longest journey on london underground

Your Guide To The London Underground

The cornerstone of London's mass transportation scheme, the London Underground is a vast network that reaches into all corners of the city. It first opened in the late 1860s, though the system didn't really take off until a few decades later. For sure it has a deep history, a mass transit behemoth that's grown over the years — and continues to expand — and that progressed from steam-powered locomotives in tunnels not far below street level, to deeper trenches spurred by the onset of electrification.

Riding it for the first time can be a harrowing prospect, passengers needing to understand its wild map (it looks like it's been drawn by a 5-year-old architectural prodigy armed with a box of colored crayons), come to grips with the complexities of the type of ticket to buy, and all the while make sure that they don't upset other riders in the process. But once you comprehend the small details, the minutiae that for Londoners and regular riders is intrinsic, the underground is not a ogre to be feared, but rather a clean, safe, and (mostly) efficient method for swooshing around the heart of London and its outer fringes.

This straightforward primer will demystify the underground system that most people in London call the Tube, and have you reeling off how to whizz from Tooting Broadway to Turkey Street in no time.

Numbers game

Considering how long the Tube has been in operation, it will come as no surprise that the arteries that represent its train-carrying vessels are labyrinthine. The statistics of this huge enterprise certainly make for impressive reading, and give a clear indication as to the importance of the Underground in terms of keeping the capital of the United Kingdom ticking. Just try visiting London during a Tube strike, it's not a pleasant experience — roads are jammed with people making other arrangements and bus stops are choked with exasperated passengers, many unable to get on their bus because they are already too full to accommodate more commuters.

The Underground carries more than 1.3 billion passengers annually, and despite its name, more than half of the tracks lie above ground. The longest ride on a single line comes in at a whopping 55 kilometers, or 34 miles, a trip on the Central Line from Epping in the northeast to West Ruislip in the northwest, while train capacity (officially!) ranges from 665 to 892 passengers, depending on the type of rolling stock used.

Understanding the map

At first look, the map appears like a jumble of colored lines randomly plopped alongside one another. But there is method to the madness, with stations arranged along defined routes that typically follow a sort of geographic rubric (the Northern Line, for example, travels more or less north-south). The stations are also assigned zones that correspond to their proximity to, or distance from, central London — the higher the zone number, the further the station is from the capital's core.

Take some time to study the map, the different lines, the places they go. The majority of sights that you're likely to visit will be within the central tangle of colors, the white-shaded Zone 1 area in the middle of the map. Station names will generally correspond to the name of a street, a neighborhood, or a city landmark, and stations that have a circle on the train line next to their name are ones where you can change between different lines for free.

Color coding

As discussed earlier, the lines are divided by color, though when referring to each one, Londoners will always use the name of the line, not the color representing it — don't ask anyone where you can catch the gray line, for instance, but rather the Jubilee Line. The Underground comprises 11 main lines (Bakerloo to Waterloo & City line, alphabetically), but look at the map and you will notice a clutch of other train formats that are on it — technically these aren't part of the Tube, but they skillfully add to the visual jumble. These are lines that have opened in the near past, as the city's footprint expanded, connecting parts of London that have undergone more recent development.

They include the Docklands Light Rail (to access former docks in the east of London that went through a rapid transformation a few decades ago), the London Overground (a suburban rail service, but also run by Transport for London, or TfL, which operates the Tube), the Elizabeth Line, and more. Some of these lines might actually be the best way to get to your destination.

Rider report

You might ask, "Who uses the Underground?" The more appropriate question to ponder would be, "Who doesn't use it?" Given its immense scope — it has 402 kilometers (or about 250 miles) of track — the Tube ends up being a transportation method used by every imaginable Londoner, commuter, and of course tourist . Get on one and you'll see suited office workers, doctors, schoolchildren, revelers going to (and coming from) pubs and clubs, sports fans , shoppers, throngs of tourists young and old, and, once a year, people not wearing pants as they ride to work — don't worry, it's all in the name of harmless fun.

The official statistics, most recently published in the summer of 2019, before the pandemic, certainly make for remarkable reading. The busiest station, Waterloo, welcomes more than 100 million Underground passengers a year, with more than 1.3 billion riders overall entering and exiting the system's 272 stations.

Hours of operation

Unlike the subway system in New York City — the city that never sleeps, let's not forget — London's Tube doesn't operate 24 hours a day. So revelers hitting the town for a late one tend to rush home to catch the last Tube, take a Night Bus, or catch a taxi/private car-share service. For tourism purposes though, trains should be more than adequate to get you around, running most of the day and a large chunk of the evening and night — as a general rule of thumb, you can expect to enjoy Tube service from around 5 a.m. to Midnight throughout the week.

Note, there is a select Night Tube service on a limited number of lines, running only on Fridays and Saturdays. Started in 2016, this additional capacity was primarily aimed at people that worked night shifts, offering them an affordable, safe alternative to the Night Bus service already in place. The lines that provide round-the-clock service on these days are Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, and Victoria.

A matter of timing

Since the Tube is used by everyone, it's busiest when people are shuttling to and from work and school. Unlike in many city transit systems across the United States, these specific hours are identified as peak hours and come with a differential in the fare charged (based on the time you enter the Tube, not when you leave it). Peak hours are listed at 6:30-9:30 a.m. and 4:00-7:00 p.m., Monday to Friday; any time outside these windows is considered off-peak.

In addition to being a more expensive time to travel, peak periods are, as the name suggests, when the Tube is at its most full, moments when space, and general bonhomie, are in short supply. Try to avoid getting aboard then when shuttling around the city. To find an actual Tube station from the street is relatively easy — look for the red circle intersected by a blue banner with the word UNDERGROUND on it. Soon enough you might want the T-shirt.

Mapping your route

TfL has run the city's transit systems — the Underground, buses, trams, river bus, and some city piers among its remit — since 2000. As such, it's the primary source for getting information on how to get from A to B, or Aldgate East to Barons Court. The 'Plan a journey' function on its site lets you plug in starting and ending points — these can be Tube stations or specific street addresses — and it spits out an itinerary using public transport, also showing the cost of the trip. You can edit the desired route to use only Tube or other connected rail lines as the method of transport if you prefer — the tool automatically defaults to show the quickest route, and this might be by bus.

When riding the Tube it goes without saying that you should get on the right train, but this is an easy thing to get wrong. Sign boards for trains located next to the platform usually promote the direction that the train is going in, not the final stop. If in doubt, always look for the signboard that has the station where you are going on it.

