Editing London Underground (section)

== Travelling ==

===Ticketing===
{{Main|London Underground ticketing}}
[[File:Oystercard.jpg|thumb|The [[Oyster card]], a contactless smart card used across the London transport system]]
The Underground received £2.669billion in fares in 2016/17 and uses Transport for London's [[London fare zones|zonal fare system]] to calculate fares.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-annual-report-and-statement-of-accounts-2016-17.pdf|title=TfL Statement of Accounts}}</ref> There are nine zones with zone 1 being the central zone, which includes the loop of the Circle line with a few stations to the south of River Thames. The only London Underground stations in Zones 7 to 9 are on the Metropolitan line beyond [[Moor Park tube station|Moor Park]], outside [[Greater London|London region]]. Some stations are in two zones, and the cheapest fare applies.<ref name="Rail&TubeMap">{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf |title=London Rail & Tube Services Map |publisher=Transport for London |date=May 2014 |access-date=18 June 2014 |archive-date=3 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703173535/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Paper tickets, the contactless [[Oyster cards]], contactless debit or credit cards<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/how-to-use-it |title=Fares & payments – Contactless |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312064327/https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/how-to-use-it |archive-date=12 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Apple Pay]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite press release|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/june/tfl-to-accept-apple-pay-on-public-transport|title=TfL to accept Apple Pay on public transport|agency=Transport for London|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510095115/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/june/tfl-to-accept-apple-pay-on-public-transport|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Android Pay]]<ref name=":3">{{Cite press release|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/may/android-pay-accepted-for-pay-as-you-go-travel-in-london|title=Android Pay accepted for pay as you go travel in London|agency=Transport for London|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510042700/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/may/android-pay-accepted-for-pay-as-you-go-travel-in-london|url-status=live}}</ref> smartphones and watches can be used for travel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/other-methods-of-contactless-payment/apple-pay |title=Fares & payments – Contactless – Apple Pay |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413013641/https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/other-methods-of-contactless-payment/apple-pay |archive-date=13 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Single and return tickets are available in either format, but [[Travelcards]] (season tickets) for longer than a day are available only on Oyster cards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/where-can-i-buy-my-ticket.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401163150/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/where-can-i-buy-my-ticket.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 April 2014 |title=Where can I buy my ticket? |publisher=Transport for London |date=January 2012 |access-date=18 June 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/fares |title=Fares & payments – Fares – Tube, DLR and London Overground |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=18 June 2014 |archive-date=21 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621070430/http://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/fares |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/ticket-types |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327015613/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/ticket-types |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 March 2014 |title=Fares & payments – Ticket types |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=18 June 2014 }}</ref>

