100 London Underground facts to remember for the virtual pub quiz

2020 so far has been the strangest of years. But is it the year we fell in love with quizzing? Quizzing is an important part in British culture, Pointless and The Chase dominating tea time viewing, and all you have to do is go on Twitter when somebody takes the minus offer to demonstrate how popular testing your knowledge has become. Quiz shows vary in format, prizes and ability, from tricky sequences in Only Connect, to the almost impossible on University Challenge, or testing your knowledge and practice of the penny slots on a British seaside pier in Tipping Point, everybody has their favourite and I think secretly everybody ultimately wants to appear on a quiz show, or maybe just me!

Lockdown has seen a rise in virtual pub quizzes, and it doesn't look like we have got bored of them just yet. But what is a pub quiz without a London Underground question? In this post I have rattled my brain and answer the top 100 London Underground facts to remember for the virtual pub quiz.

The classic questions
1) How many stations are there on the London Underground?
270. I have entered and exited 242 of them so far. You can follow my journey on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook where I am @TubeSpottingDan

2) What percentage of the London Underground is actually Underground?
Roughly 45%. 

3) How many London Underground stations are south of the river Thames?
27 or 10%. Most of these are on the northern line.

4) Who was influential in creating the modern London Underground map?
Harry Beck. It became official in 1933.

6) Which famous celebrity was born at East Finchley station?
Jerry Springer. His mum was taking shelter during World War Two.

6) What is the only London Underground station to be named after a football club?
Arsenal. In 1932 the Arsenal chairman Herbert Chapman led a campaign to rename Gillespie Road station to Arsenal (Higbury Hill).

7) How many London Underground stations lie outside of the M25?
Five. Amersham, Chalfont & Latimer, Chesham, Chorleywood and Epping are located outside of the orbital motorway often described as the boundary of London.

8) What do the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Lewisham, Kingston upon Thames and Sutton have in common?
Only boroughs to have no London Underground stations. Out of 32 boroughs and the City of London, that comprise the Greater London Authority, six boroughs do not have a London Underground station.

9) Which station became the first to be entirely staffed by women?
Maida Vale. When the station opened in 1915 it became the first to be staffed entirely by women.

10) The river Westbourne flows above the platforms at which station?
Sloane Square. The iron pipe that was built to funnel the river when the station was built is still in place today.

Word questions
11) What is the only London Underground station that does not include any of the letters in the word Underground?
Balham. This is my favourite fact about the tube!

12) What is the only London Underground station that does not include any of the letters in the word Mackerel?
St John's Wood. I could go on for ages about which station does not include letters in the word xxxx, but this is a classic fact.

13) Name a station that contains all of the vowels?
Mansion House or South Ealing.

14) What is the most common station name ending?
Park. 23 stations feature Park at the end of their name.

15) Which station was originally named Gillespie Road?
Arsenal. Despite many stations having different names, this is perhaps the most common change of name questions I have came across.

16) Which station was originally named Post Office?
St Paul's. When the now named St Paul's station opened the station we now know as Blackfiars was called St Paul's.

17) Which station was originally named Euston Road?
Warren Street. The station opened in 1907 as Euston Road but was changed to Warren Street in 1908.

18) Which station was originally named Walham Green?
Fulham Broadway. The station was renamed to Fulham Broadway in 1952.

19) What is the first station alphabetically?
Acton Town.

20) What is the last station alphabetically?
Woodside Park.

Which line... question
21) The Viking line was proposed for which tube line?
Victoria line. 

22) Which line is entirely Underground?
Waterloo & City line. This question is a slight trick question as all of the stations and public areas on the Victoria line is underground, however the depot and therefore some of the track is above ground at Seven Sisters.

23) Which line has the most stations?
District line. From Upminster to Ealing Broadway, there is 60 stations on the District line.

24) Which line is the longest?
Central line. From Epping to West Ruislip the Central line is 74km in length.

25) Which line is the shortest?
Waterloo & City line. At just 2.37km in length, the Waterloo & City line is the shortest. With just Bank and Waterloo as stations, the line also features the lowest number of stations.

26) Which line requires the most trains to run the peak service?
Northern line. The Northern line requires 91 trains during the peak service.

27) Which line records the hottest temperatures during the summer?
Bakerloo line. Contrary to popular belief that the Central line is the hottest, during the 2018 heatwave the Bakerloo line recorded an average temperature of 31.04C, with the Central line recording 30.47C.

28) Which line is the oldest?
Metropolitan line. Opening between Paddington and Farringdon in 1863, the Metropolitan Railway, which became the Metropolitan line, is the oldest line on the network.

29) Which line contains the longest continuous tunnel?
Northern line. From East Finchley to Mordon (via. Bank), the longest tunnel is over 17 miles long.

30) Which two lines are the only lines to connect with all of the other lines?
Central line and Jubilee line. Until the East London line closed in 2007, the only line to connect with all lines was the Jubilee line.

Year questions
31) When did the London Underground open?
1863. The first section of the network opened from Paddington to Farringdon on 10 January 1863 and was built using a 'cut and cover' method of construction.

