We have already seen the worlds longest tunnels and while those here in the UK are nothing when compared to them they are still pretty impressive. So let’s take a look at what type they are and where you can find them…
Crossrail Limmo Peninsula to Farringdon
10 – Crossrail Limmo Peninsula to Farringdon, London – Length: 8,300 meters (5.15 miles)
Wiki Info: Crossrail is a 118-kilometre (73-mile) railway line under development in England, running through parts of London and the home counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex. The central section and a large portion of the line, between Paddington in central London and Abbey Wood in the south-east, are due to open in December 2018; when it will be named the Elizabeth line in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. Part of the eastern section, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in Essex, was transferred to a precursor service called TfL Rail in 2015; this section will be connected to the core route through central London to Paddington from May 2019.
Piccadilly line (Hounslow Central to Heathrow Terminal 5)
9 – Piccadilly line (Hounslow Central to Heathrow Terminal 5) – Length: 8,760 meters (5.44 miles)
Wiki Info: The Piccadilly line serves many of London’s key tourist attractions including the British Museum (Russell Square), the numerous museums around South Kensington, Harrods (Knightsbridge), Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace (within walking distance of Green Park station), Leicester Square (with its own station) and Covent Garden (also with its own station).
London Post Office Railway
8 – London Post Office Railway, London – Length: 10,500 meters (6.52 miles)
Wiki Info: The Post Office Railway, known as Mail Rail since 1987, is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge, driverless underground railway in London that was built by the Post Office with assistance from the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, to move mail between sorting offices. Inspired by the Chicago Tunnel Company, it operated from 1927 until 2003. A museum within the former railway was opened in September 2017.
Bakerloo line (Elephant & Castle to Queen’s Park)
7 – Bakerloo line (Elephant & Castle to Queen’s Park), London – Length: 10,900 meters (6.77 miles)
Wiki Info: The Bakerloo line is a London Underground line that runs between Harrow & Wealdstone in suburban north-west London and Elephant & Castle in south London, via the West End. Coloured brown on the Tube map, it serves 25 stations, of which 15 are below ground, over 14.4 miles (23.2 km). It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level. The line was so named because it serves Baker Street and Waterloo. North of Queen’s Park (the section above ground), the line shares tracks with the London Overground Watford DC Line and runs parallel to the West Coast Main Line. There are, however, tunnels on either side of Kensal Green.
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Northern line (Kennington to Golders Green via Charing Cross)
6 – Northern line (Kennington to Golders Green via Charing Cross), London – Length: 11,940 meters (7.41 miles)
Wiki Info: For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line.[nb 1] The portion between Stockwell and Borough opened in 1890 and is the oldest section of deep-level tube line on the Underground network. There were about 252 million passenger journeys recorded in 2011/12 on the Northern line, making it the second-busiest on the Underground. (It was the busiest from 2003 to 2010.) It is unique in having two different routes through central London. Despite its name, it does not serve the northern-most stations on the network, though it does serve the southern-most station, Morden, as well as 16 of the system’s 29 stations south of the River Thames.
Central line (Stratford to White City)
5 – Central line (Stratford to White City), London – Length: 17,390 meters (10.80 miles)
Wiki Info: The Central line is a London Underground line that runs through central London, from Epping, Essex, in the north-east to Ealing Broadway and West Ruislip in the west. Coloured red on the Tube map, the line serves 49 stations over 46 miles (74 km), which makes it the longest Tube line. It is also one of only two lines on the Underground network to cross the Greater London boundary, the other being the Metropolitan line. One of London’s deep-level railways, Central line trains are smaller than those on British main lines.
Piccadilly line (Bounds Green to Barons Court)
4 – Piccadilly line (Bounds Green to Barons Court), London – Length: 19,610 meters (12.18 miles)
Wiki Info: The Piccadilly line is a London Underground line that runs between Cockfosters in suburban north London and Acton Town in the west where it divides into two branches, one to Heathrow Airport and the other to Uxbridge in north-west London.
Victoria line (Brixton to Walthamstow Central)
3 – Victoria line (Brixton to Walthamstow Central), London – Length: 22,040 meters (13.69 miles)
Wiki Info: The Victoria line is a London Underground line that runs between Brixton in south London and Walthamstow Central in the north-east, via the West End. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map and is one of just two lines to run entirely below ground, the other being the Waterloo & City line.
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Northern line (Morden to East Finchley via Bank)
2 – Northern line (Morden to East Finchley via Bank), London – Length: 27,800 meters (17.27 miles)
Wiki Info: The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs essentially from south-west to north London, with two branches through central London and three in the north. Its southern section runs from Morden in the borough of Merton to Kennington in Southwark, where it then divides into two central branches, one via Charing Cross in the West End and the other via Bank in the City. The central branches re-join at Camden Town, where the line again divides into two branches, one to High Barnet and the other to Edgware in the borough of Barnet. On the High Barnet branch there is a short single-track branch to Mill Hill East only.
Channel Tunnel
1 – Channel Tunnel, Kent – Length: 50,470 meters (31.36 miles)
Wiki Info: The Channel Tunnel is a 50.45-kilometre (31.35 mi) rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom, with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near Calais in northern France, beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is 75 m (250 ft) deep below the sea bed, and 115 m (380 ft) below sea level. At 37.9 kilometres (23.5 mi), the tunnel has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world, although the Seikan Tunnel in Japan is both longer overall at 53.85 kilometres (33.46 mi) and deeper at 240 metres (790 ft) below sea level. The speed limit for trains in the tunnel is 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph).