Metro and light rail

TfL operates two railway systems which are not part of the national railway network. The larger is the London Underground and the smaller is the automated Docklands Light Railway (DLR) operating in central, east and south-east London.

London Underground

Colloquially known as the Tube, London Underground is the oldest metro system in the world, having begun operations in 1863. More than 3 million passengers travel on the Underground every day, amounting to over 1 billion passenger journeys per year for the first time in 2006. The Underground has 12 lines, most of which connect the suburbs to Central London and provide a distribution role around the city centre, particularly from major railway terminals.

Trams

The tram system in London was the oldest in the world dating back to early Victorian time and still remains the largest tram network at its peak. However, the highly extensive tram lines disappeared from the streets of London by the mid-20th century, but a new tram system was opened in 2000 to serve the large employment centre of Croydon on the southern edge of London. Named Tramlink it connects Croydon and its surface railway stations to surrounding suburbs and to the town centre of Wimbledon to the north-west. London is the focal point of the British railway network, with 14 termini stations providing a combination of commuter, intercity, airport international services. Most areas of the city are not served but the Underground or DLR are served by commuter heavy rail services into one of these termini. These suburban rail services are not part of Transport for London but are owned and operated by a number of rail films.

Commuter rail

London is the centre of an extensive radial commuter railway network serving the surrounding metropolitan area. Each terminus is associated with commuter services from a particular segment of this area. The majority of commuters to central London (about 80 % of 1.1 million) arrive by either the Underground (400,000 daily) or by surface railway into these termini (860,000 daily).

Buses

London’s bus network is extensive, with over 6,800 scheduled services every weekday carrying about six million passengers on over 700 different routes. Catering mainly for local journeys, it carries more passengers than the Underground. In addition to this extensive daytime system, a 100-route night bus service is also operated, providing a 24-hour service. Many services are operated with the iconic red double decker buses.

Exercise 1. Answer the questions:

1 What is the text about?

2 What networks form London’s transport?

3 What railway system does TfL operate?

4 When was London Underground opened?

5 What is the daily capacity of the tube?

6 What time does the tram system in London date back to?

7 What services does the British railway network provide?

8 What does the commuter railway network serve?

9 Is London’s bus network extensive?

Exercise 2. Put each of the following words in its correct place in the text below.

sliding doors double-decker destination

platform bus stop inspector

conductor rush hour subway

crew tube hail

fare metro check

single-decker taxi rank coach

escalator driver tip

сab lift meter

rack

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

A taxi, sometimes called a 1……..is the most comfortable way to travel. You simply 2…….the taxi in the street or go to a 3……, where there are several taxis waiting, for example at a station. At the end of your journey, you can see how much the 4……..is by looking at the 5………... You add a 6……………..to this, and that's it. Very simple. But expensive!

What about taking a bus? If it has two floors, it's called a 7……………..and you

T E X T 1A 4

Porters and Pack Animals 4

T E X T 1B 8

THE WHEEL, STEAM CARRIAGES AND RAILWAYS 8

TEXT 1С 10

DIFFERENT KINDS OF LAND TRANSPORT 10

2 Who introduced the first cheap motor car? 10

3 When did diesel-engined lorries become general? 10

6 What are the cableways used for? 11

THE EARLY DAYS OF THE AUTOMOBILE 12

U N I T 2 17

Cars: Passion or Problem 17

Vocabulary Notes 17

T E X T 2A 18

Cars: Passion or Problem? 19

1 The major function of the car is to serve as ... . 20

2 The mass production of cars made the cars ... . 20

3 The New Yorkers move at approximately 8.1 mph because they ... . 20

4 Environmentalists object to ... . 20

5 The topical question of the day is ... . 20

6 Electric cars are being developed because conventional fuel will soon become ... . 20

7 Electric cars lost popularity in the 1920s because they were ... . 20

8 Even if the cars totally change in the future, their importance will not... . 20

Michael: How do I see the car? It's just a piece of metal on four wheels. I just want it to get me from A to B, that's all. Of course if it's comfortable and safe, that's great, but I really don't care about the brand. I'm only interested in details such as the price, fuel consumption, how many seats there are, and how big the boot is. 22

Gertrude: The car gives me prestige. I would only buy an expensive car with a powerful engine and all the latest equipment. I have a lot of money and why shouldn't I show it? I have a beautiful house and I need an expensive car in the garage. 22

Pauline: Well, I have a car because I live in the country and there's no public transport. But I think cars are polluting the world. Just think of all the exhaust gases! And what do you do with a car at the end of its life? You can't recycle all of it. 22