TfL introduced the [[Oyster card]] in 2003; this is a pre-payment [[smartcard]] with an embedded contactless [[RFID]] chip.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3032226.stm |work=BBC News |title=Travelcards make way for 'oyster' |date=30 June 2003 |access-date=7 March 2012 |archive-date=15 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215110500/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3032226.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> It can be loaded with Travelcards and used on the Underground, the Overground, buses, trams, the Docklands Light Railway, and National Rail services within London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tickets/getting-around-with-oyster-january-2010.pdf |title=Getting around with Oyster |date=January 2010 |publisher=Transport for London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926104737/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tickets/getting-around-with-oyster-january-2010.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Fares for single journeys are cheaper than paper tickets, and a daily cap limits the total cost in a day to the price of a Day Travelcard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/price-capping |title=Fares & payments – Oyster – Using your Oyster card – Capping |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=18 June 2014 |archive-date=12 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612064414/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/price-capping |url-status=live }}</ref> The Oyster card must be 'touched in' at the start and end of a journey, otherwise it is regarded as 'incomplete' and the maximum fare is charged.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/incomplete-journeys |title=Fares & payments – Oyster – Using your Oyster card – Incomplete journeys |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=18 June 2014 |archive-date=5 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605203634/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/incomplete-journeys |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 2012 the cost of this in the previous year to travellers was £66.5million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Murray |first=Dick |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/the-665million-cost-of-not-touching-out-your-oyster-card-7543276.html |title=The £66.5million cost of not touching out your Oyster card |newspaper=London Evening Standard |date=7 March 2012 |access-date=30 March 2013 |archive-date=27 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327235859/http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/the-665million-cost-of-not-touching-out-your-oyster-card-7543276.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2014, TfL became the first public transport provider in the world to accept payment from contactless bank cards.<ref name=":1" /> The Underground first started accepting [[Contactless payment|contactless]] [[Debit card|debit]] and [[credit card]]s in September 2014.<ref name=":0" /> This was followed by the adoption of [[Apple Pay]] in 2015<ref name=":2" /> and Android Pay in 2016,<ref name=":3" /> allowing payment using a contactless-enabled phone or smartwatch. Over 500million journeys have taken place using contactless payments, and TfL has become one of Europe's largest contactless merchants, with around 1 in 10 contactless transactions in the UK taking place on the TfL network.<ref name=":1" /> This technology, developed in-house by TfL,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/londons-contactless-system-to-power-new-yorks-subway-bus-and-rail-journeys/|title=London's contactless fares system to power New York's subway, bus and rail journeys|date=25 October 2017|work=MayorWatch|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-date=18 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918193222/https://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/londons-contactless-system-to-power-new-yorks-subway-bus-and-rail-journeys/|url-status=live}}</ref> has been licensed to other major cities like [[New York City Subway|New York City]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/nyregion/metrocard-subway-new-york.html|title=New York to Replace MetroCard With Modern Way to Pay Transit Fares|last=Barron|first=James|date=23 October 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=20 November 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=23 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023235701/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/nyregion/metrocard-subway-new-york.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|Boston]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/19/the-mbta-has-million-plan-change-way-you-pay-for-rides/f1QQZDfPHnozcyBGyHSWPI/story.html|title=The MBTA has a $723 million plan to change the way you pay for rides |newspaper=The Boston Globe|access-date=20 November 2017|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510114119/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/19/the-mbta-has-million-plan-change-way-you-pay-for-rides/f1QQZDfPHnozcyBGyHSWPI/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A concessionary fare scheme is operated by London Councils for residents who are disabled or meet certain age criteria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedompass/ |title=Freedom Pass |publisher=London Councils |access-date=30 March 2013 |archive-date=19 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319014241/http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedompass/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Residents born before 1951 were eligible after their 60th birthday, whereas those born in 1955 will need to wait until they are 66.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/London%20Councils/FreedomPassAgeChangeNov2011AWebsite.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901005157/http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/London%20Councils/FreedomPassAgeChangeNov2011AWebsite.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 September 2012 |title=Freedom Pass age change |publisher=London Councils |date=November 2011 |access-date=30 March 2013 }}</ref> Called a "[[Freedom Pass]]", it allows free travel on TfL-operated routes at all times and is valid on some National Rail services within London at weekends and after 09:30 on Monday to Friday.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/London%20Councils/FreedomPassMapDecember12%20(2).pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525040428/http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/London%20Councils/FreedomPassMapDecember12%20%282%29.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 May 2013 |title=Freedom Pass Map |publisher=London Councils |date=December 2012 |access-date=30 March 2013 }}</ref> Since 2010, the Freedom Pass has included an embedded holder's photograph; it lasts five years between renewals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/Health_and_Social_Care/Community_Transport/Freedom_Passes/15854_Freedom_Passes.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060513030317/http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/Health_and_Social_Care/Community_Transport/Freedom_Passes/15854_Freedom_Passes.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 May 2006 |title=Freedom passes |date=17 November 2010 |publisher=London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham |access-date=4 February 2011 }}</ref>

