The London "subway", or Underground - is not just a transport, but a real city attraction and national pride. And it is not surprising, because this is the very first underground in the world.

Few people know that the word "metro" was invented exactly by the British. The thing is, the company that built the London underground railway was called the Metropolitan Railway. Therefore, for the first time the inhabitants of Great Britain called the subway only "metro", and then reduced to "metro". Unlike in other countries, in England this censure did not take root: today Londoners prefer all other names to the words "Underground" and "Tube" (Tube, in English - "trumpet").

French Idea, English Execution

It is difficult to believe, but already in the 19th century, in many large cities of the world, the problem of "unloading" of the main roads, which literally swelled with transport, was acutely faced. And London was no exception. Time passed, and the problem still seemed unsolvable. It was necessary to come up with transport, which, like a carpet-plane, would not know the obstacles on its way. It was not easy to implement such a thing, however, there was a way out, however, not very fast - it took 20 years to form the idea.

The first prerequisites arose in the distant 1843, when engineer M. Brunel, a Frenchman by design, designed the first underwater tunnel. A little later, in 1846, the first project of railways appeared, but these two discoveries were not related to each other. Almost 20 years later, the British guessed that it is possible to lay "hollow pipes" for the Brunel project, including underground. This served as the impetus for the creation of the subway.

The first underground tunnel was dug in London in 1860 near Euston Square, and on January 10, 1863, the first line of the London Underground Metropolitan Line Metropolitan Line was solemnly opened - $ .It connected two main city stations and consisted of only seven stations (its length was just under 4 kilometers) .On the opening day, some 30 thousand passengers swept the new trains .Subsequently, the construction of the metropolitan of the British capital began to develop rapidly, as the project turned out to be extremely successful .

London Underground Scheme

Development of the London Underground: veins - rails

A year after the opening of the subway, new stations appeared that extend the line of the Metropolitan. A little later, in 1868, trains began to walk in a southerly direction, and another 8 years by metro it was possible to reach the famous Baker Street and Swiss Cottage. In the following years, the underground railway was conducted in the heart of London - to the Tower, and also built the Circle and District lines.

The first underground London trains were steam .They did not have windows, which caused passengers to experience a small discomfort .I had to stand for a long time at each station and wait for the train to fill up with the ferry .Hand luggage was fastened with ropes to special shelves, located between the cars .Residents of the British capital were perplexed: can not you think of something more convenient or, at least, less foul-smelling? The fact is that steam-powered trains left a lot of dirt and a trail of burning smell, which frightened pedantic Londoners .It was then that the British thought about electric trains that were launched in 1906 .

Already by 1907 the London subway had grown rich by several more lines, which are already located deeper than their predecessors. And all because the British stopped building the arches and paving streets over them - now the construction of tunnels used the so-called "drilling shields." The main advantage of the new method was that when laying underground railways it was not necessary to disassemble the roads on the surface.

By the way, after the "metropolitan fever" swept the city, several companies started to participate in the construction of the metro, trying to earn as much money as possible on the popular project..As a result, some lines were built quickly, and some for 10-20 years .Private sponsorship affected the appearance of the subway stations: the facing of some was expensive and of high quality, while the others were rather modest .However, in 1933 the construction of the London Underground began to be financed by the Urban Transport Directorate, which standardized the design of the underground stations .

London subway today: features of the modern "underground"

Today London metro is 12 branches, 275 stations, 409 escalators and 6 concentric zones. To understand the system of transitions, you will have to carefully study the map of the subway: here everything is not as simple as it seems. If you are still confused, you will always be guided to the true path by numerous signposts, placards and friendly Englishmen.

The fare is

You can buy the ticket in the stalls in the streets of London or, like us, in the metro. The cost of the trip will depend on how many of the 6 zones you are going to cross, so count on the amount of 1, 5 to 4, 5 pounds. Be careful: if you find yourself in a zone that is not paid, you face a fine of 20 pounds. If you know that you have to travel by metro a day, a week or, say, a whole month, then you just need to purchase a favorable TravelCard or Oyster price. For example, a weekly travel card with a coverage of all 6 zones will cost you only 42 pounds.

The London underground is a whole underground country with a rich history full of interesting and entertaining facts. About the metropolitan of the British capital, there are many legends and rumors, each of which is happily savored by local residents and guides. We can say that the "subway" is the greatest scientific and architectural achievement of the British, which once again confirms that the United Kingdom is still one of the most advanced countries in the world.