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{{Short description|Schematic transport map of the London Underground network}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
[[File:London Tube Map.png|thumb|upright=1.6|The Tube map as of July 2024|alt=The July 2024 Tube Map]]
{{Undergroundconnect}}
The '''Tube map''' (sometimes called the '''London Underground map''') is a [[schematic]] [[transit map|transport map]] of the lines, stations and services of the [[London Underground]], known colloquially as "the Tube", hence the map's name. The first schematic Tube map was designed by [[Harry Beck]] in 1931.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Kent|first=Alexander J.|date=1 February 2021|title=When Topology Trumped Topography: Celebrating 90 Years of Beck's Underground Map|journal=The Cartographic Journal|volume=58|issue=1 |pages=1–12|doi=10.1080/00087041.2021.1953765|bibcode=2021CartJ..58....1K |s2cid=236970579|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="1933map">[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/tubemaps/1933.html 1933 map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819052946/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/tubemaps/1933.html |date=19 August 2007 }} from {{cite web| title = A History of the London Tube Maps| url = http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html| access-date = 7 February 2009| archive-date = 15 August 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070815041850/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html| url-status = dead}}</ref> Since then, it has been expanded to include more of [[transportation in London|London's public transport systems]], including the [[Docklands Light Railway]], [[London Overground]], the [[Elizabeth line]], [[Tramlink]], the [[London Cable Car]] and [[Thameslink]].
As a schematic diagram, it shows not the geographic locations but the relative positions of the [[List of London Underground stations|stations]], [[London Underground#Lines|lines]], the stations' connective relations and [[London fare zones|fare zones]]. The basic design concepts have been widely adopted for other such maps around the world<ref name="Design-technology.info">{{cite web |url=http://www.design-technology.info/designers/page35.htm |title=Harry Beck and the London Underground Map – The background to the designing of a 'Design Icon' – London Underground Map changing through time but remaining true to Beck's original principle – Designers & Designing – Design & Technology on the Web support resource for students and teachers of Design & Technology at KS3, KS4, A-Level and beyond |publisher=Design-technology.info |access-date=9 January 2013 |archive-date=22 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122030525/http://www.design-technology.info/designers/page35.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and for maps of other sorts of transport networks and even conceptual schematics.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/3/24/8267637/subway-style-maps |title=15 subway-style maps that explain everything but subways |date=24 March 2015 |publisher=vox.com |access-date=5 April 2015 |archive-date=8 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408053340/http://www.vox.com/2015/3/24/8267637/subway-style-maps |url-status=live }}</ref>
A regularly updated version of the map is available from the official [[Transport for London]] website.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube |title=Tube map – TfL Website |access-date=19 May 2024}}</ref> In 2006, the Tube map was voted one of Britain's top 10 design icons which included [[Concorde]], [[Mini]], [[Supermarine Spitfire]], [[Red telephone box|K2 telephone box]], [[World Wide Web]] and the [[AEC Routemaster]] bus.<ref>{{cite news|title=Long list unveiled for national vote on public's favourite example of Great British Design|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/27/culture.shtml|publisher=BBC|date=18 November 2016|access-date=25 December 2019|archive-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719010335/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/27/culture.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Concorde voted the UK's top icon|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4814088.stm|publisher=BBC|date=18 November 2016|access-date=19 November 2016|archive-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903170528/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4814088.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2004, [[Art on the Underground]] has been commissioning artists to create [[List of Art on the Underground Tube map covers|covers for the pocket Tube map]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/mar/19/underground-art-london-tube-map-designs |title=Underground art: London tube map designs |date=20 March 2009 |website=The Guardian |access-date=8 February 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602133607/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/mar/19/underground-art-london-tube-map-designs |url-status=live }}</ref>
==
===Early maps===
As London's early transport system was operated by a variety of independent companies, there were no complete maps of the network, just for the individual companies' routes. The maps were not typically schematic and were simply the line overlaid on a regular [[city map]]. There was no integration of the companies' services or any co-operation in advertising.
In 1907, ''[[The Evening News (London newspaper)|The Evening News]]'' commissioned a pocket map, The Evening News London "Tube Map". It was the first map to show all of the lines with equal weight being given to each line, and it was the first map to use a different colour for each line.<ref name="1907 color-for-lines map">[http://bryarsandbryars.co.uk/colouring-inside-lines-2/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118223937/http://bryarsandbryars.co.uk/colouring-inside-lines-2/|date=18 November 2016}} from </ref>
Another early combined map was published in 1908 by the [[Underground Electric Railways Company of London]] (UERL) in conjunction with four other underground railway companies that used the "Underground" brand as part of a common advertising factor.<ref name=Lost_Tubes_12>{{cite book |last=Badsey-Ellis |first=Antony |title=London's Lost Tube Schemes |year=2005 |publisher=Capital Transport |isbn=1-85414-293-3 |pages=282–283}}</ref>
[[File:Tube map 1908-2.jpg|thumb|300px|Map of Underground lines, 1908]]
The map showed eight routes – four operated by the UERL and one from each of the other four companies:
* '''UERL lines''':
** [[Baker Street and Waterloo Railway|Bakerloo Railway]] – brown
** [[Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway|Hampstead Railway]] – indigo
** [[Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway|Piccadilly Railway]] – yellow
** [[District Railway]] – green
* '''Other lines''':
** [[Central London Railway]] – blue
** [[City and South London Railway]] – black
** [[Northern City Line|Great Northern and City Railway]] – orange
** [[Metropolitan Railway]] – red
A geographical map presented restrictions since for sufficient clarity of detail in the crowded central area of the map required the extremities of the District and Metropolitan lines to be omitted and so a full network diagram was not provided. The problem of truncation remained for nearly half a century. Although all of the western branches of the District and Piccadilly lines were included for the first time in 1933 with [[Harry Beck]]'s first proper Tube map, the portion of the [[Metropolitan line]] beyond {{lus|Rickmansworth}} did not appear until 1938, and the eastern end of the [[District line]] did not appear until the mid-1950s.
The route map continued to be developed and was issued in various formats and artistic styles until 1920, when, for the first time, the geographic background detail was omitted in a map designed by [[MacDonald Gill]].<ref name="1920 map">[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/tubemaps/1920.html 1920 map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207141711/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/tubemaps/1920.html |date=7 February 2009 }} from {{cite web |title=A History of the London Tube Maps |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-date=15 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815041850/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> That freed the design to enable greater flexibility in the positioning of lines and stations. The routes became more stylised but the arrangement remained, largely, geographic in nature. The 1932 edition was the last geographic map to be published before Beck's diagrammatic map was introduced.
