The history of the London Underground
London is one of the largest and busiest cities in the world. Everyday, millions of people commute into, out of, and through the city. Even back in the 19th century London was an extremely bustling city. One means of getting about since then has been public transport. During the 19th century, this was mostly done with horses.1 However, by the end of the 19th century, travel congestion in London was causing chaos on the streets. Engineers and transport officials desperately searched for a better form of mass transport. One solution to the traffic problem was to go beneath it, and the London Underground was born.
The first London underground railway opened on 10 January 1863. It was called the Metropolitan railway, and it was built in a shallow tunnel, just beneath the road for most of its length. The trains were hauled by steam locomotives, and the line ran some four miles between the Great Western Railway terminus at Paddington and Farrington in the city, to the Great Northern Railway terminus at King’s Cross.1 The Metropolitan was immensely popular, and many promoters came along with expansion schemes. A select committee of the House of Lords was set up in 1863 that wanted all the main-line termini linked by rail and suggested that the best way to do this would be to extend the Metropolitan at both ends and form an inner circuit.2 The Metropolitan Railway Act of 1864 allowed the Metropolitan company to extend from Paddington through Notting Hill gate and Kensington to Brompton. In 1868, the line opened to Gloucester Rd. and South Kensington.2 Also in 1868, another company opened a line called the District that linked the new mainline stations at Victoria and Charring Cross.1 This line was eventually extended east to Mansion House,2 and by 1884, the circle was complete around the city through the joint construction by the Metropolitan and District groups to link Mansion House and Tower Hill.3 By 1890, London’s Underground was run by two companies, who were joined in some respects, yet separate in others. The companies shared some trains and split certain profits, but certain sections of the track were owned and operated solely by one company or the other.2 The separation can still be noticed today at Hammersmith station, where there are two separate entrances: one for the District, and one for the Metropolitan. In 1890, the Underground looked like figure 1 (Compare this with today’s Underground in figure 2).
All of the trains were run by steam engines. This caused smoke and fumes in the tunnels, but it did not stop people from using the Underground. Cheap fares for workmen and the prospect of avoiding the congested streets made it too convenient to ignore. However, the smoky tunnels could be unpleasant, and steam locomotives did not really have the performance for a really intensive service. The result was overcrowding and reduced profits1. Besides being towed by steam engines, all of these railways were built just beneath the surface by a method called "cut-and-cover." A trench was dug, which was then roofed over. The work of creating the lines severely disrupted everyday life, and in built-up areas, cut-and-cover would cause destruction. The solution was to use a new way of tunnelling first developed by Marc Brunel. The key to the new method was a device called the shield, which supported London’s soft ground as it bore a tube-like tunnel deep below the surface.1 Today, the difference in the two methods used can be noticed by the tunnel shapes. Most cut-and-cover tunnels (such as the District Line) are square, and the tube tunnels are round and deeper underground (such as the Piccadilly Line).
Steam locomotives could not operate in deep tunnels, and after first deciding on using cable-hauled cars (like in San Francisco), eventually the decision was changed to using electric traction. Today, on the track one can see four rails: two for the wheels, and two for power. The negative terminal is in the middle of the track, and the positive is on the edge (always furthest from the platform). On 4 November 1890, the first tube opened. It was called the City & South London Railway (C&SLR) and it ran from King William St. in the city to Stockwell, south of the Thames. Today, it serves as part of the Northern Line.1 By 1907, the C&LSR ran from Euston to Chaplam Common.2
After various objections, the Central London Railway built a tube line from Shepherd’s Bush to Bank. It opened on 4 August 1900. Day remarks, "Its smart trains, hauled by their electric locomotives in crimson lake with gold lining and polished brass-work, opened the eyes of London to the possibilities of Underground travel far more than [any previous line]."
