Passenger Transport - 12/13/2013 2013: THE YEAR IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Public Transit Milestones in 2013: Month by Month: Landmark Anniversaries, Ground Breakings, Assistance in Emergencies Here’s an overview of key milestones observed in 2013 by ­public transportation agencies and businesses, as they appeared in Passenger Transport. January DOT Secretary Ray LaHood visited Sacramento, CA, on Jan. 7 to present a $135 million Full Funding Grant Agreement to the Sacramento Regional Transit District to extend the agency’s light rail system. The London Underground (the Tube), the oldest subway operation in the world, celebrated the 150th anniversary of its opening on Jan. 9. The original service was called the Metropolitan Railway, operating between Paddington and Farringdon. Valley Metro in Phoenix broke ground Jan. 12 for its Northwest Phoenix light rail extension. Service on the 3.2-mile line extension is scheduled to begin in late 2015 or early 2016. February On Feb.

1, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) kicked off a year of commemoration for the centennial of Grand Central Terminal. The terminal is the flagship home of both MTA and MTA Metro-North Railroad. The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, Chattanooga, TN, marked the 40th anniversary of its founding. March VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio, TX, introduced service on three battery-electric buses under the name “the Arc.” The electricity to operate the buses comes from either solar panels or turbines in West Texas wind farms. On March 22, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) broke ground for the Kays Crossing transit-oriented development in Layton, UT. The location is adjacent to a future FrontRunner commuter rail station. April MTA New York City Transit reopened a closed loop subway platform at its South Ferry Station in Lower Manhattan as renovation efforts continued on the main station, which sustained major flooding and salt water damage in Hurricane Sandy. Long Beach Transit, Long Beach, CA, held a customer appreciation event in honor of the system’s 50th anniversary. Seattle’s Sound Transit broke ground April 26 at the site of the future Angle Lake Station on the South 200th Link extension.

The new line will provide direct service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when it opens in 2016. The Capital Area Transit A­uthority, Harrisburg, PA, commemorated its 40th anniversary with a special event featuring funding partners and stakeholders. In Philadelphia, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) launched a year’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of its Route 101 Media Trolley Line. The Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company opened the line April 1, 1913, between Media, PA, and Philadelphia. May On May 3, the Cambria County Transit Authority, Johnstown, PA, broke ground for a new Operations, Maintenance, and Administration facility. The new building will replace a facility built in 1893, which is no longer sufficient for the agency’s bus operations. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) began construction on a streetcar project that will connect Union Station and Oak Cliff when it opens in late 2014. Kawasaki Rail Car, part of ­Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., marked its 25th anniversary as a permanent U.S. manufacturing facility. June New Flyer Industries Inc.

acquired North American Bus Industries Inc. from an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management L.P. Sun Metro, El Paso, TX, broke ground June 19 for the Sun Metro Brio, the region’s future Bus Rapid Transit system. July Heavy rains and flash flooding July 8 in the Toronto region led to service disruptions for GO Transit and the Toronto Transit Commission. The flooding stopped one GO Transit train carrying approximately 1,400 passengers. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority, operator of Metrolink commuter rail, broke ground for a new station near the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank on the Antelope Valley Line. St. Louis Metro celebrated the 20th birthday of MetroLink light rail on July 31. On that date in 1993, the agency opened the first 14 miles of light rail. The Metro Gold Line light rail line operated by Los Angeles Metro commemorated its 10th anniversary in ceremonies July 26 at the Del Mar Station in Pasadena. August On Aug. 13, DART marked the 30th anniversary of the vote that authorized its creation. The agency began ­providing service in January 1984.

Sound Transit kicked off the 10-year anniversary of the opening of Tacoma Link light rail—Aug. 22, 2003—with a contest inviting passengers to name their favorite destination along the line. DART and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority initiated express bus service between downtown Arlington, TX, and the Trinity Railway Express commuter rail station in Fort Worth on Aug. 19. Arlington has been among the largest U.S. metropolitan areas not served by public transportation. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) broke ground Aug. 29 for the new ­Cermak Green Line Station, a $50 million construction project that will provide additional service to the ­McCormick Place convention center and the Near South Side. September Denver’s Regional Transportation District provided evacuation services for residents of Boulder, CO, affected by flooding on Sept. 12. UTA also provided vanpool vehicles for local emergency responders to use. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority broke ground Sept. 13 for the West Shore Express Bus Rapid Transit line. October CTA reopened the Red Line South Oct. 17 following a five-month shutdown of service to renovate and modernize the rail line. New York MTA broke ground Oct.

18 for the first new MTA Staten Island Railway station since the MTA took over the rail line in 1971. The new Arthur Kill Station will replace the existing Atlantic and Nassau stations. On Oct. 23, MTA Long Island Rail Road commemorated the centennial of its Jamaica Station with rededication ceremonies. Ten of the railroad’s 11 branches serve the station. November SEPTA marked the reopening of the 102-year-old Bridgeport Viaduct with ceremonies Nov. 18 at the agency’s ­Norristown Transportation Center. The viaduct was out of service for four months, during which SEPTA completed a bridge timber and replacement project on the bridge that carries the Norristown High Speed Line over the Schuylkill River. Voters approved seven of eight public transportation measures, bringing the total number of public transit-related measures that passed in 2013 to 11 of 15, for an overall success rate of 73 percent. Many of the 2013 voter initiatives were concentrated in smaller communities, indicating public transportation’s growing importance in these areas.