===Beck's maps===
The first diagrammatic map of London's rapid transit network was designed by [[Harry Beck]] in 1931.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="1933map"/> He was a London Underground employee who realised that because the railway ran mostly underground, the physical locations of the stations were largely irrelevant to the traveller wanting to know how to get from one station to another; only the [[topology]] of the route mattered. That approach is similar to that of electrical [[circuit diagram]]s although they were not the inspiration for Beck's map. His colleagues pointed out the similarities, however, and he once produced a joke map with the stations replaced by electrical circuit symbols and names, with terminology such as "[[bakelite|Bakerlite]]" for the [[Bakerloo line]].<ref>Train, Omnibus and Tram Staff Magazine, March 1933 – {{cite book |last=Garland |first=Ken |title=Mr Beck's Underground Map |publisher=Capital Transport |year=1994 |page=25 |isbn=1-85414-168-6}}</ref>
To that end, Beck devised a simplified map with stations, straight-line segments connecting them, and the [[River Thames]]; and lines running only vertically, horizontally, or on 45° diagonals. To make the map clearer and to emphasise connections, Beck differentiated between ordinary stations, marked with tick marks, and [[interchange station]]s, marked with diamonds. London Underground was initially sceptical of his proposal since it was an uncommissioned spare-time project and was tentatively introduced to the public in a small pamphlet in 1933. However, it immediately became popular, and the Underground has used [[topological map]]s to illustrate the network ever since.
Despite the complexity of making the map, Beck was paid just ten [[guinea (British coin)|guinea]]s ({{Inflation|index=UK|value=10.50|start_year=1933|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) for the artwork and design of the card edition, and another five guineas ({{Inflation|index=UK|value=5.25|start_year=1933|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) for the poster.<ref>{{cite book |last=Garland |first=Ken |title=Mr Beck's Underground Map |publisher=Capital Transport |year=2003 |page=19 |isbn=1-85414-168-6}}</ref> After its initial success, he continued to design the Tube map until 1960, a single (and unpopular) 1939 edition by [[Hans Schleger]] being the only exception.<ref name="1939 map">[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/tubemaps/1939.html 1939 map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819200738/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/tubemaps/1939.html |date=19 August 2007 }} from {{cite web |title=A History of the London Tube Maps |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128181416/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/tubemaps/1939.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 January 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Garland |first=Ken |title=Mr Beck's Underground Map |publisher=Capital Transport |year=2003 |page=32 |isbn=1-85414-168-6}}</ref> Meanwhile, as well as accommodating new lines and stations, Beck continually altered the design, such as changing the interchange symbol from a diamond to a circle and altering the line colours of the [[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]] from orange to red and of the Bakerloo line from red to brown. Beck's final design, in 1960, bears a strong resemblance to the current map. Beck lived in [[Finchley]], [[North London]], and one of his maps is still preserved on the southbound platform at [[Finchley Central tube station|Finchley Central station]], on the [[Northern line]].<ref>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/1960.html 1960 map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021204140243/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/1960.html |date=4 December 2002 }} from {{cite web |title=A History of the London Tube Maps |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-date=15 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815041850/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1997, Beck's importance was posthumously recognised, and as of 2022, this statement is printed on every Tube map: "This diagram is an evolution of the original design conceived in 1931 by Harry Beck".
===After
[[File:London Underground Zone 1 Highlighted.svg|thumb|300px|right|alt=Diagram containing several differently-coloured lines connecting nodes that are small hollow black circles. The lines and stations are at geographically accurate positions, with the curved lines drawn more flexibly than on the traditional Tube map. The river is also included, represented as a geographically accurate light blue strip. This map is arguably harder to read.|Unofficial map of [[List of stations in London fare zone 1|fare zone 1]] that shows the approximate geographic locations of the stations and lines.]]
By 1960, Beck had fallen out with the Underground's publicity officer, Harold Hutchison, who was not a designer himself but drafted his own version of the Tube map that year. It removed the smoothed corners of Beck's design and created some highly cramped areas (most notably around [[Liverpool Street station]]), and the lines were generally less straight.<ref>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/1963.html 1963 map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819034035/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/1963.html |date=19 August 2007 }} from {{cite web |title=A History of the London Tube Maps |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-date=15 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815041850/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, Hutchison also introduced interchange symbols (circles for Underground-only, squares for connections with [[British Rail]] main line services) that were black and allowed multiple lines through them, as opposed to Beck, who used one circle for each line at an interchange, coloured according to the corresponding line.
In 1964, the design of the map was taken over by Paul Garbutt, who, like Beck, had produced a map in his spare time because of his dislike of the Hutchison design. Garbutt's map restored curves and bends to the diagram but retained Hutchison's black interchange circles, although squares were replaced with circles with a dot inside. Garbutt continued to produce Underground maps for at least another 20 years. Tube maps stopped bearing their designer's name in 1986, when the elements of the map then had a very strong resemblance to today's map.<ref>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/1986.html 1986 map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819052721/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/1986.html |date=19 August 2007 }} from {{cite web |title=A History of the London Tube Maps |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-date=15 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815041850/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clivebillson/tube/tube.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
While the standard Tube map avoided representing most mainline services, a new variant of the map issued in 1973, the "London's Railways" map, was the first to depict Tube and above-ground mainline rail services in a diagrammatic style that closely matched Beck's designs. That version was created by Tim Demuth of the London Transport publicity office and was jointly sponsored by British Rail and London Transport. Demuth's map did not replace the standard Tube map but continued to be published as a supplementary resource, later known as the "London Connections" map.<ref name="garland-rail">{{cite book |last=Garland |first=Ken |title=Mr Beck's Underground Map |publisher=Capital Transport |year=1998 |isbn=1-85414-168-6}}</ref>
=== Recent years ===
Some alterations have been made to the map over the years. More recent designs have incorporated changes to the network, such as the [[Docklands Light Railway]] and the [[Jubilee Line Extension|extension]] to the [[Jubilee line]]. The map has also been expanded to include routes brought under [[Transport for London]] control such as [[TfL Rail]] and to note the Tube stops that connect with [[National Rail]] services, links to airports and [[London River Services|River Services]]. In some cases, stations within short walking distance are now shown, often with the distance between them, such as {{rws|Fenchurch Street}}'s distance from {{lus|Tower Hill}} (an evolution of the pedestrian route between [[Bank and Monument stations]], which was once prominently marked on the map). Further, step-free access notations are also incorporated in the current map. In addition, the [[London Underground ticketing#Fare zones|fare zones]] have been added to help passengers judge the cost of a journey.
One of the major changes to be made to the revision of the Tube map put out in September 2009 was the removal of the [[River Thames]]. The river had been omitted from official maps on several previous occasions (for example, according to David Leboff and Tim Demuth's book, in 1907, 1908 and 1919), and from 1921 it was absent for several years on pocket maps designed by [[MacDonald Gill]]. The Thames-free 2009 version was the first time that the river did not appear on the Tube map since the Stingemore pocket map of 1926. The latest removal resulted in widespread international media attention,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theworld.org/2009/09/18/thames-missing/ |title=Thames missing | PRI's The World |work=The World |date=18 September 2009 |access-date=9 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910044710/http://www.theworld.org/2009/09/18/thames-missing/ |archive-date=10 September 2010}}</ref> and general disapproval from most Londoners as well as from the then [[Mayor of London]], [[Boris Johnson]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Patrick Barkham |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/sep/17/london-new-tube-map-thames |title=New London Tube Map 17 September 2009 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=17 September 2009 |access-date=9 January 2013 |archive-date=13 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513061645/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/sep/17/london-new-tube-map-thames |url-status=live }}</ref> Based on the reaction, the following edition of the diagram in December 2009 reinstated both the river and fare zones.
