This
warning will be familiar to anyone who has used the London
Underground, the oldest underground railway in the world. However,
since its opening in 1863 the network has changed almost completely.
The first passengers were transported in steam-powered trains instead
of the electric trains we know today. This meant that tunnels had to
be close to the surface and have many openings for the steam to
escape. Bit by bit, the old steam trains were replaced by
electricity-powered trains, more and deeper tunnels were built and
lines were extended far into the suburbs of London.
The
constant network changes also meant that many stations were closed,
relocated or used for different purposes. During the Second World
War, for example, some stations served as air raid shelters during
bomb attacks. An underground branch leading to a station called
Aldwych in Westminster was closed and used to store precious items
from the British Museum.
Even
though it is called “Underground”, only 45% of all the rails are
actually underground. If you want to visit the deepest point of the
Underground, go to Hampstead, which runs down to more than 58 metres
– nothing for people suffering from claustrophobia! Another
useless fact: Smoking on the tube was allowed until 1987, when a fire
broke out due to a discarded match in King’s Cross station, killing
31 people.
The
next time you feel like complaining about cramped carriages or slow
connections, think about the beginnings of the “Tube” and be
thankful for non-smoking regulations, lifts and carriages more modern
than this “padded cell” without windows: