more than 1 billion passengers Londoners rely on the Underground to get to work and school But it is more than just a way to get from place to place The Underground is a marvel of engineering that has become part of London’s identity TRAFFIC JAMS Today’s massive Underground system began during the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s It was a time of great change Millions of people left their family farms They moved to cities in search of jobs in newly created factories These factories used machines to produce goods faster and cheaper than ever before Many of the new factories were in London England’s capital The city’s population more than doubled between 1800 and 1850 Daily commuters added to this number By 1855 approximately 750,000 people took trains into London every day Trains were not allowed in the city center Commuters traveled as The Underground is a vital part of London’s transportation system 6
far into the city as they could Then they had to walk or take horse-drawn buses or coaches London’s narrow winding streets grew crowded Traffic jams formed near the city’s bridges Fifty thousand horses pulled the buses and coaches Horse droppings and frequent rain made the streets dirty and slippery Traveling from one end of London to the other by horse could take more than one hour IDEAS Engineers had many ideas for fixing the traffic problem One plan called for an elevated train to carry passengers high above the street traffic STOCKTON DARLINGTON RAILWAY During the Industrial Revolution trains were a new and exciting way to travel In 1825 the world’s first public train service began in England It was called the Stockton Darlington Railway The line was a great success New lines opened across England They opened the way for the London Underground 8
Another plan had train tracks lined by elegant walkways The entire structure would be enclosed by glass panels Other plans proposed trains that ran along cables or were moved by air pressure Most of the ideas were impractical Besides many Londoners did not like the idea of trains running through the city They feared the trains would be loud ugly and dirty But a lawyer for the city of London had another idea Charles Pearson suggested running a train under the streets Pearson’s idea had many benefits The trains would be hidden from view Their noise would be contained within the tunnels below And the streets above the trains could remain open to traffic It seemed like a perfect solution But no one had ever tried to build a railroad under a major city before THE UNKNOWN In 1854 London’s lawmakers approved plans for an underground railway It would be the first of its kind 9