In addition to automatic and staffed faregates at stations, the Underground also operates on a [[proof-of-payment]] system. The system is patrolled by both uniformed and plain-clothes fare inspectors with hand-held Oyster card readers. Passengers travelling without a valid ticket must pay a [[penalty fare]] of £80 (£40 if paid within 21days) and can be prosecuted for [[fare evasion]] under the [[Regulation of Railways Act 1889]] and Transport for London Byelaws.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/revenue-enforcement-and-prosecutions-policy.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151117023001/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/revenue-enforcement-and-prosecutions-policy.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 17 November 2015 |title=Revenue Enforcement and Prosecutions Policy |publisher=Transport for London |date=18 August 2014 |access-date=16 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/penalties-and-enforcement |title=Penalties & enforcement |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101055245/https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/penalties-and-enforcement |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Hours of operation===
The tube closes overnight during the week, but since 2016, the [[Central line (London Underground)|Central]], [[Jubilee line|Jubilee]], [[Northern line|Northern]], Piccadilly, and [[Victoria line|Victoria]] lines, as well as a short section of the London Overground have operated all night on Friday and Saturday nights. The first trains run from about 05:00 and the last trains until just after 01:00, with later starting times on Sunday mornings.<ref name="BBClater">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21264227 |title=Later London Underground service being considered |work=BBC News |date=30 January 2013 |access-date=1 April 2013 |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510095118/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21264227 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ESlater">{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/party-on-london-tube-will-run-an-hour-later-on-fridays-and-saturdays-8472470.html |title=Party on, London... Tube will run an hour later on Fridays and Saturdays |work=London Evening Standard |date=30 January 2013 |access-date=1 April 2013 |last=Beard |first=Matthew |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510042700/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/party-on-london-tube-will-run-an-hour-later-on-fridays-and-saturdays-8472470.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The nightly closures are used for maintenance,<ref name="BBClater"/> but some lines stay open on [[New Year's Eve]]<ref name="TOLondon"/> and run for longer hours during major public events such as the [[2012 London Olympics]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12910431 |title=London 2012 Olympics: Tube to shut hour later, TfL says |work=BBC News |date=30 March 2011 |access-date=1 April 2013 |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510095115/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12910431 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some lines are occasionally closed for scheduled engineering work at weekends.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/livetravelnews/planned-works/calendar/ |title=Planned Works Calendar |publisher=Transport for London |year=2013 |access-date=1 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331061341/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/livetravelnews/planned-works/calendar/ |archive-date=31 March 2013}}</ref>

The Underground runs a limited service on Christmas Eve with some lines closing early, and does not operate on [[Christmas Day]].<ref name="TOLondon">{{cite news |url=http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/transport-in-london-over-christmas-and-new-years-eve-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210063235/http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/transport-in-london-over-christmas-and-new-years-eve-1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 February 2013 |title=Transport in London over Christmas and New Year's Eve |newspaper=Time Out London |access-date=1 April 2013 }}</ref> Since 2010 a dispute between London Underground and [[trade union]]s over holiday pay has resulted in a limited service on [[Boxing Day]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20757141 |title=London Tube strike on Boxing Day |work=BBC News |date=17 December 2012 |access-date=1 April 2013 |archive-date=7 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607160930/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20757141 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Night Tube====
{{main|Night Tube}}
[[File:London Underground Overground DLR Crossrail map night.svg|thumb|Route map of Night Tube]]

On 19 August 2016, London Underground launched a 24-hour service on the Victoria and Central lines with plans in place to extend this to the Piccadilly, Northern and Jubilee lines starting on Friday morning and continuing right through until Sunday evening.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36356381 |title=Night Tube services to start in August |date=23 May 2016 |work=BBC News |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-date=11 June 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210611081205/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36356381 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Night Tube proposal was originally scheduled to start on 12 September 2015, following completion of upgrades, but in August 2015 it was announced that the start date for the Night Tube had been pushed back because of ongoing talks about contract terms between trade unions and London Underground.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.sky.com/story/1542495/night-tube-start-date-postponed-as-talks-continue |title=Night Tube start date postponed as talks continue |work=Sky News |date=27 August 2015 |access-date=27 August 2015 |archive-date=29 August 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150829201401/http://news.sky.com/story/1542495/night-tube-start-date-postponed-as-talks-continue |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/21/tubes-run-all-night-weekends-london-underground |title=London tube to run all night at weekends but 750 jobs to go |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=21 November 2013 |access-date=21 November 2013 |last=Topham |first=Gwyn |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210510111007/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/21/tubes-run-all-night-weekends-london-underground |url-status=live }}</ref> On 23 May 2016 it was announced that the night service would launch on 19 August 2016 for the Central and Victoria lines. The service operates on the following lines:

