When was the London Underground Built?
The London Underground was built on the 10th of January 1863.
A little bit of History about the London underground
The Railways that became the underground
The London underground was not always one joined-up system. It originally consisted of a number of separate railway lines and companies, all serving the capital.
The Metropolitan Railway was the world’s first underground passenger railway and gave birth to the London Underground which opened on January 10, 1863. It is now part of the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines.
The City & South London Railway, which began operating underground electric traction trains in 1890, is now a part of the Northern line.
The Underground network has steadily grown to 11 lines and is the world’s 12th busiest metro system. The 11 tube lines span 250 miles of track, service 272 stations and accommodate up to 5 million passengers per day.
The Early Days of the London Underground
The underground system’s earliest tunnels were created just below ground level, using the cut-and-cover method; later, smaller, roughly circular tubes were dug at a deeper level, earning it the nickname “the Tube”.
Only around half of the underground system is actually underground. Much of the network in London’s outskirts is above ground. Furthermore, the Underground is mostly a North London asset. It does not serve the majority of Greater London’s southern areas. There are only 33 stations south of the Thames (this means that there are 239 stations north of the river).
Who used to own the Tube Lines?
The early tube lines were originally owned by numerous private businesses. These were united with the sub-surface lines and bus services in 1933 to form London Transport, which was controlled by the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB). London Underground Limited (LUL) is the current operator of the network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory company responsible for London’s transportation network.
Ticketing Advances
In 1983, the Travelcard ticket was launched, then in 2003, the Oyster card, a contactless ticketing system. In 2014, the underground was the first public transportation system in the world to accept contactless bank card payments. Remember, be careful of card clash!
Historic and Iconic Designs
The LPTB commissioned various modernist-style station structures, posters, and public artworks. Then, in 1931 Harry Beck designed the world-famous iconic tube map. The roundel and the Johnston typeface, designed by Edward Johnston in 1916, are two more well-known London Underground design elements.
Every tourist who comes to London needs a souvenir of the Underground.
Photos by Felix Hanspach, Will Kennard, Mikel Parera, Ole Witt on Unsplash
When was the London Underground Built?