December Comprehensive, bipartisan transportation legislation enacted in Pennsylvania is projected to generate $2.3 billion a year for public transportation, highways, and bridges. The law eliminates the existing 12-cent gas tax, effective Jan. 1, 2014, and implements a new financing structure that involves uncapping the Oil Company Franchise Tax, a tax on oil companies based on the wholesale price of gas, in a millage adjustment. It also makes other changes in vehicle and driver’s license fees. General managers of public transit agencies in major U.S. cities noted the competitive edge the hotels in their cities achieve through direct rail access to an airport terminal—confirming the results of a recent APTA report. For example, CTA President Forrest Claypool called public transit “a cornerstone” of the city’s hotel industry. London Underground 150th anniversary marked with Royal Mail stamps | Metro News Metro News Reporter for Metro.co.uk Wednesday 9 Jan 2013 12:01 am London Underground’s anniversary is being marked with a set of stamps (Picture: Royal Mail/PA) A ‘hidden treasure’ that’s served London for 150 years, is being celebrated on a set of stamps.

Showing the London Underground from its formative days as a steam locomotive on the Metropolitan Line, in 1863, to the opening of the Canary Wharf station in 1999, the ten stamps go on sale today. Royal Mail commissioned the set for the Tube’s 150th anniversary. The stamps also pay tribute to art on the Underground (Picture: Royal Mail/PA) Andrew Hammond, of Royal Mail, said: ‘After a year where images of London were beamed around the world, showing this great city in all its glory and splendour, it’s quite fitting that we should begin 2013 celebrating one of London’s hidden treasures. ‘The breadth and scale of the London Underground is a wonder to behold.

These beautifully designed stamps pay tribute to one of London’s greatest and most iconic assets, one that has served it so well for over 150 years, and will continue to do so for many more years to come.’ London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, added: ‘These wonderful memorial stamps marking 150 years of service are a fitting celebration of London Underground’s rich heritage and its iconic place in our city’s life.’ AY_100568509.jpg London Underground turns 150 LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Commuters make their way down the escalators at Brixton Underground station on March 5, 2012 in London, England. London's underground rail system, commonly called the tube, is the oldest of its kind in the world dating back to 1890. It carries approximately a quarter of a million people around its network every day along its 249 miles of track and 270 stations. The network has undergone several years of upgrade work and refurbishment in preparation for the Olympic Games which take place this summer. During this time the tube is expected to carry millions of visitors to and from the Olympic Parks.

(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) FILE – On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. FILE - On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 13: Photograph of contractorøs officials posed in a cutting in a street with demolished houses, with a stationary steam engine powering machinery in the background. The Metropolitan Railway opened the worldøs first underground railway on 10 January 1863, it was built to link London's three main railway stations, Paddington, Euston and Kingøs Cross. Construction caused great disruption in Londonøs streets and was built using the 'Cut and Cover' method. Houses were demolished and the track was laid in huge cuttings lined with brickwork. They were then roofed over and the streets rebuilt. The photograph is one of a series commissioned by the engineer who designed the railway, Sir John Fowler.

(Photo by SSPL/Getty Images) FILE – On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. FILE - On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 30: One of a series of photographs by Henry Flather showing the construction, undertaken between 1866 and 1870, of the Metropolitan District Railway's (MDR) underground lines between Paddington and Blackfriars via Kensington. The line laid by the MDR from the 1860s onwards was designed to provide a rail connection for travellers between Londonøs mainline railway terminals, situated in a ring around the city centre. It now forms part of the existing District and Circle Lines on the London Underground. The construction work, utilising the 'cut and cover' technique, caused much disruption to London neighbourhoods.

This view shows workers on the arched roofs of the twin tunnels, each containing a double line, on the Cromwell Road section of the line. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images) FILE – On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. FILE - On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. A Transport for London Oyster Card is pictured in London, on July 21, 2008. Details of how to copy the Oyster cards can now be published, a Dutch judge has ruled. The decision overturns an injunction to suppress the information won by NXP - makers of the travel smartcards used in London and many other cities. The injunction was sought in June 2008 after Dutch researchers demonstrated how to copy cards and travel free on the London Underground.

AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal FILE – On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. FILE - On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. A Heathrow-bound Piccadilly line underground train stands stationary at Northfields station in west London 28 August 2003 as a major power failure in parts of London put rail networks out of action during rush hour. London Mayor Ken Livingstone ruled out terrorism as cause for the powercut that caused travel chaos for up to 500,000 people. Electricity was restored to most of the British capital within hours. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images Paul Dadge (R), 28, helps Davinia Turrell, 24, to safety at Edgware Road station following a series of explosions which ripped through London’s underground tube network on July 7, 2005 in London, England.

Blasts have been reported on the underground network and buses across the capital. Paul Dadge (R), 28, helps Davinia Turrell, 24, to safety at Edgware Road station following a series of explosions which ripped through London's underground tube network on July 7, 2005 in London, England. Blasts have been reported on the underground network and buses across the capital. LONDON - JULY 7: Paul Dadge (R), 28, helps Davinia Turrell, 24, to safety at Edgware Road station following a series of explosions which ripped through London's underground tube network on July 7, 2005 in London, England. Blasts have been reported on the underground network and buses across the capital. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Emergency services are seen outside the main line station at Kings Cross following an explosion which has ripped through London’s tube network on July 7, 2005 in London, England. Blasts have been reported on the underground network and double decker buses in the capital.

Emergency services are seen outside the main line station at Kings Cross following an explosion which has ripped through London's tube network on July 7, 2005 in London, England. Blasts have been reported on the underground network and double decker buses in the capital. LONDON- JULY 7: Emergency services are seen outside the main line station at Kings Cross following an explosion which has ripped through London's tube network on July 7, 2005 in London, England. Blasts have been reported on the underground network and double decker buses in the capital. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) In pouring rain, city commuters crowd into Oxford Circus underground station in London’s west end shopping district, May 2001. In pouring rain, city commuters crowd into Oxford Circus underground station in London's west end shopping district, May 2001. In pouring rain, city commuters crowd into Oxford Circus underground station in London's west end shopping district, May 2001.