;Central line
:between Ealing Broadway and Hainault via Newbury Park or Loughton. No service on the West Ruislip Branch, between Woodford and Hainault via Grange Hill or between Loughton and Epping.
;Northern line
:between Morden and Edgware / High Barnet via Charing Cross. No service on Mill Hill East, Battersea or Bank branches.
;Piccadilly line
:between Cockfosters and Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5. No service to Terminal 4 or between Acton Town and Uxbridge.
;Jubilee line
:Full line – Stratford to Stanmore.
;Victoria line
:Full line – Walthamstow Central to Brixton.

The Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines, and the Central line between White City and Leytonstone, operate at 10-minute intervals. The Central line operates at 20-minute intervals between Leytonstone and Hainault, between Leytonstone and Loughton, and between White City and Ealing Broadway. The Northern line operates at roughly 8-minute intervals between Morden and Camden Town via Charing Cross, and at 15-minute intervals between Camden Town and Edgware and between Camden Town and High Barnet.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.tfl.gov.uk/campaign/tube-improvements/what-we-are-doing/night-tube |title=The Night Tube |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=21 April 2021 |archive-date=15 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210515162326/https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/tube-improvements/what-we-are-doing/night-tube |url-status=live}}</ref>

Night Tube services were suspended in March 2020 during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-london-shops-could-close-and-transport-restricted-by-weekend-whitehall-sources-11959814 |title= Coronavirus: London cuts Tube trains and warns 'don't travel unless you really have to' |date=19 March 2020 |work=Sky News |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=21 March 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200321052444/https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-london-shops-could-close-and-transport-restricted-by-weekend-whitehall-sources-11959814 |url-status=live }}</ref> They were reinstated partially in November 2021 and fully in July 2022.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Full Night Tube service restored for the first time since the start of the pandemic |date=28 July 2022 |url= https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2022/july/full-night-tube-service-restored-for-the-first-time-since-the-start-of-the-pandemic |access-date=31 August 2024 |publisher= Transport for London}}</ref>

===Accessibility===
{{Main|Accessibility of transport in London}}
{{multiple image
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | image1 = Disabled person Tube train.jpeg
 | alt1 = A photograph of a person in a wheelchair parked in the reserved space inside a tube train.
 | caption1 = A wheelchair user on a Tube train
<!-- | image2 = MindTheGapVictoria.jpg
 | alt2 = A photograph of a tube train's open doors waiting at a station platform. The platform edge has "Mind the gap" inlaid into its surface by the open doors.
 | caption2 = The gap between a train and the platform edge at [[Victoria tube station|Victoria]]. "[[Mind the gap]]" signs and announcements have been made at stations with curved platforms since 1926 and recorded messages have been used since the late 1960s.{{sfnp|Day|Reed|2010|p=116}} -->
}}
[[Accessibility]] for people with limited mobility was not considered when most of the system was built, and before 1993 fire regulations prohibited wheelchairs on the Underground.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/29/disabled-man-tube-challenge-london-underground-accessibility|title=Disabled man takes on Tube challenge|last=Cathcart-Keays|first=Athlyn|date=29 October 2014|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=20 November 2018|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510064017/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/29/disabled-man-tube-challenge-london-underground-accessibility|url-status=live}}</ref> The stations on the [[Jubilee Line Extension]], opened in 1999, were the first stations on the system designed with accessibility in mind, but retrofitting accessibility features to the older stations is a major investment that is planned to take over twenty years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://disabilityhorizons.com/2011/07/the-london-underground-an-accessible-future/ |title=The London Underground – An accessible future? |date=24 July 2011 |website=disability horizons |access-date=20 April 2013 |archive-date=1 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501230535/http://disabilityhorizons.com/2011/07/the-london-underground-an-accessible-future/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2010 [[London Assembly]] report concluded that over 10% of people in London had reduced mobility{{sfnp|LA Transport Committee|2010|p=11}} and, with an ageing population, numbers will increase in the future.{{sfnp|LA Transport Committee|2010|p=9}}