Buying a ticket

Welcome to what is probably the most complicated aspect of the Tube. The array of ticketing options is mind-boggling, enough to make you scream in frustration. Simply put, the one you choose is governed by the frequency of travel and distance of your journey. Unlike in a number of U.S. cities, subway fares aren't flat irrespective of length of trip, but increase as you go further, cross into different zones, or travel at peak times. The two ways people pay to ride the subway are by paying as they go or with a paper Travelcard that allows for unlimited travel for anywhere from one day to one year.

The first option is the most popular for Londoners, purchasing individual rides using a contactless bank card or phone app, or with an Oyster card (available only in stations, with a fee required to purchase one), a transit debit card that you pre-load with funds to be deducted after each ride. With the contactless system, TfL caps the amount you will pay each day, and after that rides become free. Passengers also have the option of purchasing single paper tickets, but these are more expensive than using a contactless method. Option two, Travelcards, are good if you plan to ride public transit exhaustively, but a one-day travel card will be more expensive than continuously using the contactless alternative until it hits its cap. And if all that isn't maddening enough, the fares just increased in March 2023.

Station etiquette

Every trip on the Tube can be broken down into two distinct parts. The first occurs outside the train, all the way from street level and entering the station to the particulars of where to stand on the platform — and everything in between. Once in the station, ticket machines on the sides allow you to purchase an Oyster card (or add money to it), or a paper ticket (either a single ride or Travelcard). Turnstiles have barrier doors on them that open when the ticket is presented. Paper tickets go into a slender slot on the vertical part of the turnstile and come out on top; retrieve the ticket when it pops up and the turnstile doors will open. For contactless payment, tap the reader on the top panel of the turnstile.

Once through the turnstiles, there is a usually a long, somber ride down an escalator to the platforms. Always stand on the right of the escalator, the left is for people that want to walk, and Londoners aren't shy about telling people to get out of the way if they are on the wrong side. At the bottom of the escalator look for signs to the platform you need (because you've done your homework and mapped out the route, right?) and when waiting for the train, always stand behind the yellow line. When you reach your destination, look for signs that say Way Out. To leave the station, insert your ticket or swipe your contactless medium to exit through the turnstiles.

Train etiquette

Since everyone rides these trains, and hopefully with minimal fuss, it's critical that you are aware of your surroundings and fellow passengers. You'll notice a regular announcement over the loudspeakers on the train platforms — you might even see a T-shirt with these words on it: "Mind the Gap." This is a reminder to be careful when stepping on and off the train because there is a space between the platform and curb of the carriage that is large enough for your foot to get stuck in. So tread carefully, always letting passengers off the train first.

On the train , move toward the middle of the carriage, and always place your backpack on the floor by your feet, don't carry it on your back, even if it's called a backpack, as you'll end up bashing other passengers. Don't stare at other riders, even if they look interesting or friendly — they aren't on the train to make friends or strike up a conversation with a stranger, however fascinating you might be. Always give up your seat to someone who needs it more than you, especially the priority seats located near the train doors. And don't be loud onboard — people tend to be quiet on the Tube, you should be too.

The experience onboard

For passengers used to the roominess and width of metros in many American cities, these carriages might come as a shock. They are narrow, with low ceilings and realistically only enough space for one person to stand between the parallel rows of seats (it really does feel like you're in a tube). The tunnels that the trains hurtle through are deep underground — that's why the escalators are so long — and that makes the air down here feel still and dense. Even though they are air-conditioned, carriages can be hot and stifling in the summer, and cold and damp in the winter, so plan accordingly.

During peak hours you'll be crammed together with other passengers like slices of bread, because, even if the next train is coming in two minutes, nobody wants to wait. And yet the ride, when you have space to unfold and air to breathe, is surprisingly peaceful. The trains efficiently zip through the city much faster than above-ground transportation, station names are announced before each stop, making it easy to identify when to get off, and platforms are refreshingly litter free.

Accessibility information

Back when it began operation in 1863, when the world was a wildly different beast from today, the London Underground didn't focus much, if any, attention on the thorny topic of access. Those with limited mobility had to navigate stairs, or not use the system at all. But, as Bob Dylan once wrote: "The Times They Are a-Changin'" — and constant improvements, upgrades, and installations are thankfully making the network a more equitable place to ride.

TfL produces a guide that identifies stations that allow step-free access — meaning that passengers can get from street level to the platform without having to negotiate any steps, using lifts or ramps instead — most handily on this map . Accessible stations are marked in bold blue, and while it's clear from the guide that many Tube stations are not yet step-free — only 1/3 of all them currently are — new stations are constantly being added to the roster.

Apps to track

Londoners might not need an app to maneuver through the ins and outs of the Tube, but for the rest of us, using one can make the journey a whole lot easier. Station entrances are often located at large road intersections, for obvious reasons, but when not, they can be tricky to find. Google Maps seems to be the universal default for grounding yourself, and it will definitely help you get to the station nearest you. A more integrated app is Tube Map, a widely used navigation platform that uses the official TfL Underground map as the basis for its advice and route calculation.

Citymapper also combines street and transit data to produce route planning that offers options such as Bus Only, Wheelchair Accessible, walking maps, and even the estimated cost of a taxi. The TfL app, TfL Go, allows users to plan their journey, similar to the function on its website, and get live updates on train services. Most Tube stations have free public wifi, so travelers that don't purchase a local SIM card or have data can still access the apps.

Airport transfer

The Tube can also be used to ride into the city from Heathrow Airport, one of two international airports in London that receives frequent, non-stop flights from the United States (the other is Gatwick, which is linked to the capital by the overland Gatwick Express train service). There are three Tube stations at Heathrow, all on the Piccadilly Line (that's the dark blue one!), with separate stops at Terminals 2 & 3, Terminal 4, and Terminal 5.

This really is the most cost-effective way to get into London, with the trip into the city center taking less than an hour and costing about $7. And beyond the practical benefits of such a transfer, taking the Tube from here will be a great introduction to the London Underground system — as the first stop on the line, the train won't be very full at Heathrow, allowing you to get a leisurely grip on the Tube that powers London.

Ali who is also a volunteer with the British Transport Police was also given a special Transport For London (TFL) pass so she won't receive a penalty fair after not tapping out for 48 hours.

Reflecting on her two-day ordeal underground, the policy advisor from Shepherd's Bush, London, said: "It's been ok, it's a nice way to spend a weekend.

"Exploring bits of London I have never been to before."

Ali at Uxbridge (photo: SWNS) (Image: SWNS)

"I had a bunch of rules that I have to stick to - I couldn't tap out or hang around on a platform and let trains go past.

"I could only stop to swap trains, go to the loo or have some food .

"I was also be taking part in mini-challenges, little bits on the tube, little quirks.

