{"id":27724,"date":"2018-10-01T10:31:03","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T08:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/?p=27724"},"modified":"2025-12-12T11:29:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T10:29:00","slug":"london-underground-was-built","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/","title":{"rendered":"How the London underground was built more than 150 years ago, and how it is built today"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\r\n{\r\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\r\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\r\n  \"mainEntity\": [{\r\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n    \"name\": \"When was London\u00b4s Underground inaugurated?\",\r\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n      \"text\": \"London\u2019s underground network is the oldest in the world: it was opened to the public in 1863, following three years of hugely difficult work, an impressive feat for the time. When 38,000 people climbed into the trains on that first day, some of the carriages didn\u2019t even have a roof, and they were still pulled by steam engines. This meant that the smoke was at times overwhelming, and gas lamps were still used for lighting in corridors and stations.\"\r\n    }\r\n  },{\r\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n    \"name\": \"What is the cut and cover method used to build the London\u00b4s underground network?\",\r\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n      \"text\": \"The building method used for many years was a so-called \u201ccut-and-cover\u201d system. It was easier to dig out a large open hole in the road, build the arch of the false tunnel with bricks, and then refill the hole with the dug-out material. As a result, the first underground lines were not very deep, something that tends to be the case with the older underground lines in major cities.\"\r\n    }\r\n  },{\r\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n    \"name\": \"How are the new underground railway lines  cutting across London built?\",\r\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n      \"text\": \"Some weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to visit the construction sites and tunnelling machines of the Crossrail project: a massive new rail undertaking spanning over 100 km, more than 40 km of which run below the streets of London, connecting with the underground network at some points.\"\r\n    }\r\n  }]\r\n}\r\n<\/script><\/p>\r\n<h2 id=\"tw-target-text\" class=\"tw-data-text tw-text-large tw-ta\" dir=\"ltr\" data-placeholder=\"Traducci\u00f3n\"><span class=\"Y2IQFc\" lang=\"en\">When was London\u00b4s Underground inaugurated?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>London\u2019s <strong>underground network is the oldest in the world<\/strong>: it was opened to the public in 1863, following three years of hugely difficult work, an impressive feat for the time. When 38,000 people climbed into the trains on that first day, some of the carriages didn\u2019t even have a roof, and they were still pulled by steam engines. This meant that the smoke was at times overwhelming, and gas lamps were still used for lighting in corridors and stations.<\/p>\r\n<p>Christian Wolmar\u2019s educational video for TED-Ed explains how the first underground network in the world was built, and includes some interesting details, such as that the people at the time complained of having the city <em>perforated<\/em>, and a local minister accused the company of \u201c<em>trying to break into hell<\/em>\u201d. <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VdZd5zYTKAw?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\r\n<p>When it opened, there were a small number of stations along four miles of tracks; today there are <strong>270 stations over more than 400 kilometres<\/strong>. The popular <em>tube<\/em> is used by 5 million people every day. And it never stops growing.<\/p>\r\n<h2 id=\"tw-target-text\" class=\"tw-data-text tw-text-large tw-ta\" dir=\"ltr\" data-placeholder=\"Traducci\u00f3n\"><span class=\"Y2IQFc\" lang=\"en\">What is the cut and cover method used to build the London\u00b4s underground network?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>The building method used for many years was a so-called \u201c<strong><em>cut-and-cover<\/em><\/strong>\u201d system. It was easier to dig out a large open hole in the road, build the arch of the false tunnel with bricks, and then refill the hole with the dug-out material. As a result, the first underground lines were not very deep, something that tends to be the case with the older underground lines in major cities.<\/p>\r\n<p>One of the companies of the time, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/City_and_South_London_Railway\">C&amp;SLR<\/a>, was the first to use electric traction for pulling the trains, as well as a <strong>new method for digging circular tunnels<\/strong>, using a technology known as \u201cshield tunneler\u201d, which initially was opearated manually. The front part was used to dig out a circular section and the tunneling machine was called the <em>Greathead Shield<\/em>. Later on, the shield became mechanical and the machine advanced much more rapidly and could cut through any type of material.<\/p>\r\n<p>Today, these are called TBMs, or <em>Tunnel Boring Machines<\/em>. As explained in the video, these tunnelling machines made it possible to dig under the city at a greater depth and create new underground lines on <em>another level<\/em>: they could dig under buildings and keep away from electricity lines, sewers and other infrastructures. They could even dig under the Thames.<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_27703\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27703\" class=\"wp-image-27703\" title=\"One of the Crossrail tunnelling machines (TBM) working underground\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145719\/49141_tbm_elizabeth_lowered_into_main_shaft_25_october_20121-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"One of the Crossrail tunnelling machines (TBM) working underground\" width=\"655\" height=\"437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145719\/49141_tbm_elizabeth_lowered_into_main_shaft_25_october_20121-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145719\/49141_tbm_elizabeth_lowered_into_main_shaft_25_october_20121-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145719\/49141_tbm_elizabeth_lowered_into_main_shaft_25_october_20121-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145719\/49141_tbm_elizabeth_lowered_into_main_shaft_25_october_20121-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145719\/49141_tbm_elizabeth_lowered_into_main_shaft_25_october_20121.jpg 1044w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27703\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the Crossrail tunnelling machines (TBM) working underground | Source: Crossrail<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p><em>Fast forward 155 years to our times<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<h2>How are the new underground railway lines \u00a0cutting across London built?<\/h2>\r\n<p>Some weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to visit the <a href=\"\/?p=25933\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">construction sites and tunnelling machines of the Crossrail project<\/a>: a massive new rail undertaking spanning over 100 km, more than 40 km of which <strong>run below the streets of London<\/strong>, connecting with the underground network at some points.