The system can get crowded, especially during rush hour – 2,500,000 people use the Underground every day, and sometimes it seems as if they are all trying to catch your train. So far though, the authorities have not had to employ staff to literally push people onto the trains, as with the Tokyo subway. Some of the larger stations can be confusing with seemingly endless passageways and elevators. And if you choose to walk up the steps instead of taking the elevator, or "lift" as it is called in England (which at certain stations are notorious for being out of order anyway) watch for the helpful sign at the bottom of the steps which tells you exactly how many steps there are to climb. Some of the deeper stations also have long escalators; commonplace today, but when the first escalator was installed in Earl’s Court station, transport authorities employed a man to ride up and down it all day to convince the public it was safe.
When you exit your station, look for maps on the wall showing the local area; they also indicate which exit to take from large stations with many exits. If you are really concerned about shortening your journey time, you can actually buy a tube map that shows the most convenient place on each station platform to board and leave the train.
"Mind the Gap!"
If you are waiting for a train at Embankment station, you may be puzzled by loudspeaker announcements instructing you to “mind the gap”. What this mysterious message is referring to is the alarmingly large space between the edge of the platform and the train's door - and helpfully advising you not to fall into it. If you are stuck on the tube with nothing to read – try to avoid making eye contact with the person sitting opposite you, which is frowned upon in tube etiquette. Instead, you can read one of the poems displayed on the wall of your car. “Poems on the Underground” was launched in 1986, part of an innovative program to bring poetry to a wider range of people.
Over the years, many new underground stations have been opened, while some others have closed. If you look carefully as you speed through the darkness between stations, you can still see the platforms and other fixtures of stations long since closed. Some stations were adapted for other uses – just off Goodge Street, what was once a tube station is now a secure document storage facility. Another disused station, Down Street in the trendy Mayfair area is now a bookstall – at one time Winston Churchill used the station as an emergency shelter during World War II.