Taking the Tube in London

I think are being a bit paranoid - I have never heard of someone being pushed under a Tube train. You are more likely to suffer extreme claustrophobia once inside, and dirty hair from the great farts of tunnel dust provided by every arriving and departing train.

Tube travel in London does have its perils, but mostly to stress levels and claustrophobia. It's also a pretty clean, efficient and simple way to get around this huge city. Most Londoners will have heard Transport for London's "Person Under a Train" notification at least once each winter, particularly when the weather becomes seasonably suicidal. Accidents have also been known to happen, albeit extremely rarely, and can best be avoided by not changing trains at Bank (the platform is about as narrow as a single bed) or standing too close to the yellow line at other crowded stations at aggressive, rush-hour times of day. It isn't the cheapest method of transport - buses are favored by people on a tighter budget and like to see the city go by. There's also the Boris Bike system, where you can pick up and drop off a bike from any one of many collections all over the city.

Hi Stephanie,

I spend most of life in London and I think you will get used to tube. While being on the underground during morning or evening rush hour can be a bit of a nightmare, I think the risk of people being pushed under a tube are quite slim. Yes accidents have happened in the past but these are rare occurances.

While most of London Underground's infrastructure is old, some of the newer tube lines, for instance the Jubilee Line have glass doors which don't open until the tube is fully on the platform - this reduces the risk of anyone falling onto the track. My advice to you would be to exercise caution, the same as you would when crossing the road and try to stand behind the yellow line. 

If you dom't feel comfortable travelling on the tube during rush over remember that there are alternative ways to travel throughout the city. London has a well established network of bus routes and overground trains. If you cycle, you could always use the new Boris Bikes or get your own bicycles and use the cycle lanes - its a great way of getting some exercise and seeing more of the city.

Take a look at our Getting Around London page to get a better idea of the transport options available to you.

Good luck with your move to London. Enjoy your time there - its a great, dynamic city.