(Photo by Tom Stoddart/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 04: Commuters walk across London Bridge during morning rush hour on October 4, 2010 in London, England. London Underground workers are staging a 24 hour walk out over concerns at plans to cut jobs, causing large disruption to the capitals transport network. LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Commuters walk across London Bridge during morning rush hour on October 4, 2010 in London, England. London Underground workers are staging a 24 hour walk out over concerns at plans to cut jobs, causing large disruption to the capitals transport network. LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Commuters walk across London Bridge during morning rush hour on October 4, 2010 in London, England. London Underground workers are staging a 24 hour walk out over concerns at plans to cut jobs, causing large disruption to the capitals transport network. (Photo by Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images) 5th December 1940: Sheltering from air raids at Bound’s Green Underground station, London.

5th December 1940: Sheltering from air raids at Bound's Green Underground station, London. 5th December 1940: Sheltering from air raids at Bound's Green Underground station, London. (Photo by M. McNeill/Fox Photos/Getty Images) LONDON – NOVEMBER 18: Maintenance workers tidy up after welding track joints in a tunnel on the Victoria line Underground railway on November 18, 2008 in London. Four million passengers use London Underground daily. 268 stations are served by the famous ‘Tube’ trains on 400 KM of track. The world’s oldest underground railway is currently undergoing a multi billion pound investment programme to upgrade the track, signals and stations. LONDON - NOVEMBER 18: Maintenance workers tidy up after welding track joints in a tunnel on the Victoria line Underground railway on November 18, 2008 in London. Four million passengers use London Underground daily. 268 stations are served by the famous 'Tube' trains on 400 KM of track. The world's oldest underground railway is currently undergoing a multi billion pound investment programme to upgrade the track, signals and stations.

(Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) circa 1920: Interior of an all-steel London underground train. circa 1920: Interior of an all-steel London underground train. circa 1920: Interior of an all-steel London underground train. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) 1st May 1936: Six underground railway tunnels run under the Earl’s Court Exhibition building which is under construction near Earl’s Court Station, London. The new Exhibition building has been leased for the 1937 British Industries Fair. 1st May 1936: Six underground railway tunnels run under the Earl's Court Exhibition building which is under construction near Earl's Court Station, London. The new Exhibition building has been leased for the 1937 British Industries Fair. .On 9th January 2013, the London Underground will celebrate 150 years since the first journey was made on the Metropolitan line, between Paddington and Farringdon stations. The London underground tube network now comprises of eleven lines connecting all areas of the capital and its surrounding suburbs, across six fare zones.

Recent technological improvements include the 2003 introduction of a contactless payment system, the oyster card, whilst the summer of 2012 saw wifi connectivity available in stations for the first time, to coincide with the London Olympic Games. 1st May 1936: Six underground railway tunnels run under the Earl's Court Exhibition building which is under construction near Earl's Court Station, London. The new Exhibition building has been leased for the 1937 British Industries Fair. (Photo by Harry Shepherd/Fox Photos/Getty Images) File photo dated 30/04/1979 of a London Transport official showing the Prince of Wales the controls in the driver’s car of a Jubilee Line train. File photo dated 30/04/1979 of a London Transport official showing the Prince of Wales the controls in the driver's car of a Jubilee Line train. File photo dated 30/04/1979 of a London Transport official showing the Prince of Wales the controls in the driver's car of a Jubilee Line train.

PA Wire File photo dated dated 16/03/01 of a London Underground train traveling past Ravenscourt Park tube station wearing it’s red nose in aid of Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day. File photo dated dated 16/03/01 of a London Underground train traveling past Ravenscourt Park tube station wearing it's red nose in aid of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day. File photo dated dated 16/03/01 of a London Underground train traveling past Ravenscourt Park tube station wearing it's red nose in aid of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day. Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA Wire London Underground London Underground map has remained relatively unchanged over the last 80 years (Picture: PA) Harry Beck's London Underground map has remained relatively unchanged over the last 80 years (Picture: PA) File photo dated 03/11/09 of Conservative leader David Cameron travelling by tube on the Underground to the O2 Arena in London. File photo dated 03/11/09 of Conservative leader David Cameron travelling by tube on the Underground to the O2 Arena in London.

File photo dated 03/11/09 of Conservative leader David Cameron travelling by tube on the Underground to the O2 Arena in London. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire File photo dated 10/10/1940 of a woman dispensing water from a watering can as Londoners take shelter in the London Underground during the Blitz. File photo dated 10/10/1940 of a woman dispensing water from a watering can as Londoners take shelter in the London Underground during the Blitz. File photo dated 10/10/1940 of a woman dispensing water from a watering can as Londoners take shelter in the London Underground during the Blitz. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday January 9, 2013. London Underground turns 150 today. The first stretch of the world-famous network opened on January 9 1863, with the first passenger journeys taking place the following day. London Underground is planning a series of events to celebrate the milestone year including a series of additional heritage rail trips using steam trains, two new two-pound coins and a set of 10 special stamps issued by Royal Mail.

See PA story TRANSPORT Underground. Photo credit should read: PA Wire File photo dated 01/03/1975 of the battered third coach of the disaster train pulled back from the tunnel entrance at Moorgate underground station. File photo dated 01/03/1975 of the battered third coach of the disaster train pulled back from the tunnel entrance at Moorgate underground station. File photo dated 01/03/1975 of the battered third coach of the disaster train pulled back from the tunnel entrance at Moorgate underground station. PA Wire File photo dated 22/09/08 of tributes to Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Underground Station, close to where he was shot dead. File photo dated 22/09/08 of tributes to Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Underground Station, close to where he was shot dead. File photo dated 22/09/08 of tributes to Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Underground Station, close to where he was shot dead.