"For example, the deepest tube station is Hampstead, it is 15 stories deep and my mini challenge was to climb those steps.

Reflecting on the 48 hour stint, Ali said: "I feel absolutely overwhelmed by the support from people on Twitter and social media.

"We've ended up raising over three times what I originally aimed for, which is just absolutely incredible.

"Absolutely wonderful experience, but never, ever again."

Asking what her favourite tube station was, she added: "Tufnell Park, it's a quiet, cute station out on the Northern line."

Ali took on the challenge after her dad Andrew White, died unexpectedly in 2016 from a pulmonary embolism - a blocked blood vessel in the lungs.

Ali and dad Andrew (photo: SWNS) (Image: SWNS)

Since his death, Ali has been raising money every year for charity but missed out on three years due to the pandemic.

This led to Ali taking on three challenges in three months to make up for lost time.

Called "The Trifecta of Stupidity" she took part in a 100-mile cycle through the Yorkshire countryside from her dad's birthplace in Middlesbrough to the National Museum in York.

On October 16, 2022, Ali ran the Oxford Half Marathon after attending University there.

And Ali has completed the challenge of spending 48 hours on the London Underground.

She added: "Overall, I'm hoping whatever money this raises goes to help some of the most vulnerable in society, and makes someone's life somewhere a little better.

"My dad made my life a hell of a lot better.

"He made me who I am today, so by donating, you're helping me pay that favour forward and say thanks for who he was."

Since taking part in the "Trifecta of Stupidity" Ali has raised more than £1,600 for her three chosen charities which are Mind, Centrepoint and the NSPCC.

Ali said: "Mind has done some incredible work campaigning to end the stigma against mental health and to advocate for improved services and treatment for those who suffer with mental ill-health.

"At various times during my life, I've found myself without a permanent roof over my head. I was lucky.

"I either ended up in temporary accommodation or my friends let me sofa surf.

"However, there are far too many vulnerable young adults who are in insecure housing. Centrepoint provides practical help supporting 14,000 young people a year.

"Volunteering with the British Transport Police means I've found out all too well about vulnerable young people who end up on the railway for whatever reason.

"The NSPCC not only works to raise awareness about the signs of child abuse, domestic violence and child exploitation but gives children a voice through the Childline hotline and the abuse reporting tool."

Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here .

Latest stories

Former gogglebox and celebrity big brother star george gilbey dies aged 40.

The star died in an accident at work.

Kate Middleton cancer news: Queen Camilla gives update on Princess as Harry waiting for ‘apology’ from William

Kate’s cancer diagnosis a double blow to royal family prompting Harry and Meghan to reach out

Dad facing £400k bill after ancient castle wall collapses outside his home

A dad-of-two faces a whopping £400,000 repair bill after an ancient castle wall collapsed outside his home. Adam Giagnotti, 42, was shocked when the 40ft-high retaining wall came crashing down following weeks of heavy rain and storms. Tonnes of rubble and mud blocked Reservoir Lane in Worcester following the landslide on February 9. Adam, whose three-bed semi-detached home is above the wall, has been told he is responsible for paying for the repairs and a set of temporary traffic lights. However, his insurance company claim the wall falls outside the boundary of the property so are refusing to pay out.

'Do not eat': Morrisons warning as disease-causing germ linked to meningitis found

The bacteria can survive and even grow under refrigeration and can cause Listeriosis which can last up to several weeks

Student who fell overboard on cruise ship holiday sent tragic last text to wife

Liam Jones was onboard the MSC Euribia departing from Southampton for trip to Europe when tragedy struck

Sportswriter Who Golfed With Trump Reveals Exactly How He Cheats At The Game

Rick Reilly spills the beans on Trump’s “fake as Velveeta cheese” golf championships.

Plane crashes at Britain’s largest aviation museum

A private plane has crashed at an airfield at Britain’s largest aviation museum.

Putin’s No. 1 Ally Appears to Expose Kremlin Terror Story as Total BS

Olga Maltseva/ReutersBelarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday appears to have blown a massive hole in Vladimir Putin’s claims that Ukraine may have been behind the horrific terror attack at a concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow last week.ISIS has claimed responsibility for the massacre Friday at the Crocus City Hall in which 139 people were killed. Nevertheless, Putin has attempted to shift blame for the bloodshed to Kyiv— but a major claim that the Russian president cited as ev

How to spot an Asian hornet and what to do if you find one

As an expert warns about the consequences of Asian hornets becoming established in the UK, here's how to identify them in your garden and what to do.

George Galloway accuses UK of being involved in Moscow terror attack

MPs criticised Galloway’s intervention as irresponsible, reckless and playing into the Kremlin’s hands

Prince William and Kate Middleton Issue New Statement After She Reveals Her Cancer Diagnosis

The Prince and Princess of Wales have now shared a new statement to thank the public for their support and well wishes since she shared the news.

Prince William Feels "Helpless and Scared" Amid Kate Middleton's Cancer Battle

Prince William is reportedly feeling "helpless and scared" amid Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis.

Dog Attack at Playground Leaves Child with Life-Altering Injuries, Owner Arrested

Patrycja Siarek faces several charges including criminal negligence causing bodily harm and failing to prevent a dog from biting or attacking

Sinkhole swallows customer after floor collapses in shopping mall in China

A shocking incident unfolded in Zhenjiang, China, after a massive sinkhole opened up on the second floor of a shopping mall and swallowed a customer on March 23. Chilling security camera footage captured the woman disappearing as the floor suddenly collapsed beneath her. A worker on the floor below was also trapped by debris. Both suffered only minor injuries.

‘Feeble, Confused And Tired’: Donald Trump Torched After Bizarre Gaffe-Filled Appearance

The former president delivered a rambling performance as his legal battles heat up.

I'm So, So, So, So Sorry But If You Recognize These 45 Items You're Considered Old Now

Today, I learned that a tub of butter could make me feel old.

Baltimore bridge collapse: Two possible causes for catastrophe

In an instant, a large section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was gone - as dozens of its steel beams collapsed into the water after being hit by a cargo ship. Sky News has spoken to a number of maritime and engineering experts to try and understand what might have happened - and what issues may have been at play. Was human error to blame?

Martin Kemp shares never-before-seen personal photo of Princess Kate as he sends her love amid cancer treatment

Martin Kemp and the Kemp family wished the Princess of Wales well in her cancer treatment, sharing a touching photo and message on his personal Instagram page

Karine Jean-Pierre Snaps At Interviewer's 'Incredibly Insulting' Question

The White House press secretary was in no mood.

The little-known bacteria behind the rising rates of cancer in under 40s

Last year, speakers at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting – the most eminent cancer conference in the world – came with a dire warning.

