The London Underground is the oldest and longest underground railway system of any capital.
The Tube has very much played a part in the development of the city in many ways. It heralded and necessitated many remarkable developments in engineering as well as carving a niche for itself in the world of design. Popular culture has featured it in countless and varied forms over its history and it has been the inspiration for many films, songs, poems and stories.
The statistics make compulsive reading with surprising information on length, depths and speed as well as unusual facts regarding everything from babies born on the trains to the very oddest lost property you could think of.
[readmore]The underground network of London is very much evolving, as befits such a dynamic city. It welcomes an ever-growing number of tourists each year and each year over one billion Londoners rely on it for their daily commute. Nonetheless, many Londoners can’t quite make up their minds as to whether they love or loathe the London Underground.
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The first journey took place on January 9th, 1863
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The Metropolitan Railway was the name of the company that built the first Tube line and it ran between Paddington (then called Bishop’s Road) and Farringdon Street
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The first escalator was installed at Earl’s Court in 1911
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They follow the medieval street plans as do many of today’s roads in London
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There is even a strong north-south divide in London transport it seems!
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The Victoria Line was opened on the 7th of March in 1969
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Elizabeth II was aboard the inaugural journey on the Victoria Line from Green Park
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The network was thus dubbed by The Daily Mail just five days after the Tube opened
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With most of the country’s men away fighting in the war, women ran the show at Maida Vale
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It is estimated that around 180,000 people took shelter in the stations each night
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