First section of the London Underground opens
- When
- 1862–1863
- Where
- London
- Episodes
- 4
The first section of the London Underground opened in January 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon Street. This 3.75-mile line, operated by the Metropolitan Railway, was the world's first passenger-carrying designated underground railway. It utilized gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives, following legislative approvals and Board of Trade inspections.
Episodes
- First Trip
The first trip over the whole line took place in May 1862, with William Gladstone among the guests, before the public opening.
- Board of Trade Inspections
Inspections in late 1862 and early 1863 approved the railway for opening after minor signalling changes were implemented.
- Grand Opening
A ceremonial run and banquet for shareholders took place on 9 January 1863, preceding the public opening.
- Public Opening
The 3.75-mile railway opened to the public on 10 January 1863, becoming the world's first underground passenger railway.
Background and detail
Opening. Board of Trade inspections in late 1862 and early 1863 approved the railway. A grand opening ceremony occurred on 9 January 1863, featuring a ceremonial run and a banquet for shareholders. The line officially opened to the public on 10 January 1863, connecting Paddington to Farringdon Street with seven intermediate stations.
Operations. The railway operated with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. A 4-4-0 tank engine can be considered the pioneer motive power on London's first underground railway; ultimately 148 such engines were built between 1864 and 1886 for various railways, most running until electrification in 1905. From May 1864, workmen's returns were offered on early morning services from Paddington at the cost of a single ticket.
People involved
- Charles Pearson · Promoter of the scheme that became the Metropolitan Railway
- William Gladstone · Guest on the May 1862 first trip over the whole line
Sources
- Metropolitan Railway Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-11
- London Underground Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.