Footnote 1: The totals of subsurface and tube line route kilometres exceed the total system route kilometres because some line share routes.

To the Top of this Page

Line Infrastructure Data

Line service data tph = trains per hour.

The trains per hour figures are shown here for the central area of each line. Services on branches will be less. All data subject to change.

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

The London underground at 150 - a birthday journey

T wenty years ago there would have been only one possible headline for this odyssey along the entire length of the Central line – "Look back in Ongar". Or perhaps "Look forward in Ongar", since, as the eastern terminus of the line, that sleepy corner of Essex would have been the obvious place to start. But in 1994 Ongar station, underused and loss-making, was closed . "Look back in Epping" just doesn't sound the same, so dammit, I'm starting in Ongar anyway. The current incarnation of the Central line is 46 miles in length, but I'm doing the pre-1994 version. I'm going the extra six miles.

Ongar's tube history has been largely written out. A steam train, operated by the Epping Ongar Railway, runs on the line now, carrying small children and whiskery steam enthusiasts. It was a railway for a century, a volunteer tells me, and only part of the tube from 1957-94, so the reversion is justified. But I reckon it's aesthetic, too. Everyone loves steam trains; who in their right mind gives a hoot about tube trains?

When Ongar lost its tube, the locals were devastated. "It was all part of the decline of the town," says the ticket seller, who is also a local councillor. "It used to be an important place in Essex, and had a school, a hospital, the railway. Gradually it all went, and it became a dormitory for London ."

I take the steam train from Ongar's pretty station, with its real coal fire, to North Weald , which was also axed in 1994, passing the remnants of Blake Hall , which was closed in 1981 when it had the distinction of being the least used station on the London underground, with just six passengers a day. From North Weald I take the green-liveried heritage bus to Epping , where the Central line now begins. It is a large car park with a less imposing town attached, and I feel my look back in Ongar has been justified.

From Epping I go just one stop – to Theydon Bois . I've never been to Theydon Bois, but have always been captivated by the name, which suggests a Victorian actor-manager or a well-meaning but talentless amateur captain of the England cricket team c 1910. The initial impression is not good. "It's not much of a town, more a forest, really," says the friendly female attendant on the platform. The Station Arms has closed down, and there's a planning application for a block of flats pinned to the door. Further on, however, there are signs of life – a big, bright pub called the Bull, a bakery, butchers, barbers, a dry cleaners, an Indian restaurant – the Theydon Bois Balti House – and an upmarket cafe. Theydon Bois lives .

From Theydon Bois, I ride the east London end of the Central line, with its curious loop around Hainault . Roding Valley (which has inherited Blake Hall's mantle as the least used station on the tube network), Chigwell, Fairlop, Barkingside, Gants Hill . How evocative are those names. Can I do this romantic journey justice? The Central line is the biggest, busiest, fastest and reddest line on the underground, and this trainspotterish ticking off of its 49 stations (as well as its abandoned outposts) is our way of celebrating the tube's 150th birthday .

It wasn't the first line – that honour belongs to the Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway in the world, which ran from Paddington to Farringdon and was opened on 10 January 1863. The Metropolitan Railway was, however, not really a "tube". It was constructed close to the surface using the so-called "cut-and-cover" technique, whereby a trench is dug for the railway and then roofed over, and was a conventional railway with carriages pulled by steam trains. The stations also resembled their above-ground cousins – look at the cathedral-like platform five at Baker Street, which has been restored to its Victorian glory.

Tubes began life in the late 1860s, with a short-lived subway under the Thames along which a single carriage with up to 12 passengers was cable-hauled by two stationary steam engines. That was followed in 1890 by the first electric tube line from the City to Stockwell and, four years later, by the Waterloo and City line. The Central line, which was originally called the Central London Railway and ran from Shepherd's Bush to Bank, was the third tube line, and proved an immediate success when it opened in the summer of 1900. "London, all agape, crowds to the twopenny tube," the Daily Mail reported in the week of its opening. It now costs £8.90 rather than tuppence for a go-anywhere ticket, but the crowds still congregate. Today, in its much-extended form, it remains central to London life, connecting the suburban north-west with the East End, bringing shoppers to Oxford Circus and tourists to Marble Arch, serving God at St Paul's and Mammon at Bank.

Women and children shelter in Bethnal Green tube station

The name Central line was formally adopted in 1937, at the same time as the line was being extended east and west as part of a London-wide integration and expansion programme, though many of the stations built in the late 1930s were not opened until after the second world war. For the duration of the war, those stations – especially in heavily bombed east London – served as air-raid shelters, and the tube tunnels became the sites of factories and warehouses. From 1942-45, armaments company Plessey had a factory producing aircraft components in the 2.5-mile twin tunnels between Leytonstone and Gants Hill. The Central line really has seen it all, and continues to be a touchstone of life in the capital.

I stop briefly at Stratford , the shiny, energetic new face of east London, home of the Olympic park and Westfield shopping centre. I like Westfield – the brashness, the anthemic music, the ice rink where the struggles of the young to stay upright feel like a metaphor for life. I also like the fact that across the road from Westfield the old 1970s Stratford Centre, with its poundshops and market stalls, is still going strong, a haven for elderly East Enders banging on about the war. Two eras side by side.

Those elderly locals have good reason to obsess. The second world war had a profound effect on the East End, and on the Central line itself. A bomb hit Bank station in January 1941, killing 56 people , and on 3 March 1943, in the worst civilian disaster of the war, 173 people died at Bethnal Green station . They had been rushing to seek shelter after the air-raid sirens had sounded, when a woman fell at the bottom of the set of stairs that led down to the station from the street. Those behind fell on top of her, and in the panic that followed many were crushed or suffocated. According to John Day and John Reed's The Story of London's Underground , 146 of the 173 who died were women and children.

A plaque with the names of the dead was unveiled to mark the 50th anniversary of the disaster in 1993, and a more elaborate memorial is now being constructed by the Stairway to Heaven Trust . The first phase is complete, but there are posters next to the station entrance appealing for funds to complete it. This is a locally driven act of remembrance. For all the yuppification of the East End, many people have lived hereabouts all their lives and were children during the blitz. They lost friends and relatives in the disaster, and the collective memory is long.

The Central line now moves out of the East End and into the heart of the West End. The most intriguing station in this middle section is one that no longer exists – British Museum , which was decommissioned in 1933. It used to stand at 133 High Holborn, now a branch of the Nationwide building society. The station was killed off by the proximity of Holborn, more popular because it was an interchange, and I'm pleased to see its supplanter at least has the grace to recognise its phantom existence. A sign at the top of the escalator at Holborn shows the station's name as Holborn/British Museum. The station featured in the 1935 film Bulldog Jack, and is also reputed to be haunted by the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh whose screams can occasionally be heard echoing down the tunnels.

