'Real' Tube map goes on Net

GOOGLE has put one of the first "real" London Tube maps online.

The internet firm has mapped the location of the main Tube lines and added it to its Google Maps website.

Visitors can see the lines by clicking the "transit" button of the site. "If you want to book a hotel or make a restaurant reservation, you can switch on the Transit Layer and look for the public transport line nearest to the location," said Raphael Leiteritz of Google.

Londoners are used to the Tube map designed by Harry Beck in 1931. His simplified map consists of stations, straight lines connecting them and the Thames. Critics say it gives visitors an unrealistic view of London's layout.