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The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever Paperback – February 1, 2021

by Christian Wolmar (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 291 ratings
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Since the Victorian era, London's Underground has played a vital role in the daily life of generations of Londoners. In The Subterranean Railway, Christian Wolmar celebrates the vision and determination of the 19th-century pioneers who made the world's first, and still the largest, underground passenger railway: one of the most impressive engineering achievements in history. From the early days of steam to electrification, via the Underground's contribution to 20th-century industrial design and its role during two world wars, the story comes right up to the present with its sleek, driverless trains and the wrangles over the future of the system. The Subterranean Railway reveals London's hidden wonder in all its glory and shows how the railway beneath the streets helped create the city we know today. This new edition has been updated with a chapter on Crossrail. 
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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Atlantic Books
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 1.2 x 7.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1786498642
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1786498649
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster, principally on transport matters. His previous books include Fire and Steam, Blood, Iron and Gold, and Engines of War.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atlantic Books; Revised, Updated edition (February 1, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1786498642
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1786498649
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.2 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 291 ratings

About the author

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Christian Wolmar

Christian Wolmar

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Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster, principally on transport matters. He writes regularly for a wide variety of publications including the Independent, Evening Standard and Rail magazine, and appears frequently on TV and radio as a commentator. His previous books include the widely-acclaimed The Subterranean Railway, a history of the London underground and Fire and Steam, a history of how the railways transformed Britain.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
291 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Valiant S. Vetter
5.0 out of 5 stars Very in-depth and detailed book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
A great book. VERY detailed. A very thorough and in-depth of the long history of the London UndergrounD.

It was especially fun to learn of the US connection in the early years of the system that were critical to it's being built at all.

Highly recommend!
One person found this helpful
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Chris Thatcher
4.0 out of 5 stars For those who need to know!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
If you like this sort of stuff, read this.
I love the Underground and this was a "must read" for me.
I appreciate not everyone like this sort of stuff - not a thriller but a well-constructed history with lovely anecdotes.
2 people found this helpful
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michael Jowett
5.0 out of 5 stars Who said you cant build a railway under a Victorian London?
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
Who said you cant build a railway under a Victorian London?
English industrial revolution at its finest
Unknown technology, learn as you go, and innovation. The greatest challenge in London's history.
The British equivalent to the Transpacific railway in the States. Not as long granted but with an equivalent effect on the society of London and England as a whole.
How they did it and what it took to get here stands for all time.
Its worth the train fare for this one.
3 people found this helpful
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Graeme Ing
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2019
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Excellent history of the underground. Absolutely fascinating read cover to cover. If you have any interest in underground railways and London in particular, this is your book.
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Peter Hughes
5.0 out of 5 stars Subterranean Railways
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2013
Verified Purchase
Yet another book By Christian Wolmar on the history of British railways, this time on the evolution of the 'Underground'.
It is another well researched and authoritative guide on British Rail transport. He leaves no stone unturned in his research of engineering and politics in the planning and development of what is today the first and one of the most complex underground rail systems in the world.
3 people found this helpful
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Robert F
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2015
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Very detailed history of the Tube.
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Ryan4Abba
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gift
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2013
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I purchased this for my grandson, at his request, and he was thrilled with the book. He has enjoyed it and was very happy to have received it. I was pleased with the purchase.
One person found this helpful
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Helix
5.0 out of 5 stars ... to London for the first time and he really liked it!
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
I bought it for a friend who is taking his family to London for the first time and he really liked it!
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Top reviews from other countries

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João F. R. Lanza
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and unprecedented book!
Reviewed in Brazil on November 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
Interesting book about a part of British rail network thar works and has a completely separated history from traditional railways - which is also true for most metros around the world. Simple and complete, with a lot of details about the development of the Underground by several private operators, something that today looks far fetched as most metros are now public and run as urbna mobility tools and not for profit conventional railways.
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Fraser J. Pakes
5.0 out of 5 stars All you need to know about London's tube and underground systems.
Reviewed in Canada on February 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
Although first written in the early 2000s the author has brought it up to recent times which is important because of the new huge Crossrail development.
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Richard Barber
5.0 out of 5 stars A well researched labour of love
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
I confess I was worried. The London Underground is a remarkable and wondrous beast, with which I have long been fascinated. It is rife with history and folklore. Could a book on the subject ever do justice to this creation?
In short, yes. Despite a slightly strange hurry in the final couple of chapters, this is a well written, honest and opinionated telling of the life the London Underground.
I loved it.
2 people found this helpful
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Lionel Walters
4.0 out of 5 stars London's Transport development from the 19th to the 21st century
Reviewed in Germany on March 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
A very interesting well researched book about the development of London through its transport system. The original ideas for underground railways. How they got built and the effect on the city's development
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いるちゃん
5.0 out of 5 stars なかなか興味深い世界初の地下鉄の歴史
Reviewed in Japan on July 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
ロンドンはご存じの通り，世界初の地下鉄として知られています。もちろん，まだ電気の技術が未確立の時代だったので，蒸気機関車による客車列車として開業したのもよく知られているとおりです。開業は1863年で文久3年のことです。明治維新より前に，地下鉄が開業していたことに驚かされます。

もちろん，機関車は普通の蒸気機関車では煙が充満して大変なので，水槽をもうけ，そこにシリンダの排気をくぐらせて水蒸気だけでも除去しようとしたり，努力が感じられます。また，トンネル自体，完全にフタをせず，所々明かり区間を設けたり，駅にも屋根を設けず，半地下式みたいな駅になっています。

しかしながら，工法は現在でも日本の地下鉄では普通に用いられている開削工法によるもので，建設費が膨大なことに加え，工事中日常の道路交通を寸断することも問題でした。

そこで，チューブと呼ばれるシールド工法による深度地下鉄が建設されます。こうなると完全な密閉式のトンネルとなるため，電気式鉄道として検討されます。

こうして開業したのが1890年開業のシティ･アンド･サウス･ロンドン鉄道です。もちろん，世界初で，ロンドンは最初の電気式地下鉄でもありました。

技術としても未開拓の地下鉄，電気式運転の開始，シールド工法の利用など，ロンドンの地下鉄は世界でも最先端の技術で造られました。こういった歴史の通史として，本書はとてもおもしろく，なかなか興味深い本でした。

ほかの評者が手に入りにくい，と書いておられますが，マーケットプレイスで簡単に新書が手に入りました。
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