Johnny Green/PA Wire File photo dated 19/11/1987 of the top of the fire-damaged escalators at King’s Cross underground station in London File photo dated 19/11/1987 of the top of the fire-damaged escalators at King's Cross underground station in London File photo dated 19/11/1987 of the top of the fire-damaged escalators at King's Cross underground station in London. : PA Wire File photo dated 14/12/1999 of former Prime Minister Tony Blair travelling on the Jubilee Line extension.jpg File photo dated 14/12/1999 of former Prime Minister Tony Blair travelling on the Jubilee Line extension File photo dated 14/12/1999 of former Prime Minister Tony Blair travelling on the Jubilee Line extension. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday January 9, 2013. London Underground turns 150 today. The first stretch of the world-famous network opened on January 9 1863, with the first passenger journeys taking place the following day.

London Underground is planning a series of events to celebrate the milestone year including a series of additional heritage rail trips using steam trains, two new two-pound coins and a set of 10 special stamps issued by Royal Mail. See PA story TRANSPORT Underground. Photo credit should read: PA Wire File photo dated 07/03/1969 of Queen Elizabeth II opening the Victoria Line File photo dated 07/03/1969 of Queen Elizabeth II opening the Victoria Line. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday January 9, 2013. London Underground turns 150 today. The first stretch of the world-famous network opened on January 9 1863, with the first passenger journeys taking place the following day. London Underground is planning a series of events to celebrate the milestone year including a series of additional heritage rail trips using steam trains, two new two-pound coins and a set of 10 special stamps issued by Royal Mail. See PA story TRANSPORT Underground. Photo credit should read: PA Wire File photo dated 25/01/03 of emergency services at Chancery Lane Underground Station in London after a tube train derailed.

File photo dated 25/01/03 of emergency services at Chancery Lane Underground Station in London after a tube train derailed. File photo dated 25/01/03 of emergency services at Chancery Lane Underground Station in London after a tube train derailed. : John Stillwell/PA Wire File photo dated 21/04/1955 of passengers on the London Underground. File photo dated 21/04/1955 of passengers on the London Underground. File photo dated 21/04/1955 of passengers on the London Underground. : PA Wire File photo dated 27/11/09 of Mayor of London Boris Johnson at the opening of the ticket hall at King’s Cross St Pancras Station, London. File photo dated 27/11/09 of Mayor of London Boris Johnson at the opening of the ticket hall at King's Cross St Pancras Station, London. File photo dated 27/11/09 of Mayor of London Boris Johnson at the opening of the ticket hall at King's Cross St Pancras Station, London.

: PA Wire File photo dated 13/09/1926 of Lord Ashfield handing over the silver key to Col. Moore Brabazon during the opening of the Northern line, London. File photo dated 13/09/1926 of Lord Ashfield handing over the silver key to Col. Moore Brabazon during the opening of the Northern line, London. File photo dated 13/09/1926 of Lord Ashfield handing over the silver key to Col. Moore Brabazon during the opening of the Northern line, London. : PA Wire AY_101064227.jpg File photo dated 24/07/12 of Torchbearer and London Underground employee John Light carrying the Olympic Flame onto an underground train at Wimbledon Station, London. London Underground turns 150 today. The first stretch of the world-famous network opened on January 9 1863, with the first passenger journeys taking place the following day.

London Underground is planning a series of events to celebrate the milestone year including a series of additional heritage rail trips using steam trains, two new two-pound coins and a set of 10 special stamps issued by Royal Mail. Gareth Fuller/PA Wire File photo dated 24/04/01 of London resident Jean Farrow, 36, one of the first directly recruited female drivers sitting at the front of a tube train at Hammersmith station. London Underground File photo dated 24/04/01 of London resident Jean Farrow, 36, one of the first directly recruited female drivers sitting at the front of a tube train at Hammersmith station. London Underground File photo dated 24/04/01 of London resident Jean Farrow, 36, one of the first directly recruited female drivers sitting at the front of a tube train at Hammersmith station. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday January 9, 2013. London Underground turns 150 today. The first stretch of the world-famous network opened on January 9 1863, with the first passenger journeys taking place the following day.

London Underground is planning a series of events to celebrate the milestone year including a series of additional heritage rail trips using steam trains, two new two-pound coins and a set of 10 special stamps issued by Royal Mail. See PA story TRANSPORT Underground. Photo credit should read: Johnny Green/PA Wire More Happy Birthday, London Underground | View from the Mirror View from the Mirror By View from the Mirror on January 9, 2013 January 10th 2013 is an extremely important date in the capital’s history, for it marks the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of the London Underground; the world’s oldest subway system. VIPs gaining on a sneak preview of the Metropolitan Railway. First opened to the public on the 10th January 1863 as the Metropolitan Railway, the pioneering line originally ran between Paddington and Farringdon; a distance of 3.75 miles. Although the original route and tunnels are still in use today (now occupied by trains running on the Circle, Hammersmith and City and of course the Metropolitan lines), passengers travelling on the Underground during its earliest days would have undergone a very different experience indeed.

Being the mid-19th century, trains were powered by steam and, despite a special engine design and the inclusion of regular ventilation shafts, clouds of choking smoke still swirled within the dingy tunnels. Open wagons rumbling through the world’s first underground railway… no need for air conditioning here! As with main-line services of the time, the carriages were designated into first, second and third class. The coaches themselves were wooden and lit by atmospheric gas-lamps; a health and safety nightmare by today’s standards. A steam engine at Baker Street station, carrying out a a trial run for 2013’s commemorative trip. (Image: The Daily Mirror) Some idea of how these pioneering locomotives would have appeared whilst in service can be seen in the following BBC clip: Carrying tens of thousands of passengers on the first day alone, the revolutionary underground railway proved popular with Londoners from the outset and has remained packed ever since. Rush hour at Baker Street… Victorian style. Being a totally new concept there were naturally one or two teething problems; the main ones being summed up in the Times just ten days after the Metropolitan Railway opened.

