The London Metro is as much a sight as the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Red Square in Moscow. And its logo with a blue Underground inscription on a red circle is known all over the world. It is visited by up to 5 million people per day. Why is the London Underground so attractive to tourists? What is the name and is it the largest in the world?
Uniqueness
It is remarkable that it is the first metro in the world. The first underground train, or rather a steam locomotive, set off in January 1863. For that time, this was a colossal indicator of the progressiveness of the country. Running a steam locomotive underground then seemed an unthinkable and costly marvel of engineering.
But this was not done for the sake of achieving worldwide fame, but out of necessity. So many people came to London for employment that there was a catastrophic lack of ground transport for their movement, the city was languishing in traffic jams.
Founding History
The history of the London Underground began withenterprising lawyer Charles Pearson suggested that the city railroad commission consider his project for an underground interchange. At that time, an underground tunnel for pedestrians had already been dug and functioned under the River Thames, so his proposal was received with enthusiasm.
After finding interested parties and sponsors, the North Metropolitan Railway Co was founded, and 10 years later the first station was opened. By the way, that tunnel under the Thames from a pedestrian in 1869 turned into a part of the subway, and its first overhaul was carried out only at the end of the 20th century.
Initial method
Initially, the subway was dug not underground, but on its surface. They dug a wide trench several meters deep, and from above it was covered with wooden beams, which were built up with bricks. In some places, the trenches were not even closed, and to this day they are half-open.
Using this method, the stations were shallow, no more than 10 meters. This method is even simpler than the modern one, but soon the engineers realized that in this way they would paralyze ground transport during construction and sacrifice many buildings. Since 1890, they began to dig tunnels using the shield method, and stations built in this way were already laid at a depth of 20 meters or more. Now just over 1/10th of the entire length of the London Underground is open-pit.
Bomb shelter
During World War IIthe London Underground served as a real bomb shelter for the inhabitants of the city and saved many lives. People lived there without going out into the sunlight for months. Military vehicles were being repaired right on the tracks. At first, law enforcement officers drove refugees and the homeless out of there. But over time, they realized that more and more citizens of England (and not only) seek to hide from the bombing in the subway. Then the authorities decided to help them with this and install more than 20,000 beds for them. Naturally, there were not enough beds, many simply slept on the floor.
Many women and children were evacuated through the tunnels. Having entered the subway at one end of the city, one could get off at the other without ever appearing on the street. At least 200,000 children were evacuated in this way. Thus, the London Underground saved hundreds of thousands of British lives. This is not forgotten today.
Interesting facts about the London Underground
- In the 19th century, people still traveled on steam locomotives, so for the first time in the subway they launched not a train, but a steam locomotive that transported 4 wagons. Underground, steam did not escape well, and therefore, at first, it was difficult to see in the London Underground due to the fog created by steam locomotives during operation. Surprisingly, steam locomotives could be found on some branches until 1971.
- The metro immediately became in demand and was popular with the working class. On the first day of the train's opening, 30,000 people were transported. And the interval had to be reduced from 15 minutes to 10.
- Initially there were no windows in the carriages. The walls, upholstered in fabric, put pressure on the psychological state of people, they feltlike being in a psychiatric hospital. Gradually, they began to make windows in the cars to make the ride more pleasant.
- The deepest line is the Central, it is located at a depth of 74 meters and was discovered back in 1900.
- Due to the trench method of laying the subway, houses had to be demolished, sometimes partially. At the same time, the facade and neighboring entrances remained intact, and the windows of the demolished entrance were painted over with paint.
- In 1899, the London Underground was on the verge of bankruptcy, as its use by the working class began to decline. Then he was saved by an American named Charles Yerkes.
- Until 1905, there was no electricity in the London Underground, everything worked only with the help of steam engines.
- The famous Underground logo appeared only in 1908, before that there was the inscription GENERAL, at the same time the first structured subway map appeared.
- Literally, Underground is translated not as “subway”, but as “underground”. And the locals themselves back in 1890 gave the London Underground the name "pipe", which in English sounds like The Tube. The reason for this was that this year the stations began to be laid at depth.
- The first escalator in the London Underground was installed in 1911 at Earl's Court station.
- The map, which everyone is used to, appeared in 1933 and the year and since then, outwardly, it has practically not changed, only replenished with new branches and stations. An electrical circuit diagram was taken as a sample map diagram.
- Until 1987, it was allowed to smoke there, and right at the stations there were cigaretteshops.
- Until 1997, many handrails and steps were wooden, but in 1997 at King Cross St. The Pancras almost caught fire because of this, and the handrails were gradually replaced with metal ones.
- Only since 2016, the metro began to function at night, but only on weekends. On weekdays it still closes at 1 am.
- In the early 20th century, virtually every metro line was owned by an independent company. To transfer from one line to another, passengers had to go outside and buy a ticket from another company.
- The founder of the idea to open a subway in London did not live to see its opening a year.
- There are 426 escalators in the subway, and their length is comparable to the circumference of the globe, multiplied by two. Only one Waterloo station has 23.
- All subway tunnels owe their round shape to the carpenter mollusk, whose shell was round. It was by looking at it that the engineers realized what form it was easier to dig with a shield, and subsequently determined that the pressure was distributed more evenly in this way.
- Biologists have discovered a species of mosquito that has not been found anywhere else, except for the London Underground. Scientists can only guess how they got there. One version: someone brought them from an exotic country by accident in their luggage, and they liked the microclimate of the subway.
- In 2011, the annual number of passengers exceeded 1.1 billion.
Fare
PriceThe fare on the London Underground is not fixed, there are many fares. Getting to the same place can be cheaper or more expensive, depending on how well the calculations are made. The final price of the trip depends on the zone in which the trip will be made. There are six of them in total, and they differ in the degree of remoteness from the center.
You must pay not with a token, but with the help of an electronic rechargeable smart card. It must be applied at the entrance and exit, then the system will calculate how much the trip cost and write off this amount from the card. If there is not enough money on it, the balance will become negative, and the money will be debited at the next replenishment. But every time it is unprofitable to buy and throw away the card, since it has a deposit of 5 pounds. The second way is to buy a paper Travelcard with a chip at the required rate right at the entrance. Getting off at a station further than the one you paid for simply won't work, because the turnstile won't let you out.
Children travel cheaper, and up to 5 years it is completely free. The price also depends on age: the younger the child, the cheaper it will cost him to travel. From the age of 18, the price for everyone will be the same. Except for students, who have a 30% discount on travel, and pensioners, who are en titled to free travel. There are also benefits for tourist groups of more than ten people.
In the English metro, it is customary to stand at arm's length from each other, without violating personal space, but there is never a squabble over who is last.
London Underground in numbers
The Metropolitan Railway station was the first to open. And the very first branch was Paddington - Farringdon, which consisted of 7 stations. Now the London Underground has 270 stations, 14 of which are located in the suburbs of London. Of the 11 lines, 4 are shallow, and 7 are deep.
The length of the metro is more than 400 km, but only half of them are underground, the rest somehow runs in the air. Longer than London all over the world only Chinese subways. The longest is Shanghai, its length is 588 km.
Station design
Practically all London Underground stations are decorated more than simply: ordinary tiles, narrow aisles. This is due to the fact that the original purpose of the metro was purely unitary.
Despite this, you can always recognize the London Underground from a photo. Its unique design has already acquired a certain style in itself. The pointer font and, of course, the famous logo are recognizable all over the world. The London Underground may not be the largest in the world and certainly not the most technologically advanced, but it is the most famous and oldest.