In more recent years, TfL has expanded its rail services, notably with the expansion of the [[London Overground]] network, which has taken over a number of National Rail lines and brought them into the TfL network, each of them being converted lines being added to the Tube map. Further additions have been made such as the London Cable Car and the boundaries of fare zones. Some commentators have suggested that Beck's design should be replaced with a new design that can incorporate the new lines more comfortably.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elledge |first1=Jonn |title=London's iconic tube map is 84 years old. It's time to scrap it |url=http://www.citymetric.com/transport/london-s-iconic-tube-map-84-years-old-it-s-time-scrap-it-1085 |website=[[CityMetric]] |publisher=[[New Statesman]] |access-date=6 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320222952/http://londonist.com/2013/02/will-there-always-be-a-tube-map.php |archive-date=20 March 2015 |date=29 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Pocket map covers ===
{{Main|List of Art on the Underground Tube map covers}}
Since 2004, [[Art on the Underground]] has commissioned various British and international artists to create a cover for the pocket map.<ref name=":42">{{cite news|date=20 March 2009|title=Underground art: London tube map designs|website=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/mar/19/underground-art-london-tube-map-designs|access-date=8 February 2021|archive-date=2 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602133607/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/mar/19/underground-art-london-tube-map-designs|url-status=live}}</ref> These free maps are one of the largest public art commissions in the UK, with millions of copies printed.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web|title=London Underground: a miniature commission for pocket maps – a-n The Artists Information Company|url=https://www.a-n.co.uk/news/london-underground-a-miniature-commission-for-pocket-maps/|access-date=2020-05-30|archive-date=18 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118183153/https://www.a-n.co.uk/news/london-underground-a-miniature-commission-for-pocket-maps/|url-status=live}}</ref> Over 40 different designs have been produced, from a wide variety of British and international artists such as [[Rachel Whiteread]], [[Yayoi Kusama]], [[Tracey Emin]] and [[Daniel Buren]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tube Map|url=https://art.tfl.gov.uk/search/Tube%20Map/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-22|website=Art on the Underground|archive-date=18 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118141858/https://art.tfl.gov.uk/search/Tube%20Map/}}</ref>
==Technical aspects==
The designers of the map have tackled a variety of problems in showing information as clearly as possible and have sometimes adopted different solutions.
The font for the map, including station names, is [[Johnston (typeface)|Johnston]], which uses perfect circles for the letter 'O'. That is historic and the generic font for all TfL uses from station facades to bus destination blinds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/media/fonts/ |title=Font requests | Transport for London |publisher=Tfl.gov.uk |access-date=18 April 2013 |archive-date=13 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413030020/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/media/fonts/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Line colours===
The table below shows the changing use of colours since Beck's first map. The current colours are taken from Transport for London's colour standards guide,<ref name="ColourStandardNov24">{{cite web |author1=Transport for London |author1-link=Transport for London |title=Colour standard |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-colour-standard.pdf |website=Transport for London |access-date=18 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311200745/https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-colour-standard.pdf |archive-date=11 March 2025 |version=Issue 9 |date=November 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> which defines the precise colours from the [[Pantone]] palette and also a colour naming scheme that is particular to TfL. Earlier maps were limited by the number of colours available that could be clearly distinguished in print. Improvements in [[colour printing]] technology have reduced that problem and the map has coped with the identification of new lines without great difficulty.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!rowspan=2|Line
!rowspan=2|TfL colour reference<ref name="ColourStandardNov24" />
!colspan=7|Shown as<ref>[http://www.eplates.info/maps/underground.html London Transport Underground Maps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110214174051/http://www.eplates.info/maps/underground.html |date=14 February 2011 }}; sub-pages are for specific years</ref>
|-
!colspan=7|Notes
|-
|[[
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Bakerloo}}}} Pantone 470
|style="text-align:center;"|brown{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Bakerloo}}}}1934–present
|style="text-align:center;"|red{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Central}}}}1933–1934
|colspan=4|
|style="text-align:center;"|brown{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Bakerloo}}}}UERL
|-
|[[Central line (London Underground)|Central]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Central}}}} Corporate Red<br>Pantone 485
|style="text-align:center;"|red{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Central}}}}1934–present
|style="text-align:center;"|orange{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}1933–1934
|colspan=4|
|style="text-align:center;"|blue{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Piccadilly}}}}UERL
|-
|[[
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Circle}}}} Corporate Yellow<br>Pantone 116
|style="text-align:center;"|<br>yellow{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Circle}}}}1987–present
|style="text-align:center;"|yellow<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Circle}}|black}}1949–1987
|style="text-align:center;"|green<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|District}}|black}}1948
|colspan=4|originally part of the Metropolitan and District lines; not shown before 1948
|-
|[[District line|District]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|District}}}} Corporate Green<br>Pantone 356
|style="text-align:center;"|green{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|District}}}}1933–present
|colspan=5|
|style="text-align:center;"|green{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|District}}}}UERL
|-
|rowspan=2|[[East London line|Overground]]
|rowspan=2 | {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|East London}}}} Pantone 137
|style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}2010–present
|style="text-align:center;"|orange{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|East London}}}}1990–2010
|style="text-align:center;"|maroon<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}}1970–c.1990
|style="text-align:center;"|<br>maroon{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}}1948–1969
|style="text-align:center;"|<br>green{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|District}}}}1937–1948
|style="text-align:center;"|<br>maroon{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}}1934–1937
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(red outline){{legend stripe|white|#{{rcr|London Underground|Central}}}}1933–1934
|-
|part of London Overground
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Hammersmith & City line|Hammersmith<br>& City]]
|rowspan=2 | {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Hammersmith & City}}}} Pantone 197
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|pink{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Hammersmith & City}}}}1990–present
|style="text-align:center;"|maroon{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}}1948–1988
|style="text-align:center;"|green{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|District}}}}1937–1948
|style="text-align:center;"|maroon{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}}1934–1937
|colspan=3|
|-
|colspan=6|part of the Metropolitan line until 1990
|-
|[[
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Jubilee}}}} Corporate Grey<br>Pantone 430
|style="text-align:center;"|grey{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Jubilee}}}}1979–present
|colspan=6|opened 1979; Baker Street to Stanmore section previously part of the Bakerloo line
|-
|[[Metropolitan line|Metropolitan]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}} Pantone 235
|style="text-align:center;"|maroon{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}}1948–present
|style="text-align:center;"|green{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|District}}}}1937–1948
|style="text-align:center;"|maroon{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}}1934–1937
|colspan=3|shown combined with the District line 1937–1948
|style="text-align:center;"|red{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Central}}}}UERL
|-
|[[Northern line|Northern]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Northern}}}} Corporate Black<br>Pantone Black
|style="text-align:center;"|black{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Northern}}}}1933–present
