Cambridge IELTS 17 Academic Reading Test 1

In the first half of the 19th century, London's population expanded at an unprecedented rate. Between 1800 and 1850, the number of inhabitants doubled from one million to over two million. The city's narrow streets, originally laid out in medieval times, were choked with horse-drawn omnibuses, cabs, and heavy freight wagons. Commuters commuting from new suburban districts into the financial City of London faced hours of daily gridlock.

The visionary behind the world's first subterranean railway was Charles Pearson, City Solicitor of London. As early as 1845, Pearson campaigned passionately for an underground railway that would link the main railway termini—specifically Paddington, Euston, and King's Cross—with the City at Farringdon. Pearson argued that an underground system would not only alleviate street congestion, but also enable working-class families living in squalid central slums to relocate to healthier suburban cottages.

Construction of the Metropolitan Railway commenced in 1860 using the 'cut-and-cover' engineering technique. A massive trench was excavated along existing thoroughfares like Euston Road, brick retaining walls and arched roofs were constructed, and the street surface was repaved above. Despite immense disruption, burst water mains, and gas leaks, the 3.75-mile line opened to the public on January 10, 1863.

On opening day, over thirty thousand passengers flocked to ride the steam-powered underground trains. Despite complaints regarding sulfurous smoke and steam fumes trapped in tunnels, the railway was an instantaneous commercial triumph, carrying over nine million passengers in its first twelve months of operation. Subsequent expansions across London created the world's most extensive rapid transit network.