 |
 |
|
London Transport |
||
|
The capital city of Great Britain: The capital, as well as the largest city of the Great Britain, London, is emplaced like a crown on the Thames River, in the Southeast part of England. World’s foremost commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural center, London, is also one of the world’s most visited cities. Being one of the worlds most populated and popular city, London has a well-integrated public transport system, with easy accessibility to different parts of the city. An overview of the transport system in London: The London transport system is superintended and executed by the Mayor of London. The extent of his financial control is restricted, with “London transport” (TFL), being the executive agency running the transport system in London. TFL was created in the year 2000, as a division to handle the network of London transportation system. The basic role of TFL is to control the operations of the transport services across the capital, while implementing the transport strategies created by the Mayor of London. Administration of London buses, the Underground, the dockland’s light railway, and the management of Croydon Tramlink and London River Services, all comes under the basic responsibilities of the TFL. TFL is also responsible for administering, the two most important heritages of London; the Victoria coach system and the London transport museum. The museum located at the Covent Garden, conserves and explains the age long heritage of the London Transport system. Leaving apart the exception of buses, trams, DLR, and the underground, all the modes of public transport that comes under the control of TFL follow their own ticketing regimens. An electronic journey planner, available on web, kiosks, and some payphones, facilitates the travelers of the capital city to plan journeys in and around London, by multiple modes. Major modes of transport: The major modes of public transport in the capital city are: Underground: Also known as Tube, the London underground metro system covers the diverse territory of Greater London and beyond. It is an electric railway system, which runs both above and below the ground in little contrast to its name “underground”. Train: It is the most convenient way of passenger service within the city of London. The docklands light railway: The most dependable and efficacious way to travel around docklands and Greenwich is through the docklands light railway. The fully automated, driverless trains are a perfect joyride for the whole family Coach: Journey by coach is cheaper, but takes more time as compared to a train journey. Car: Driving in UK is expensive due to high taxes on petrol. People usually prefer hiring a car, while driving towards the British countryside, to the areas, that are not directly linked by trains or buses. Taxi: The fastest and one of the convenient modes of transport from the train or bus station to your accommodation, or to your home is by hiring a taxi. People usually prefer sharing a cab with other people traveling to the same area, as most taxis are licensed to carry 4 to 5 passengers. This mode of shared transportation usually comes out cheaper and faster than the other means of transport. Buses: The most common mode of London transport for a local traveler, traveling across the city is the Red and double decker buses. Sitting on the top floor of a double decker bus, on a fine sunny morning, and chatting around with locals, while enjoying the beautiful views around, is the perfect scene for a budget conscious traveler. Single decker buses are also operational in the city. The night service buses are particularly useful for late night travelers, when no underground service is available. London River services: It manages the public transportation on the River Thames in London, providing commuting and tourist oriented cruise service to the travelers. The TFL doesn’t directly own the boats for traveling, but license the services owned by the old operators. Trams: After a long period of disappearance since 1952, the trams re-appeared in 2000. Competition from buses and the maintenance costs were the major reasons for its demise. Now with its re-appearance, trams have started its full fledge network, with following tram systems operating and planned in the near future: 1. Tram link: It is functional in the area of South London near Corydon. 2. West London tram-Operational in West London, from Shepherd’s Bush to Uxbridge, West London Tram is a recently introduced mode of transport. 3. Cross-river tram : The proposal for it has been approved but is still under development system in central London. It is proposed to depart in the south suburbs, and continue towards the north suburbs, while crossing over the River Thames. To ensure a comfortable journey for the physically disabled people, the TFL has brought in new system of transport, which can be easily access by physically challenged people. The new buses in the capital have specially designed low floors and a ramp system, which make them easy for people in wheelchairs to get into. To make journey comfortable and convenient for people in wheelchair, special version of the underground map has been introduced, which help them to plan a journey while avoiding stairs and escalators. At the same time black cab taxi’s, is the most convenient way for elderly or people in wheelchair to travel around the capital city. London’s dial-a-cab service facilitates door-to-door multi-occupancy service, especially meant for people with health problems, or physical disabilities who are virtually unable to travel by public transport. Common transportation problems: The public transport network of the London is world’s most extensive and complex transit system, with common problems of congestion, disruptions, and delays. The basic reasons behind these problems are: • On going roadwork or engineering work, usually done during the time of weekends • The weather, as the snow and rain affects the lines, which are on the ground • System failure, like broken trains, signal failure, electrical problems, broken lifts etc • Security alerts in situations like track fires, unattended bags • Staff shortage due to sickness or strikes • Passenger action like suicide on the tracks Due to the upcoming Olympic Games in London in 2012, which is sure to increase the traffic flow, preparations are on the way for the expansion of the city links, with the main focus on the city undergrounds. A new service called cross rail is due to be opened by 2013, which is expected to solve the traffic congestion problem to a great extent. With ongoing efforts and development to modernize more, the already well integrated transport system, is sure to make traveling for the locals, as well as the visitors of this beautiful capital city, much more enjoyable and memorable. Related
Articles |
|
|
  |
  |
 |