The World's First Underground Railway
Next: January 10, 2027
Minding the gap since 1863.
The story
Where it comes from
This Story marks the anniversary of Saturday 10 January 1863, when the Metropolitan Railway opened in London, the first underground passenger railway in the world. By the 1850s the city's streets were jammed, and the social reformer and City Solicitor Charles Pearson championed a radical answer: trains beneath the road. The first line ran 3¾ miles from Paddington to Farringdon Street, linking the main-line stations at Paddington, Euston and King's Cross with the City. It was an immediate success, despite the smoke from its steam locomotives.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but anyone who rides a metro, from London to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Tokyo, is following in those first passengers' footsteps. The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden tells the story with historic carriages and posters. It is a good day to thank the drivers and station staff who move cities underground.
Did you know
- The first line was built by 'cut and cover': huge trenches were dug along the streets, lined with brick tunnels and roofed over.
- On opening day it served seven stations, among them Baker Street, which is still in use today.
- Asia's first subway opened in Tokyo on 30 December 1927, between Asakusa and Ueno, and more than 40,000 passengers rode it on the first morning alone.
Coming up next
- The First Insulin Injection · January 11, 2027
- Coming of Age Day · January 11, 2027
- Charles Perrault's Birthday · January 12, 2027
- The First Public Radio Broadcast · January 13, 2027
- World Logic Day · January 14, 2027
- Pongal · January 15, 2027