The world 's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, which opened in 1863, is now part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines; the first line to operate underground electric traction trains, the City & South London Railway in 1890, is now part of the Northern line. The network has expanded to 11 lines, and in 2016 -- 17 carried 1.379 billion passengers, making it the world 's 11th busiest metro system. The 11 lines collectively handle approximately 4.8 million passengers a day.
when did the first tube run in london
1863