The London Tube undoubtedly is the most efficient and costly way to get around the city. A network of lines bisecting and intersecting each other at major points in the city, the iconic Tube map depicts an entire subterranean geography devoted to getting people around London quickly. One of the first of its kind in the world, the history of the Tube is as famous as its function. Keeping in mind what I’m about to tell you, the London Tube will reveal itself to be an attraction unto itself.

With the first line opening in 1863, the London Tube became the first underground train system in the world. Changing the the coal powered trains to electric-powered cars in 1890, the London Tube also became one of the cleanest modes of transportation the world had ever seen. No toxic emissions, no horse dung – the London Tube would set precedence for the type of rail network (and for that matter, transportation systems in general) other cities would eventually take up. Moreover, submerged underground, the principle complaints about traffic became not cries about a automobile collision, but rather the queue lineup to get on the train.

An interesting turn during The Blitz that crippled London during World War Two, the Tube actually served as an underground bomb shelter for some 177,550 Londoners. Helping to escort nearly 200,000 children to safety in the British countryside, the London tube was an impressive tactic that aid Britain in fending off Nazi occupation. The Tube would also be the target of terrorism in 2005 with the 7/7 bombings. Targeting two points on the Circle Line and the one on the Piccadilly, these horrific events marked scary realization to how important the underground is to the city of London.

A network which allows suburbans to commute to the city (and likewise, Londoner’s to the country), the Tube is what connects the nearly 7,500,000 residents of the capital. Like a system of arteries and veins to the aligns West London with the East, attractions like the London Eye with hotels like the Waldorf London, the Tube makes getting around the capital possible. With two stations near the Waldorf hotel London – Temple on the Circle Line and Covent Garden on the Piccadilly Line – the service is accessible to all guests. Just remember to search for the iconic Tube symbol and “please, mind the gap.”

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-tips-articles/riding-the-london-tube-4119576.html

About the Author

Peter Merifield is a London-based freelance journalist with a mission to make you a better and happier human being. Drawing attention to the peculiarities of life in the modern age is all part of the package.Check out his other articles for everything you need to know about travel destinations.