|colspan=4|
|style="text-align:center;"|grey (CCE&H){{legend stripe|#414b56}}UERL
|style="text-align:center;"|black (C&SL){{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Northern}}}}UERL
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Northern City Line|Northern City]]
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" |none
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}c.1990–1998
|style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}1985-c.1990
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}1975–1984
|style="text-align:center;"|black<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Underground|Northern}}}}1970–1975
|style="text-align:center;"|<br>black{{legend stripe|black}}1937–1969
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}1934–1937
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(maroon outline){{legend stripe|white|#{{rcr|London Underground|Metropolitan}}}}1933–1934
|-
|colspan=5|not shown since 1998; transferred to [[British Rail]] ([[National Rail]]) in 1975
|style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(black outline)
|style="text-align:center;"|{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Overground}}|black}}UERL
|-
|[[Piccadilly line|Piccadilly]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Piccadilly}}}} Corporate Blue<br>Pantone 072
|style="text-align:center;"|blue{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Piccadilly}}}}1933–present
|colspan=5|
|style="text-align:center;"|yellow<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Circle}}|black}}UERL
|-
|[[Victoria line|Victoria]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Victoria}}}} Pantone 299
|style="text-align:center;"|light blue{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Victoria}}}}1968–present
|colspan=6|opened 1968
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Waterloo & City line|Waterloo<br>& City]]
|rowspan=2 | {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|Waterloo & City}}}} Pantone 338
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|<br>turquoise{{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Waterloo & City}}}}1994–present
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}1949–1994
|style="text-align:center;"|red<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|#{{rcr|London Underground|Central}}|black}}1943–1948
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}1938–1941
|colspan=2|not shown before 1938
|style="text-align:center;"|thin grey<br>(main line){{legend stripe|width=2px|#{{rcr|London Underground|Jubilee}}}}UERL
|-
|colspan=6|part of [[British Rail]] until 1994
|-
|[[Docklands Light Railway|Docklands<br>Light<br>Railway]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|DLR}}}} Pantone 326
|style="text-align:center;"|turquoise<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|DLR}}}}1993–present
|style="text-align:center;"|blue<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Underground|Piccadilly}}}}1987–1993
|colspan=5|opened 1987
|-
|[[Tramlink]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|Tramlink}}}} Pantone 368
|style="text-align:center;"|green (double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|Tramlink}}}}2017–present
|style="text-align:center;"|green (dotted)<div style="border-style: dotted; border-width: 0px 0px 6px 0px; border-color: #{{rcr|Tramlink}};"></div>2000–2017
|colspan=5|Opened 2000, not shown on the standard map until 2017
|-
|[[Romford–Upminster line|Liberty Line]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Overground|Liberty}}}} Pantone 6215
| style="text-align:center;"|dark grey (double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground|Liberty}}}}2024–present
|style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}2015–Autumn 2024
|colspan=5|not shown before 2015
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Watford DC Line|Lioness Line]]
|rowspan=2 | {{color box|#{{rcr|London Overground|Lioness}}}} Pantone 2012
| style="text-align:center;"|light orange (double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground|Lioness}}}}2024–present
| style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}2007–Autumn 2024
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | not shown<br>1985–2007
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}1984
|style="text-align:center;"|brown<br>(triple stripe){{legend stripe|width=1px|#{{rcr|London Underground|Bakerloo}}|#{{rcr|London Underground|Bakerloo}}|white}}1975–1983
|style="text-align:center;"|brown/black/brown<br>(triple stripe){{legend stripe|width=1px|black|#{{rcr|London Underground|Bakerloo}}|white}}1973–1974
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|thin grey<br>(main line){{legend stripe|width=2px|#{{rcr|London Underground|Jubilee}}}}UERL
|-
|colspan="2" | now part of London Overground
|colspan=3|only Queen's Park–Watford shown 1973–1984 (Bakerloo peak hours service)
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Mildmay Line]]
|rowspan=2 | {{color box|#{{rcr|London Overground|Mildmay}}}} Pantone 2383
| style="text-align:center;"|blue (double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground|Mildmay}}}}2024–present
| style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}2010–Autumn 2024
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}2007–2010
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | not shown<br>1943–2007
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}1938–1941
|rowspan=2 |
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|thin grey<br>(main line){{legend stripe|width=2px|#{{rcr|London Underground|Jubilee}}}}UERL
|-
|colspan=2|now part of London Overground
|-
|[[Gospel Oak to Barking line|Suffragette Line]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Overground|Suffragette}}}} Pantone 6171
| style="text-align:center;"|green (double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground|Suffragette}}}}2024–present
|style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}2007–Autumn 2024
|colspan=4|not shown before 2007
|style="text-align:center;"|thin grey<br>(main line){{legend stripe|width=2px|#{{rcr|London Underground|Jubilee}}}}UERL
|-
|[[Lea Valley lines|Weaver Line]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Overground|Weaver}}}} Pantone 689
| style="text-align:center;"|maroon (double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground|Weaver}}}}2024–present
|style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}2015– Autumn 2024
|colspan=5|not shown before 2015
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Windrush Line]]
|rowspan=2 | {{color box|#{{rcr|London Overground|Windrush}}}} Pantone 1795
| style="text-align:center;"|red (double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground|Windrush}}}}2024–present
| style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}2007–Autumn 2024
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}c.1990–2007
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | not shown<br>1985-c.1990
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}1977–1984
|rowspan=2 |
|rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|thin grey<br>(main line){{legend stripe|width=2px|#{{rcr|London Underground|Jubilee}}}}UERL
|-
|colspan=2|now part of London Overground
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Thameslink]]
|rowspan=2 | {{color box|#c964cf}} Pantone 252<ref name="foi-thameslink">{{cite web|last1=Abidakun|first1=Mary|title=Colour standard update: Overground and Tham[eslink]|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-2729-2425|website=Transport for London|access-date=22 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241228092204/https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-2729-2425|archive-date=28 December 2024|___location=London|language=en-gb|date=19 December 2024|quote=… we use Pantone 252 as the designated colour for the Thameslink line on the tube map.}}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|pink<br>(dashed line)<div style="border-style: dotted; border-width: 0px 0px 6px 0px; border-color: #c964cf;">2020–present</div>
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}c.1990–1998
|style="text-align:center;"|orange<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#{{rcr|London Overground}}}}1985-c.1990
|style="text-align:center;"|white<br>(black outline){{legend stripe|white|black}}1977–1984
|colspan=2|
|style="text-align:center;"|thin grey<br>(main line){{legend stripe|width=2px|#{{rcr|London Underground|Jubilee}}}}UERL
|-
|colspan=7|part of [[National Rail]]; not shown between 1998 and 2020
|-
|[[London Cable Car]]
| {{color box|#{{rcr|London Underground|EAL}}}} Pantone 186
|style="text-align:center;"|red<br>(triple stripe){{legend stripe|width=2px|#{{rcr|London Underground|EAL}}|#{{rcr|London Underground|EAL}}|transparent}}2012–present
|colspan=6|
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Elizabeth line|Elizabeth Line]]
|rowspan=2 |{{color box|#{{rcr|Elizabeth Line|Elizabeth}}}} Pantone 266
|style="text-align:center;"|Purple<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double|#6950a1}}2022–present
|style="text-align:center;"|blue<br>(double stripe){{legend stripe|border-style=double| #10069f}}2015–2022
| colspan="5" |
|-
|
|colspan="6" | known as [[TfL Rail]] before [[Crossrail]] completion
|}
Pecked lines have at various times indicated construction, limited service, or sections closed for renovation.
