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"First Underground Railway" Question

Posted by New Flyer #857 on Fri Sep 5 12:16:25 2025

Transport for London's website states:

"London Underground's history dates back to 1863 when the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, opened between Paddington and Farringdon, serving six intermediate stations."

Would it be safe to say that this claim can be made primarily because there are underground stations involved?

The Cobble Hill tunnel (under Atlantic Ave) in Brooklyn and the Mount Prospect tunnel (under Park Ave) in Manhattan date back to the 1830s/40s, but as far as I can tell nobody was boarding/alighting underground until the Metropolitan Railway started. Still, these tunnels were both built for and used for railways, before 1863.

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(1643629)

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Re: ''First Underground Railway'' Question

Posted by terRAPIN station on Sun Sep 7 20:46:59 2025, in response to "First Underground Railway" Question, posted by New Flyer #857 on Fri Sep 5 12:16:25 2025.

I’d say yes.

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Re: ''First Underground Railway'' Question

Posted by New Flyer #857 on Mon Sep 22 07:20:21 2025, in response to Re: ''First Underground Railway'' Question, posted by terRAPIN station on Sun Sep 7 20:46:59 2025.

Thanks. Upon reading further it seems that at least the Cobble Hill Tunnel and also the Murray Hill Tunnel were originally open cut (for years), so perhaps the London railway was the first ever purpose-built tunnel? It all depends on whether those open cuts were always planned to become tunnels or if the tunneling was an afterthought.

The Mount Prospect tunnel I mentioned in the OP seems to have been used for streetcars first, only being an actual heavy-rail tunnel well after both Cobble Hill and Murray Hill, "so it's up to one's own discretion if that counts or not.

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