Inside the Underground: What London Tube Stations Really Look Like Beneath the Streets

The London Underground is widely seen as one of the world’s great transport systems, but even seasoned commuters can find it surprisingly exhausting to navigate.

Despite many Londoners feeling they know the network inside out, the reality is that endless escalators, stairways and long underground corridors mean there is far more to each station than first meets the eye.

Because much of the Tube operates entirely below ground, it can be difficult to visualise how stations are laid out – even those you pass through every day. That’s why seeing stations mapped out in three dimensions offers such a fascinating new perspective.

Following a Freedom of Information request in 2015, Transport for London released official diagrams showing the full public layout of every Underground station. These detailed plans include platforms, pedestrian tunnels, staircases, escalators and passageways, revealing the true complexity hidden beneath the streets of the capital.

The diagrams provide an eye-opening insight into the twists, turns and gradients that make up each station, helping to explain why some journeys between platforms can feel so long. While every station plan is available to explore, a selection of the most recognisable stops highlights just how intricate the network really is.

One of the most striking examples is Bank and Monument, which together form the largest interconnected station complex on the network. Serving the Central, District, DLR and Northern lines, the stations effectively merge underground. The Central line platforms sit beneath Bank, the District line beneath Monument, while the Northern line and DLR occupy the space that links the two.

Seen in 3D, the scale of the Bank–Monument complex becomes clear, illustrating how multiple lines and levels intertwine to keep millions of passengers moving each year. These models offer a rare glimpse into the hidden architecture of the Underground – and a reminder that even familiar stations still hold plenty of secrets below the surface.