Paddington Station, one of London's main railway t - The centrepiece of the public transport network is the London Underground, the oldest and largest metro system in the world, dating from 1863.[13] The Metro system was home to the world's first underground electric line, the City & South London Railway, which began service in 1890.[41] Nearly 1 billion journeys are made each year on the London Underground system.[42] The Underground serves the central area and most suburbs to the north of the Thames, whilst those to the south are served by an extensive suburban rail network. Commuter and intercity railways generally do not cross the city, instead running into fourteen terminal stations scattered around its historic centre. The London bus network caters for most local journeys and carries even more passengers than the Underground. These internationally recognised buses are the trademark of London transport along with black cabs and the underground. Eurostar trains link London Waterloo station with Lille and Paris in France, and Brussels in Belgium.