On the surface after 1945 > Long distance commuting

Changing patterns of travel

Modernization of London’s overground railways after 1945 was slow. North of the river, steam trains were still in use on many suburban routes until the early 1960s. By the 1970s and 80s, faster diesel and electric services made it possible to commute to London by rail from all over south-east England.

Few people drove to work in central London. But in the suburbs, the car became the main mode of transport. London’s orbital motorway, the M25, was completed in 1986. It soon proved inadequate for the growing volume of traffic.