{"id":443474,"date":"2026-06-01T19:43:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T09:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=194011"},"modified":"2026-06-01T19:43:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T09:43:34","slug":"tfl-marks-40-years-of-poems-on-the-underground-with-new-summer-series-across-the-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=443474","title":{"rendered":"TfL marks 40 years of Poems on the Underground with new summer series across the network"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Transport for London (TfL) today announces a new summer series of Poems on the Underground, launching across the network from 1 June, as part of its wider programme bringing arts and culture into everyday journeys. The new series coincides with the 40th anniversary of the much-loved initiative, marked with a special commemorative leaflet celebrating its legacy.<\/p>\n

To mark the launch, a special reading event will take place at Covent Garden later this month, where invited poets will perform a selection of poems that have featured on the Underground over the past four decades. Attendees will be among the first to receive copies of the new anniversary leaflet, which will subsequently be available at selected London Underground stations.<\/p>\n

The summer selection brings together poetry exploring memory, reflection and the moments that shape our lives. William Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cSong\u201d from The Merchant of Venice will appear alongside Maura Dooley\u2019s \u201cA Bunch of Consolation\u201d. In \u201cWhen I Was a Fish\u201d and \u201cLetter\u201d, Polish poets Krystyna Lenkowska and Tadeusz D\u0105browski reflect on life experiences in strikingly different ways. Meanwhile, \u201cA Rousing Speech\u201d by Glyn Maxwell and \u201cNo One Mentioned the Roofer\u201d by Irish poet and playwright Rita Ann Higgins highlight how fleeting encounters can reveal deeper human stories.<\/p>\n

As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, TfL is also publishing a commemorative leaflet featuring forty of the best-loved poems ever displayed on the Underground. The collection spans centuries and continents, with writers ranging from John Donne and Po Chu-i to contemporary poets including Leanne O\u2019Sullivan and Roger Robinson, reflecting the diversity of London itself.<\/p>\n

Alongside the programme, TfL is continuing to support access to culture across the capital. For those inspired to discover more of London\u2019s cultural scene, 2-for-1 on tickets to BFI Southbank is available to TfL customers until 31 August, offering greater access to one of the capital\u2019s most distinctive cinema experiences.* Across four screens by the river, BFI Southbank will screen the best of classic, independent and foreign-language films, including Marilyn Monroe: Self-Made Star throughout June. In July, BFI Southbank will also host Station to Station: Kazuo Ishiguro Top Ten Train Films, as The Nobel Prize winning author takes us on a journey through his favourite train set films.<\/p>\n

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Credit: TfL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mark Evers, TfL\u2019s lead on Customer Insight, Strategy and Experience, said: “For 40 years, Poems on the Underground has brought creativity into the heart of everyday journeys, giving millions of customers a moment to pause, reflect and connect with voices from around the world. This anniversary leaflet celebrates the remarkable range of voices we\u2019ve shared with customers, while this summer\u2019s selection continues that tradition with poetry that resonates across cultures and generations.”<\/p>\n

Judith Chernaik, founder of Poems on the Underground, commented: “It’s wonderful to know that poetry has found a home on London’s great transport system, thanks to the continued support of TfL, the Arts Council. the British Council, and, above all, the enthusiasm of London’s daily commuters.”<\/p>\n

As part of Poems on the Underground 40th anniversary celebrations, there will be a poetry reading event at Keats Community Library on Thursday 4 June at 19.30, with guest poet Nick Makota and the Apollo Quartet.<\/p>\n

Customers will be able to find the new summer poems displayed in Tube and rail carriages across the network from 1 June. The 40th anniversary leaflet will be available at selected London Underground stations while stocks last.<\/p>\n

Image credit: BFI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Transport for London (TfL) today announces a new summer series of Poems on the Underground, launching across the network from 1 June, as part of its wider programme bringing arts and culture into everyday journeys. The new series coincides with the 40th anniversary of the much-loved initiative, marked with a special commemorative leaflet celebrating its [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16013,47,16092,16364,85,16365],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-443474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","category-rail-news","category-stations","category-subways-and-underground","category-uk","category-underground"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=443474"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":443492,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443474\/revisions\/443492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=443474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=443474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=443474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}