Exercise 8. Complete the following sentences. 22

Exercise 9. Here are some of the factors people consider when buying a car. Match the factors (1–7) with the definitions (a–g). 23

T E X T 2В 24

A Alpha G Golf M Mike S Sierra Y Yankee 25

Exercise 1. 25

Exercise 2. Work in pairs. Take it in turns to choose a vehicle and say the registration plate to your partner. 25

Exercise 3. Read the following conversations and complete the vehicle description. 25

T E X T 2C 28

Vocabulary Notes 34

T E X T 3A 35

T E X T 3B 36

Driving offences and penalties in Great Britain 36

T E X T 3C 37

39

Unusual driving laws of the world 39

Student B 39

Translation Check 41

Matter of Habit? 45

Vocabulary Notes 48

Metro and light rail 79

Exercise 3. Answer the questions. 87

Student A’s questions (Do not show to student B) 87

Student B’s questions (Do not show to student A) 88

.

Quicker than the bus is the underground called the 17……….in London, the 19………. in Paris. You buy your ticket at the ticket office. Go down to the 20………..on the 21……or in the 22……. . The train comes. The 23………… open. You get on. You look at the map of the underground system. It's very simple.

For longer distances take a train or a long-distance bus, usually called a. 24…………… , which is slower but cheaper? The train is very fast. Put your luggage on the 25……….. and sit and wait till your arrive.

Exercise 3. Act out the dialogues about different kinds of transport in London.

* * *

Q: Where can I hire a car?

A: You can hire a car at any of London airports: Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, Gatwick.

Q: What are the names of car rental companies operating at airports?

A: For example, the names of car rental companies at Heathrow are: Hertz, Avis, Europecar, Alamo, International.

Q: What are the costs of hiring a car?

A: The prices start from just £20 a day for cheap cars. If you choose to rent a luxury car, the prices start from £50 a day.

* * *

Q: I’m going with my 3 friends to London, what is the best way to travel?

A: If you want to travel fast it is best to use the tube (London underground) or hire a car.

Q: What are the costs of traveling by the tube?

A: For example: underground one-way ticket costs £4, 1–4 zone all day ticket costs £9,40.

Q: Does the tube work at night?

A: No, last trains leave London underground stations before midnight.

Q: So how can I travel at night?

A: After the tube closes you have to rely on the night bus network (all markings of night bus networks begin with the letter “N").

Q: I got EURO<26 student card, will I have any discounts for public transport?

A: No, only students from UK have discounts for tickets.

* * *

Q: What is the tube?

A; The Tube is the common name for London Underground.

Q: Where can I get London Underground Map?

A: The map will be soon available at.www.londontransport.info.

Q: Is londontransport.info the official website of London public transport?

A: No, we are an unofficial site. But we try to give you all the necessary information about London transport.

* * *

Q: Could you give me more information about buses?

A: With over 17,000 stops, the London bus network is one of the largest urban bus services in the world. Buses carry more passengers than any other mode of transport in the UK. To fight the traffic, many roads are reserved only for London buses.

Q: Could you tell me more about London underground?

A: London underground is the oldest and one of the three largest underground networks in the world. It carries over three million passengers a day. Each underground line is shown in a different colour – e.g. the circle line in yellow, the district line in green.

Exercise 4. Translate the text into English.

В Англии – левостороннее движение. Из общественного транспорта в Лондоне Вы можете воспользоваться метро (London Underground), электричкой (Docklands Light Railway, или DLR) – только в будние дни и до 21.30, железной дорогой (British Rail) и автобусом. Первые три вида транспорта делятся на шесть зон по дальности (последняя шестая включает аэропорт Heathrow). Автобусная сеть разделена на четыре зоны. Можно купить проездной билет на все виды транспорта (One Day Off Peak Travel Card), который действителен в течение одного дня (в будни с 9.30 до 15.30 и с 18.00 до полуночи, в выходные без ограничений). Стоимость его различна в зависимости от времени дня и зоны. Билет в один конец стоит от £1 до £2.8, а проездной билет на день – от £2.8 до £3.8. Если Вы покупаете проездной билет на автобус для зон 1, 2, 3, 4, то это означает, что Вы можете ездить автобусом на расстояние, эквивалентное 1–6 зонам метро. Все восемь главных железнодорожных вокзалов имеют свою станцию метро.

Приобретение железнодорожного билета Brit-rail сроком на 4–30 дней дает право на неограниченное количество поездок по всей стране или определенным регионам со скидкой. Автобусное сообщение между городами дешевле, чем по железной дороге. Автобусы останавливаются только на предписанных остановках.