The main issue was clearly that of smoke which, despite the best efforts of the skilled railwaymen, still managed to accumulate and create discomfort. An early Metropolitan steam engine (image: Watchet Museum). Those who suffered most were the engine drivers, who complained of “pains in the head from working the trains”; an apparent result of the build-up of sulphurous fumes- a phenomenon which the early railway staff quickly nicknamed “choke-damp.” Chugging along… The junction represented here lies beneath Praed Street, Paddington. Porters and signalmen were also prone to feeling ill from smoke inhalation; so much so that in the first few days of service, several of these workers were “carried away insensible from the effect of noxious vapours.” However, the report also suggested that staff’s weakened state may have been caused by “exhaustion from long hours of work” and “that, owing to the pressure of traffic, the men had not really been able to leave for their meals.” Shame these early tube workers didn’t have Bob Crow around to fight their corner! * Just like today, the prospect of anti-social behaviour on the underground network was a concern in Victorian London.

On April 2nd 1863, when the Metropolitan line had been open barely three months, a letter appeared in the Times from an anonymous, “occasional traveller” who wished to bring to light the details of a rather humiliating situation which he’d experienced whilst using the new subterranean line. The passenger describes how, travelling between King’s Cross and Portland Road (now renamed Great Portland Street), he took a seat in a third-class carriage… “When a somewhat powerful man entered, and after pushing and showing by gestures he wished for my seat, remarked it was no matter to him, if I did not like to move he should sit on my knee which he accordingly did”!

Unable to summon help at King’s Cross, the commuter resigned himself to “nursing my amiable companion until we reached the Gower-Street station [now Euston Square]…I contrived after some difficulty to get out and immediately sought the guard.” Sadly, the poor victim of the unprovoked knee-sitting was unable to find anybody willing to help and, after much buck-passing, was eventually granted an audience with the stationmaster- who simply said by way of consolation, “That there were a number of persons continually travelling on the Metropolitan Railway for no other purpose than annoying the passengers.” Certainly something to bear in mind next time you find yourself on a crowded tube with rising blood pressure! The infuriated Times correspondent concluded that, “If such excuses as these are to be accepted for allowing insulting scoundrels, thieves, or persons guilty of any other crime to escape scot-free, the Metropolitan Railway is likely to become, instead of a great public benefit, a disgrace to the metropolis.“ 150 years on, I think we can safely say that the occasional traveller’s fears have been proved unfounded! Happy birthday, London Underground.

London Underground and RSPB launch 150 Homes for Nature to celebrate 150th anniversary of the Tube London Underground and RSPB launch 150 Homes for Nature to celebrate 150th anniversary of the Tube 18 December 2013 School children plant a wildlife area and hedgerow with London Underground. "This great LU and RSPB partnership allows us to share our skills, knowledge and resources to create a healthier, natural environment." Martyn Foster RSPB London Manager This great LU and RSPB partnership allows us to share our skills, knowledge and resources to create a healthier, natural environment. 150 Homes for Nature created across the Tube School children from east London created a 'home for nature' with London Underground (LU) and the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) charity earlier today by planting 150 trees, shrubs and wild flowers to create a wildlife area which will help provide a new habitat for wildlife in the Capital. This environmental project is part of London Underground's series of celebrations to mark its 150th year, and will see 150 Homes for Nature created across the network.

The hedgerow, which borders the railway embankment near Newbury Park Tube station on the Central line, will attract birds, small woodland animals and insects, as well as replace trees lost due to the severe storm damage at the start of November. Nature knows no boundaries - so the planting will be across the school and LU properties, linking the land belonging to the two organisations to give wildlife access to the green corridors of London's rail network. Other Homes for Nature will be added such as hedgehog homes, bird boxes and beetle hotels made from logs from old trees. As part of its commitment to making London a greener and better place to live, LU and the RSPB are working together to create 150 Homes for Nature on London Underground property. The wildlife nature area near Newbury Park is one of many which have been created or are underway on the Underground.

Others include: The first retrofitting of a green roof on a operational railway depot in the UK Redevelopment of two disused railway tunnels into bat habitats (with Haringey Council) Creation of wildlife areas at Lillie Bridge depot and Upminster train crew depot Installation of stag beetle loggeries, hedgehog homes, bird boxes, native wildflower seeding and bee hotels along LU's trackside environments LU manages around 4,000 hectares, or the equivalent of over 28 Hyde Parks, of land that it owns across the Tube network. The Tube is often thought of as a largely urban environment, yet it is home to a range of wildlife from a protected species of bat in disused train tunnels at Highgate, to reptiles on sunny south-facing rail embankments. Phil Hufton, Chief Operating Officer at London Underground, said: 'I'd like to thank the Oaks Park High School students and the RSPB for helping us with this fantastic environmental project to celebrate the 150th anniversary of London Underground. 'We want to ensure that the Tube is fit for future generations. The Underground system is not just about trains and stations but also covers acres of land above and below the city.

'Creating this nature area will attract and support wildlife, replace storm damaged trees and create a greener and more pleasant place to play in.' RSPB London Manager, Martyn Foster, said: 'We take it for granted that we can move around the Capital. Wildlife needs to do the same to find food and shelter. 'This great LU and RSPB partnership allows us to share our skills, knowledge and resources to create a healthier, natural environment. 'Londoners living alongside rail lines can easily copy this idea. Additionally, we're also creating a new outdoor learning area where Oaks Park students can gain firsthand experience of nature.' Ruth Gillard aged 12 from Oaks Park High School, Redbridge, said: 'I really did not know how many different animals and insects there were on the Tube. 'It's been great fun planting all these trees and hedgerow plants to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Tube.' Over the last 150 years the Tube has shaped London and will continue to do so in the future. The way LU cares for this valuable habitat on this busy transport system will enrich the lives of future generations of Londoners.