32) When was the Oyster card introduced?
2003. The payment card that is now used for transport across London, buses, tubes, even river services, was first introduced in 2003.

33) When was alcohol banned on the London Underground?
2008. Thousands celebrated the final day you could drink on the tube by hosting a party on the Circle line.

34) When was steam last used on the London Underground?
1961. The final steam services ran from Rickmansworth to Aylesbury until 1961. The line was then electrified from Rickmansworth to Amersham, and services onto Aylesbury were transferred to British Rail.

35) What year did Hannah Dadds become the first female tube driver?
1978. Hannah Dadds worked on the District line and her sister Edna also drove trains on the tube.

36) In what year did the latest station open on the network?
2008. Wood Lane opened in October 2008 and is located near to former station that closed in 1959.

37) When did 'Night Tube' services first start?
2016. Services on the Central and Victoria lines began on 19 August 2016.

38) The Jubilee line, that comprises of former Bakerloo and Metropolitan line track and new tunnels, opened in which year?
1979. The latest line to join the network opened to the public on 1 May 1979.

39) Although the stations opened between 1863 and 1902 as part of the Metropolitan Railway, when did the Hammersmith & City open as a separate line?
1990. The line features 29 stations.

40) The Waterloo & City Railway opened in 1898, however when did the operations of the line transfer to London Underground?
1994. The line shares the same stock of trains as the Central line.

Escalator questions
41) Where was the first escalator installed?
Earl's Court. In 1911 the first escalator on the London Underground was installed at Earl's Court.

42) Each week escalators on the London Underground travel the equivalent distance of how many trips round the world?
Two.

43) Which was the last station to use wooden escalators?
Greenford. In 2014 the wooden escalators were replaced in 2014 and Greenford became the first station in 2015 to install an inclinator.

44) Where is the longest escalator on the network?
Angel. It is over 60m long!

45) Where is the shortest escalator on the network
Stratford. It is one of just two stations to feature escalators that go up from street-level to an underground platform.

46) Where did they trial a spiral escalator?
Holloway Road. The remains of the trial can be found at the Transport Museum Depot in Acton.

47) Which station has the most escalators?
Waterloo. With an impressive 23.

48) How many moving walkways are there on the network?
4. Two are at Bank and two are at Waterloo.

49) How many escalators are there on the network?
451.

50) How many passenger lifts are there across the network?
202. 

The tube and pubs
51) Name a London Underground station named after a pub?
Angel, Elephant & Castle, Manor House, Royal Oak or Swiss Cottage

52) What is the only London Underground station to feature a pub attached to the building?
Kew Gardens. The Railway pub was renamed The Tap on the Line in 2013.

53) The tiles on the platform of which Victoria line station were inspired by a pub?
Stockwell. The tile motif features a swan after the nearby The Swan pub.

54) Which former station building is now 'Market Hall' where you can purchase a beer from a former ticket booth?
Fulham Broadway. The refurbished former station building reopened in 2018.

55) The Hole in the Wall pub closed in 1985, but where would you find it?
Sloane Square. A pub was located on the westbound platform at Sloane Square.

Station architecture
56) Who designed the station buildings of Arnos Grove, Cockfosters and Southgate?
Charles Holden. Holden designed 47 stations across the network, 26 on the Piccadilly line.

57) Who designed the station buildings of Belsize Park, Caledonian Road and Covent Garden?
Leslie Green. Green designed 45 stations on the Underground, 18 on the Piccadilly line.

58) Who financed the different tile patterns of central London Northern and Piccadilly line stations?
Charles Yerkes. The American financier financed the different station colour patterns to help literate passengers.

59) What colour tiles did Leslie Green use in his station building designs?
Red. The red tiled facades became synonymous with the London Underground.

60) Who designed Boston Manor, Osterley and St. John's Wood?
Stanley Heaps. Heaps worked with Green and later Holden, but he had his own influence across the network.

Roundels
61) Where will you find the largest roundels on a station platform?
Canary Wharf. A YouGov survey in 2013 revealed Canary Wharf as the 'most loved'.

62) Where will you find the largest roundel anywhere on the network?
Brixton. The roundel at the entrance of Brixton station is the largest anywhere on the London Underground networks.

63) Name a station that does not feature roundels on the platforms?
Barking, Richmond, Upminster and Wimbledon. These stations are not operated by Transport for London.

64) Where was the first roundel installed?
St James's Park. The first roundel was installed in 1908.

65) Where is the only place on the network you would find a roundel that breaks the pattern rule regarding diamonds?
Arsenal. The diamonds above and below the letters fall in between each letter, except on the mosaic at Arsenal station where the diamonds are spread evenly out.

Passenger usage
66) Which station is the busiest?
King's Cross St. Pancras. With just under 90 million passengers in 2018.

67) Which station is the least used on the London Underground?
Roding Valley. The Central line station received around 280,000 passengers in 2018.

68) What is the most used station that is on just one line?
Canary Wharf. Just under 45 million people used Canary Wharf in 2018.