<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_27709\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27709\" class=\"wp-image-27709\" title=\"A look at the works from the outside: different station levels\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145713\/Farringdon_Open-300x193.jpg\" alt=\"A look at the works from the outside: different station levels\" width=\"655\" height=\"421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145713\/Farringdon_Open-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145713\/Farringdon_Open-768x493.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145713\/Farringdon_Open-800x514.jpg 800w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145713\/Farringdon_Open.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27709\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A look at the works from the outside: different station levels<\/p><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_27713\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27713\" class=\"wp-image-27713\" title=\"What the station will look like when finished\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145711\/Farringdon_St_Exterior_OK-300x182.jpg\" alt=\"What the station will look like when finished\" width=\"655\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145711\/Farringdon_St_Exterior_OK-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145711\/Farringdon_St_Exterior_OK-768x465.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145711\/Farringdon_St_Exterior_OK-800x484.jpg 800w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145711\/Farringdon_St_Exterior_OK.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27713\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">What the station will look like when finished | Source: Crossrail<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>The <em>Elizabeth Line<\/em> has ten new stations and is renewing thirty existing ones. What is most impressive about <strong>Farringdon<\/strong> (which, interestingly, was one of the first stations to open in 1863) is how deep it is: <strong>30 metres below ground on six levels<\/strong>, plus three levels above ground, with its own building (have a look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/learninglegacy.crossrail.co.uk\/documents\/development-two-different-station-designs-comparison-paddington-farringdon-stations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plans and technical details<\/a> here).<\/p>\r\n<p>There are deeper stations in the world \u2013 in Madrid, for example, Cuatro Caminos is 45 metres underground \u2013, but going down there during the building stage is <em>truly amazing<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_27711\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27711\" class=\"wp-image-27711\" title=\"The station platforms, with the glass panels to the right still covered \" src=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145712\/Farringdon_Platform-300x186.jpg\" alt=\"The station platforms, with the glass panels to the right still covered \" width=\"655\" height=\"407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145712\/Farringdon_Platform-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145712\/Farringdon_Platform-768x477.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145712\/Farringdon_Platform-800x497.jpg 800w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145712\/Farringdon_Platform.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27711\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The station platforms, with the glass panels to the right still covered<\/p><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_27707\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27707\" class=\"wp-image-27707\" title=\"The same view (computer-generated) of the finished platforms\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145714\/Farringdon_Final-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"The same view (computer-generated) of the finished platforms\" width=\"655\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145714\/Farringdon_Final-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145714\/Farringdon_Final-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145714\/Farringdon_Final.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27707\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The same view (computer-generated) of the finished platforms | Source: Crossrail<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>The two platforms in the station seem <em>endless<\/em>, and are very different from the underground stations we are used to. They span <strong>more than 200 metres in length<\/strong>, which is the length of the new trains which will carry up to 1,500 passengers at a time (closed trials are already running). The two platforms are fully enclosed with sliding glass doors, and connect towards the exit and ticket areas, located at both ends, through a central passageway. The train tunnels are <strong>6.2\u00a0metres in diameter<\/strong> and were excavated using different TBMs.<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_27715\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27715\" class=\"wp-image-27715\" title=\"London underground signage\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145710\/Farringdon_Totem-300x179.jpg\" alt=\"London underground signage\" width=\"655\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145710\/Farringdon_Totem-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145710\/Farringdon_Totem-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145710\/Farringdon_Totem-800x478.jpg 800w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145710\/Farringdon_Totem.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27715\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">London underground signage<\/p><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_27717\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27717\" class=\"wp-image-27717\" title=\"Information pillars and custom-made panels to cover the curving contours of the stations \" src=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145708\/Farringdon_Walls-300x163.jpg\" alt=\"Information pillars and custom-made panels to cover the curving contours of the stations \" width=\"655\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145708\/Farringdon_Walls-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145708\/Farringdon_Walls-768x417.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145708\/Farringdon_Walls-800x434.jpg 800w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145708\/Farringdon_Walls.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27717\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Information pillars and custom-made panels to cover the curving contours of the stations<\/p><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_27705\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27705\" class=\"wp-image-27705\" title=\"The huge escalators at Farrindgon, still being installed \" src=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145716\/Farringdon_Escalator_8060-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"The huge escalators at Farrindgon, still being installed \" width=\"655\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145716\/Farringdon_Escalator_8060-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145716\/Farringdon_Escalator_8060-768x573.