The standard issue tube map indicates stations that are step-free from street to platforms. There can also be a step from platform to train as large as {{convert|12|in}} and a gap between the train and curved platforms, and these distances are marked on the map. Access from platform to train at some stations can be assisted using a boarding ramp operated by staff, and a section has been raised on some platforms to reduce the step.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf |title=Step-free Tube Guide |publisher=Transport for London |date=December 2023 |access-date=8 February 2024 |archive-date=10 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010120320/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/wheelchair-access-and-avoiding-stairs |title=Transport accessibility – Wheelchair access & avoiding stairs |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=18 June 2014 |archive-date=21 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621035925/http://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/wheelchair-access-and-avoiding-stairs |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{As of|2025|April}}, 93 London Underground stations (34%) are accessible from street to platform level.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lydall |first=Ross |date=2025-04-28 |title=Revamped Tube station for visitors to Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Hyde Park |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/knightsbridge-tube-station-stepfree-tfl-harrods-harvey-nichols-b1224678.html |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref> and there are plans to provide step-free access at another 11 stations by 2024.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/step-free-access|title=Step-free access|website=Transport for London|language=en|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=5 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205100713/https://www.tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/step-free-access|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2016 a third of stations had platform humps that reduce the step from platform to train.{{sfnp|TfL|2012|p=18}} New trains, such as those being introduced on the sub-surface network, have access and room for wheelchairs, improved audio and visual information systems and accessible door controls.{{sfnp|TfL|2012|p=18}}<ref name="gov" />

{{Clear}}

===Delays and overcrowding===
[[File:Congestion-on-the-london-underground.jpg|thumb|An overcrowded [[Northern line]] train. Overcrowding is a regular problem for Tube passengers, especially during peak hours.]]
During peak hours, stations can get so crowded that they need to be closed. Passengers may not get on the first train{{sfnp|LA Transport Committee|2009|p=55}} and the majority of passengers do not find a seat on their trains,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmtran/201/201.pdf |title=Overcrowding on Public Transport |publisher=House of Commons Transport Committee |date=17 September 2003 |page=17 |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224183158/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmtran/201/201.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> some trains having more than four passengers every square metre.{{sfnp|LA Transport Committee|2009|p=12}} When asked, passengers report overcrowding as the aspect of the network that they are least satisfied with, and overcrowding has been linked to poor productivity and potential poor heart health.{{sfnp|LA Transport Committee|2009|p=13}} Capacity increases have been overtaken by increased demand, and peak overcrowding has increased by 16 percent since 2004–05.{{sfnp|LA Transport Committee|2011|pp=22–23}}

Compared with 2003–04, the reliability of the network had increased in 2010–11, with lost customer hours reduced from 54million to 40million.{{sfnp|LA Transport Committee|2011|pp=12–13}} Passengers are entitled to a refund if their journey is delayed by 15minutes or more due to circumstances within the control of TfL,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/replacements-and-refunds/service-delay-refunds |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327163500/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/replacements-and-refunds/service-delay-refunds |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 March 2014 |title=Fares & payments – Replacements & refunds – Charter refunds |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=18 June 2014 }}</ref> and in 2010, 330,000 passengers out of a potential 11million Tube passengers claimed compensation for delays.<ref>{{cite news |title=London Underground: Millions not claiming Tube refund |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12687920 |date=9 March 2011 |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-date=14 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514072036/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12687920 |url-status=live }}</ref> Mobile phone apps and services have been developed to help passengers claim their refund more efficiently.<ref>{{cite news |last=Booth |first=Nick |title=Apps that help you get money back on Delays |newspaper=City AM |location=London |url=http://www.cityam.com/article/apps-help-you-get-money-back-delays |access-date=2 April 2013 |date=11 August 2011 |archive-date=3 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703134108/http://www.cityam.com/article/apps-help-you-get-money-back-delays |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Clear}}

