 2022 |title=Elizabeth Line "more mannered" than Jubilee predecessor says head of architecture |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2022/05/10/elizabeth-line-crossrail-architecture-interviews/ |access-date=8 August 2022 |website=Dezeen |archive-date=8 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808182022/https://www.dezeen.com/2022/05/10/elizabeth-line-crossrail-architecture-interviews/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Transport for London era===
In 2000, [[Transport for London]] (TfL) was created as an integrated body responsible for London's transport system. Part of the [[Greater London Authority]], the TfL Board is appointed by the [[Mayor of London]], who also sets the structure and level of public transport fares in London. The day-to-day running of the corporation is left to the [[Commissioner of Transport for London]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Chief Officers |url= http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/1434.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140122084924/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/1434.aspx |archive-date=22 January 2014 |publisher=Transport for London}}</ref>

TfL eventually replaced London Regional Transport, and discontinued the use of the London Transport brand in favour of its own brand. The transfer of responsibility was staged, with transfer of control of London Underground delayed until July 2003, when London Underground Limited became an indirect subsidiary of TfL.<ref name="subsidiaries">{{cite web |title=About TfL – How we work – How we are governed – Subsidiary companies |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/corporate-governance/subsidiary-companies |access-date=17 June 2014 |publisher=Transport for London |archive-date=11 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311021339/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/corporate-governance/subsidiary-companies |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/london-underground/a-brief-history-of-the-underground |title=A brief history of the Underground – London Underground milestones |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=6 June 2014 |archive-date=19 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819030157/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/london-underground/a-brief-history-of-the-underground |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the early 2000s, London Underground was reorganised in a [[Public-Private Partnership]] (PPP) as part of a project to upgrade and modernise the system. Private infrastructure companies (infracos) would upgrade and maintain the railway, and London Underground would run the train service. One infraco – [[Metronet (British infrastructure company)|Metronet]] – went into administration in 2007, and TfL took over the other – [[Tube Lines]] – in 2010.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|pp=215, 221}} Despite this, substantial investment to upgrade and modernise the Tube has taken place - with new trains (such as [[London Underground S7 and S8 Stock]]), new signalling, upgraded stations (such as [[King's Cross St Pancras tube station|King's Cross St Pancras]]) and improved accessibility (such as at [[Green Park tube station|Green Park]]). Small changes to the Tube network occurred in the 2000s, with extensions to [[Heathrow Terminal 5 station|Heathrow Terminal 5]], new station at [[Wood Lane tube station|Wood Lane]] and the Circle line changed from serving a closed loop around the centre of London to a spiral also serving Hammersmith in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 March 2009 |title=Circle Line extended to the west |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7926242.stm |access-date=24 November 2011 |archive-date=10 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310035950/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7926242.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 2005, [[7 July 2005 London bombings|four coordinated terrorist attacks]] took place, three of them occurring on the Tube network. It was the UK's deadliest terrorist incident since 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2005 |title=More than 50 killed in blasts |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jul/08/terrorism.politics |access-date=8 August 2022 |work=The Guardian |location=London |archive-date=8 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808182023/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jul/08/terrorism.politics |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Electronic ticket]]ing in the form of the contactless [[Oyster card]] was first introduced in 2003,{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=216}} with payment using [[Contactless payment|contactless banks cards]] introduced in September 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last=Topham |first=Gwyn |date=16 September 2014 |title=London tube introduces contactless payments |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/sep/16/london-tube-contactless-payments-underground-oyster |access-date=8 August 2022 |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510103956/https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/sep/16/london-tube-contactless-payments-underground-oyster |url-status=live }}</ref> In {{As of|2019|bare=yes}}, over 12million Oyster cards and 35million contactless cards were used, generating around £5billion in ticketing revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Services - 541858-2020 - TED Tenders Electronic Daily |url=https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:541858-2020:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0 |access-date=8 August 2022 |website=ted.europa.eu |quote=The Transport for London (TfL) Revenue Collection System collects in excess of GBP 5billion of revenue per annum (before Covid-19). Supporting transactions generated from over 16 million journeys per day, 0.5 million retail sales per day and in the last year 12 million Oyster and 35 million contactless payment card used to make journeys. |archive-date=8 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808180030/https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:541858-2020:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the [[London 2012|London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games]], the Underground saw record passenger numbers, with over 4.3{{nbsp}}million people using the Tube on some days.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 August 2012 |title=London 2012: Games bring record London Underground users |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-19125580 |access-date=8 August 2022 |archive-date=8 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808182021/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-19125580 |url-status=live }}</ref> This record was subsequently beaten in later years, with 4.82{{nbsp}}million passengers in December 2015.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=London Underground breaks the record again for busiest day ever on the Tube |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/december/london-underground-breaks-the-record-again-for-busiest-day-ever-on-the-tube |date=9 December 2015 |access-date=8 August 2022 |publisher=Transport for London |archive-date=8 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808182021/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/december/london-underground-breaks-the-record-again-for-busiest-day-ever-on-the-tube |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013, the Underground celebrated its 150th anniversary, with celebratory events such as [[Metropolitan line#Steam on the Met|steam trains]] and installation of a unique [[Labyrinth (artwork)|Labyrinth artwork]] at each station.<ref>{{Cite web |title=London Underground: 150 years |date=10 January 2013 |url=https://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-01-10/london-underground-tube-150-years-anniversary/ |access-date=8 August 2022 |website=ITV News |archive-date=8 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808182021/https://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-01-10/london-underground-tube-150-years-anniversary/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Under TfL, London's [[Transport in London|public transport network]] became more unified, with existing suburban rail lines across London upgraded and rebranded as [[London Overground]] from 2007, with the former [[East London line]] becoming part of the Overground network in 2010.{{sfnp|Rose|2007}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8620188.stm |title=East London line officially opens |date=27 April 2010 |work=BBC News |access-date=2 April 2010 |archive-date=18 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418154822/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8620188.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Many Overground stations interchange with Underground ones, and Overground lines were added onto the Tube map.

