The London Underground as we know it today began life as several independent railway companies: Metropolitan (1863), Hammersmith & City (1864), Metropolitan District (1868), City & South London (1890), Waterloo & City (1898), Central London (1900)
World First
The first of these was the first underground passenger railway in the world, the Metropolitan Railway
Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL)
In 1902 the UERL, a private company, was established. It began buying the different railways and a true network was born
The UERL’s Commercial Manager, Frank Pick, began to establish a ‘corporate identity’ for the UERL, developing the “Underground” branding and working on trademarks and patents
Iconic image of 55 Broadway (1929-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
55 Broadway
A new, purpose-built head office building was opened in 1929.
On 1 July 1933, the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) began operations, a public body responsible for delivering transport within London, taking over all interests of the UERL. At this point the last independent railway company, the Metropolitan Railway, came under public control.
Underground Railway Map Number 1 1937 (1937-01-15) by London Passenger Transport BoardTfL Corporate Archives
Together At Last
All Underground lines (bar the Waterloo and City and the East London) were now together under a unified body for the first time
Today, this organisation is known as Transport for London and all our underground railways are collectively known as London Underground.
Underground map May 2019 (2019-05-01)TfL Corporate Archives
As of 2023, London Underground has 11 lines covering 402km and serving 272 stations
Metropolitan Line S8 Train at Eastcote (2022-11-03) by Transport for LondonTfL Corporate Archives
It's busy down there!
There are up to 5 million passenger journeys a day. At peak times, there are more than 543 trains whizzing around the Capital
The network is a combination of open track, cut-and-cover, and tube tunnelling construction!
Story compiled by TfL using information in records at the Transport for London Corporate Archives. The Corporate Archives seeks to preserve and make accessible records, not to interpret them. A wider range of material is available for physical consultation.
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