===
From the start, interchange stations were given a special mark to indicate their importance, but its shape has changed over the years. In addition, since 1960, marks were used to identify stations that offered connections with [[British Rail]] (now [[National Rail]]). The following shapes have been used:
* Circle (one for each line or station, where convenient) – standard default mark
* Circle (one for each station) – 1938 experimental map
* Diamond (one for each line) – early 1930s
* Square – interchange with British Railways, 1960–1964
* Circle with a dot inside – interchange with British Rail, 1964–1970
Since 1970 the map has used a reversed (red on white) British Rail "double arrow" beside the station name to indicate main line interchanges. Where the main line station has a different name from the Underground station that it connects with, since 1977 this has been shown in a box. The distance between the Tube station and the main line station is now shown.
Contemporary maps have marked stations offering step-free access with a blue circle containing a wheelchair symbol in white.
Stations with links to airports ([[Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 tube station|Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3]], [[Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station|Terminal 4]], and [[Heathrow Terminal 5 station|Terminal 5]] for [[Heathrow Airport]] and the [[London City Airport DLR station|DLR station at City Airport]]) are shown with a black aeroplane symbol.
Since 2000, stations with a nearby interchange to river bus piers on the Thames have been marked with a small boat symbol to promote [[London River Services]].
When [[Eurostar]] services used {{Stnlnk|Waterloo International}}, the Eurostar logo was shown next to [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo station]]. In November 2007, the terminus was transferred to [[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras International]].
===Lines or services===
The Tube map aims to make the complicated network of services easy to understand, but it is not possible to have complete information about the services that operate on each line.
Limited
===Official versions===
The Tube
* [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf Standard Tube map]: Shows all Underground, London Overground, DLR, [[Elizabeth line]], Tramlink and Thameslink routes and stations, and fare zones.
* [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bw-large-print-map.pdf Large print Tube map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130173136/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bw-large-print-map.pdf |date=30 November 2016 }}: As above but with larger print.
* [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/walking-tube-map.pdf Walking distance map]: Shows walking times between stations in the central London area.
* [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/toilets-map.pdf Toilet facilities map]: Shows toilet facilities at stations.
* [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bicycles-on-public-transport.pdf Bikes on trains map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213035734/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bicycles-on-public-transport.pdf |date=13 December 2016 }}: Shows which routes allow bicycles to be taken on trains during peak times.
* [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-night-tube-map.pdf Night Tube map]: Shows Night Tube services.
* [https://content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf Step-free Tube Guide]: Shows which stations have lifts, escalators or ramps to platforms.
* [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tube-map-with-tunnels.pdf Tube Map Showing Tunnels]: Shows sections of lines that are in tunnel. Designed to help users with claustrophobia or other anxiety conditions.
* London Connections map: Produced by the [[Association of Train Operating Companies]] (ATOC), this provided the same information as TfL's Travelcard Zones map but extended further beyond [[List of stations in London fare zones 7–9, G and W|fare zones 7–9]]. National Rail lines were emphasised by thicker lines and coloured according to their [[train operating company]] (TOC). This map was replaced by the Oyster Rail Services map.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/ |title=National Rail Enquiries – Maps |publisher=Nationalrail.co.uk |access-date=9 January 2013 |archive-date=6 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106054927/http://nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Maps are produced in different sizes, the most common being Quad Royal (40 × 50 inches<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/results/results.html?IXsearchformat=Quad%20royal |title=Search Results: Quad royal – Poster and poster artwork collection, London Transport Museum |work=ltmcollection.org |access-date=10 October 2009 |archive-date=11 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911084826/http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/results/results.html?IXsearchformat=Quad%20royal |url-status=dead }}</ref>) poster size and Journey Planner pocket size. The maps showing all the National Rail routes provide useful additional information at the expense of considerably increased complexity, as they contain almost 700 stations.
===Non-London Underground lines on standard map===
Some non-Underground lines have appeared on the standard tube map:
* On the early maps that used a geographic background, mainline railways were shown as part of the background detail.
* Prior to its transfer to the London Underground in 1994, the [[Waterloo & City line]] was operated by [[British Rail]] and its mainline predecessors but has appeared on most Tube maps since the mid-1930s.
* For a short period in the late 1930s to 1940, the section of the [[West London line]] linking [[Willesden Junction station|Willesden Junction]] to the Metropolitan line's [[Middle Circle]] route at [[Uxbridge Road tube station|Uxbridge Road]] was shown as a service operated by the [[Great Western Railway]] and the [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]]. The service was removed when the line closed to passengers in 1940.<ref name="1939 map"/> This section of the line is today shown as part of the [[London Overground]].
* The [[North London line]] was added to the map in 1977.<ref name="1977 map">[http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps/tube77.jpg 1977 map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709205905/http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps/tube77.jpg |date=9 July 2007 }} from {{cite web |title=The London Tube Map Archive |url=http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps.html |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-date=11 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811163253/http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although run by [[British Rail]] and later by [[Silverlink]], it was shown in British Rail/National Rail colours, but its appearance was intermittent and was omitted from some map editions over the years. In November 2007, the line was taken over by London Overground and changed to an orange double stripe. The semi-orbital route originally ran from [[Richmond station (London)|Richmond]] to [[Broad Street railway station (England)|Broad Street]] and later Richmond to [[North Woolwich railway station|North Woolwich]]. The line runs now from Richmond to [[Stratford station|Stratford]].
* The [[West London line]], [[Watford DC line]] and [[Gospel Oak to Barking line]] (former British Rail/Silverlink lines) were all added to the standard map in 2007, when they were taken over by London Overground, and all are shown as an orange double stripe.
* The [[Northern City Line]] appeared on the original 1908 map as the Great Northern and City Railway. It later appeared as the Great Northern and City section of the Metropolitan Railway and then, from the late 1930s as part of the Northern line. The service was transferred to [[British Rail]] in 1975 and continued to appear until recently.
