‘MIND THE GAP’ London’s Underground…

‘MIND THE GAP’

LONDON’S UNDERGROUND… THE WORLD’S OLDEST

by Caroline-Artemis Laspas

This marks the first major expansion of the London Underground this century and is the result of a UK£1.1 billion project.

The area has seen huge rejuvenation over recent years with a massive redevelopment of Battersea Power Station for residential and business use, as well as the building of the new USA embassy in Nine Elms, and many modern new residential buildings.

The opening of two new stations brings the total number on the network to 272.

The journey of the London Underground goes all the way back to 1843, when the world's first underriver tunnel, the ‘Thames Tunnel’ was built. At the time it was described as the 8th wonder of the world. It was the world's very first tunnel built underneath a river.

On the opening day, 50,000 people walked through the tunnel. By the end of the first 3 months, a million people (half of the population of London at the time) had passed through it, making it the most successful visitor attraction in the world!

It was not until 1863 that we saw the world’s first underground railway open in London. It was a plan designed to reduce the congestion on the streets above. The London Underground trains were originally steam powered, the first deep-level electric railway opened in 1890.

It was called the Metropolitan Railway and was built between Paddington (which was then called Bishop's Road) and Farringdon Street. Over the following 50 years more stations and lines were added.

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1933 was also the year that the first map of the underground was produced. It has remained ever since.

In 1935 a huge upgrade and expansion plan was set in motion, but was halted due to WWII. After the war, a simpler plan was suggested. Many tube stations were used as air-raid shelters during the War, with the Central Line being converted into a fighter aircraft factory that stretched for over 2 miles, with its own railway system! During the war, the British Museum moved many of its treasures into the empty stations and tunnels for safe keeping.

In 1968, after much delay, the new Victoria line began operating. The Jubilee Line was added in 1979. It was named to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, but did not open until 1979. In 1999 it was extended out eastwards. The Tube reached Heathrow Airport in 1977. The tunnels beneath the City curve significantly because they follow its medieval street plan.

The 150th anniversary of the Underground was celebrated in 2013. It has 11 lines covering 402km and serves 272 stations, handling up to 5 million passenger journeys a day.

Some networks began all night services in 2016. The Tube carried one billion passengers in a year for the first time in 2007.

At peak times, there are over 543 trains in service, with the fastest line running 40 trains an hour. In 2015, the busiest Tube station was Waterloo, which was used by around 95 million passengers. In 2014 Oxford Circus took top spot, while in 2009 it was Victoria Station, and in 2005 it was King's Cross!

On the Metropolitan line, trains can reach over 60mph. While the District Line (green) has 60 stations, the most of any line.

It is estimated that half a million mice live in the Underground system of tunnels!

The shortest distance between two stations next to each other is just 260m; the journey between Leicester Square and Covent Garden on the Piccadilly Line takes about 20 seconds. The longest distance between stations is on the Metropolitan line from Chesham to Chalfont & Latimer with a total of 3.89 miles.

Angel has the Underground's longest escalator at 60m/197ft, with a vertical rise of 27.5m. While Waterloo Station has the most escalators at 23.

Despite its grand age, the London Underground is still the 3rd busiest metro system in Europe, after Moscow and Paris.

The network is always changing and expanding to meet the growing needs of the city it serves. The new Crossrail project is Europe's biggest underground construction project. The Elizabeth line will stretch more than 60 miles from Reading and Heathrow in the west through central tunnels across to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

The new railway will stop at 41 accessible stations, 10 newly built and 30 newly upgraded, and is expected to serve around 200 million people each year. A 70strong fleet of 200-metre-long trains will serve the Elizabeth line when it is fully open. In the first half of 2022, the Elizabeth Line will launch with a passenger service through the new central tunnels from Paddington to Abbey Wood.

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The final timetable across the entire railway will be in ready to all to use in May 2023.

The London Transport Museum conducts interesting tours allowing you to explore ‘forgotten’ parts of the Tube network and go behind the scenes at some of London’s busiest stations.

‘Stand Clear of the doors…. Doors Closing’