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145716\/Farringdon_Escalator_8060-800x597.jpg 800w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145716\/Farringdon_Escalator_8060-440x328.jpg 440w, https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145716\/Farringdon_Escalator_8060.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27705\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The huge escalators at Farrindgon, still being installed<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>The <strong>design of the stations<\/strong>, even while still under construction, is certainly striking: clean, well-lit white ceilings with soft curves, spacious entrance halls atop gigantic escalators, which were still being put together. A unique opportunity to see an impressive work of architecture, with no posters or publicity, just the bare basics. It felt a bit like going into a pyramid.<\/p><p><em>An article by \u00c1lvaro Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":27720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"nivel-1":[4654],"nivel-2":[4746,4792,5371,4814,4724,4742,4763],"nivel-3":[4853],"nivel-4":[],"nivel-5":[6248],"topic":[7296,7298,7300],"coauthors":[3794],"class_list":["post-27724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","post_format-post-format-image","nivel-1-construction","nivel-2-innovation","nivel-2-restoration","nivel-2-sustainability","nivel-2-tunnels","nivel-2-underground-station","nivel-2-urban-infrastructure","nivel-2-works","nivel-3-uk","nivel-5-ferrovial-construction","topic-construction-and-infrastructure","topic-sustainability-and-well-being","topic-technology-and-innovation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How the London\u00b4s Underground was built? - Ferrovial&#039;s blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"London\u2019s underground network is the oldest in the world: it was opened to the public in 1863 but how it is built today.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How the London\u00b4s Underground was built? - Ferrovial&#039;s blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"London\u2019s underground network is the oldest in the world: it was opened to the public in 1863 but how it is built today.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ferrovial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ferrovial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-01T08:31:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-12T10:29:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145707\/construcci%C3%B3n-metro-de-londres.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1358\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"661\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ferrovial_es\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ferrovial_es\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u00c1lvaro Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How the London\u00b4s Underground was built? - Ferrovial's blog","description":"London\u2019s underground network is the oldest in the world: it was opened to the public in 1863 but how it is built today.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How the London\u00b4s Underground was built? - Ferrovial's blog","og_description":"London\u2019s underground network is the oldest in the world: it was opened to the public in 1863 but how it is built today.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/","og_site_name":"Ferrovial","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ferrovial","article_published_time":"2018-10-01T08:31:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-12T10:29:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1358,"height":661,"url":"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145707\/construcci%C3%B3n-metro-de-londres.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ferrovial_es","twitter_site":"@ferrovial_es","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"\u00c1lvaro Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/"},"headline":"How the London underground was built more than 150 years ago, and how it is built today","datePublished":"2018-10-01T08:31:03+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-12T10:29:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/"},"wordCount":857,"commentCount":3,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145707\/construcci%C3%B3n-metro-de-londres.jpg","articleSection":["Construction"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/","name":"How the London\u00b4s Underground was built? - Ferrovial's blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145707\/construcci%C3%B3n-metro-de-londres.jpg","datePublished":"2018-10-01T08:31:03+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-12T10:29:00+00:00","description":"London\u2019s underground network is the oldest in the world: it was opened to the public in 1863 but how it is built today.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145707\/construcci%C3%B3n-metro-de-londres.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/10\/13145707\/construcci%C3%B3n-metro-de-londres.jpg","width":1358,"height":661,"caption":"the london underground then and now"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/10\/london-underground-was-built\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How the London underground was built more than 150 years ago, and how it is built today"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/","name":"Ferrovial","description":"Aeropuertos, autopistas, construcci\u00f3n y servicios (smart cities).","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/#organization","name":"Ferrovial S.A.","url":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/13150646\/logo-vector-ferrovial.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/13150646\/logo-vector-ferrovial.jpg","width":525,"height":156,"caption":"Ferrovial S.A."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ferrovial","https:\/\/x.com\/ferrovial_es","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ferrovial","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/ferrovial"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c40bd748c6444355ca9800d92a0fa838","name":"\u00c1lvaro Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b7b41dd029ce17e54d93c947eb7b1d3913c462dd2f85a65202e9790e98bdd4f?s=96&d=mm&r=ge9e62c26906f665290eca2d69f5a2f06","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b7b41dd029ce17e54d93c947eb7b1d3913c462dd2f85a65202e9790e98bdd4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b7b41dd029ce17e54d93c947eb7b1d3913c462dd2f85a65202e9790e98bdd4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"\u00c1lvaro Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.microsiervos.com\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27724"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53906,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27724\/revisions\/53906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"nivel-1","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nivel-1?post=27724"},{"taxonomy":"nivel-2","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nivel-2?post=27724"},{"taxonomy":"nivel-3","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nivel-3?post=27724"},{"taxonomy":"nivel-4","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nivel-4?post=27724"},{"taxonomy":"nivel-5","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nivel-5?post=27724"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=27724"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=27724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}