In the 2010s, the £18.8{{nbsp}}billion [[Crossrail]] project built a new east–west railway tunnel under central London.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 May 2022 |title=Elizabeth line: almost 50 years in the planning for Crossrail – timeline |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/20/elizabeth-line-almost-50-years-in-the-planning-for-crossrail-timeline |access-date=10 January 2023 |website=The Guardian |language=en |quote=Proposals for east-west train route across London, first mooted in 1974, inspired by Paris RER |archive-date=10 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110183128/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/20/elizabeth-line-almost-50-years-in-the-planning-for-crossrail-timeline |url-status=live }}</ref> The project involved rebuilding and expanding several central Underground stations including [[Tottenham Court Road station|Tottenham Court Road]] and [[Whitechapel station|Whitechapel]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=24 May 2022 |title=Elizabeth line: What is Crossrail and when does it open? |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-61505172 |access-date=8 August 2022 |archive-date=26 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826124723/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-61505172 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":8" /> By increasing rail capacity, the line aims to reduce overcrowding on the Tube and cut cross-London journey times.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=23 May 2022 |title=Elizabeth line: Crossrail complete after decades of struggle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/23/building-the-elizabeth-line-london-tube |access-date=10 January 2023 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=10 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110183127/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/23/building-the-elizabeth-line-london-tube |url-status=live }}</ref> The railway opened as the [[Elizabeth line]] in May 2022.<ref name=":7" /> Although not part of the Underground, the line connects with several Underground stations.

In 2020, passenger numbers fell significantly during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and 40 stations were temporarily closed.<ref>{{cite news |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-51946409 |title=Coronavirus: 40 London Underground stations to be closed |date=19 March 2020 |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=29 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629125910/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-51946409 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Northern line extension to Battersea|Northern Line Extension]] opened in September 2021, extending the [[Northern line]] from [[Kennington tube station|Kennington]] to [[Battersea Power Station tube station|Battersea Power Station]] via [[Nine Elms tube station|Nine Elms]]. The extension was privately funded, with contributions from developments across the [[Battersea Power Station]], [[Vauxhall]] and [[Nine Elms]] areas.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 September 2021 |title=London Underground: Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station set to open |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58435673 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905030314/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58435673 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Northern line extension |year=2019 |url= https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/northern-line-extension |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=26 January 2016 |archive-date=29 July 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190729235927/https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/northern-line-extension |url-status=dead}}</ref>