London Underground

The London Underground - the world’s first-ever railway beneath the ground.

Or at least you would think so - after all, it says it in the name.

But did you know the majority of Tube stations do not even lie beneath the city?

There are 270 stations on the Tube network, but more than half are actually above ground.

Transport for London (TfL) revealed the Victoria line and Waterloo and City line are the only lines that are completely underground.

In general, stations that are actually underground seem to be focused more towards the centre of the city, where lines overlap more.

Tube stations that are above ground tend to be more common the further out of the centre you go.

TfL put together a handy map for people with claustrophobia or anxiety, who could find largely underground journeys stressful.

Mapping out these stations "will help a range of customers navigate the network more comfortably by showing them routes they can take to avoid areas with large stretches of tunnels," according to TfL.

Nicky Lidbetter, Chief Executive from Anxiety UK, said: "For those with anxiety conditions such as panic attacks and claustrophobia, we know that travel by the underground can be problematic and challenging."

So, for those of you who could find comfort in knowing how much of each Tube line is actually above ground, or for those of you who are simply nosy like us, here are the exact London Underground stations on each line that aren't actually underground:

Bakerloo line

The Bakerloo line starts at Harrow & Wealdstone, continuing above ground for another seven stops before Queen's Park. The Tube then dips below ground until the end of the line.

Central line

A lot of the West London stations on the Central line stay above ground. The line dips below ground just before you arrive at Shepherd's Bush, continuing this way all the way to Stratford. The line then dips up again for the rest of the stops, with the exceptions of Wanstead, Redbridge, Gants Hill and some other areas in between stations.

Circle line

The Circle line runs abiove ground from Hammersmith to Edgeware Road, before descending underground for the rest of the journey, other than Sloane Square and South Kensington.

District Line

West and South West stops on the District line are above ground until arriving at Earl's Court. The stops through Central London are they largely underground until Bromley-by-Bow, and the line from then on stays above.

Hammersmith & City line

This line starts above ground from Hammersmith, before going underground as it heads more into the city. It then pops above ground at Farringdon, down again, and again at Bromley-by-Bow for the rest of the line

Jubliee line 

Again, the Jubilee line starts above ground in Stanmore, before descending below ground before Swiss Cottage. It then continues below ground until just before Canning Town, dipping below again for Stratford and ending above ground at Stratford International.

Metropolitan line

All of the West London stations on the Metropolitan line are above ground, before the line heads underground just after Finchley Road for the rest of the line.

Northern line

A lot of the Northern line is underground - it also includes the deepest station on the network (Hampstead) in case you were wondering.

Morden is the only stop above ground before the Northern Line descends below ground. It then continues to be below ground until the Edgware branch arrives at Golders Green and the High Barnet branch arrives at Each Finchley.

When each branch arrives at these stops, they then stay above ground until the final stops.

Piccadilly line

Where the Heathrow branch on the Piccadilly line starts underground, the Uxbridge branch starts above ground.

The Heathrow branch rises above ground before Hounslow Central, and the Uxbridge branch continues above ground until both branches join at Acton Town, and dip below ground before Earl's Court.

The line then continues through the city underground until it pops up again at Arnos Grove, back down again for Southgate, and above ground at Oakwood and Cockfosters.