In 1902, an American, Charles Yerkes, founded the Underground Electric Railways of London Ltd (UERL) and took control of the District Railway and three new tube lines. They decided to electrify the District line and build a power station for this line and a proposed line: The Brompton & Piccadilly Circus tube.2 A vast powerhouse was built at Lots Road, Chelsea between 1902-5. It was extensively modernised in 1932-4 and again in 1963-8, and today it still provides the main supply for the Underground.1 Steam locomotives worked passenger trains on the Metropolitan right down to 9 September 1961, but over time even this fleet was converted to electric lines.2 On 1 January 1913, the Central London Railway became a member of Yerkes’s Underground Group,2 and by the time they were opened, the Bakerloo, Piccadilly, and Hampstead lines were all owned by Yerkes’s group. The group also absorbed the C&SLR in 1913.3
Tube tunnelling and electric trains brought railways into the heart of London. By 1907, six lines had been built, at last providing an escape from the congested streets. From 1907 through the 1930s, there were several expansions of services. These made the Underground reach more places and also get there faster than ever before. The expansions included extensions, rebuilding stations, and adding trains.2
Several steps were taken to make the service run more efficiently. Edward Johnston developed a corporate typeface for the Underground, and he also developed the bar and circle logo, which is today universally used to say, "Here is the Underground."3 Harry Beck devised the classic Underground map in 1931, and the design of the map was so simple and easy to use that it is still used today and has been adapted for other cities around the world.1 Lifts and escalators were used in stations to get passengers to ground level. Lifts were cheap and easy to install, but could not cope with large numbers of passengers. From 1912 on, all new stations were built with escalators.1 The tallest escalator of the Underground (and in Western Europe) is at Angel station.1
The design of a station is critical for efficient service. Occasionally, a station must be completely rebuilt. Angel station originally opened in 1901, but by the late 80s, its lifts and island platform could no longer cope. Today’s ticket hall, escalators, and platform were built at a cost of about £70 million over three years.1
In 1933, Parliament set up the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) to run the Underground, bus, tram, and trolleybus services.1 Soon, world war II was upon England, and the government took control of London Transport. With the weight of air attacks on London, the tube stations were regarded immediately by the public as places of safety and were invaded by hosts of people seeking shelter—so much that running the train service became difficult. There were also several measures taken to protect the Underground, including duplicate control and power systems, emergency repair squads, and floodgates near the Thames.2 Tube stations were not entirely safe, and several bombings caused many incidents killing and injuring many people.
After the war came a period of planning at various levels. The railways and other inland transport facilities were nationalised (including the LPTB). The British Transport Commission was formed along with several executives. The London Transport Executive took over the LPTB. Several stations were then rebuilt, and several new types of train stock were introduced.2 One major change on the stock at this time was changing the doors from hand-opened to air-pressure opened. The doors were operated by a guard. After the change, no one could jump onto a moving train and struggle to open the door before the train entered the tunnel.2 Today, modifications to the trains allow the driver to operate the doors, eliminating the need for a guard. Installation of train radio and visual aids on the platforms have allowed almost all of the lines to have One Person Operation (OPO).3
Another decision made after the war was to build another line. Several options were considered, but eventually the Victoria Line route was chosen because it gave tube access to the densely populated suburbs of Tottenham, Edmonton, and Walthamstow. It would also relieve the most heavily loaded of all the sections of tube lines—the Piccadilly Line, especially between King’s Cross and Finsbury Park.2
The Underground installed Automatic Train Operation (ATO) on the 1968 Victoria line. With ATO, a series of patches with command frequencies indicating speed required at each spot tell the train how to brake in order to ensure that it stops on the correct place at the platform. Eventually, ATO was also adapted on the Central Line.3 ATO reduced the driver’s job to operating the doors.
