LONDON UNDERGROUND OPENED TO PUBLIC 150 YEARS AGO TODAY

January 10, 2013

LONDON UNDERGROUND OPENED TO PUBLIC 150 YEARS AGO TODAY

London (JFK+50) 150 years ago today, January 10, 1863, the London Underground, a.k.a. "the Tube,"* was opened for public use.

*The term "Tube" derives from the round tube like tunnels through which the passenger trains travel.

       Underground Sign at Westminster
                           London, UK
              Photo by Yottanesia (2002)

Within just a few months, the Metropolitan Railway was transporting more than 26,000 passengers each day.

By the end of the 19th Century, the MR reached towns well outside the city of London.

During the German "Blitz" of WWII, the London subway system transported thousands of children to the safety of the countryside & was also used to shelter the people of London during air raids.

          London Subway during WWII
                            NARA Photo

Today, the London Underground boasts 270 stations & includes 250 miles of track, about half of which is underground.