Editing Subterranean London (section)

==Transport==
The [[London Underground]] was the world's first [[Rapid transit|underground railway]] and one of its most extensive. Its construction began in 1860 with the {{convert|3.7|mi|km|adj=on}} Metropolitan Railway from [[Farringdon, London|Farringdon]] to [[Paddington Waterside|Paddington]]. It opened in 1863, after much disruption from the use of "[[Tunnel#Cut-and-cover|cut-and-cover]]" techniques that involved digging large trenches along the course of existing roads, and then constructing a roof over the excavation to reinstate the road surface.<ref name=glover>John Glover, (1996), ''London's Underground'', 8th Ed., Ian Allan Publishing, {{ISBN|0-7110-2416-2}}</ref>

Tube railways, which caused less disruption because they were constructed by boring a tunnel, arrived in 1890, with the opening of the [[City and South London Railway]], a {{convert|3.5|mi|km|adj=on}} line from Stockwell to King William Street. It was planned as a cable-hauled railway, but the advent of electric traction resulted in a simpler solution, and the change was made before the cable system was built. It became the world's first electric tube railway.<ref>Charles E. Lee, (1967), ''Sixty Years of the Northern'', London Transport</ref> Although the system includes {{convert|249|mi|km}} of track, only about 45 percent is actually below ground.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx| title=Transport For London, ''Key Facts''| accessdate=January 16, 2009 |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629152816/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/londonunderground/1608.aspx}}</ref>

[[Kingsway (London)|Kingsway]] has an almost intact [[Kingsway tramway subway|underground passageway for trams]], which is occasionally open to the public.

[[Tunnels underneath the River Thames]] range from foot-tunnels to road tunnels and the tunnels of the Underground. The first of these, the [[Thames Tunnel]], designed by [[Marc Brunel]], was the first tunnel known to cross under a navigable river. It ran for {{convert|1200|yd|m}} from [[Rotherhithe]] to [[Wapping]], and opened in 1843. It was used as a pedestrian subway, as the company did not have enough money or finance to build the intended access ramps for horse-drawn traffic. These tunnels were later used by the East London branch of the Metropolitan Railway from [[Shoreditch]] to New Cross.<ref name=glover/> It was refurbished in 2011 and became part of the [[London Overground]] network.<ref>[[Thames Tunnel]]</ref>

Several railway stations have cavernous vaults and tunnels running beneath them, often disused, or reopened with a new purpose. Examples include [[The Old Vic Tunnels]], beneath [[London Waterloo station]], and the vaults beneath [[London Bridge station]], formerly utilised by the theatre company [[Shunt (theatre company)|Shunt]].