LU has worked with experts such as the RSPB, Natural England, the London Biodiversity Partnership and other local groups for a number of years to understand the best way to safeguard natural resources in a growing global city. Today's event is part of LU's continuing work which is guided by its Biodiversity Action Plan first published in 2007. The London underground at 150 - a birthday journey | UK news | The Guardian 150 years of the underground The London underground at 150 - a birthday journey To celebrate the London underground's 150th birthday, Stephen Moss takes a journey along the Central line – the longest, busiest, reddest tube line of them all Long journey ... the first underground line, between Paddington and Farringdon, opened on 10 January 1863. Photograph: Alamy Wednesday 9 January 2013 00.21 EST First published on Wednesday 9 January 2013 00.21 EST Share on Messenger Close Twenty years ago there would have been only one possible headline for this odyssey along the entire length of the Central line – "Look back in Ongar".

Or perhaps "Look forward in Ongar", since, as the eastern terminus of the line, that sleepy corner of Essex would have been the obvious place to start. But in 1994 Ongar station, underused and loss-making, was closed . "Look back in Epping" just doesn't sound the same, so dammit, I'm starting in Ongar anyway. The current incarnation of the Central line is 46 miles in length, but I'm doing the pre-1994 version. I'm going the extra six miles. Ongar's tube history has been largely written out. A steam train, operated by the Epping Ongar Railway, runs on the line now, carrying small children and whiskery steam enthusiasts. It was a railway for a century, a volunteer tells me, and only part of the tube from 1957-94, so the reversion is justified. But I reckon it's aesthetic, too. Everyone loves steam trains; who in their right mind gives a hoot about tube trains? When Ongar lost its tube, the locals were devastated.

"It was all part of the decline of the town," says the ticket seller, who is also a local councillor. "It used to be an important place in Essex, and had a school, a hospital, the railway. Gradually it all went, and it became a dormitory for London ." I take the steam train from Ongar's pretty station, with its real coal fire, to North Weald, which was also axed in 1994, passing the remnants of Blake Hall , which was closed in 1981 when it had the distinction of being the least used station on the London underground, with just six passengers a day. From North Weald I take the green-liveried heritage bus to Epping, where the Central line now begins. It is a large car park with a less imposing town attached, and I feel my look back in Ongar has been justified. Ongar ... formerly the eastern terminus of the Central line, where Moss's underground odyssey began. Photograph: Glenn Copus/Evening Standard From Epping I go just one stop – to Theydon Bois.

I've never been to Theydon Bois, but have always been captivated by the name, which suggests a Victorian actor-manager or a well-meaning but talentless amateur captain of the England cricket team c 1910. The initial impression is not good. "It's not much of a town, more a forest, really," says the friendly female attendant on the platform. The Station Arms has closed down, and there's a planning application for a block of flats pinned to the door. Further on, however, there are signs of life – a big, bright pub called the Bull, a bakery, butchers, barbers, a dry cleaners, an Indian restaurant – the Theydon Bois Balti House – and an upmarket cafe. Theydon Bois lives . From Theydon Bois, I ride the east London end of the Central line, with its curious loop around Hainault. Roding Valley (which has inherited Blake Hall's mantle as the least used station on the tube network), Chigwell, Fairlop, Barkingside, Gants Hill. How evocative are those names. Can I do this romantic journey justice?

The Central line is the biggest, busiest, fastest and reddest line on the underground, and this trainspotterish ticking off of its 49 stations (as well as its abandoned outposts) is our way of celebrating the tube's 150th birthday . It wasn't the first line – that honour belongs to the Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway in the world, which ran from Paddington to Farringdon and was opened on 10 January 1863. The Metropolitan Railway was, however, not really a "tube". It was constructed close to the surface using the so-called "cut-and-cover" technique, whereby a trench is dug for the railway and then roofed over, and was a conventional railway with carriages pulled by steam trains. The stations also resembled their above-ground cousins – look at the cathedral-like platform five at Baker Street, which has been restored to its Victorian glory. Tubes began life in the late 1860s, with a short-lived subway under the Thames along which a single carriage with up to 12 passengers was cable-hauled by two stationary steam engines.

That was followed in 1890 by the first electric tube line from the City to Stockwell and, four years later, by the Waterloo and City line. The Central line, which was originally called the Central London Railway and ran from Shepherd's Bush to Bank, was the third tube line, and proved an immediate success when it opened in the summer of 1900. "London, all agape, crowds to the twopenny tube," the Daily Mail reported in the week of its opening. It now costs £8.90 rather than tuppence for a go-anywhere ticket, but the crowds still congregate. Today, in its much-extended form, it remains central to London life, connecting the suburban north-west with the East End, bringing shoppers to Oxford Circus and tourists to Marble Arch, serving God at St Paul's and Mammon at Bank. Women and children shelter from German bombers in Bethnal Green tube station in 1943.

Photograph: Alamy The name Central line was formally adopted in 1937, at the same time as the line was being extended east and west as part of a London-wide integration and expansion programme, though many of the stations built in the late 1930s were not opened until after the second world war. For the duration of the war, those stations – especially in heavily bombed east London – served as air-raid shelters, and the tube tunnels became the sites of factories and warehouses. From 1942-45, armaments company Plessey had a factory producing aircraft components in the 2.5-mile twin tunnels between Leytonstone and Gants Hill. The Central line really has seen it all, and continues to be a touchstone of life in the capital. I stop briefly at Stratford, the shiny, energetic new face of east London, home of the Olympic park and Westfield shopping centre. I like Westfield – the brashness, the anthemic music, the ice rink where the struggles of the young to stay upright feel like a metaphor for life.

