The London Underground: Text

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Text adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground,
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London Underground
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The London Underground or ‘The Tube’ is a

network of underground and overground trains
covering the London area. In 1863, it was the first
underground railway system in the world and in
1890, it became the first to operate electric trains.
The Underground has 270 stations and around 400 kilometres
(250 miles) of track, making it the second longest underground
metro in the world after the Shanghai Metro. In 2007, more than one
billion passenger journeys were recorded, making it the third busiest
metro system in Europe after Paris and Moscow.
Despite being called ‘The Underground’, about 55% of the network is
above ground.

Before the Underground was built

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Overground railway construction in the United

Kingdom began in the early 1800s and by 1854,
six London railway stations had been built:
London Bridge, Euston, Paddington, King's
Cross, Bishopsgate, Waterloo and Fenchurch
Street Station.
The idea of building an underground railway to link London with the
six railway stations had first been proposed in the 1830s, but it was
not until the 1850s when there had been a significant increase in the
amount of people travelling into London by road that the idea was
taken seriously as a solution to traffic congestion.
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Text adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground,
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The first underground railways

Image: By P Justyne (signature lower left)Bonhams as Percy William Justyne living from 1812 to 1883. - The Illustrated London News, page 99., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6852779

In 1854 construction was started on an

underground railway between Paddington
Station and Farringdon Street. It was to be
called the Metropolitan Railway and it was
opened on 10 January 1863. Within a few
months of opening, it was carrying over
26,000 passengers a day.
Over the next few years more and more underground train lines
were constructed. The Hammersmith and City Railway was opened
on 13 June 1864 between Hammersmith and Paddington and on 24
December 1868, the Metropolitan District Railway began operating
services between South Kensington and Westminster.
In 1890 the first electric trains were introduced. Before this, all
trains were steam powered. Can you imagine how hot and dirty it
must have been?
The nickname ‘the Tube’ comes from the circular tube-like tunnels
and platforms through which the trains travel.
The oldest part of today's Underground network is the Central line
between Leyton and Loughton, which was opened as a railway seven
years before the Underground itself.

After 1900
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In 1908, the name ‘Underground’ was used for the

first time and electric ticket-issuing machines were
also introduced. This was followed in 1913 by the
first appearance of the famous circle and horizontal
bar symbol, known as ‘the roundel’.
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World War II
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During World War II many Underground

stations were used as shelters during air raids.
During the bombings each deep level shelter
could hold up to 8,000 people. The deep
underground platforms protected the people
of London, keeping them safe. Emergency
medical facilities, beds, food and water were available in case people
had to stay in the Underground overnight. One night during World
War II, 177,500 people slept in the Underground to escape the
bombing.

Day-to-day problems
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Overcrowding on the Underground has been

considered a problem for many years and quite
normal during rush hours. The stations which
have a particular problem include Camden Town
station and Covent Garden, which at certain
times of the day have restrictions on people coming in.
In summer, temperatures on the Underground can become very
high. In 2006, temperatures as high as 47 °C (117 °F) were reported.
Posters on the Underground can be seen asking passengers to carry a
bottle of water.
 The London Underground: Text
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Text adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground,
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Tragedy and disaster

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At 19:30 on 18 November 1987, a massive

fire swept through the King's Cross St
Pancras tube station, the busiest station on
the network, killing 31 people. Although
smoking was banned on the London
Underground, the fire was probably caused by a burning cigarette,
which had fallen down the side of a wooden escalator. The escalator
had not been cleaned for some time and was covered in grease,
which helped to start the fire. An official statement from London
Transport released a week after the fire read: ‘A fire was caused at
King’s Cross station which has resulted in the loss of many lives’. It
was believed that London transport knew of many possible dangers
that could have caused a disaster but chose to ignore the warnings.
Due to this event, all wooden escalators were taken out and
replaced.
At 08:50 on 7th July 2005, three bombs exploded on the London
Underground. The first and second bombs exploded on Circle Line
trains while the third bomb exploded on a Piccadilly line train,
travelling between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square. The
bombing was carried out by terrorist suicide bombers.
 The London Underground: Text
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Text adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground,
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Ghosts on the Underground

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The London Underground is more than 140 years

old and, not surprisingly, many people have said
that they have heard strange noises or seen
ghostly sightings deep underneath the streets of
London.
It is believed the ghost of William Terris can be seen around the
tunnels and platforms of Covent Garden dressed in a long black coat,
tall hat and white gloves. He died near the station in 1897.
The grave of the ‘Black Nun’ was disturbed when Bank Underground
Station was being built last century. The nun’s brother, Phillip
Whitehead, was executed in 1811 for forging money. After his
execution the nun, who was always dressed in black, waited for him
outside a nearby bank every evening for 40 years until she died. It is
said that to this day, her ghost still searches for her brother along the
platforms of this station.
 The London Underground: Text
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Text adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_London_Underground

Modern day
By Arpingstone - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=351979, By Alexhowarth - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3363776

The modern-day Underground is an important part of

city life in London. Tube trains travel 43 million miles
a year. That is 1,735 times around the world or 90
trips to the moon and back!
Today the London Underground has 11 train lines. London's busiest
Tube station, between 07.00 - 10.00 and from Monday to Friday, is
Waterloo, with 51,100 people using it. The busiest station in terms of
passengers each year is Victoria with 76 million people.
The escalators in Underground stations include some of
the longest in Europe. The longest escalator is at Angel
station, which is 60 metres long, working 20 hours a day,
364 days a year.