Oxford Circus is the lynchpin of the Central line. At Ongar, they told me that during the battle to save their station from the cost-cutters they had commissioned a report by accountants Coopers & Lybrand which sought to prove that Oxford Circus was the least productive station on the line because, while it was a destination for thousands, no one bought tickets there. With such statistical sophistry, I can see why their campaign failed.

Above ground, Oxford Circus teems. Everyone is selling something. Chuggers energetically chug in the rain; a woman from an eastern religious sect is offering an instant pathway to the Truth; the Topshop sale is peddling its own version of nirvana; a man next to one of the station's many exits is holding up large placards proclaiming a royal-inspired masonic conspiracy. All this hucksterism infects the Central line. A young man playing the accordion gets on at Oxford Circus; "playing" overstates it – he is striking the keys tunelessly. A young woman with dyed red hair holds a paper cup out. Everyone ignores her. It is all depressingly half-hearted. They order these things better in Paris. The female driver gets wind of his performance, and tells him where to get off – Lancaster Gate, to be precise.

Further west, away from Oxford Circus's relentlessness, reposes Holland Park , the best preserved station on the line. The ticket office, with its skylight and green tiling, has a pleasingly antique feel entirely in keeping with the grand houses and sweeping avenues of this affluent part of west London. Here, men still wear overcoats with suede collars, gift shops sell silver shaving brushes for £45, and the local delicatessen stocks pink champagne truffles. Bethnal Green it isn't.

The next stop, Shepherd's Bush , is less rarefied. Attempts have been made to beautify the green with pebbledashed walkways and the public loo has been converted into a nightclub, but all in vain. Some places never change. There is an incongruous piece of public art at one end of the green – Goaloids, by Elliott Brook : two sculptures made from goalposts and erected last year to mark the site of the 1908 Olympic cup final in which Britain beat Denmark 2-0. The sculpture is behind a fence, because this corner of the green is a litter-strewn mudbath. Either it hasn't recovered from the 1908 match, or they've held a rock concert here recently.

Shepherd's Bush station, though, is impressive – large, spacious and constructed with the grey steel slabs that give the Jubilee line its monumentalism. The station was rebuilt in 2008 to service the Westfield shopping centre next door – the eastern and western sections of the Central line are twinned in their devotion to Olympic sport and olympian shopping – but this Westfield has less zing than its younger cousin in Stratford. This is just high-end shopping rather than a complete life experience. London's energy now resides in the east.

I feel obliged to get off at the next stop, too, to take a sympathetic look at White City , a place forever being abandoned. The stadium built for the 1908 Olympics has been knocked down – so much for the Olympic legacy – and even the dogs who used to race there have been hounded out. White City has been the home of BBC TV for half a century, but it is now leaving too, and who knows what will happen to Television Centre. Thank goodness Wormwood Scrubs is staying. Central line trains run opposite the prison, travelling quickly as they pass, that characteristic high-pitched whine and the occasional toot on the horn reminding the inmates that everyone but them is escaping this unlovely glass-and-concrete world.

Leaving White City I can feel the lure of West Ruislip at the end of the line. What is it about Ruislip that makes it a national joke? The inherent comedy of the name, I suppose. Leslie Thomas's quintessentially 1970s novel Tropic of Ruislip, with its status- and sex-obsessed suburban couples, hasn't helped. The 70s was the era of sexual awakening and fondue parties, and Thomas's Ruislip came to epitomise it. What will I discover when I finally get there?

I go through the Actons, east, north and west; take the fork to Ealing Broadway for the sheer hell of it; and then set off on the final scenic leg – Hanger Lane, Perivale, Greenford, Northolt, mile after mile of 1930s semis and identikit warehouses. It is almost dark when I reach West Ruislip , and I'm exhausted. They say the man who is tired of the Central line is tired of life, but the walk from White City station to the Scrubs in a heavy squall has done for me.

My spirits are not lifted by the immediate prospect as I leave the station. There is an off-licence, an Indian takeaway and the stop for buses to Uxbridge, all huddled together on a flyover. "Is there a town here?" I ask one of the natives. "Sort of," says the man. "Turn right at the crossroads at the bottom of the road, and you'll come to Ickenham." Ruislip, despite having three stations named after it – South Ruislip and Ruislip Gardens as well as West Ruislip – appears not to exist. It is a music-hall joke; a literary conceit; a state of mind; a flyover in the middle of nowhere. How has Ruislip survived while poor Ongar, whose existence I can vouch for, was obliterated from the map?

I should be filled with a sense of achievement at the end of my journey, yet I feel only emptiness. On the road to Ickenham I stop at a pub called the Soldiers Return for a red wine and a packet of Quavers. In Tropic of Ruislip, Thomas portrayed a world where "dreams were regularly dreamed, ambitions thwarted … love visited and sex sniffed around". I sense none of that sexual energy, that unquenchable lust, in the Soldiers Return, where the TV screens are showing the football results, the regulars are discussing what they got for Christmas, and the abiding question for me is whether the pub's name should have an apostrophe. The Chinese philosopher Laozi was right. "A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." To expect to find meaning at the end of the line is naive. No doubt Odysseus experienced the same sense of anticlimax when he finally made it back to Ithaca from Troy, and he hadn't even had the consolation of visiting Theydon Bois.

London Underground
150 years of the underground
London holidays
Rail transport
England holidays
Rail travel

More on this story

London Underground: 14 alternative Tube maps

The London underground in facts and figures

The London underground: a condensed history

A London tube busker dishes the dirt

The five best tube station designs

Poems on the Underground: copycats and controversies

Mind the werewolf: the London underground in film

Comments (…), most viewed.

Food & Drink
Things To Do
Beyond London

What's London's Longest Journey?

While wearing our curiosity-oriented thinking cap the other day, a stray thought struck us. What are the two furthest points from each other within Greater London? We presumed someone else would have already calculated this, but a Google search later left us none the wiser. That's when we decided to grab the cartographic bull by the horns.

After some very scientific measuring including waving a ruler in front of our laptop — see, they do have practical use beyond your schooldays — we found the two most distant points within London. At roughly 58.9km apart, our two spots are... drumroll please... halfway down Fen Lane in North Ockendon (technically in London despite its position outside the Orbital), and a roundabout that connects Heathrow Terminal 5 to to the M25. Exciting, we know.

Here's where the real fun starts: we worked out how long it takes to get between the two of them.