I also like the fact that across the road from Westfield the old 1970s Stratford Centre, with its poundshops and market stalls, is still going strong, a haven for elderly East Enders banging on about the war. Two eras side by side. Those elderly locals have good reason to obsess. The second world war had a profound effect on the East End, and on the Central line itself. A bomb hit Bank station in January 1941, killing 56 people , and on 3 March 1943, in the worst civilian disaster of the war, 173 people died at Bethnal Green station . They had been rushing to seek shelter after the air-raid sirens had sounded, when a woman fell at the bottom of the set of stairs that led down to the station from the street. Those behind fell on top of her, and in the panic that followed many were crushed or suffocated. According to John Day and John Reed's The Story of London's Underground , 146 of the 173 who died were women and children.

A plaque with the names of the dead was unveiled to mark the 50th anniversary of the disaster in 1993, and a more elaborate memorial is now being constructed by the Stairway to Heaven Trust . The first phase is complete, but there are posters next to the station entrance appealing for funds to complete it. This is a locally driven act of remembrance. For all the yuppification of the East End, many people have lived hereabouts all their lives and were children during the blitz. They lost friends and relatives in the disaster, and the collective memory is long. New face of the underground ... Stratford station entrance. Photograph: Alamy The Central line now moves out of the East End and into the heart of the West End. The most intriguing station in this middle section is one that no longer exists – British Museum , which was decommissioned in 1933. It used to stand at 133 High Holborn, now a branch of the Nationwide building society. The station was killed off by the proximity of Holborn, more popular because it was an interchange, and I'm pleased to see its supplanter at least has the grace to recognise its phantom existence.

A sign at the top of the escalator at Holborn shows the station's name as Holborn/British Museum. The station featured in the 1935 film Bulldog Jack, and is also reputed to be haunted by the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh whose screams can occasionally be heard echoing down the tunnels. Oxford Circus is the lynchpin of the Central line. At Ongar, they told me that during the battle to save their station from the cost-cutters they had commissioned a report by accountants Coopers & Lybrand which sought to prove that Oxford Circus was the least productive station on the line because, while it was a destination for thousands, no one bought tickets there. With such statistical sophistry, I can see why their campaign failed. Above ground, Oxford Circus teems. Everyone is selling something. Chuggers energetically chug in the rain; a woman from an eastern religious sect is offering an instant pathway to the Truth; the Topshop sale is peddling its own version of nirvana; a man next to one of the station's many exits is holding up large placards proclaiming a royal-inspired masonic conspiracy. All this hucksterism infects the Central line.

A young man playing the accordion gets on at Oxford Circus; "playing" overstates it – he is striking the keys tunelessly. A young woman with dyed red hair holds a paper cup out. Everyone ignores her. It is all depressingly half-hearted. They order these things better in Paris. The female driver gets wind of his performance, and tells him where to get off – Lancaster Gate, to be precise. Rush hour at Oxford Circus station entrance. Photograph: Alamy Further west, away from Oxford Circus's relentlessness, reposes Holland Park, the best preserved station on the line. The ticket office, with its skylight and green tiling, has a pleasingly antique feel entirely in keeping with the grand houses and sweeping avenues of this affluent part of west London. Here, men still wear overcoats with suede collars, gift shops sell silver shaving brushes for £45, and the local delicatessen stocks pink champagne truffles. Bethnal Green it isn't. The next stop, Shepherd's Bush, is less rarefied. Attempts have been made to beautify the green with pebbledashed walkways and the public loo has been converted into a nightclub, but all in vain. Some places never change.

There is an incongruous piece of public art at one end of the green – Goaloids, by Elliott Brook : two sculptures made from goalposts and erected last year to mark the site of the 1908 Olympic cup final in which Britain beat Denmark 2-0. The sculpture is behind a fence, because this corner of the green is a litter-strewn mudbath. Either it hasn't recovered from the 1908 match, or they've held a rock concert here recently. Shepherd's Bush station, though, is impressive – large, spacious and constructed with the grey steel slabs that give the Jubilee line its monumentalism. The station was rebuilt in 2008 to service the Westfield shopping centre next door – the eastern and western sections of the Central line are twinned in their devotion to Olympic sport and olympian shopping – but this Westfield has less zing than its younger cousin in Stratford. This is just high-end shopping rather than a complete life experience. London's energy now resides in the east. I feel obliged to get off at the next stop, too, to take a sympathetic look at White City, a place forever being abandoned.

The stadium built for the 1908 Olympics has been knocked down – so much for the Olympic legacy – and even the dogs who used to race there have been hounded out. White City has been the home of BBC TV for half a century, but it is now leaving too, and who knows what will happen to Television Centre. Thank goodness Wormwood Scrubs is staying. Central line trains run opposite the prison, travelling quickly as they pass, that characteristic high-pitched whine and the occasional toot on the horn reminding the inmates that everyone but them is escaping this unlovely glass-and-concrete world. End of the line ... West Ruislip tube station. Photograph: Alamy Leaving White City I can feel the lure of West Ruislip at the end of the line. What is it about Ruislip that makes it a national joke? The inherent comedy of the name, I suppose. Leslie Thomas's quintessentially 1970s novel Tropic of Ruislip, with its status- and sex-obsessed suburban couples, hasn't helped. The 70s was the era of sexual awakening and fondue parties, and Thomas's Ruislip came to epitomise it.

What will I discover when I finally get there? I go through the Actons, east, north and west; take the fork to Ealing Broadway for the sheer hell of it; and then set off on the final scenic leg – Hanger Lane, Perivale, Greenford, Northolt, mile after mile of 1930s semis and identikit warehouses. It is almost dark when I reach West Ruislip, and I'm exhausted. They say the man who is tired of the Central line is tired of life, but the walk from White City station to the Scrubs in a heavy squall has done for me. My spirits are not lifted by the immediate prospect as I leave the station. There is an off-licence, an Indian takeaway and the stop for buses to Uxbridge, all huddled together on a flyover. "Is there a town here?" I ask one of the natives. "Sort of," says the man. "Turn right at the crossroads at the bottom of the road, and you'll come to Ickenham." Ruislip, despite having three stations named after it – South Ruislip and Ruislip Gardens as well as West Ruislip – appears not to exist.

