With London playing host to the Olympics last year, commemorating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and the birth of the royal baby this past July, they’ve had quite a lot to celebrate. Adding to that list is the 150th anniversary of the London Underground. From Victoria Station to Piccadilly Circus, the Tube has never played a more central role in this bustling city than now. While on an educational student tour, you will have the chance to travel this vast underground network of tunnels just like the locals.
On January 10, 1863, the world’s first underground railway traversed the city of London. It initially transported 40,000 commuters by steam- driven trains from Paddington Station to Farringdon Street over four miles in eighteen minutes. From then on, urban transportation was forever altered. By 1880, the lure of London’s Underground moved nearly forty million individuals each year. The Underground expanded greatly until it was brought together under public governance in the 1930s. Today, the Tube is the world’s 3rd busiest subway system serving 270 stations, operating over 11 lines that crisscross 250 miles of track, and carries 1 billion passengers annually.
How would you like to oversee that?!
As you can see this vast transportation network is as vibrant and revolutionary now as it was in 1863. Stay tuned for Thursday’s post where I’ll cover some of the Underground’s most iconic stations and educational activities nearby for students and teachers to enjoy while on their educational tours.
-Kate