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London Underground facts

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London Underground facts

London Underground facts

  • The oldest part of the Tube is on the Hammersmith and City line. Opened in 1863 as the "Metropolitan Railway", the section that connects Paddington and Farringdon was not just London's but the world's first underground train service.

  • In a twist worthy of a horror film, a new species of mosquito has evolved in the dank, closed-off world of the Tube. Descended from bird-biting mosquitoes that colonised the tunnels when they were being dug, these bugs dine on rats, mice and humans – and have evolved as rapidly in a century as most animals do in thousands of years.

  • In March 2001 a "fresh, watery, floral" fragrance called "Madeleine" was introduced at a number of stations in a touching attempt to make the Underground a pleasanter place to be. It was taken out of action the very next day as people reported feeling sick.

  • If you think the Tube can be uncomfortable today, spare a thought for the Victorians who travelled in the first trains. These original, cramped carriages had tiny slits for windows and were popularly (or unpopularly) known as "padded cells".

  • Terrorist bombings on the London Underground aren't a recent phenomenon. Back in 1897 a bomb exploded on a train at Aldersgate (now Barbican) station, killing one and injury many more. It's thought the culprits were militant anarchists who were active throughout Europe during that period.

  • Many Tube stations were used as air-raid shelters during World War Two, but the Central Line went one better and was actually converted into a massive factory. Stretching for over two miles, the underground factory made aircraft parts and had its own railway system. Its existence remained an official secret until as recently as the 1980s.

  • You're never alone at Aldgate station. It's built on one of the biggest plague pits from 1665, where more than 1,000 bodies were buried in the space of two weeks.
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