London Underground - London Underground Accessibility - J

London Underground - J

London Underground Accessibility

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. 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.

A 2010 London Assembly report concluded that over 10% of people in London had reduced mobility and, with an ageing population, numbers will increase in the future.

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 12 inches (300 mm) 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.

As of January 2022, there are 90 stations with step-free access from platform to train, and there are plans to provide step-free access at another 11 stations by 2024. By 2016 a third of stations had platform humps that reduce the step from platform to train. 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.

London Underground Delays and Overcrowding

During peak hours, stations can get so crowded that they need to be closed. Passengers may not get on the first train and the majority of passengers do not find a seat on their trains, some trains having more than four passengers every square metre. 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. Capacity increases have been overtaken by increased demand, and peak overcrowding has increased by 16 percent since 2004–05.

Compared with 2003–04, the reliability of the network had increased in 2010–11, with lost customer hours reduced from 54 million to 40 million. Passengers are entitled to a refund if their journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more due to circumstances within the control of TfL, and in 2010, 330,000 passengers out of a potential 11 million Tube passengers claimed compensation for delays. Mobile phone apps and services have been developed to help passengers claim their refund more efficiently.

London Underground Safety

London Underground is authorised to operate trains by the Office of Rail Regulation. As at 19 March 2013 there had been 310 days since the last major incident, when a passenger had died after falling on the track. As of 2015 there have been nine consecutive years in which no employee fatalities have occurred. A special staff training facility was opened at West Ashfield tube station 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 along with the Earls Court Exhibition Centre as part of Europe's biggest regeneration scheme.

In November 2011 it was reported that 80 people had died by suicide in the previous year on the London Underground, up from 46 in 2000. 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.

London Underground 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.

London Underground Overview

London Underground Locale: Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire

London Underground Transit Type: Rapid transit

London Underground Number of Lines: 11

London Underground Number of Stations: 272 served (262 owned)

London Underground Daily Ridership: 3.15 million (January 2023)

London Underground Annual Ridership: 1.026 billion (2022/2023)

London Underground Began Operation: 10 January 1863, 160 years ago

London Underground Operator(s): London Underground Limited

London Underground Reporting Marks: LT (National Rail)

London Underground System Length: 402 km (250 mi)

London Underground Track Gauge:

1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge (1863–pres.)

7 ft (2,134 mm) Brunel gauge (1863–1869)

London Underground Electrification: 630 V DC fourth rail

London Underground Average Speed: 33 km/h (21 mph)

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