Not for the faint of heart, according to Google Maps. Walking between the two takes a casual 13 hours and 36 minutes. Maybe if you're a particularly speedy strider, you can do it in 13. Still, that doesn't take into account resting, stopping for food or toilet breaks.

At least you can do some sightseeing along the way. The route takes you past: The Royal Albert Hall, Trafalgar Square, along the Embankment and past the Whitechapel Gallery. If you're feeling adventurous you can go to Man vs Food at the Western end of the trip; they let you try your hand/stomach at food challenges, but even they'd be taken aback if you ate there midway through a 65.3km voyage. Yep even though they're only 58.9km apart as the crow flies, following London's roads add another 6.4km to your journey.

Tiny hotel 40 Winks lies at the eastern end, if you're dedicated to the trip but not sure you can quite manage it in one go.

Public transport

Neither Google Maps nor TfL quite knew what to make of this route at first; we had to calculate it from Heathrow Terminal 5 station and then add on the distance to the roundabout. The maze of windy roads means it's actually a 43-minute walk between the roundabout and the station. However, if you can bring yourself to separate yourself from London for a few minutes, you can walk outside the boundaries to Travelodge Terminal 5 and get a National Express bus to the terminal. This takes a far more reasonable 13 minutes.

From there you've got a number of options. Our calculations show that the fastest will take roughly two hours 18 minutes (dependent on traffic, delays, etc). From Terminal 5 take the Heathrow Express to Paddington. From there it's just three stops on the Bakerloo line to Baker Street. Switch onto the Jubilee line, riding it a solid 12 stops to West Ham. From West Ham take c2c rail all the way to Upminster, in a swift 14-minute section. It might be at this point that you've come to realise this isn't the cheapest London journey you've ever done.

Then take the 370 bus to Home Farm Cottage, London's easternmost bus stop. It's just another 33 minutes away, though you'll have to trek on foot for this final stretch. Eventually you'll get to a stream known as Mar's Dyke that marks the edge of London. Congratulations. You've spent just over two and a half hours doing the longest London journey. Pat yourself on the back.

This one's nearly the exact same route as walking, bar the odd diversion taking into account the rules of London's roads. Clocking in at just under four hours — one minute under to be precise — it's only for those with thighs of steel. We also suggest going from west to east for this one, giving yourself a slight overall downhill gradient on your side (62ft overall).

So this may come as no surprise, but if traffic isn't acting up — which is never guaranteed in London — it takes an hour and six minutes to drive. It's a very simple route around the M25. But that doesn't sound nearly as much fun as any of our other proposals, does it now?

Think you know any longer London journeys (by distance)? Let us know down in the comments. We're humble enough to admit that there might be some faults in our methods.

Also read: How Many Forms Of Transport Can You Use In London In One Hour?

Last Updated 09 February 2017

16 Spring Day Trips From London: April 2024

Things To Do In London Over Easter Weekend 2024

Easter 2024 Transport In London: Which Train And Tubes Are Running, And Which Stations Are Closed?

60 Of The Best Things To Do In London This Spring

Londonist in your inbox.

Get London news, inspiration, exclusive offers and more, emailed to you.

I would also like to receive the Best of Londonist weekly roundup

Thank you, your preferences have been saved.

Follow londonist, report a problem.

Something wrong with this article? Let us know here.

Thank you, your feedback has been noted.

Privacy Policy
Breaking News
South London
North London
West London
East London

London Underground: Longest journey on the Tube in just one tunnel where you won’t see sunlight for miles

The London Underground network, despite its name, has trains that run both above ground, sub surface just below the ground, and deep underground in the classic Tube sections of the line, actually just 45 per cent of the network is made up of these tunnels. Every line sinks below the surface at some point though, the network’s Tube nickname very much earned with just over 180km worth of tunnels criss-crossing underneath London.

With so much time to sit and daydream while riding the Tube you may have wondered before, what is the longest journey you can make in just one tunnel without seeing a single spot of daylight? To do this you’ll have to make your way to recently reopened Northern line section that runs via Bank in the City of London.

This is because at 27.8km, the unbroken tunnel section from East Finchley in North London all the way to the Northern line terminus in South London at Morden is the longest you’ll find anywhere on the London Underground.

READ MORE: London Underground driver ‘invited woman into cabin then sexually assaulted her while he was driving Jubilee line train’

Morden Underground station (Image: Bob Walker)

Passing through 25 uninterrupted tunnel stations between East Finchley and Morden, you’ll sail straight beneath some iconic landmarks in Central London including Bank, London Bridge, Kings Cross and more, all in total darkness (save for the lights in your carriage).

If you fancy giving the journey a try yourself it should take about 50 minutes from one end to the other, making good time as you fly beneath the capital’s busy streets.

Even with a fairly rapid journey given the distance covered though, you’ll no doubt be glad to see the sunlight by the time you emerge from the abyss at either of the two stations, both East Finchley and Morden boasting platforms above ground.

MyLondon Trending Reporter interested in TV and film, lifestyle, human interest stories, news and more.

I spoke to Ukrainian Londoner Tatiana about her fundraising efforts as her family remains caught up in the war.

Feeling peckish and want to try somewhere new? Read my review of the best toastie I’ve ever had.

Nnenna’s education in London was thrown into chaos after a family tragedy, but she was saved by the kindness of Londoners.

If you have a story or something you think is worth looking into, get in touch at [email protected] .

Want more of the latest London news sent straight to your inbox? Sign up to our tailored newsletters here .

https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/london-underground-longest-journey-tube-24269503

Recommended For You

Banksy tree mural that sprouted in London is fenced off after apparent vandalism

North London Book Fest at Alexandra Palace

Five north London churches united in prayer on Palm Sunday

Arsenal have been dealt a BIG blow ahead of North London Derby next month

Documentary
Entertainment

Building Big

How It’s Made
Monarchs and Rulers
Travel & Exploration

The Longest Train Journeys in the World

Intercity and international train travel revolutionised how people and goods moved around the world. The world’s longest train journeys offer a glimpse of the world like no other means of transportation can. Here are the longest train journeys in the world.

It’s all about the journey, not the destination. Flying around the world is undoubtedly faster and more convenient, but there’s something magical about the sights, sounds and smells of long-distance train travel, including the longest train route in the world. Let’s track the world’s longest train journeys.

When it comes to the history of train tracks, while we think of modern tracks as metal railway lines, the idea of tracked-travel actual dates back much further than the industrial revolution. In fact, the oldest known tracks in the world are around six thousands years old, and were found in the wetlands of Somerset. A paved trackway was uncovered in Greece to transport boats across the Isthmus of Corinth around 600 BC. There were also ancient paved trackways built in Roman Egypt, and wooden rails with sleepers have been found in China dating to around the second century BC.

