Despite the name, about 55% of the network is above ground. It is usually referred to officially as ‘the Underground’ and colloquially as the Tube.
The idea of building an underground railway to link the City of London with the mainline terminals had been proposed in the 1830s, but it was not until the 1850s, that the idea was taken seriously as a solution to traffic congestion.
Yorkshireman John Fowler (1817-1898) was selected as chief engineer in 1853 for the Metropolitan Railway.
Fowler was the driving force behind the decision to build the new railway using a method known as cut and cover, which has many distinct advantages. The basic concept was simple but effective. In this method, a wide trench was dug, lined with bricks and then arched over.
By 1854 six separate railway terminals had been built just outside the center of London: London Bridge, Euston, Paddington, King’s Cross, Bishopsgate and Waterloo.
With its first section opening in 1863, it was the first underground railway system in the world. In 1890 it became the first to operate electric trains.
London underground (Tube)
