London Underground: the Tube - statistics & facts
Established in 1863 as the Metropolitan Railway, the London Underground was the world’s first train service operating underground; it furthermore constitutes the longest metro system in Europe, ranking above Madrid, Berlin, and Paris. Nicknamed “the Tube,” the London Underground is a subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), a transport provider that is also responsible for the Elizabeth Line, DLR, London Overground, London Buses, and Santander Cycles, among other transport services in the United Kingdom’s capital.
However, bus fare revenue remained more robust during the COVID-19 pandemic only decreasing by 50 percent between 2019/20 and 2020/21, compared to London Underground fare revenues, which dropped by 76 percent. Bus fares also showed a stronger recovery. In 2023/24, revenues from the service had grown five percent above pre-pandemic fare revenues, while Underground fares remained at only 92 percent of the fare revenue recorded in 2019/20.
Longer term effects of the pandemic can also be felt elsewhere: Customer satisfaction with the service dropped from around 84 percent in the years leading up to the pandemic to between 75 and 78 percent between mid-2020 and 2023. The London Underground also ranked as the lowest scoring services operated by Transport for London in Q4 of 2023/4, while the still relatively new Elizabeth Line ranked highest. London Underground complaint rates, on the other hand, remained relatively low compared to the peak experienced in 2020/21.
Underground fare revenue less resilient than bus revenue
The London Underground not only welcomes around 1.2 billion passengers yearly, but it also brings in an annual revenue of over 2.5 billion British pounds from ticket sales. The Tube is the service run by Transport for London with the highest revenues, with annual Tube fares bringing in a billion punds more than TfL bus fares.However, bus fare revenue remained more robust during the COVID-19 pandemic only decreasing by 50 percent between 2019/20 and 2020/21, compared to London Underground fare revenues, which dropped by 76 percent. Bus fares also showed a stronger recovery. In 2023/24, revenues from the service had grown five percent above pre-pandemic fare revenues, while Underground fares remained at only 92 percent of the fare revenue recorded in 2019/20.
Pandemics effects not yet left behind
Transport for London has begun returning to service patterns closer to pre-pandemic levels. Vehicle kilometers, which give an indication of the number of services run, rose to 78.3 million kilometers in 2024, compared to 72.6 kilometers in 2021. However, this was still well below the 82.4 million kilometers operated in 2019/20.Longer term effects of the pandemic can also be felt elsewhere: Customer satisfaction with the service dropped from around 84 percent in the years leading up to the pandemic to between 75 and 78 percent between mid-2020 and 2023. The London Underground also ranked as the lowest scoring services operated by Transport for London in Q4 of 2023/4, while the still relatively new Elizabeth Line ranked highest. London Underground complaint rates, on the other hand, remained relatively low compared to the peak experienced in 2020/21.