A major goal of the service today is to keep train waiting to a minimum. The smallest service interval that can be managed is about 90 seconds. This is determined by blocks—the division unit of tracks. Entry to a block is controlled by a signal which allows in only one train at a time. The length of blocks depends on braking distance (which depends on speed). These factors determine the 90 second rule, which is managed on the Piccadilly line by using 70 trains spread over 43 miles running at speeds up to 50mph. Safety is insured by signalling. If the driver ignores the signals, an extra device called a trainstop sits at the side of the track and works with the signal. If the driver ignores the red light, the raised arm of the trainstop hits a special valve on the side of the train which activates the brakes.1
Today, there are also different trains for different lines. The Central and Victoria Lines have 400ft platforms and can accommodate longer trains than the standard 350ft. The Victoria and Central lines have ATO. The Piccadilly line serves Heathrow so its stock included luggage spaces. The Circle Line has more doors and less seats due to more traffic.3
In 1964, the first automatic fare collection equipment and ticket gates were installed.2 In 1968, a closed-circuit TV system was installed in several stations to deal with crowd control and crime. There is also a TV screen at the front of many platforms facing the train for the driver to decide when to close the doors.2 Platform indicators tell people where the train is going. Today, the indicators run by computers, but it was originally done by an electromechanical signalling device. Platform indicators get rid of the need to make sure that the trains go in any particular order.1
From the 1960s to today, several extensions and additions have been made to the existing Underground network. These include the conversion of the old Fleet and River lines combined with new tunnels to create the Jubilee Line2, as well as the opening in 1988 of the Docklands Light Railway. Current projects include the badly needed replacement of Northern Line trains, and the Jubilee Line extension. This extension is to run from Westminster Station to Stratford via North Greenwich. It is planned to be open in time for the turn of the century, where it will serve the new Millennium Dome; however, recent complications including sabotage and an electricians strike have put this goal in jeopardy.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people use the Underground on a daily basis as their major means of getting around the city. Though at rush hour the trains can be unbelievably crowded, many people still feel it beats the high monetary and time costs of driving. Over the years, the Underground has gone through many changes. It has come a long way from its humble beginnings of a steam railway to a very efficient and relatively reliable mode of transport. However, the history of the Underground can still be seen today in so many subtle ways just by riding it.
Bibliography
1 The London Transport Museum.
Covent Garden Piazza.
London WC2E 7BB.
2 Day, John R. The Story of London’s Underground, 2nd Ed. London Transport, Westminster: 1979.
3 Bayman, Bob and Connor, Piers. Underground Official Handbook. 3rd Ed. Capital Transport Publishing, Middlesex: 1994.
4 Rose, Douglas. The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose publishing: 1980.
The first London underground railway opened on 10 January 1863. It was called the Metropolitan railway, and it was built in a shallow tunnel, just beneath the road for most of its length. The trains were hauled by steam locomotives, and the line ran some four miles between the Great Western Railway terminus at Paddington and Farrington in the city, to the Great Northern Railway terminus at King’s Cross.1 The Metropolitan was immensely popular, and many promoters came along with expansion schemes. A select committee of the House of Lords was set up in 1863 that wanted all the main-line termini linked by rail and suggested that the best way to do this would be to extend the Metropolitan at both ends and form an inner circuit.2 The Metropolitan Railway Act of 1864 allowed the Metropolitan company to extend from Paddington through Notting Hill gate and Kensington to Brompton. In 1868, the line opened to Gloucester Rd. and South Kensington.2 Also in 1868, another company opened a line called the District that linked the new mainline stations at Victoria and Charring Cross.1 This line was eventually extended east to Mansion House,2 and by 1884, the circle was complete around the city through the joint construction by the Metropolitan and District groups to link Mansion House and Tower Hill.3 By 1890, London’s Underground was run by two companies, who were joined in some respects, yet separate in others. The companies shared some trains and split certain profits, but certain sections of the track were owned and operated solely by one company or the other.2 The separation can still be noticed today at Hammersmith station, where there are two separate entrances: one for the District, and one for the Metropolitan. In 1890, the Underground looked like figure 1 (Compare this with today’s Underground in figure 2).
