Quiz, myth or fact, and the year dial
Test yourself. Every answer comes with its source.
How to play. Pick an answer and the fact behind it appears, with a link to where it comes from. Without JavaScript, open “Show the answer” under each question.
The Underground quiz
1 In which year did the world’s first underground railway open in London?
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1863. The world’s first underground railway opened in London in 1863, to ease the congestion in the streets. LT Museum, short history
2 Which two stations did the first line run between?
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Paddington and Farringdon. The first section of the Metropolitan Railway opened from Paddington to Farringdon on 10 January 1863. LT Museum
3 What pulled the first Underground trains?
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Steam locomotives. The first trains were pulled by steam locomotives burning coke and, later, coal. Britannica
4 What were the City & South London Railway’s carriages nicknamed?
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Padded cells. Its carriages had tiny windows near the roof, as it was thought passengers would not need to see out; they were nicknamed ‘padded cells’. LT Museum, Victorian
5 Which line was nicknamed the ‘Tuppenny Tube’?
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Central London Railway. The Central London Railway opened on 30 July 1900, from Bank to Shepherd’s Bush, for a flat fare of two old pence: the ‘Tuppenny Tube’. TfL
6 What did Harry Beck do for the Underground when he designed the map?
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Draughtsman. Harry Beck, a draughtsman for the Underground, designed a new kind of map in his spare time in 1931. LT Museum, Tube map
7 How many copies of Beck’s map were in the first print run?
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750,000. Maps were usually printed 10,000 to 20,000 at a time, but the first print run of Beck’s map was 750,000. LT Museum, Beck
8 Who designed the Underground’s lettering?
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Edward Johnston. In 1915 the Underground’s publicity manager, Frank Pick, asked the calligrapher Edward Johnston to design a typeface for the company. LT Museum, roundel
9 Which line was the world’s first automatic passenger railway?
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Victoria. It was the world’s first automatic passenger railway: at the press of a button, the train closed its doors and drove itself to the next station. TfL
10 Which is the Underground’s highest station above sea level?
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Amersham. Amersham is the highest station above sea level, at 147m. LT Museum, Met line
11 How deep were the wartime deep-level shelters?
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30 metres. Their tunnels were dug by hand, 30 metres down and just over 400 metres long. LT Museum, deep shelters
12 How many lines does the Underground have today?
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11. The Underground now has 11 lines covering 402km and serving 272 stations. LT Museum, short history
Myth or fact?
Eight statements. Some are true, some are myths.
1 The first Underground trains were electric.
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Myth. The first trains were pulled by steam locomotives burning coke and, later, coal. Britannica
2 The Tube map was at first rejected as too revolutionary.
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Fact. At first the Underground’s publicity department rejected it as too revolutionary. LT Museum, Tube map
3 Beck’s map shows the true distances between stations.
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Myth. The map gave up geographical accuracy so that passengers could understand the network more quickly. LT Museum, Tube map
4 The roundel started as a solid red disc.
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Fact. The roundel first appeared on station platforms in 1908, as a solid red disc with a blue bar across it, used as a station name board. LT Museum, roundel
5 People slept on Tube platforms and tracks during the Blitz.
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Fact. People slept on walkways, platforms and even tracks with the power switched off. LT Museum, shelters
6 The Bakerloo opened before the cricket season began.
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Fact. The Bakerloo opened on 10 March 1906, and more than 36,000 people used it that day. Its name, a nickname for the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway, was made official in July 1906. TfL
7 The Circle line still runs as a closed loop.
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Myth. Since December 2009 the Circle line has not been a closed circle: it runs from Hammersmith to Edgware Road via Aldgate. TfL
8 London Underground became part of Transport for London in 2003.
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Fact. London Underground became part of Transport for London in 2003. TfL
The year dial
Pick a year to see what the Underground was like then, from 1863 to today. Without JavaScript, every period is listed below.
1863
1863: one line, steam trains, Paddington to Farringdon
The first section of the Metropolitan Railway opened from Paddington to Farringdon on 10 January 1863. LT Museum
The first trains were pulled by steam locomotives burning coke and, later, coal. Britannica
1868: the District joins; the Circle is finished in 1884
A second underground line, the District, opened five years later, in 1868. LT Museum
The two companies fell out, and the Inner Circle linking the main-line stations was not finished until 1884. LT Museum
1890: the first deep-level electric tube
The City & South London Railway, the world’s first deep-level electric railway, opened in November 1890, between King William Street in the City and Stockwell. LT Museum, Victorian
The two-station Waterloo & City opened in 1898; it was nicknamed ‘the Drain’. TfL
1900 to 1932: the Tuppenny Tube, the Bakerloo, the Piccadilly and the ‘Underground’ name
The Central London Railway opened on 30 July 1900, from Bank to Shepherd’s Bush, for a flat fare of two old pence: the ‘Tuppenny Tube’. TfL
The Bakerloo opened on 10 March 1906, and more than 36,000 people used it that day. Its name, a nickname for the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway, was made official in July 1906. TfL
In 1908 the separate companies began promoting the system together under the name ‘Underground’. LT Museum, short history
1933: public ownership, Beck’s map and the wartime shelters
In 1933 all of London’s buses, trams, trolleybuses and Underground railways came under public ownership. LT Museum, short history
The first pocket map was printed in January 1933, with a note asking users for their comments. LT Museum, Beck
In the Blitz, from September 1940 to May 1941, deep Tube stations sheltered thousands of people every night. LT Museum, deep shelters
1968: the Victoria line, then the Jubilee and Heathrow
The Victoria line opened in stages from 1968 to 1971, the first new line across central London for more than 60 years. TfL
The Jubilee line opened on 1 May 1979, and was extended to Stratford through the Docklands in 1999. TfL
The Tube reached Heathrow Airport in 1977. LT Museum, short history
1999 to today: Docklands, Transport for London and the Night Tube
The Jubilee line opened on 1 May 1979, and was extended to Stratford through the Docklands in 1999. TfL
London Underground became part of Transport for London in 2003. TfL
All-night weekend services began on some lines in 2016. LT Museum, short history
In 2021 the Northern line was extended to Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, the first big Tube extension of the 21st century. TfL
Our own grouping of the sourced facts into periods.