===Safety===
{{See also|Safety on the London Underground|Suicide on the London Underground|List of London Underground accidents}}
London Underground is authorised to operate trains by the [[Office of Rail and Road]]. {{As of|2013|3|19|alt=As at 19 March 2013}} there had been 310 days since the last major incident,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/Item04-Quarterly-HSE-Performance.pdf |title=Quarterly Health, Safety and Environment Performance Reports – Quarter 3, 2012/13 |publisher=Transport for London: Safety and Sustainability Panel |date=19 March 2013 |access-date=19 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130411152714/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/Item04%2DQuarterly%2DHSE%2DPerformance.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2013 }}</ref> when a passenger had died after falling on the track.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/Item04-Quarterly-Health-Safety-Environment-Performance-Reports-Q4-2011-12.pdf |title=Quarterly Health, Safety and Environment Performance Reports – Quarter 4, 2011/12 |publisher=Transport for London: Safety and Sustainability Panel |date=10 July 2012 |access-date=19 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817203328/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/Item04-Quarterly-Health-Safety-Environment-Performance-Reports-Q4-2011-12.pdf |archive-date=17 August 2012}}</ref> {{As of|2015}} there had been nine consecutive years in which no employee fatalities had occurred.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/health-safety-environment-report-2015.pdf |title=TfL HSE Report 14/15 |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=1 December 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208160149/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/health-safety-environment-report-2015.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> A special [[West Ashfield training facility|staff training facility]] was opened in TFL's Ashfield House, [[West Kensington]] in 2010 at a cost of £800,000. Meanwhile, Mayor of London [[Boris Johnson]] decided it should be demolished{{cn|date=March 2025}} along with the [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre]] as part of Europe's biggest regeneration scheme.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1743136/mock-tube-station-gives-staff-real-life-training | first=Michelle |last=Stevens | date=18 January 2010 | title=Mock tube station gives London Underground staff real-life training | publisher=[[Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development]] | access-date=15 August 2024 }}</ref>

In November 2011 it was reported that 80 people had [[Suicide in the United Kingdom|died by suicide]] in the previous year on the London Underground, up from 46 in 2000.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tube suicides rise 74% over last 10 years |url=http://metro.co.uk/2011/11/10/tube-suicides-rise-74-over-last-10-years-214279/ |date=10 November 2011 |access-date=19 April 2013 |newspaper=Metro |location=London |archive-date=6 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506040133/http://metro.co.uk/2011/11/10/tube-suicides-rise-74-over-last-10-years-214279/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Most platforms at deep tube stations have pits, often referred to as 'suicide pits', beneath the track. These were constructed in 1926 to aid drainage of water from the platforms, but also halve the likelihood of a fatality when a passenger falls or jumps in front of a train.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Coats |first1=T. J. |last2=Walter |first2=D. P. |title=Effect of station design on death in the London Underground: observational study |journal=[[British Medical Journal]] |issue=7215 |page=957 |publisher=[[British Medical Association]] |date=9 October 1999 |url=http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/319/7215/957 |access-date=11 July 2008 |pmid=10514158 |volume=319 |pmc=28249 |doi=10.1136/bmj.319.7215.957 |archive-date=22 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060522140008/http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/319/7215/957 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfnp|Croome|Jackson|1993|p=158}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/468278.stm |title=Pit falls halve tube deaths |work=BBC News |date=8 October 1999 |access-date=20 April 2013 |archive-date=14 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214033342/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/468278.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Tube Challenge ===
The [[Tube Challenge]] is the competition for the fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations, tracked by [[Guinness World Records]] since 1960. The goal is to visit all the stations on the system, but not necessarily using all the lines; participants may connect between stations on foot, or by using other forms of public transport.

As of 2021, the record for fastest completion was held by Steve Wilson (UK) and Andi James (Finland), who completed the challenge in 15 hours, 45 minutes and 38 seconds on 21 May 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations|title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations|website=Guinness World Records|language=en-GB|access-date=2 October 2021|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083335/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations/|url-status=live}}</ref>