History of the London Underground | How London Tube was built (2018)

Your support goes a long way in helping me continue producing quality videos and bringing you more of what you love. __ London Underground is the oldest and one of the biggest railway systems in the world, carrying millions of people every day. It has 270 stations, and the total length of the network is 402 kilometres. The Underground is as much a part of London as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, and is one of the most recognised brands around the world. It started as a crazy idea in the 1800s; running steam trains under the ground sounded as insane back then, as if someone suggested building an elevator from Earth to Moon today. But it was a necessity; London roads were terribly overcrowded, and the city needed a transport solution. That’s when Charles Pearson came to arena, and built Metropolitan - an underground line between what’s now Paddington and Farringdon. It opened in 1863, but Pearson didn’t attend the opening, having passed a year earlier. Prime Minister Lord Palmerston also didn’t come to the opening; being almost 80 years old, he said he’d like to spend as much time above the ground as he could. The Metropolitan was a success, although the tunnels were filled with train fumes. The train drivers were growing beards to filter the air they were breathing. The line was growing, and the city started to expand as well. In fact, the underground railway is one of the reasons London has such a relatively low population density today. The success of Metropolitan...