Over the next 1,800 years, trains and tracks got more sophisticated and were used to move goods and people all over the world. Today, trains move around 40% of the world’s cargo every year, as well as billions of people from city to city and country to country.

Before we get to the list of the world’s longest train journeys, we need to undertake a little bit of housekeeping. The journeys on this list are direct routes. You can, in theory, take a train journey from Portugal’s west coast all the way to Singapore, but it’s not direct and involves a number of overnight city stops. The theoretical longest train ride in the world takes travellers through dozens of countries and would take about three weeks. The distance? A mere 18,755 kilometres!

Here are the contenders for the longest train route in the world.

Aberdeen to Penzance | UK

Passing through Aberdeen (Photo: Construction Photography/Avalon via Getty Images)

Distance : 1,245 kilometres | Approximate duration : 13 hours

One of the world’s longest train journeys is from the Scottish city of Aberdeen to Penzance on Cornwall’s western tip. There are thirty-five stations on the route and the train is stationary for around two hours as it drops off and picks up passengers.

Chicago to Emeryville | USA

Amtrak’s California Zephyr (Photo: sanfel via iStock)

Distance : 3,924 kilometres | Approximate duration : 51 hours

One of the longest train journeys in the world is from Chicago in Illinois to the California town of Emeryville aboard Amtrak’s California Zephyr. The ride takes passengers through the Nebraska plains to Colorado, through the Rockies and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains and on via Utah, Nevada and finally California. It has been described as one of America’s most scenic train trips.

Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari | India

Indian railway train (Photo: abhisheklegit via Getty Images)

Distance : 4,282 kilometres | Approximate duration : 80 hours

India’s longest train journey runs from the northeastern corner of India to its southern tip and crosses eight states. The journey is known as the Dibrugarh – Kanyakumari Vivek Superfast Express, but that’s a slight misnomer. The train travels at the rather sedate speed of around 57 km/h and stops 58 times.

Sydney to Perth | Australia

The Indian Pacific (Photo: BeyondImages via Getty Images)

Distance : 4,352 kilometres | Approximate duration : 65 hours

There’s no better seat from where to see the wonder of the Australian outback than from the Indian Pacific, one of the longest trains in the world. Stopping in Adelaide, the ghost town of Cook and the old mining town of Broken Hill, one of the longest train journeys in the world includes the planet’s longest stretch of straight railway track at 297 miles across the Nullarbor Plain.

Toronto to Vancouver | Canada

Passing through Canadian Rockies and Countryside (Photo: MJ_Prototype via Getty Images)

Distance : 4,466 kilometres | Approximate duration : 95 hours

The journey between Toronto’s Union Station and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver is not only a contender for longest train route in the world, it is one of the world’s most tranquil train journeys. The Canadian takes passengers through the breathtakingly beautiful Canadian countryside, including the Rocky Mountains and the stunning Canadian Shield.

Guangzhou to Lhasa

On the way to Guangzhou (Photo: Laser1987 via Getty Images)

Distance : 4,980 kilometres | Approximate duration : 54 hours

One of the world’s longest train journeys offers some of the most stunning views in the world. From Guangzhou, known as the ‘south gate’ of China, the three day journey takes passengers through the contrasting landscapes from the south to the north of the huge country and over the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa, a city in the shadows of the Himalayas.

Moscow to Vladivostok | Russia

Trans-Siberian train station in Vladivostok (Photo: dataichi - Simon Dubreuil via Getty Images)

Distance : 9,259 kilometres | Approximate duration : 167 hours

By a huge distance, the longest train ride in the world is from Moscow in the west of Russia to the Pacific port city of Vladivostok in the far east, close to the borders of China and North Korea. The world-famous Trans-Siberian Express crosses eight time zones, and the ever-changing landscape takes in sights such as Lake Baikal, the Ural Mountains and the Eurasian Steppes.

The World’s Longest Underground Train Route

London Underground (Photo: Sharon Vos-Arnold via Getty Images)

The longest train ride in the world that is completely underground is between Wangcong Temple and Lanjiagou stations on Line 6 of the Chengdu Metro in China. The line was completed in 2020 and the journey is 68.2 kilometres long. The longest underground journey in the UK is 27.8 kilometres between Morden and East Finchley on London Underground’s Northern Line.

The World’s Longest High-Speed Rail Service

Chinese high speed train (Photo: View Stock via Getty Images)

The longest railway route in the world by high-speed train is the China Railway route from Beijing to Kunming. It is a distance of 2,653 kilometres and the journey time varies between around 11h and 15h.

So that concludes our list of the longest train journeys in the world. If you’ve got the time, there are few better ways to see the world than by train. All aboard!

Six presumed dead after cargo ship crash levels Baltimore bridge

BALTIMORE — A major Baltimore bridge collapsed like a house of cards early Tuesday after it was struck by a container ship, sending six people to their deaths in the dark waters below, and closing one of the country’s busiest ports.

By nightfall, the desperate search for six people who were working on the bridge and vanished when it fell apart had become a grim search for bodies.

“We do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon N. Gilreath said.

Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said earlier that one of his workers had survived. He did not release their names.

Up until then, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had held out hope that the missing people might be found even as law enforcement warned that the frigid water and the fact that there had been no sign of them since 1:30 a.m. when the ship struck Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Moore expressed heartbreak after officials suspended the search for survivors.

"Our heart goes out to the families," he said. "I can’t imagine how painful today has been for these families, how painful these hours have been have been for these families."

It was a crushing blow to the loved ones of the missing men, who had waited for hours at a Royal Farms convenience store near the entrance of the bridge for word of their fate.

Follow live updates on the Baltimore bridge collapse

The tragic chain of events began early Tuesday when the cargo ship Dali notified authorities that it had lost power and issued a mayday moments before the 984-foot vessel slammed into a bridge support at a speed of 8 knots, which is about 9 mph.

Moore declared a state of emergency while rescue crews using sonar detected at least five vehicles in the frigid 50-foot-deep water: three passenger cars, a cement truck and another vehicle of some kind. Authorities do not believe anyone was inside the vehicles.

Investigators quickly concluded that it was an accident and not an act of terrorism.

Ship was involved in another collision

Earlier, two people were rescued from the water, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said. One was in good condition and refused treatment, he said. The other was seriously injured and was being treated in a trauma center.

Moore said other drivers might have been in the water had it not been for those who, upon hearing the mayday, blocked off the bridge and kept other vehicles from crossing.

“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives.”

Nearly eight years ago, the Dali was involved in an accident. In July 2016, it struck a quay at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, damaging the quay.

