What Was The First London Underground Line

Picture this: It’s a rainy Tuesday morning in January 1863, and you’re late for work (some things never change, right?). You’re fed up with the horse-drawn omnibuses clogging the streets of London, and the smell is—well, let’s not go there. Your only hope is a brand-new contraption: a train that runs underground, through a tunnel dug by hand, lit by gas lamps, and pulled by a steam locomotive that belches smoke into the carriages. Welcome to the world’s first subway ride. This is the story of the very first London Underground line, and trust me, it’s weirder than you think.

Let’s roll back the clock to the 1850s. London was chocking on its own success—horse manure, human traffic, and general chaos ruled the streets. The solution came from a man named Charles Pearson, a solicitor with a big idea and an even bigger beard. He proposed digging a railway under the city, connecting the bustling termini at Paddington, Euston, and King’s Cross. Most people thought he was mad. I mean, digging a hole under the city and running a train through it? Who does that? (Spoiler: the Victorians did, and they did it with shovels and sheer grit.)

The Birth of the Metropolitan Railway

The line was called the Metropolitan Railway, and it opened to the public on January 10, 1863. That’s right—over 160 years ago, and it’s still running today as part of the Metropolitan line (though it looks a bit less sooty now). The route was only 3.75 miles long, from Paddington to Farringdon, with stops at Edgware Road, Baker Street, Portland Road (now Great Portland Street), Gower Street (now Euston Square), and King’s Cross. Yes, the very same stations you might use today—just with more top hats and fewer Oyster cards.

The construction was a nightmare. Imagine digging a trench through the middle of a city using only pickaxes, shovels, and gunpowder. They used a method called “cut-and-cover,” where they literally opened up the street, built the tunnel walls, and then covered it all back up. For two years, Londoners had to dodge construction pits and exploding rock. The road traffic was diverted into temporary wooden viaducts, which made an already congested city look like a circus. But somehow, they finished on time. Because Victorians didn’t believe in excuses.

The First Day: A Triumph of Chaos

Opening day was a madhouse. Over 30,000 people showed up to ride the train, even though the system could only carry about 12,000 per day. Tickets sold out in hours, and people were crammed into the wooden carriages like sardines in a tin. The steam locomotives, built by companies like Beyer, Peacock & Company, had to work hard to pull all that weight. And here’s the kicker: the tunnels were still being ventilated through openings in the street, so smoke and soot poured into the stations. Passengers described it as “a journey through a coal mine with a sulfurous aftertaste.”

But people loved it. The novelty of traveling underground was irresistible. They called it the “sewer railway” and the “tunnel to nowhere,” but they still lined up to buy first-class tickets for a shilling (about £5 today). Why would anyone want to sit in a smoky, dark hole? Because it was faster than a horse-drawn carriage, and it made you feel like you were part of the future. And isn’t that the same reason we still ride the Tube today, even when it’s 30°C and someone’s backpack is in your face?

What Made It So Special?

The Metropolitan Railway wasn’t just the first underground line; it was a proof of concept. It proved that you could build a railway under a city without collapsing the streets above. It used steam locomotives that were specially designed to emit less smoke (though they still failed at that). And it had first, second, and third class carriages, because naturally, even in a hole in the ground, the British wanted a class system. The line was so successful that within a year, it carried nearly 10 million passengers. That’s more than the population of London at the time!

The original route didn’t just serve London; it changed the way cities thought about transport. Paris, New York, and Budapest all copied the idea within a few decades. But the original line had a quirk: it was operated by both the Metropolitan Railway and the competing Metropolitan District Railway (which later became the District line). They hated each other, but they had to share tracks because the tunnel was too narrow for two separate lines. Imagine two rivals forced to share a single toilet—that was the early Underground.

The Ghost of Steam: What You’d Smell

Let’s talk about the experience. No electric lights, no air conditioning, no tube map with a neat little central line. The carriages were lit by gas lamps that flickered and hissed. The windows had to be kept shut to keep out the smoke, but people soon realized that was a terrible idea. Passengers would arrive at Farringdon looking like they’d crawled out of a chimney. The railway had to install wooden slats in the ceilings to let some air in, but it was still like breathing in a fireplace. Yet, they wore their best clothes—top hats, crinolines, the works. Fashion over function, even in a steam tunnel.

There’s also a wonderful bit of trivia: the original tickets were made of paper, not card. They were so thin that people could forge them by hand. The railway quickly switched to thicker “Edmondson” tickets (the ones collectors love today). And the first train driver was named Thomas Edmondson—no relation to the ticket guy, but what are the odds?

Why This Still Matters

Today, the Metropolitan line is still there, stretching all the way to Amersham and Chesham. It’s the oldest, the weirdest, and the most neglected of the Tube lines. But when you ride it from Paddington to Farringdon, you’re following the exact same route those first 30,000 passengers took. The curves are the same, the stations are the same (mostly), and the tunnels are the same. The only difference is the lack of steam, the presence of Wi-Fi, and the absence of top hats. Well, mostly absent.

So next time you’re stuck on the Metropolitan line, delayed because of “signal failure,” remember: you’re riding history. You’re in a steam-powered idea that changed the world, one smoky, dark, cramped ride at a time. And if you ever complain about the heat, just imagine doing it in a wool suit and a top hat, while a steam train burps soot in your face. Suddenly, that 2-minute delay doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

Oh, and one more thing: the first London Underground line was officially called the Metropolitan Railway, but it was nicknamed “The Sewer.” I’ll let you decide which name is better.