* [[Thameslink]] reopened in 1988 after it had been closed for many years. It offers some relief to the Northern line, as it connects King's Cross St Pancras to London Bridge. Only the central sections between Kentish Town and London Bridge/Elephant & Castle were shown. Its appearance on Tube maps had been intermittent since it had been omitted from some map editions over the years, before it was re-added to the official tube map in December 2020.
* The [[Docklands Light Railway]], the automatic light rail system in the [[London Docklands]] area.
* The [[London Cable Car]], linking [[Greenwich Peninsula]] and [[Royal Docks]] across the Thames, was added in December 2011.
* The first section of the [[Crossrail]] franchise, [[TfL Rail]], was added in May 2015.
* Also in May 2015, the [[Chingford branch line|Chingford line]], [[Lea Valley lines|Enfield & Cheshunt line]], and [[Romford–Upminster line]] were added to the London Overground network on the tube map.<ref name='overground2015'>{{cite news|last=Gwyn|first=Topham|title=Clean, reliable and integrated: all change for neglected rail services in London|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2015-05-29|access-date=2019-06-25|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/29/neglected-rail-services-london-tfl-overground|archive-date=23 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823022954/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/29/neglected-rail-services-london-tfl-overground|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Tramlink, shown in 2016 as London Trams, was included on the map from June 2016.
* The [[Elizabeth line]] was added to the map in May 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-19 |title=The Elizabeth line unveiled on latest London Tube map |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2022/may/the-elizabeth-line-unveiled-on-latest-london-tube-map |access-date=2023-02-01 |publisher=Transport for London|archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201001403/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2022/may/the-elizabeth-line-unveiled-on-latest-london-tube-map |url-status=live }}</ref>
When Transport for London expanded its [[London Overground]] service to include the [[East London line]] in 2010, the East London line, extended to Croydon, changed from a solid orange line to a double orange stripe. According to 2007 proposals, the addition of the [[South London line]] to London Overground was supposed to cause the southern loop to be added to future Tube maps in late 2010,<ref name="2010 tube map">{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/resources/corporate/media/pressimages/rez-high/h-tube-map-2010.jpg |title=The Tube in 2010 |author=Transport for London |year=2006 |access-date=3 November 2007 |archive-date=15 July 2011 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110715111749/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/resources/corporate/media/pressimages/rez-high/h-tube-map-2010.jpg |url-status=dead }} (map illustrating future development phases as proposed by TfL in 2006, subject to change)</ref> and, as of May 2013, it is up and running.
===London Underground lines on geographically-accurate maps===
Like many other rapid transit maps,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-london-underground-map-the-design-that-shaped-a-city|title=The London Underground map: The design that shaped a city|last=Glancey|first=Jonathan|publisher=BBC|access-date=2019-10-05|archive-date=3 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003075206/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-london-underground-map-the-design-that-shaped-a-city|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jun/27/twisted-tracks-metro-maps-real-life-geography-visualised|title=Twisted tracks: watch metro maps transform to real-life geography|last=Galka|first=Max|date=2017-06-27|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-10-05|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=14 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114040539/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jun/27/twisted-tracks-metro-maps-real-life-geography-visualised|url-status=live}}</ref> because the Tube map ignores geography, it may not accurately depict the relative orientation and distance between stations.<ref name="bryson1996">{{cite book |title=Notes from a Small Island |url=https://archive.org/details/notesfromsmallis00brys_0 |url-access=registration |publisher=William Morrow |author=Bryson, Bill |year=1996 |chapter=Chapter 4|isbn=9780688147259 }}</ref>
Transport for London formerly published several bus maps that depicted the approximate paths of tube routes relative to major streets and [[London buses|London bus routes]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Central London Bus Map |publisher=TfL |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Central-London-Day-Bus-Map.pdf |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-date=17 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117151552/http://tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Central-London-Day-Bus-Map.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The maps also show locations of certain cultural attractions and geographic landmarks.
Internet mapping services such as [[Google Maps]] offer a "Transit Layer" showing actual routes superimposed on the standard street map. A map shows Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR lines and National Rail stations within Zone 1–2.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.innerlondontubemap.blogspot.com/ |title=Inner London Tube Map |work=innerlondontubemap.blogspot.com |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204228/http://www.innerlondontubemap.blogspot.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Spin-offs and imitations==
[[File:London bus tube spider maps.jpg|thumb|A [[London Buses]] "spider map" on display next to a Tube map at Waterloo Station]]
[[File:Google Doodle London Underground Jan 2013.png|thumb|alt=a graphic of the Google logo drawn out in coloured Tube-style lines and stations|[[Google Doodle]] in January 2013 (150th anniversary of the Tube)]]
[[File:London Underground Overground DLR Crossrail map.svg|thumb|alt=Diagram containing several differently-coloured lines that connect nodes, which are small hollow black circles. The lines are mostly straight but sometimes have curved bends at regular angles. A stylised light-blue river is included.|A Wikimedia schematic version of the Tube map. The locations of lines and stations are not geographically accurate.]]
