World's oldest underground rail line traces London's history and culture

The iconic London Underground is the world's oldest underground rail line and has many firsts to its name.

Started in 1863 it was the first underground railway system in the world. It was also the first to operate electric trains from 1890.

The London Underground began with the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway. Over the next 40 years, the early sub-surface lines reached out from the urban centre of the capital into the surrounding rural margins, leading to the development of new commuter suburbs. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, new technology – including electric locomotives and improvement to the tunnelling shield – enabled new companies to construct a series of 'tube' lines deeper underground. Initially rivals, the tube railway companies began to co-operate in advertising and through shared branding, eventually consolidated under the single ownership called the London Electric Railway, with lines stretching across London.

In 1933, the government brought the London Electric Railway and the Metropolitan Railway as a single organisation the London Passenger Transport Board. The London Underground has since passed through a series of administrations, expanding further by the construction of new extensions and through the acquisition of existing main line routes, culminating in its current form as part of the Transport for London, the capital's current transport administration, and is controlled by the Greater London Authority.

The London Underground is not just a mass rapid transport system, but is inextricably linked with the history and culture of London.

For example, during the Second World War, the bombing of London led to the use of many tube stations as air-raid shelters. Closed stations and unfinished sections of the new line were also used. The shelters were well suited to their purpose, but some stations could still be breached by a direct hit. A few attacks did result in serious loss of life, most notably at Balham and Bounds Green in October 1940 and Bank in January 1941.

As well as public shelters, stations and sections of the line offered other uses, for example an unfinished stretch of the Central Line extension, between Redbridge and Gants Hill, was turned into an underground aircraft factory. The closed Brompton Road station was used as an anti-aircraft control centre and the closed Down Street station was used by Winston Churchill until the Cabinet War Rooms were built, and later it was used by the Railway Emergency Committee.

The Underground is also a part of the popular culture of London and currently sponsors and contributes to the world of arts via its Platform for Art and Poems on the Underground projects. Poster and billboard space is given for artwork and poetry and every season six poems are selected to be displayed on tube carriages.

Its artistic legacy also boasts employment since the 1920s of many well-known graphic designers, illustrators and artists such as Man Ray, Edward McKnight Kauffer and Fougasse. In recent years, the Underground has commissioned work from leading artists including RB Kitaj, John Bellany and Howard Hodgkin.

In architecture, Leslie Green established a house style for the new stations being built, which included individual Edwardian tile patterns on platform walls. In the 1920s and 1930s, Charles Holden designed a series of modernist and art-deco stations for which the Tube remains famous.

Many stations also feature unique interior designs to help passenger identification. Often these have themes of local significance. Tiling at Baker Street incorporates repetitions of Sherlock Holmes's silhouette. Tottenham Court Road features semi-abstract mosaics by Eduardo Paolozzi representing the local music industry at Denmark Street. Northern line platforms at Charing Cross feature murals by David Gentleman of the construction of Charing Cross itself.

The Underground is still growing and improvements are constantly being made. In January 2005, London Underground announced it would play classical music at stations prone to loitering by youths. A trial had shown a 33 per cent drop in abuse against staff. There are efforts on to improve the ventilation on the Tube and make it more disabled-friendly.


Fact file

- Number of lines: 11

- Number of stations: 270 served (260 owned)

- Daily ridership: 2.95 m daily (approximate)

- Began operation: 10/1/1863

- Operator(s): Transport for London

- System length: 400km


War times

During the Second World War, the bombing of London led to the use of many tube stations as air-raid shelters. Closed stations and unfinished sections of new line were also used. A few attacks resulted in loss of life, most notably at Balham and Bounds Green in October 1940 and Bank in January 1941.


Colour code

The London Underground has 11 colourcoded lines. The Bakerloo Line is brown in colour, while the Central Line is red. The Circle Line is yellow, District Line is green, Hammersmith and City Line is pink, Jubilee Line silver, Metropolitan Line dark magenta, Northern Line black, Piccadilly Line is dark blue, Victoria Line is light blue and the Waterloo and City Line is turquoise in colour.

Until 2007 there was a 12th line, the East London Line, but this was closed for rebuilding work. It will reopen as part of London Overground – part of the National Rail network and eventually connect to the North London Line in 2010.

The Tube map, which evolved from a design by electrical engineer Harry Beck in 1933, is now considered a design classic worldwide.

 

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