How the World's First Subway System Was Built

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How the World's First Subway System Was Built

On January 10th, 1863, 30, 000 people ventured underground to travel on the world 's first subway,
on a four - mile stretch of line, in London.
After three years of construction and a few setbacks, the Metropolitan Railway was ready for business.
The city 's officials were much relieved.
They 'd been desperate to find a way to reduce the terrible congestion on the roads.
London, at the time the world 's largest and most prosperous city, was in a permanent state of gridlock,
with carts, costermongers, cows and commuters jamming the roads.
It had been a Victorian visionary, Charles Pearson, who first thought of putting railways under the ground.
He lobbied for underground trains throughout the 1840 s,
but opponents thought the idea was impractical,
since the railroads at the time only had short tunnels under hills.
How could you get a railway through the center of a city?
The answer was a simple system called cut and cover.
Workers had to dig a huge trench, construct a tunnel out of brick archways,
and then refill the hole over the newly built tunnel.

On January 10th, 1863, 30, 000 people ventured underground to travel on the world 's first subway,
the
on
to
On
travel
people
January
's
first
subway
underground
world
ventured
10th
on a four - mile stretch of line, in London.
four
a
in
on
of
stretch
line
London
mile
After three years of construction and a few setbacks, the Metropolitan Railway was ready for business.
three
and
for
a
the
of
was
ready
construction
few
After
years
business
Metropolitan
Railway
setbacks
The city 's officials were much relieved.
The
much
city
's
were
officials
relieved
They 'd been desperate to find a way to reduce the terrible congestion on the roads.
a
the
on
to
They
way
been
find
terrible
'd
roads
reduce
desperate
congestion
London, at the time the world 's largest and most prosperous city, was in a permanent state of gridlock,
and
at
a
in
the
of
was
time
city
's
most
world
London
state
largest
gridlock
permanent
prosperous
with carts, costermongers, cows and commuters jamming the roads.
and
with
the
cows
roads
carts
commuters
costermongers
jamming
It had been a Victorian visionary, Charles Pearson, who first thought of putting railways under the ground.
a
the
under
of
It
had
who
first
ground
thought
been
putting
Victorian
Charles
visionary
railways
Pearson
He lobbied for underground trains throughout the 1840 s,
for
the
He
s
underground
throughout
trains
lobbied
but opponents thought the idea was impractical,
the
was
but
thought
idea
impractical
opponents
since the railroads at the time only had short tunnels under hills.
at
the
under
had
short
time
since
only
tunnels
hills
railroads
How could you get a railway through the center of a city?
you
a
the
get
of
How
city
through
center
could
railway
The answer was a simple system called cut and cover.
and
a
The
was
cover
simple
system
called
cut
answer
Workers had to dig a huge trench, construct a tunnel out of brick archways,
a
of
out
dig
tunnel
had to
huge
brick
trench
construct
Workers
archways
and then refill the hole over the newly built tunnel.
and
the
over
then
tunnel
built
hole
newly
refill