ESOL level 2 presentation, Croydon College

1. London Underground
history and curiosity about a hidden megastructure

2. Summary
● Features
● History and techical challenges
first underground train opened 147 years ago
● Technology
built near historical building without damaging them
● Curiosity
why only north of the river ?
why is it closed during the night ?

3. Features
● The world's longest metro system
● About 3 million riders a day
● 270 stations
● 11 lines
● 400 km

4. History (1)
● 1850: London too crowded
● Charles Pearson: train underground
● 1860-1863: Metropolitan railway (2,5 miles)
- a bold project (no previous experience)
- trains with steam engines
- tunnels digged from the ground: huge traffic disruption

5. The dummy house
Leinster Garden

6. History (2)
● 1900: electric trains from Germany
● Battersea power station
steam turbines, large amount energy
Financed by Charles Yerkes (Chicago)
● 4 binaries trains

7. History (3)
● Other lines needed
● Without traffic distruption
tunnel technique
● Water problems near the river
new technology with steam
● System very expensive
Network expanded out of central London,
into the suburbs.
House built near the stations
Central London attractive: cinema, circus,
entertainment, mass publicity

8. History(4)
● Network expanded
1868: Victoria
… Northern, Circle, Central...
1906: Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines. 1968: Victoria.1979: Jubillee line
● Used as refuge during the second World War
- August 40 - July41: 40000 bomb explosions
- underground life: sleeping on elevators, train with food, factories, ...
- security problems

9. Technology
● Most of the train lines built over 100 years ago
maintenance expensive
● Jubilee line
- enormous achivement
-built near historical building (lack foundations)
- 7000 electronic monitors placed
- near the river
- problems with gas, tube lines, etc...

10. Curiosity (1)
● Why the underground is mainly built north of the Thames ?
Clay
- solid
- easy to perforate
- impermeable to water
perfect for tunnels !
South North

11. Curiosity (2)
● Tube map
First version Second version (1931)
Double number of riders after few months

12. Curiosity (3)
● Found remains of a Roman house
(during London bridge station construction)
● Found rest of a monastery
(Stratford station construction)

13. End