The London Underground is the oldest underground train network in the world, as such has had close to 150 years to gain some interesting facts and figures, plus some downright weird ones.
Furthest on the Tube
The furthest North, East, South and West reached by the London Underground is as follows:
- North: Epping (Central Line)
- East: Upminster (District Line)
- South: Morden (Northern Line)
- West: Amersham (Metropolitan Line)
Longest and Shortest on the Tube
The longest distance between stations is 4 miles (6km) on the Metropolitan Line [Chesham and Chalfont].
The shortest distance between stations is 0.16 miles (0.25km) on the Piccadilly Line [Covent Garden and Leicester Square].
Busiest on the Tube
District Line is the busiest line with over 180 million passengers per year over its 40 miles length (64km). But in terms of passengers per mile, the Victoria line wins out with an incredible 175 million passengers over its 13.25 mile length (21km).
The Busiest station on the London Underground network is Victoria Station with 85 million passengers each year. Closely followed by Oxford Circus and King’s Cross stations. These all happen to be on the Victoria line which explains the above fact.
Ups and Downs on the Tube
Obviously getting to an Underground railway station involves going underground to a greater or lesser extent. This usually involves lifts and escalators of which there are a rich variety of both on the Tube, although lifts are now fewer in number.
The shortest escalator on the London Underground can be found at Chancery Lane station linking the east and westbound platforms of the Central Line.
The longest escalator is at Angel station on the Northern Line (City Branch).
The shallowest lift on the London Underground is at Chalk Farm station with a rise of 30 feet (9m), the deepest with a rise of 181 feet (55m) is at Hampstead.