The 'look' of the London Underground map (including 45° angles, evenly-spaced 'stations' and some geographic distortion) has been emulated by many other underground railway systems around the world.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.ursasoft.com/maps/index.htm| title = Underground Railway Maps| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20021004074359/http://www.ursasoft.com/maps/index.htm| archive-date = 4 October 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/referenceandlanguages/0,,1101403,00.html |work=The Guardian |___location=London |title=All right, which bright spark moved Heathrow Airport? |first=Robin |last=McKie |date=7 December 2003 |access-date=26 May 2010 |archive-date=10 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210021837/http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/referenceandlanguages/0,,1101403,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> While London Underground have been protective of their copyright they have also allowed their concepts to be shared with other transport operators ([[Amsterdam]]'s [[Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf|GVB]] even pays tribute on its map).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.gvb.nl/reisinformatie/plattegronden/Pages/Metrostations-kaart.aspx |title=Where is my tram, bus or metro? |work=gvb.nl |access-date=17 September 2014 |archive-date=27 April 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140427131217/http://en.gvb.nl/reisinformatie/plattegronden/Pages/Metrostations-kaart.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
The success of the Tube map as a piece of information design has led to many imitations of its format. What is probably the earliest example is the [[Sydney]] [[Railways in Sydney|Suburban and City Underground railway]] map of 1939. It follows Beck's styling cues, and in size, design and layout, it is nearly a clone of the London map of the late 1930s, right down to the use of the Underground [[roundel]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/3866891031/ |title=Sydney suburban & city underground railway map cover – 1939 |date=12 December 2010 |access-date=8 January 2013 |archive-date=17 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217145209/https://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/3866891031/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/3866890121/ |title=Sydney suburban & city underground railway map diagram – 1939 |date=29 August 2009 |access-date=8 January 2013 |archive-date=7 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007095640/http://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/3866890121/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2002, Transport for London launched a series of [[London Buses]] "[[spider map|spider diagrams]]" to display at bus stops around the city, conveying bus route information in a schematic style similar to Beck's design,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/transport/buses.jsp |title=Transport Strategy – Buses |access-date=13 November 2007 |author=Mayor of London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005054612/http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/transport/buses.jsp |archive-date=5 October 2007}}</ref> with straight lines and 45° angles depicting geographically distorted bus routes, coloured lines and numbers to differentiate services, and graphical markers to show bus stops. Tube and rail lines are not included, but interchanges are denoted with appropriate symbols by bus stop names, such as the Tube roundel. Unlike the traditional Tube map, the bus maps display services appropriate to specific transport hubs rather than a full network. Each map also contains a central rectangle of a simple geographically accurate street map to display the positions of bus stops; outside the rectangle, the only geographic feature to appear on the bus maps is the River Thames. The maps are also available for electronic download, with map collections ordered by London borough councils.<ref name="tfl-bus-maps">{{cite web |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/ |title=Bus route maps |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=14 December 2009 |archive-date=30 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830063439/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The bus maps were designed for TfL by the cartographic design company T-Kartor group.<ref name="t-kartor">{{cite web |url=http://www.t-kartor.com/products-and-services/public-transport/london-bus-spider-maps |title=London bus spider maps |publisher=T-Kartor |access-date=25 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130109055104/http://www.t-kartor.com/products-and-services/public-transport/london-bus-spider-maps |archive-date=9 January 2013}}</ref>
An [[isochrone map]] of the network was made available in 2007.<ref name="howtodobusiness 2007">{{cite web |url=http://blog.howtodobusiness.com/2007/07/25/getting-about-isochrone-map-of-london-underground/ |title=Getting about – Isochrone map of London Underground |publisher=howtodobusiness.com |date=25 July 2007 |access-date=21 March 2012 |author=DrAlanRae |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417234937/http://blog.howtodobusiness.com/2007/07/25/getting-about-isochrone-map-of-london-underground/ |archive-date=17 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 2009, [[British Waterways]] produced a map of London's waterways in a Tube-style diagrammatic map, depicting the [[River Thames]], the various [[:Category:Canals in London|canals]] and [[Subterranean rivers of London|subterranean rivers]] in the city.<ref name="waterways">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/nov/25/london-tube-map-design?picture=356105646 |title=Tunnel vision: a history of the London tube map |date=26 November 2009 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=3 December 2009 |archive-date=16 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016043150/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/nov/25/london-tube-map-design?picture=356105646 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Attempts to create alternative versions to the official Tube map have continued. In June 2011, the British designer Mark Noad unveiled his vision for a more 'geographically accurate' London Underground map.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rail.co/2011/06/28/designer-gives-london-tube-map-a-makeover/ |title=Designer gives London Tube map a makeover |last=Samuel |first=A. |date=28 June 2011 |access-date=1 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320215454/http://www.rail.co/2011/06/28/designer-gives-london-tube-map-a-makeover/ |archive-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> The map is an attempt to see if it is possible to create a geographically accurate representation of the Underground system and still retain some of the clarity of Beck's original diagram. It uses similar principles, fixed-line angles (30° and 60°, instead of 45°) and shortens the extremities of the lines to make it more compact.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lovehatetravel.co.uk/21st-century-tube-map-interview-with-mark-noad/ |title=21st Century Tube Map – Interview with Mark Noad |first=Tom |last=Bourner |date=28 June 2011 |access-date=29 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107020750/http://www.lovehatetravel.co.uk/21st-century-tube-map-interview-with-mark-noad/ |archive-date=7 November 2011}}</ref> In 2013, Dr Max Roberts, a psychology lecturer at the [[University of Essex]] with a particular interest in [[usability]], [[information design]] and schematic mapping, issued his own version of the Tube map. His design, based on a series of [[concentric]] circles, emphasised the concept of the newly completed [[orbirail|orbital loop]] surrounding [[Central London]] with radial lines.<ref>{{cite news |title=Every line becomes a circle line: a new way to see the tube map |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/31/circle-line-tube-map-visualised |access-date=9 June 2015 |work=The Guardian |date=31 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817005121/http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/31/circle-line-tube-map-visualised |archive-date=17 August 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> A map created to illustrate Tube-related articles on [[Wikipedia]] in 2014 was praised for its clarity and for including future developments such as [[Crossrail]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brooks-Pollock |first1=Tom |work=[[The Independent]] |title=A Tube map of the London Underground that's far more useful than the 'official' one |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/a-tube-map-of-the-london-underground-thats-far-more-useful-than-the-official-one-10289941.html |access-date=6 June 2015 |date=5 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605215707/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/a-tube-map-of-the-london-underground-thats-far-more-useful-than-the-official-one-10289941.html |archive-date=5 June 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=This amateur London Tube map someone posted on Wikipedia is far better than the real thing |url=http://www.citymetric.com/transport/amateur-london-tube-map-someone-posted-wikipedia-far-better-real-thing-1090 |website=[[CityMetric]] |date=June 2015 |access-date=2 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606124031/http://www.citymetric.com/transport/amateur-london-tube-map-someone-posted-wikipedia-far-better-real-thing-1090 |archive-date=6 June 2015}}</ref>
In July 2015, a map of the network displaying walking calorie burn information for each leg was published by [[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro newspaper]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://metro.co.uk/2015/08/05/august-tube-strike-2015-how-to-walk-the-tube-map-how-many-calories-youll-burn-and-the-apps-to-save-your-day-5328397/ |title=August Tube strike 2015: How to walk the Tube map, how many calories you'll burn and the apps to save your day |newspaper=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |date=5 August 2015 |access-date=11 November 2015 |archive-date=18 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118231225/http://metro.co.uk/2015/08/05/august-tube-strike-2015-how-to-walk-the-tube-map-how-many-calories-youll-burn-and-the-apps-to-save-your-day-5328397/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Cultural references===
The design has become so widely known that it is now instantly recognisable as representing London. It has been featured on T-shirts, postcards and other memorabilia. In 2006, the design came second in a televised search for the most well-known British design icon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/the-tube-map |title=The Tube Map – The Tube Map – Icons of England |publisher=Icons.org.uk |access-date=9 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525081322/http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/the-tube-map |archive-date=25 May 2010}}</ref> It is widely cited by academics and designers as a 'design classic',<ref name="Design-technology.info"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://diagrams.org/fig-pages/f00022.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051203012047/http://diagrams.org/fig-pages/f00022.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 December 2005 |title=The London Underground Map – Harry Beck's Design Icon |publisher=Diagrams.org |date=11 January 2002 |access-date=9 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.designmuseum.org/design/london-transport |title=London Transport / Designing Modern Britain – Design Museum Exhibition : Design Patron (1933–) – Design/Designer Information |publisher=Designmuseum.org |date=26 November 2006 |access-date=9 January 2013 |archive-date=20 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820062738/http://www.designmuseum.org/design/london-transport |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A673517 |title=BBC – h2g2 – Life and Times of the London Underground Map |publisher=BBC |access-date=9 January 2013 |archive-date=13 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213015433/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A673517 |url-status=live }}</ref> and those cultural associations make London Underground not usually permit the design to be used or altered for any other purpose.<ref>The [[London Underground anagram map]] is an example of a parody map that was removed because [[Transport for London]] claimed [[copyright infringement]].</ref> That has been officially sanctioned only on a few occasions:
* David Booth's ''[[Tate Gallery|The Tate Gallery]] by Tube'' (1986) is one of a series of publicity posters for the Underground.<ref name="Tate by tube">[http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps/tatemap.jpg ''The Tate Gallery by Tube''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709205939/http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps/tatemap.jpg |date=9 July 2007 }} from {{cite web |url=http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps.html |title=The London Tube Map Archive |access-date=8 February 2009 |archive-date=11 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811163253/http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His work showed the lines of the map squeezed out of tubes of paint (with the name of the gallery's nearest station, [[Pimlico tube station|Pimlico]], on a paint-tube) and has since been used on the cover of the pocket map.
