TfL marks 40 years of Poems on the Underground with new summer poetry programme
Transport for London is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Poems on the Underground with a new collection of works appearing across the Tube network this summer, bringing poetry into the daily journeys of millions of passengers.
The long-running initiative returns from 1 June with a selection of poems focused on memory, reflection and the moments that leave a lasting impression. For many Londoners, Poems on the Underground has become a familiar part of travelling across the capital, offering unexpected encounters with literature between stations and during commutes.
This year’s summer programme combines classic and contemporary voices. William Shakespeare’s Song from The Merchant of Venice will appear alongside Maura Dooley’s A Bunch of Consolation, while Polish poets Krystyna Lenkowska and Tadeusz Dąbrowski explore personal experience and perspective through their works When I Was a Fish and Letter. Poems by Glyn Maxwell and Irish writer Rita Ann Higgins also feature, reflecting on everyday encounters and the stories hidden within them.
The anniversary celebrations will continue with a special reading event at Covent Garden. Invited poets will perform works that have appeared on the Underground during the programme’s four-decade history, while visitors will receive some of the first copies of a commemorative leaflet produced to mark the milestone.
TfL is also releasing a special collection featuring 40 poems that have appeared across the network since the initiative began. The anthology spans centuries of poetry and includes writers from around the world, from John Donne and Po Chu-i to contemporary names such as Leanne O’Sullivan and Roger Robinson.
The programme remains one of London’s most distinctive examples of culture appearing in public space. While TfL is best known for moving people around the city, it has increasingly used its network to connect passengers with wider cultural experiences and events.
The anniversary arrives alongside a broader programme of activities across London’s transport network. Recent initiatives have included measures to improve walking and accessibility across the capital, including plans for hundreds of new pedestrian crossings, which readers can explore in our coverage of TfL’s walking and wheeling strategy.
Passengers looking to continue their cultural journey beyond the Underground can also benefit from TfL’s partnership with BFI Southbank. Customers can access 2-for-1 cinema tickets until 31 August, with upcoming screenings including Marilyn Monroe: Self-Made Star and a special train-themed season curated by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro.
As London prepares for a busy summer of events and visitors, the poetry programme offers a reminder that public transport can be more than a way of getting from one place to another. For 40 years, Poems on the Underground has quietly turned everyday travel into an opportunity for reflection, discovery and connection.
Have you discovered a memorable poem while travelling on the Tube? Tell us which Poems on the Underground selection has stayed with you. More London transport and culture coverage on EyeOnLondon.
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