Transport is one of the four areas of policy administered by the Mayor of London, but the mayor's financial control is limited. The executive agency which runs London's transport system is Transport for London, TfL. The public transport network is one of the most extensive in the world, but faces serious congestion and reliability issues.
Rail: The London public transport system can be said to be a tourist attraction in itself. London's Underground Railway is the oldest in the world, and possibly one of the busiest. It is thought that more than 3 million people use the Underground every day. The Underground has in recent decades suffered from a lack of sufficient investment since the sums of money needed to keep it fully modernised are very high. This has led to congestion and delays for passengers in some areas of the network, although there have also been improvements, for example the opening of the Jubilee Line extension. Recently the London Rail and Tram network has received substantial funding.
London has a vast overground
rail network, the second largest in the world after Tokyo. This rail network
is split into five sections:
Mainline
services
London Underground
Tramlink
Docklands Light Rail
Heathrow Express
The Heathrow Express is not strictly a part of the public rail system, but
is owned by the British Airports Authority BAA plc. Currently Transport for
London or TfL runs the London Underground (the world's first underground rail
network or metro), also known as the "Tube". The national government's
recently introducted public–private partnerships to the Underground
despite opposition from many parties, including the Mayor of London.
All four elements of the rail network are due to be improved and expanded to help alleviate London's congestion problems. The largest project currently underway is the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which will provide faster Eurostar rail services via the Channel Tunnel to Paris, Brussels and other destinations in continental Europe. The most ambitious proposal in the pipeline is Crossrail, which will consist of a new east-west tunnel through central London connecting to several existing commuter routes. Financing for this has not yet been agreed. Smaller projects include extensions to the East London Line of the Underground, and to the Docklands Light Railway. The tram system is also being extended, particularly in Croydon, in South London.
There are far fewer Underground rail lines in South London than in North London. This is partly because the underlying geology of South London is much less favourable for tunnelling than it is north of the Thames. It also reflects the concentration of the network on Central London, which was focused to north of the Thames to a greater extent when most of the underground lines were built than is the case today. South London relies on overground commuter lines to a greater extent, but these tend to offer less frequent services.
Until 2003 there was also an underground railway for mail transport, the London Post Office Railway.
Road: London's famous red double decker buses are now run by private companies, although it is a requirement that the buses still be painted red. However the iconic red "Routemaster" bus has now almost disappeared. Another icon, the famous London taxi black cab is still a common sight.
In February 2003 Transport for London (TfL) introduced a radical scheme to charge private motorists £5.00 per day for driving vehicles within a designated area of Central London during peak hours: the Congestion Charge. This scheme has succeeded in significantly reducing traffic congestion, but remains controversial. The charge will rise to £8 in July 2005.
Waterways: The Thames is navigable and London itself was once a major port. There are several tributaries of the Thames in London that flow underground, for example the Tyburn. (see Subterranean rivers of London).London also has an extensive canal network, with important routes such as the Regent's Canal linking the Thames with other major rivers.
Airports:
Heathrow
Gatwick Airport
Luton Airport
Stanstead Airport
London City Airport
Heathrow 10 miles west of Central London is the principal airport and a major
hub. It is currently the busiest international airport in the world. A fifth
terminal will open in 2008. London Gatwick Airport and London Stansted Airport
are also large international airports, with approximately 30 million and 20
million passengers a year respectively. They are both outside the boundaries
of Greater London, as is the fourth largest airport which serves London, London
Luton Airport. Dedicated rail services serve Gatwick, Luton and Stansted,
and the Heathrow Express and London Underground Piccadilly Line both serve
Heathrow. London's fifth largest international airport, and the closest to
the central districts, is London City Airport in Docklands.
Other airfields in Greater London include Biggin Hill, and Northolt, and others close to London include Manston in Kent and Southend in.