![]() The ‘cut and cover’ method of construction was not an option in this part of the capital. The problem was partly that the existing underground lines formed a circuit around the centre of London and extended to the suburbs, but did not cross the capital’s centre. ![]() However, smoke and fumes remained a problem, even though ventilation shafts were added to the tunnels.ĭespite the extension of the underground railway, by the 1880s, congestion on London’s streets had become worse. Instead, the line used specially designed locomotives that were fitted with water tanks in which steam could be condensed. The original plan was to pull the trains with steam locomotives, using firebricks in the boilers to provide steam, but these engines were never introduced. By the end of the Metropolitan’s first year of operation, 9.5 million journeys had been made.Įven as the Metropolitan began operation, the first extensions to the line were being authorised these were built over the next five years, reaching Moorgate in the east to London and Hammersmith in the west. On its first day, almost 40,000 passengers were carried between Paddington and Farringdon, the journey taking about 18 minutes. The Metropolitan line, which opened on 10 January 1863, was the world’s first underground railway. A two-metre-deep layer of soil was laid on top of the tunnel and the road above rebuilt. Brick walls were then constructed, and finally a brick arch was added to create a tunnel. A trench about ten metres wide and six metres deep was dug, and the sides temporarily help up with timber beams. It was built just below street level using a technique known as ‘cut and cover’. Originally scheduled to be completed in 21 months, the construction of the underground line took three years. The chosen route ran beneath existing main roads to minimise the expense of demolishing buildings. Eventually, over a five-year period, £1m was raised. The GWR, aware that the new line would finally enable them to run trains into the heart of the City, invested almost £250,000 in the scheme. ![]() ![]() However, Pearson and his partners persisted. Objectors argued that the tunnels would collapse under the weight of traffic overhead, buildings would be shaken and passengers would be poisoned by the emissions from the train engines. The organisation had difficulty in raising the funding for such a radical and expensive scheme, not least because of the critical articles printed by the press. The company’s plan was to construct an underground railway line from the Great Western Railway’s (GWR) station at Paddington to the edge of the City at Farringdon Street – a distance of almost 5 km. The two groups merged and established the Metropolitan Railway Company in August 1854. It was rejected, but coincided with a proposal from another group for an underground connecting line, which Parliament passed. Pearson’s ideas gained support amongst some businessmen and in 1851 he submitted a plan to Parliament. His idea was to relocate the poor workers who lived in the inner-city slums to newly constructed suburbs, and to provide cheap rail travel for them to get to work. He saw both social and economic advantages in building an underground railway that would link the overground railway stations together and clear London slums at the same time. Numerous schemes were proposed to resolve these problems, but few succeeded.Īmongst the most vocal advocates for a solution to London’s traffic problems was Charles Pearson, who worked as a solicitor for the City of London. It could take an hour and a half to travel 8 km by horse-drawn carriage or bus. The area within consisted of poorly built, overcrowded slums and the streets were full of horse-drawn traffic. The result was that the overground railway stations formed a ring around the City. However, in 1846, a Royal Commission decided that the railways should not be allowed to enter the City, the capital’s historic and business centre. In addition, the expansion of the overground railway network resulted in more and more passengers arriving in the capital. In the first half of the 1800s, London’s population grew at an astonishing rate, and the central area became increasingly congested. The development of the London underground railway You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
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