World’s first subway marks 150th anniversary in London

London, United Kingdom (4E) – London Underground, the world’s first underground railway, on Wednesday turned 150-years-old.

On January 9, 1863, London Underground, formerly known as the Metropolitan Railway, launched its first-ever track and a day later it was opened to passengers travelling between Paddington and Farringdon.

With more than four million passengers a day, the 402-kilometre network now suffers delays and frequent breakdowns, still it remains “the best, and most iconic, underground system in the world,” London mayor Boris Johnson said.

It is vital to London’s functioning as a global city. In 2011-12, it made a record of 1.171 billion passenger journeys.

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