All of the trains were run by steam engines. This caused smoke and fumes in the tunnels, but it did not stop people from using the Underground. Cheap fares for workmen and the prospect of avoiding the congested streets made it too convenient to ignore. However, the smoky tunnels could be unpleasant, and steam locomotives did not really have the performance for a really intensive service. The result was overcrowding and reduced profits1. Besides being towed by steam engines, all of these railways were built just beneath the surface by a method called "cut-and-cover." A trench was dug, which was then roofed over. The work of creating the lines severely disrupted everyday life, and in built-up areas, cut-and-cover would cause destruction. The solution was to use a new way of tunnelling first developed by Marc Brunel. The key to the new method was a device called the shield, which supported London’s soft ground as it bore a tube-like tunnel deep below the surface.1 Today, the difference in the two methods used can be noticed by the tunnel shapes. Most cut-and-cover tunnels (such as the District Line) are square, and the tube tunnels are round and deeper underground (such as the Piccadilly Line).
Steam locomotives could not operate in deep tunnels, and after first deciding on using cable-hauled cars (like in San Francisco), eventually the decision was changed to using electric traction. Today, on the track one can see four rails: two for the wheels, and two for power. The negative terminal is in the middle of the track, and the positive is on the edge (always furthest from the platform). On 4 November 1890, the first tube opened. It was called the City & South London Railway (C&SLR) and it ran from King William St. in the city to Stockwell, south of the Thames. Today, it serves as part of the Northern Line.1 By 1907, the C&LSR ran from Euston to Chaplam Common.2
After various objections, the Central London Railway built a tube line from Shepherd’s Bush to Bank. It opened on 4 August 1900. Day remarks, "Its smart trains, hauled by their electric locomotives in crimson lake with gold lining and polished brass-work, opened the eyes of London to the possibilities of Underground travel far more than [any previous line]."
In 1902, an American, Charles Yerkes, founded the Underground Electric Railways of London Ltd (UERL) and took control of the District Railway and three new tube lines. They decided to electrify the District line and build a power station for this line and a proposed line: The Brompton & Piccadilly Circus tube.2 A vast powerhouse was built at Lots Road, Chelsea between 1902-5. It was extensively modernised in 1932-4 and again in 1963-8, and today it still provides the main supply for the Underground.1 Steam locomotives worked passenger trains on the Metropolitan right down to 9 September 1961, but over time even this fleet was converted to electric lines.2 On 1 January 1913, the Central London Railway became a member of Yerkes’s Underground Group,2 and by the time they were opened, the Bakerloo, Piccadilly, and Hampstead lines were all owned by Yerkes’s group. The group also absorbed the C&SLR in 1913.3
Tube tunnelling and electric trains brought railways into the heart of London. By 1907, six lines had been built, at last providing an escape from the congested streets. From 1907 through the 1930s, there were several expansions of services. These made the Underground reach more places and also get there faster than ever before. The expansions included extensions, rebuilding stations, and adding trains.2
Several steps were taken to make the service run more efficiently. Edward Johnston developed a corporate typeface for the Underground, and he also developed the bar and circle logo, which is today universally used to say, "Here is the Underground."3 Harry Beck devised the classic Underground map in 1931, and the design of the map was so simple and easy to use that it is still used today and has been adapted for other cities around the world.1 Lifts and escalators were used in stations to get passengers to ground level. Lifts were cheap and easy to install, but could not cope with large numbers of passengers. From 1912 on, all new stations were built with escalators.1 The tallest escalator of the Underground (and in Western Europe) is at Angel station.1
The design of a station is critical for efficient service. Occasionally, a station must be completely rebuilt. Angel station originally opened in 1901, but by the late 80s, its lifts and island platform could no longer cope. Today’s ticket hall, escalators, and platform were built at a cost of about £70 million over three years.1
In 1933, Parliament set up the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) to run the Underground, bus, tram, and trolleybus services.1 Soon, world war II was upon England, and the government took control of London Transport. With the weight of air attacks on London, the tube stations were regarded immediately by the public as places of safety and were invaded by hosts of people seeking shelter—so much that running the train service became difficult. There were also several measures taken to protect the Underground, including duplicate control and power systems, emergency repair squads, and floodgates near the Thames.2 Tube stations were not entirely safe, and several bombings caused many incidents killing and injuring many people.
