The London Tube

Driverless trains may seem to be the future of transport or even the brainchild of come cartoon writers mind but they are actually here and working. In fact these have been around for a few decades now, lines which use them include the Docklands Light Railway, the Victoria Line and the Central Line.

These lines along with other automated train lines are deemed to be such a success that there are plans to automate more of the London underground lines. With the Jubilee line being heavily automated things seemed to be going well until early November when the line suffered from total communications system failure during the rush hour meaning that drivers had to take to the controls and guide the trains in to the nearest station. Passengers were left in the station as the control room screens went blank for almost an hour with repeated attempts at rebooting the system failing.

London Underground stressed that at no point were passengers at risk and blamed a software problem for the failure, they have since sort assurances from the software providers that this would not happen again and have launched an investigation in to the event.

The RMT union are looking on this event as proof that drivers are still needed on trains ready to take over the controls as well as taking passengers to safety should anything happen like this again. But London Underground officials are still insisting that trains driven by computers are necessary and while they acknowledge there is still a need for staff the role they will play in the train service provided will change.

London is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and has an impressive array of historic sights to see and entertainment attractions to visit. There is so much to see and do in London, that visitors will be unlikely to be able to take all of it in with one trip, thus when securing travel insurance for their visit, they may wish to opt for annual travel insurance – which will protect them for more than one visit to London in a year.

If you want to get an overview of the main sights and attractions of London, perhaps the best way to do this, is to take one of the open top bus tours through the city. This will enable you to at least see all of the main sights, and if anything catches your eye in particular, you can explore it in more detail later. The royal homes – such as the Kensington and Buckingham Palaces – are amongst the most popular destinations amongst visitors to the city from other countries. There is also the world famous Tower of London, which is home to the Crown Jewels as well as its dark history of imprisonments and hangings during it time as a prison.

If you are more interested in exploring the cultural history of London, then the city boasts an impressive array of museums and galleries. The British Museum is one of the most famous in the world, but the city also has a wide variety of places catering to more specialist enthusiasms. For people interested in military history there is the Imperial War Museum, while for those interested in the natural world there is the Natural History Museum. If you are more of an art lover London is also home to the iconic Tate Gallery, which houses one of the finest collections of fine art anywhere in the world.

In terms of daytime entertainment attractions, London also has much to offer. There is London Zoo – probably the most famous such establishment in the world, Hyde Park and Madame Tussauds. There is no reason for anyone to be bored in London, whatever they wish to see and do.