# London Underground opens (1863)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1863-london-underground-opens
Categories: main-event

The Metropolitan Railway began carrying passengers beneath London. Within the broader Victorian Britain period, industrial society, mass politics, public-health reform, global empire and the Irish question dominated public life. This event is placed at 1863 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. It was the world's first underground railway and a major innovation in metropolitan transport.

## Why it matters
It was the world's first underground railway and a major innovation in metropolitan transport.

Ruler at the time: [Victoria](https://english-history.com/rulers/victoria)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — London Underground opens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=London+Underground+opens&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — London Underground opens](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=London+Underground+opens)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history_%281800%E2%80%931899%29)
- [The National Archives — Victorian resources](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/)