Знаменитыми лондонскими черными такси можно воспользоваться на любой улице, если на них светится индикатор. Водители сдают очень строгий экзамен под названием The Knowledge, поэтому Вы можете доверять их знаниям и профессиональной подготовке. Плата за проезд четко обозначена на табло, обычно от этой суммы дают 10 % чаевых. Вы обнаружите на дорогах также много фирм и частных лиц, оказывающих транспортные услуги. Они не всегда достаточно надежны и не всегда знают дорогу в любой конец города. Пользуясь их услугами, заранее оговорите цену.

Exercise 5. Write a dictation:

network underground commuter private passenger intercity public terminal operate national suburb journey route extensive provide

Read the text and compare the transport system in Minsk with London’s transport system.

T e x t 6C

Transport in Minsk and its problems

Minsk is situated on the strategic European crossroad between East and West and is the most important international road connection between Baltic and Black Sea regions countries. All European transportation corridors cross Minsk and Belarus: Berlin–Warsaw–Brest–Minsk–Moscow, Baltic States-Minsk–Ukraine. This provides Belarus and Minsk with favorable conditions for the development of road transport and its infrastructure. In addition transport infrastructure of Belarus is transshipment oriented. Minsk, Brest, Baranovichy, Luninets, Zhabinka are the biggest railway junctions in Belarus with transshipping facilities at the border crossings. Container terminals are available in Baranovichy Tsentralnye, Brest Severny and Pinsk.

Pipelines transport is also crossing Belarus.

The public transport in Minsk includes bus, trolleybus, tram and underground connections (Metro). Construction of the Metro has been started in 1997. At present there are three main lines and picturesque metro stations, which are unique works of Belarusian architecture devoted to Belarusian history and culture.

The principal problems in transport use and transport services in Minsk could be summarized as follows:

• Public transport system is not satisfactory: traffic capacity of many roads and streets in Minsk, especially during rush hours is not enough to provide a required flow of transport vehicles, which results in congestions on main roads;

• Road safety requires considerable improvements: there are still numerous accidents occurring in the city;

• Old fleet of private and public transport vehicles: for example, the share of public buses with more than 10 years of age is 52.5 %;

• Old fleet problem creates an air pollution problem in the city and outside;

• Equipment used for providing automatic management and control of city traffic at many points is obsolete (out of date);

• Sharp growth of fleet of private cars results in lessening of public transport users, slowing down public transport's speed, congestions on the roads, reducing road safety and increase of pollutants into atmosphere in the city.

In Minsk passenger traffic vehicles fleet includes 1899 buses, 1002 trolleybuses and 159 trams. It should be noted that almost all passenger vehicles used in Minsk are manufactured at national automobile plants: 1017 (53.6 %) buses have deen produced by "MAZ" and "AMAZ", all trolleybuses (100 %) by "Belcommunmash", "MAZ" and "AMAZ" and 52 (32.7 %) trams by "Belcommunmash" (Source: MTC, 2006).

Exercise 1. Fill in the gaps according to the contents of the text. Translate the sentences.

Minsk is situated on the _____ between East and West. All European _____ cross Minsk and Belarus. Transport infrastructure of Belarus is ____oriented. Traffic capacity of many streets is not enough to provide a required flow of _____. A lot of traffic results in ____ on main roads. Almost all passenger vehicles used in Minsk are produced at _____.

Exercise 2. Match the words on the left with their equivalents on the right:

1 располагаться	a) fleet
2 перегрузка	b) create
3 общественный	c) favourable
4 создавать	d) management
5 благоприятный	e) transportation corridor
6 скопление	f) congestion
7 управление	g) manufacture
8 значительный	h) Railway junction
9 транспортный коридор	i) available
10 производить	j) be situated
11 железнодорожный yзел	k) considerable
12 парк	l) public
13 доступный	m) lessen
14 уменьшать	n) transshipment
15 безопасность	o) safety

Exercise 3. Answer the questions.

1 What is the advantage of the geographical position of Minsk?

2 What transportation corridors cross Minsk?

3 What does the public transport in Minsk include?

4 What are the principle problems of transport in the capital?

5 What does passenger traffic vehicles fleet include?

6 What automobile plants are there in Minsk?

Exercise 4. Make up dialogues on the basis of the following questions.

Student A’s questions (Do not show to student B)

1) What comes to mind when you hear the word 'transportation'?

2) What's your favourite method of transportation?

3) What transportation problems are there in your country?

4) What will the transportation of the future be like?

5) What would life be like if all public transportation in your country stopped?

6) Are you happy with transportation services in your country?

7) What do you think of the transportation in other countries?

8) How many different kinds of transportation have you been on?