The nautical commission investigated the accident, but the details of the inquiry were not immediately clear Tuesday.

The Dali is operated and managed by Synergy Group. In a statement, the company said that two port pilots were at the helm during Tuesday's crash and that all 22 crew members onboard were accounted for.

The Dali was chartered by the Danish shipping giant Maersk, which said it would have no choice but to send its ships to other nearby ports with the Port of Baltimore closed.

The bridge, which is about a mile and a half long and carries Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River southeast of Baltimore, was "fully up to code," Moore said.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said that her agency will lead the investigation and that a data recorder on the ship could provide more information.

"But right now we're focusing on the people, on the families," she said. "The rest can wait."

President Joe Biden vowed to rebuild the bridge and send federal funds.

"This is going to take some time," the president warned. "The people of Baltimore can count on us though to stick with them, at every step of the way, till the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt."

Speaking in Baltimore, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed the president's promise.

"This is no ordinary bridge," he said. "This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure."

But Buttigieg warned that replacing the bridge and reopening the port will take time and money and that it could affect supply chains.

The Port of Baltimore, the 11th largest in the U.S., is the busiest port for car imports and exports, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2023 alone, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration.

Image: Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses After Being Struck By Cargo Ship

Writer David Simon, a champion of Baltimore who set his TV crime drama "The Wire" on the streets of the city he once covered as a reporter, warned online that the people who will suffer the most are those whose livelihoods depend on the port.

"Thinking first of the people on the bridge," Simon posted on X . "But the mind wanders to a port city strangling. All the people who rely on ships in and out."

Timeline of crash

Dramatic video captured the moment at 1:28 a.m. Tuesday when the Dali struck a support and sent the bridge tumbling into the water. A livestream showed cars and trucks on the bridge just before the strike. The ship did not sink, and its lights remained on.

Investigators said in a timeline that the Dali's lights suddenly shut off four minutes earlier before they came back on and that then, at 1:25 a.m. dark black smoke began billowing from the ship's chimney.

A minute later, at 1:26 a.m., the ship appeared to turn. And in the minutes before it slammed into the support, the lights flickered again.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the workers on the bridge were repairing concrete ducts when the ship crashed into the structure.

At least seven workers were pouring concrete to fix potholes on the roadway on the bridge directly above where the ship hit, said James Krutzfeldt, a foreman.

Earlier, the Coast Guard said it had received a report that a “motor vessel made impact with the bridge” and confirmed it was the Dali, a containership sailing under a Singaporean flag that was heading for Sri Lanka.

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses After Being Struck By Cargo Ship

Bobby Haines, who lives in Dundalk in Baltimore County, said he felt the impact of the bridge collapse from his house nearby.

"I woke up at 1:30 this morning and my house shook, and I was freaking out," he said. "I thought it was an earthquake, and to find out it was a bridge is really, really scary."

Families of bridge workers wait for updates

Earlier in the day, relatives of the construction crew waited for updates on their loved ones.

Marian Del Carmen Castellon told Telemundo her husband, Miguel Luna, 49, was working on the bridge.

“They only tell us that we have to wait and that they can’t give us information,” she said.

Castellon said she was "devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don’t know how they have been rescued yet. We are just waiting for the news."

Luna's co-worker Jesús Campos said he felt crushed, too.

“It hurts my heart to see what is happening. We are human beings, and they are my folks,” he said.

Campos told The Baltimore Banner that the missing men are from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

Active search and rescue ends

The Coast Guard said it was suspending the active search-and-rescue effort at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"Coast Guard’s not going away, none of our partners are going away, but we’re just going to transition into a different phase," Gilreath said at a news conference.

Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland L. Butler, Jr., said it was moving to a recovery operation. Changing conditions have made it dangerous for divers, he said.

Butler pledged to "do our very best to recover those six missing people," but the conditions are difficult.

"If we look at how challenging it is at a simple motor vehicle crash to extract an individual, I'm sure we can all imagine how much harder it is to do it in inclement weather, when it's cold, under the water, with very limited to no visibility," he said.

"There's a tremendous amount of debris in the water," which can include sharp metal and other hazards, and that could take time, Butler said.

'A long road in front of us'

Built in 1977 and referred to locally as the Key Bridge, the structure was later named after the author of the American national anthem.

The bridge is more than 8,500 feet long, or 1.6 miles. Its main section spans 1,200 feet, and it was one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world upon its completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance .

About 31,000 vehicles a day use the bridge, which equals 11.3 million vehicles per year, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

The river and the Port of Baltimore are both key to the shipping industry on the East Coast, generating more than $3.3 billion a year and directly employing more than 15,000 people.

Asked what people in Baltimore can expect going forward, the state's transportation secretary said it is too early to tell.

"Obviously we reached out to a number of engineering companies, so obviously we have a long road in front of us," Wiedefeld said.

Julia Jester reported from Baltimore, Patrick Smith from London, Corky Siemaszko from New York and Phil Helsel from Los Angeles.

Julia Jester is a producer for NBC News based in Washington, D.C.

Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.

London Underground: Longest journey on the Tube in just one tunnel where you won't see sunlight for miles

For anyone who gets claustrophobic on the Tube, this is the journey to avoid at all costs

11:02, 20 JUN 2022

Get FREE email updates for everything London Underground

We have more newsletters

The London Underground network, despite its name, has trains that run both above ground, sub surface just below the ground, and deep underground in the classic Tube sections of the line, actually just 45 per cent of the network is made up of these tunnels. Every line sinks below the surface at some point though, the network's Tube nickname very much earned with just over 180km worth of tunnels criss-crossing underneath London.

With so much time to sit and daydream while riding the Tube you may have wondered before, what is the longest journey you can make in just one tunnel without seeing a single spot of daylight? To do this you'll have to make your way to recently reopened Northern line section that runs via Bank in the City of London.

This is because at 27.8km, the unbroken tunnel section from East Finchley in North London all the way to the Northern line terminus in South London at Morden is the longest you'll find anywhere on the London Underground.

READ MORE: London Underground driver 'invited woman into cabin then sexually assaulted her while he was driving Jubilee line train'

Passing through 25 uninterrupted tunnel stations between East Finchley and Morden, you'll sail straight beneath some iconic landmarks in Central London including Bank, London Bridge, Kings Cross and more, all in total darkness (save for the lights in your carriage).

If you fancy giving the journey a try yourself it should take about 50 minutes from one end to the other, making good time as you fly beneath the capital's busy streets.

Even with a fairly rapid journey given the distance covered though, you'll no doubt be glad to see the sunlight by the time you emerge from the abyss at either of the two stations, both East Finchley and Morden boasting platforms above ground.

Dan Wiggins