THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WILL VISIT THE LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM TO CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
Wednesday 4th March
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will travel in a new electric double decker bus to the London Transport Museum to take part in celebrations to mark 20 years of Transport for London.
Their Royal Highnesses will travel from Clarence House to the London Transport Museum in one of London’s new environmentally friendly electric double decker buses with TfL Commissioner Mike Brown MVO and local schoolchildren participating in TfL STARS scheme.
On arrival at the London Transport Museum, Their Royal Highnesses will be welcomed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and proceed on a tour of the museum.
During the tour their Royal Highnesses will meet TfL apprentices and staff who have pioneered environmental and mental health schemes in the workplace and crisis response staff.
Finally, His Royal Highness will unveil a commemorative plaque to mark the visit.
20 years of TfL:
Set-up in 2000 to bring London’s transport network together under one integrated body, TfL has grown and improved London’s transport network to help support jobs, homes, opportunities and economic growth across the capital. Over the past 20 years TfL has:
- modernised huge swathes of the London Underground network, transforming the world’s first metro system with rebuilt stations and new trains and signalling systems;
- transformed some formerly under-utilised and shabby orbital rail lines into the popular and reliable London Overground network;
- improved the ease with which people pay to travel – first with the Oyster card and more recently with contactless payment;
- helped London become a 24-hour city and boosted its economy after introducing Night Tube and Night Overground services;
- improved air quality for Londoners by introducing the world’s first 24-hour Ultra Low Emission Zone;
- established the largest, most accessible and greenest bus fleet in Europe;
- led London’s cycling revolution, with London’s cycle hire scheme and a network of safe cycle lanes and new safer junctions having been created across the city
- boosted accessibility across the transport network, from increasing step-free access to the introduction of the now instantly recognisable Baby on Board and Please Offer Me A Seat badges.
London Transport Museum:
London Transport Museum is the world’s leading museum of urban transport, welcoming more than 400,000 visitors through its doors each year. Historic vehicles, world-famous posters and objects from the Museum’s renowned collections tell the story of London’s development and the vital part transport plays in defining the unique identity of the city. Each year the Museum promotes safe, active and sustainable travel to more than 100,000 school pupils through the TfL STARS scheme. It also works with 65,000 children, young people, parents and teachers through its learning programmes, inspiring curiosity about science, technology, engineering, art and design.
The Royal Family and the London Transport Network:
- Her Majesty The Queen became the first reigning monarch to travel on the London Underground when she opened the Victoria line in 1969. She subsequently visited London Underground on its 150th birthday in 2013.
- In 1977, the Jubilee line was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales and was named to mark 25 years since Her Majesty’s accession to the throne. In the same year, Her Majesty opened Heathrow Central station (Terminals 1 2 3) on the Piccadilly line.
- In 2013, the celebrations of London Underground’s 150th anniversary saw Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall take a trip on the Underground, and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge visit Baker Street station.
- London Transport Museum was opened by HRH The Princess Royal in Covent Garden’s historic flower market building in 1980.