9) Will the quality of transportation in your country get better or worse?

10) What was transportation like when you were a kid?

Student B’s questions (Do not show to student A)

1) If life is a highway, what mode of transportation are you using?

2) What do you think is the most dangerous form of transportation and why?

3) Which transportation do you prefer – air, sea or road?

4) If you were a mode of transportation, what would you be?

5) What form of transport is worst for the environment?

6) What mode of transportation would you like someone to invent?

7) How has international transportation changed in the past few decades?

8) What are the transportation needs of your country?

9) Do you think we are spoilt for choice these days with all the different transportation options?

10) What do you think will be the next big breakthrough in transportation?

Exercise 5. Write a dictation:

crossroad congestion terminal

corridor service container

favourable lessen pollutant

transshipment unique enough

facilities rush hours traffic

Read the text.

T e x t 6D

* * *

1 British roads are classified in three groups. The arterial roads, so called because they might be compared to the arteries in the human body, are known as A'or Class I roads. The arterial roads include the principal roads radiating from London to far parts of the country, and many roads joining big cities. The second group of classified roads consists of В or Class II roads which are a little less important than A roads. Last comes a third group, which has no official name. Each road of the first two classes, A and B, has a different number, which appears on all signposts, so that a motor driver can find his way across Britain if he has previously looked up the number on a map.

2 The crowded state of the British roads caused many accidents and delays even before World War II and became much worse after­wards. For some years little was done to tackle the problem apart from widening the roads in places and making by-pass roads around towns to avoid traffic jams in busy streets. In the late 1950s a programme was begun for building some 400 miles of motorways in the form of a network over the country, the chief ones radiating from London to the industrial areas in South Wales, the Midlands, and Lancashire. These modern double-track highways are being built with fly-over junctions and crossings and will in time form part of a system of motorways run­ning right across Europe.

3 A motorway is usually designed with two carriage-ways, one for traffic in each direction. These should be at least 30 feet apart to avoid the vision of drivers being dazzled by the lights of vehicles coming the other way. The two carriage-ways needn’t run side by side. A width of 24 feet between kerbs usually gives ample room for passing, but some roads are wider, for example the London-Birmingham 36 feet wide. At all cross-roads there are fly-over or clover-leaf crossings.

4 In thinly populated tropical countries, where the earth is dry and sandy, roads to carry occasional traffic can be made quite cheaply. The soil is turned over and mixed with a small quantity of cement, watered, and finally rolled, after which it has quite a good hard surface.

5 In many countries there are high-speed motorways, like the Ger­man "autobahnen" or Italian "autostrade". They are usually fenced in, and motorists are admitted to them only at special gates where they pay a toll. Once inside, they can travel at 80 or 90 miles an hour, for there are hardly any junctions, and no slow moving traffic is allowed.

6 Europe's first automobile tunnel under the Alps – the 3.4-mile Great St. Bernard Tunnel between Italy and Switzerland – was offi­cially opened to traffic on the 19 March 1969. The tunnel was under construction slightly over five years and cost about 38 million dollars. Actual digging starting from both sides was under way from February 1959 to April 1961. Some 1,650 tons of explosives were used to excavate more than a million cubic yards of rock. The project also required 44,000 tons of steel for use in the construction of walls and road-bed, and 165,000 tons of reinforced concrete for lining the inside of the tunnel. The tun­nel has a two-line road-bed 24 ft. wide and 14 ft. 9 in high. Leading up to it on both sides are several miles of approaches built on concrete stilts and roofed with concrete to protect the roads from snow and ava­lanches and make them useable throughout the year. Up to now the Great St. Bernard Pass has been closed much of the year by snow.

7 More than 30,000 cars a year are expected to use the tunnel. Tolls range from 2.10 dollars to 4.65 depending on the engine, size of the car and the number of passengers. There are 12 other important tunnels under the Alps in central Europe all for rail traffic. Soon a second Alpine motor tunnel will be ready. It will connect Italy and France under Mont Blanc.

Exercise. Answer the questions.

1 What roads are included in Class I roads?

2 Why are Class I roads called arterial roads?

3 What work in roadmaking in Great Britain was done in the 1950s?

4 What roads were built in Great Britain in the 1950s?

5 Why should two carriage-ways be set at a distance?

6 What is the width of London–Birmingham road?

7 What method of road building is used in thinly populated tropical countries with dry climate?

8 What must a motorist do to be allowed to use high-speed motorways?

9 When was Europe`s first automobile tunnel under the Alps opened?

10 What was the inside of tunnel lined with?

11 How many cars a year are expected to use this tunnel?