It is a music-hall joke; a literary conceit; a state of mind; a flyover in the middle of nowhere. How has Ruislip survived while poor Ongar, whose existence I can vouch for, was obliterated from the map? I should be filled with a sense of achievement at the end of my journey, yet I feel only emptiness. On the road to Ickenham I stop at a pub called the Soldiers Return for a red wine and a packet of Quavers. In Tropic of Ruislip, Thomas portrayed a world where "dreams were regularly dreamed, ambitions thwarted … love visited and sex sniffed around". I sense none of that sexual energy, that unquenchable lust, in the Soldiers Return, where the TV screens are showing the football results, the regulars are discussing what they got for Christmas, and the abiding question for me is whether the pub's name should have an apostrophe. The Chinese philosopher Laozi was right. "A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." To expect to find meaning at the end of the line is naive.

No doubt Odysseus experienced the same sense of anticlimax when he finally made it back to Ithaca from Troy, and he hadn't even had the consolation of visiting Theydon Bois. • This article was amended on 9 January 2013. The original referred to the Topshop sale pedalling, rather than peddling, its own version of nirvana. This has been corrected. Happy Anniversary London Tube — Hello!Lucky January 22, 2013 On January 9th the London Tube celebrated its 150th anniversary! As such an intricate structure with so many historical memories, we had to pay tribute somehow. The Tube logo is one of the main inspirations for our Love London invitation suite! We had to put our own touches on the design, but we love it's classic color palette and bold type. The Tube hasn't always been as widespread as it is today. This vintage Underground map shows some of the original railways. Penguin released a coffee table book in 2007 titled Transit Maps of the World . Below is a map showing all the cities that currently have or are planning to build an urban rail system. Pretty impressive!

Wouldn't it be nice to be connected to all these countries by train? Of course we're not the only ones feeling inspired by the London Tube. Other companies are paying tribute to the railways as well. 1210 Apparel created this Hip Hop Roots tee-shirt , connecting all the defining forces of hip-hop music into one crazy tube/tree. Congratulations to the London Tube! We wish you another 150 years of efficient journey through our second home. Royals head underground at Baker Street station - CNN.com Royals head underground at Baker Street station By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN Updated 7:53 AM ET, Wed March 20, 2013 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Photos: Queen catches the tube – Queen Elizabeth ll, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge make an official visit to Baker Street Underground Station on March 20 in London, England. Hide Caption 1 of 5 Photos: Oldest underground in the world – Baker Street Station shares the 150th anniversary of its opening on January 10, 2013 with the London Underground.

The 'Tube' is the oldest of its kind in the world and now carries approximately a quarter of a million people around its network of 249 miles of track every day. Hide Caption 2 of 5 Photos: The face of the Bakerloo line – Baker Street is famous for being the home of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, and his pipe smoking silhouette is present throughout the station. It was remodeled between 1911-13 to its present form as part of a comprehensive rebuilding project by the Metropolitan Railways. It was turned into the new company headquarters and flagship station, and quickly became known as the 'Gateway to Metroland'. Hide Caption 3 of 5 Photos: World's most famous detective – The station is covered in Sherlock Holmes themed tiles and it has become a popular photography spot for London tourists. Hide Caption 4 of 5 Photos: Home of Sherlock Holmes – Sherlock Holmes famously resided at 221B Baker Street. Outside the Marylebone Road exit of Baker Street station there is even a large statue of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles' fictitious detective.

Hide Caption London's "Tube" - world's first subway 150th anniversary - Trains Magazine - Trains News Wire, Railroad News, Railroad Industry News, Web Cams, and Forms London's Tube network was established 150 years ago this week. From its debut in 1863 to providing protection from Nazi bombs and now Oyster cards, ITV's Ria Chatterjee reports on how the world's first subway system has evolved. By Peter Jeary, Foreign Desk Editor, NBC News LONDON -- Unexplained delays, equipment failures and chronic rush-hour overcrowding are among the reasons Londoners have a love-hate relationship with their remarkable subway system, dubbed the Tube. But it was day of gratitude for commuters - and tourists - on Wednesday as the creaking London Underground celebrated its 150th birthday . It is a remarkable milestone for the network, carved from the hot clay beneath London’s streets and which survived the bombs of World War Two. Abraham Lincoln was President when the world’s first subterranean passenger service opened between Paddington and Farringdon on Jan. 9, 1863 .

Most of the original station building is still in use at Farringdon, where passengers on Wednesday reflected on the history of the Tube. “The old Circle Line carriages could do with being pensioned-off,” Dave Rodgers, 54, told NBC News. “Some of them look like they are 150 years old. Perhaps they are originals.” The privately funded network grew rapidly, adding new lines and stations as railway entrepreneurs – and tunneling engineers - found there were profits to be made by digging deep under London. By the time the New York subway opened in 1904, London had six underground lines and was on track to be powered entirely by electricity . By opening up London’s suburbs to fast, efficient mass transit, the Underground helped shape the way the city grew. New communities grew up around areas connected by the Tube -- as it became known by 1890 in honor of its increasingly deep and narrow tunnels. The network’s expansion at the turn of the 20th century linked the capital’s population with new opportunities for work and leisure .

A record 1.171 billion passenger journeys were made during the 2011-12 financial year, across a city-run network that now covers 249 miles and connects 270 stations on 12 lines – arteries through which London’s lifeblood flows.

Question: In January 2013, the London Underground rail system celebrated which anniversary?
Answer: 150th