* In [[Tate Modern]] hangs ''[[The Great Bear (lithograph)|The Great Bear]]'' by [[Simon Patterson (artist)|Simon Patterson]], a subtle parody of the contemporary map design, first displayed in 1992 in which the station names on the Tube map have been replaced by those of famous figures.
* In 2003, to coincide with the publication of a book about tube maps from all over the world, the [[London Transport Museum]] released a "World Metro Map" poster that was strongly based on the London diagram and approved by TfL.
* [[File:aotu hammersmith.jpg|thumb|right|The shape of a pig seen in the lines of the London Underground map, from Paul Middlewick's ''Animals on the Underground'']]''Animals on the Underground'' is a collection of over 20 animal characters depicted using only lines, stations and interchange symbols on the London Underground map, created by illustrator Paul Middlewick in 1987. In 2003, the concept was used in a poster campaign by advertising agency [[McCann-Erickson]] to promote the [[London Zoo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/guide/about/museumslt.html#feature |title=Animals Underground |date=14 August 2003 |publisher=London.net |access-date=18 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024103700/http://www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/guide/about/museumslt.html#feature |archive-date=24 October 2007}}</ref> In May 2010, a children's storybook was released that used the characters, "Lost Property". It is the story of an elephant called "Elephant & Castle" who loses his memory and is helped by Angel the angel fish. The book was illustrated by Middlewick and written by Jon Sayers, and its official launch took place at the [[London Transport Museum]].
* [[Albus Dumbledore]], a central character in the [[Harry Potter series]], has a scar just above his left knee that is in the shape of a Tube map.
* In 2006, ''[[The Guardian]]'' published a design based on the tube map, purporting to show the relationships between musicians and musical genres in the 20th century.<ref>{{cite news |title=Going Underground |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/culturevulture/archives/2006/02/03/going_underground.html |work=The Guardian |first=Dorian |last=Lynskey |date=3 February 2006 |access-date=1 April 2008 |___location=London |archive-date=8 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708083757/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/culturevulture/archives/2006/02/03/going_underground.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* On 11 January 2007, [[Andrew Adonis|Lord Adonis]] unveiled a depiction of the map featuring the names of successful schools and students at GCSE level as part of the London Student Awards 2007.
* The [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] produced a map in 2007 linking Shakespearean characters according to their traits in a diagram that resembles the map for complexity.
* The game development studio [[Dinosaur Polo Club]] created the game ''[[Mini Metro (video game)|Mini Metro]]'', whose main mechanic is to efficiently connect stations in a strict Harry Beck style.<ref>{{cite web |title=Website from Mini Metro |url=http://dinopoloclub.com/minimetro/ |access-date=6 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120011141/http://dinopoloclub.com/minimetro/ |archive-date=20 November 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Stylistic aspects of the London diagram, such as the line colours and styles and the station ticks or interchange symbols, are also frequently used in advertising.
==See also==
{{Portal|London transport}}
* [[Paris Métro#map|Paris Métro map]]
* [[New York City Subway map]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=Dow | first=Andrew | date=2005 | title=Telling the Passenger where to Get Off: George Dow and the Evolution of the Railway Diagrammatic Map | ___location=London | publisher=Capital Transport Publishing | isbn=978-1-85414-291-7 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last=Garland | first=Ken | date=1994 | title=Mr Beck's Underground Map | ___location=London | publisher=Capital Transport Publishing | isbn=978-1-85414-168-2 | author-link=Ken Garland|ref=none}}
*[[Alexander James Kent|Kent, Alexander J.]] (2021). "When Topology Trumped Topography: Celebrating 90 Years of Beck’s Underground Map" ''The Cartographic Journal'' 58 (1) pp. 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/00087041.2021.1953765
* {{cite book | last1=Leboff | first1=David | last2=Demuth | first2=Tim | date=1999 | title=No Need to Ask! Early Maps of London's Underground Railways | ___location=London | publisher=Capital Transport Publishing | isbn=978-1-85414-215-3|ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last=Ovenden | first=Mark | date=2003 | title=Metro Maps of the World | ___location=London | publisher=Capital Transport Publishing | isbn=978-1-85414-272-6 | author-link=Mark Ovenden|ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last=Ovenden | first=Mark | date=2007 | title=Transit Maps of the World: Every Urban Train Map on Earth | ___location=New York | publisher=Penguin Books | isbn=978-0-14311-265-5 | author-link=Mark Ovenden|ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last=Roberts | first=Maxwell | date=2005 | title=Underground Maps After Beck | ___location=London | publisher=Capital Transport Publishing | isbn=978-1-85414-286-3|ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last=Roberts | first=Maxwell | date=2012 | title=Underground Maps Unravelled: Explorations in Information Design | ___location=Wivenhoe | publisher=Maxwell J Roberts | isbn=978-0-95726-640-7|ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last=Roberts | first=Maxwell | date=2019 | title=Tube Map Travels: Adaptions, Imitations & Explorations Worldwide | ___location=London | publisher=Capital Transport Publishing | isbn=978-1-85414-444-7|ref=none}}
* {{cite map | last=Rose | first=Douglas | date=2016 | title=The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History | ___location=London | publisher=Capital Transport Publishing | isbn=978-1-85414-404-1|ref=none}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|London Underground maps}}
* [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube Tube maps] from TfL
* [http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf Most recent official Tube map] in [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] format.
* [http://london-tubemap.com/ Mark Noad's Underground diagram]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170829073921/http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/London_Rail_Tube0517.pdf London Rail and Tube services map], successor to the comprehensive London Connections Map
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KddPaIko3Z4 Mapping the Tube 1863-2023: Treasures of the Tube Map], video about exhibition in 2024
[[Category:London Underground]]
[[Category:Railway maps of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Infographics]]
[[Category:Transport design in London]]
[[Category:London Underground in popular culture]]
[[Category:Navigation maps]]
[[Category:Maps of London]]
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