69) What is the least used Zone 1 station?
Regents Park. 3.7 million people used the Bakerloo line station in 2018, the second least used station in Zone 1 is Lambeth North.

70) Which line is the busiest?
Central line. With over 260 million annual passengers, the Central line is the busiest, followed by the Northern.

Longest and shortest
71) What is the shortest distance between two adjacent stations on the network?
260m. Leicester Square and Covent Garden are connected by the Piccadilly line.

72) And how much does this journey cost per mile?
£29.81. A staggering £100,000 is spent each year by people taking this short journey by train.

73) Which two stations are the closest on the network?
Bayswater and Queensway. Although on separate lines, Bayswater and Queensway are less than 100m apart.

74) Which two adjacent stations are furthest apart?
Chesham and Chalfont & Latimer. The two stations are nearly four miles apart!

75) What is the longest possible journey?
Epping to West Ruislip. The journey on the Central line takes you over 34 miles of track.

Height
76) Which station is the deepest?
Hampstead. The Northern line station is 58.5 meters deep

77) Which station has the most steps?
Hampstead. Being the deepest it is no surprise that with 320 steps, Hampstead features more than any other station.

78) Which station is the highest above sea level?
Amersham. The Metropolitan line station is 147 meters above sea level

79) What is significant about the Dollis Brook Viaduct?
The highest point above ground a tube train travels. The Dollis Brook Viaduct is 18 meters high.

80) According to signage, the 193 steps at Covent Garden are equivalent to how many floors in a building?
Fifteen. Although this fact crops up at Russell Square and Hampstead despite having 175 and 320 steps respectively.

Large stations
81) Which station features the most platforms?
Baker Street. With 10 platforms Baker Street has more platforms than any other station. Note Bank and Monument are classed as two separate stations.

82) Which station is served by the most London Underground lines?
King's Cross St. Pancras. The Zone 1 station is served by six lines - Circle line, Hammersmith & City line, Metropolitan line, Northern line, Piccadilly line and Victoria line.

83) True or False? You can fit One Canada Square inside Canary Wharf station?
True. The station is so big that you could fit the 235 meter building on its side.

84) The construction of the expansion of which station is the deepest excavation ever in central London?
Westminster. A void known as the 'station box' was constructed to accommodate escalators to take passengers from the new Jubilee line platforms to the sub-surface platforms.

85) In 2003 which station was used for a disaster training exercise named Exercise Osiris?
Bank. The exercise involved over 500 emergency response staff.

Rolling stock
86) Which current rolling stock is the oldest?
1972 Stock - Bakerloo line. The Bakerloo line trains are the oldest on the network.

87) Which current rolling stock was introduced most recently?
S7 Stock. The S8 Stock was first introduced on the Metropolitan line in July 2010, with the S7 being used on the Hammersmith & City line in July 2012.

88) Which is the most recent stock to be removed from the network?
D78 Stock. The last D78 Stock train exited service on 21 April 2017 after serving the District line for 37 years.

89) Which four landmarks feature on the moquette of the 1992, 1995 and 1996 Stock trains?
Tower Bridge, Big Ben, London Eye and St Paul's Cathedral. The Barman mosquette, named after TfL's Publicity Officer Christian Barman, is a famous design across London.

90) Which stock became the first to use air-conditioning?
S8 Stock. When introduced in July 2010, the S8 Stock became the first to use air-conditioning ever on the tube.

10 more classic questions
91) Which station that is underground is the only to have sub-surface and deep-level platforms at the same level?
Mile End. The Central line and District/Hammersmith & City line stations uniquely share a cross-platform interchange, taking inspiration from the Moscow metro.

92) Which station has the largest car park?
Epping. With 599 spaces.

93) Which line features the most stations with no station building?
Central line. Bank, Bethnal Green, Chancery Lane, Gants Hill and Notting Hill Gate stations have no station building.

94) Which station is the easternmost to be entirely underground?
Gants Hill. Prior to opening in 1947, this part of the Central line was used as a munitions factory.

95) The tiles at which station are inspired by a nearby Cricket ground?
Oval. Added in 2008, the tiles at Oval station bring a uniqueness to the station.

96) How many London Underground stations feature on the standard monopoly board?
Three. Liverpool Street, King's Cross and Marylebone.

97) Which London Overground station was planned to be the eastern terminus of the Victoria line?
Wood Street. Had the Victoria line of been constructed to Wood Street, it would have been the only station on the line to be above ground.

98) Which station is furthest from central London?
Chesham. The station is 25 miles away from Charing Cross.

99) What is the only station to have Grade 1 listed status?
St. James's Park. The station includes 55 Broadway, the administrative headquarters of the London Underground.

100) Where can you find mosaics dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock?
Leytonstone. The approach to Leytonstone station features many mosaics based on Alfred Hitchcock's works. The mosaics were revealed in 2001.

There you have it. 100 facts that may come up on your next pub quiz. Have I missed any classic facts or pub quiz questions? What is your favourite London Underground? You can get involved by commenting below or following me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook where I am @TubeSpottingDan