HomeHeritageSteam Returns to London Underground
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Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the London Underground and steam trips are planned to celebrate the anniversary.

The first journey took place between Paddington and Farringdon on the Metropolitan Railway. This will be recreated on Sunday 13 January 2013, with a series of specially restored trains including the Metropolitan Steam Locomotive No.1 and the Metropolitan Railway Jubilee Carriage No 353.

A fundraising campaign to secure £250,000 to restore Met Locomotive No. 1 has been launched by London Transport Museum. Donations will help bring the historic vehicle back to the London Underground to mark the 150th anniversary of the world’s first underground railway.

The Met Locomotive No. 1 was built in 1898 and headed the opening train on the Uxbridge branch of the Metropolitan line in July 1904.The original Underground line was built and financed by the Metropolitan Railway, a private company which had been formed in 1854 to undertake the ground-breaking project to link the mainline stations at Paddington, Euston and King’s Cross with the city centre business district to the east.

On 10 January 1863 the first underground train pulled out of Paddington station to make its first public passenger journey. The train made the 3½-mile journey under the streets of London from Paddington to Farringdon.

To mark this occasion, LU – working in partnership with the London Transport Museum – will be organising a wide range of events during the rest of this year and throughout 2013. Two new two-pound coins issued by the Royal Mint will go into circulation in 2013.

TfL plans a commemorative Oyster card and there will be live drama at the disused Aldwych station.

Says London Underground’s managing director, Mike Brown, ‘London Underground has always played a hugely important role in the success of our city, from the growth of the early network which led to the expansion of the suburbs in the last century, to the development of Canary Wharf’s financial powerhouse in the 80s, and on to today’s system which successfully moved record numbers of people during the Queen’s Jubilee and London 2012 Games.

As we mark the 150th anniversary of the world’s first underground railway with a range of wonderful events, we are also building for the future – transforming stations and replacing trains, signals and track to create a truly 21st century network able to maintain London’s vital role in the UK economy.’

 

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