The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-25
NEW LONDON SUBWAY.
Great Rapid Transit scheme Now
Being Developed.

!
Being Developed.
There is NOW in process of development
| a rapid-transit scheme which, If it is car
ried out. should revolutionize the present
| congested conditions of many of Lon
| don's principal thoroughfares.
Briefly, the proposal is to construct d
shallow underground tramway-the trans
| of course to be propelled by electricity
| from Westminster, up Parliament Street
through the Strand. Fleet Street. Cheap
| side, and past the Bank of England to
| the London County Councils tramway
terminus at Moorgate.
| The father of the scheme is ]. A.
Baker, a prominent member of the Lon
| don County Council and for several years
chairman of the highways 0ramways)
committee Mr. Baker interviewed by a
| Daily Mall representative, willingly
consented to go into details.
I'VE are sending he said. our tram
| ways manager and our electrical engineer
to Hungary and America to study the
system of underground tramways at first
hand. They go as the accredited repre-
sentatives of the council. and when they
return and hand in their report We shall
be able to say approximately what We in
tend doing in the matter"
There were however, Mr.. Baker went
on to point out, many obvious advantages
attaching TO the scheme as a whole, leav-
ing details OF construction and working
temporarily out of the question. One was
of course, the rapidity with which this
particular kind of subterranean transit
could be operated. AT present a journey
by bus from Westminster to Moorgate
Street occupies from thirty to thirty-five
minutes, even under favorable circum-
stances. The underground electrically
propelled tram would cover the same dis
lance in less than half the time. Nor
would it be necessary for passengers. in
order to reach the cars, TO take long
journey by lift down into the bowels OF
the earth. a dive into a sort of ornamen-
tai kiosk conveniently situated at the
edge CT the roadway, a trip down a dozen
steps and-there you are. The top of the
tunnel through which the trains would
travel would be only about two feet be-
low the level of the roadway, and the
said tunnel, in addition to its primary and
principal use. would also serve as a sort of
conduit, through which would be carried
the whole system of gas and water mains,
electric underground wires, and pipes of
every description.
There would thus be an end, at once
and forever, to the eternal tearing-up and
relaying of the thoroughfares affected, a
nuisance dating back-so far, at all
events. the Strand is conference.-the the
early part of 1890. OF course mains and
pipes of all kinds would have to be taken
up and relaid. Some would have to be
diverted. Others would be abandoned,
and an entirely new system constructed.
This part of the work would probably be
very difficult and expensive, but in the
end 1t would pay.
The first step in the building OF the
tramways would be the excavation of
vast trench sixteen to eighteen feet deep
throughout the entire length and width
of each street. the whole of the wheeled
traffic being meanwhile necessarily di-
verted TO the side streets. But after this
great cataclysm, there would ensue an
era of eternal calm. 1t would never be
necessary To open the streets again.
As has previously been intimated. the
details of the scheme have yet to be for
mulated: but enough is known of similar
systems already in operation in Budapest,
Boston, New York. and elsewhere, to in
dicate the main lines upon which Lon
dons must of necessity be carried out
Surprising the scheme is finally approved
by all the authorities concerned the initial
stage will be the cutting of the trench
alluded to above and which will, of noces-
sity, in our comparatively narrow streets.
extend in width from pavement to pave
ment. This may. and probably will, be
done in sections. SO as to dislocate the
traffic as little as possible. Then will fol-
low the process of roofing in" Steel
Orders laid transversely will form the top
Of min
either end by perpendicular pillars of like
construction and of similar material The
Orders will carry layer 1.-TWO feet thick
of solid concrete, and this will form the
new roadway, over which buses and cabs
Out not so many. it is hoped) will travel
as now, while underneath the cars will
whirl either way every two or three min
utes. The cost of such an innovation
must naturally be considerable, more es-
pecially in the Strand and in the city,
where many old cellars run underneath
what is now the roadway. These, of
course, would have to be negotiated for
and acquired.
For the rest. II may be mentioned that
there viii be absolutely none of the
gloominess usually associated with I'M
foreground lines; the interior of the sta
lions viii be lined with white enameied
bricks and illuminated throughout by
electricity. while the cars will be COM
tastefully upholstered and we'll
lighted. 1t is probable that the third
rail system of supply will be used. as
permitting Of n lower pitched tunnel than
the overhead trolley system. Finally, 1t
should be stated that the proposed line |
from Westminster to Moorgaic Is in the |
nature of an experimental one Should it
prove to be the success its projectors
hope and desire, then similar lines will
be carried underneath Piccadily, the new
thoroughfare and 9TH |
er streets wherein the construction of sur
face tramways would be undesirable or
impracticable. The benefits OF the sys-
tenn In such n huge city as London are
obvious LAUNDERING. crawling buses
with the tiresome stops at all the prin-
cipal crossings where the traffic is reg
ulated, will be things of the past The
trans will glide smoothly and quickly,
passengers from point to point
without any annoying waits. In connec-
ton with the surface tramway lines. peo-
pie living in the suburbs will be able to
reach their places OF business in even
quicker time than by train when the walk
to and from the station is taken into con-
sideration; and not only will time be saw
ed. but 1t is expected that the new mode
OF travelling will be considerably cheaper
than the railway-Iondon Mail