After the war came a period of planning at various levels. The railways and other inland transport facilities were nationalised (including the LPTB). The British Transport Commission was formed along with several executives. The London Transport Executive took over the LPTB. Several stations were then rebuilt, and several new types of train stock were introduced.2 One major change on the stock at this time was changing the doors from hand-opened to air-pressure opened. The doors were operated by a guard. After the change, no one could jump onto a moving train and struggle to open the door before the train entered the tunnel.2 Today, modifications to the trains allow the driver to operate the doors, eliminating the need for a guard. Installation of train radio and visual aids on the platforms have allowed almost all of the lines to have One Person Operation (OPO).3
Another decision made after the war was to build another line. Several options were considered, but eventually the Victoria Line route was chosen because it gave tube access to the densely populated suburbs of Tottenham, Edmonton, and Walthamstow. It would also relieve the most heavily loaded of all the sections of tube lines—the Piccadilly Line, especially between King’s Cross and Finsbury Park.2
The Underground installed Automatic Train Operation (ATO) on the 1968 Victoria line. With ATO, a series of patches with command frequencies indicating speed required at each spot tell the train how to brake in order to ensure that it stops on the correct place at the platform. Eventually, ATO was also adapted on the Central Line.3 ATO reduced the driver’s job to operating the doors.
A major goal of the service today is to keep train waiting to a minimum. The smallest service interval that can be managed is about 90 seconds. This is determined by blocks—the division unit of tracks. Entry to a block is controlled by a signal which allows in only one train at a time. The length of blocks depends on braking distance (which depends on speed). These factors determine the 90 second rule, which is managed on the Piccadilly line by using 70 trains spread over 43 miles running at speeds up to 50mph. Safety is insured by signalling. If the driver ignores the signals, an extra device called a trainstop sits at the side of the track and works with the signal. If the driver ignores the red light, the raised arm of the trainstop hits a special valve on the side of the train which activates the brakes.1
Today, there are also different trains for different lines. The Central and Victoria Lines have 400ft platforms and can accommodate longer trains than the standard 350ft. The Victoria and Central lines have ATO. The Piccadilly line serves Heathrow so its stock included luggage spaces. The Circle Line has more doors and less seats due to more traffic.3
In 1964, the first automatic fare collection equipment and ticket gates were installed.2 In 1968, a closed-circuit TV system was installed in several stations to deal with crowd control and crime. There is also a TV screen at the front of many platforms facing the train for the driver to decide when to close the doors.2 Platform indicators tell people where the train is going. Today, the indicators run by computers, but it was originally done by an electromechanical signalling device. Platform indicators get rid of the need to make sure that the trains go in any particular order.1
From the 1960s to today, several extensions and additions have been made to the existing Underground network. These include the conversion of the old Fleet and River lines combined with new tunnels to create the Jubilee Line2, as well as the opening in 1988 of the Docklands Light Railway. Current projects include the badly needed replacement of Northern Line trains, and the Jubilee Line extension. This extension is to run from Westminster Station to Stratford via North Greenwich. It is planned to be open in time for the turn of the century, where it will serve the new Millennium Dome; however, recent complications including sabotage and an electricians strike have put this goal in jeopardy.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people use the Underground on a daily basis as their major means of getting around the city. Though at rush hour the trains can be unbelievably crowded, many people still feel it beats the high monetary and time costs of driving. Over the years, the Underground has gone through many changes. It has come a long way from its humble beginnings of a steam railway to a very efficient and relatively reliable mode of transport. However, the history of the Underground can still be seen today in so many subtle ways just by riding it.
Bibliography
1 The London Transport Museum.
Covent Garden Piazza.
London WC2E 7BB.
2 Day, John R. The Story of London’s Underground, 2nd Ed. London Transport, Westminster: 1979.
3 Bayman, Bob and Connor, Piers. Underground Official Handbook. 3rd Ed. Capital Transport Publishing, Middlesex: 1994.
4 Rose, Douglas. The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose publishing: 1980.
Copyright © 2013 Russell