where was the first section of underground railway opened in the world
London Underground The idea of an underground railway linking the City of London with some of the railway termini in its urban centre was proposed in the 1830s,[13] and the Metropolitan Railway was granted permission to build such a line in 1854.[14] To prepare construction, a short test tunnel was built in 1855 in Kibblesworth, a small town with geological properties similar to London. This test tunnel was used for two years in the development of the first underground train, and was later, in 1861, filled up.[15] The world's first underground railway, it opened in January 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives.[16] It was hailed as a success, carrying 38,000 passengers on the opening day, and borrowing trains from other railways to supplement the service.[17] The Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District Railway) opened in December 1868 from South Kensington to Westminster as part of a plan for an underground "inner circle" connecting London's main-line termini.[18] The Metropolitan and District railways completed the Circle line in 1884,[19] built using the cut and cover method.[20] Both railways expanded, the District building five branches to the west reaching Ealing, Hounslow,[21] Uxbridge,[22] Richmond and Wimbledon[21] and the Metropolitan eventually extended as far as Verney Junction in Buckinghamshire, more than 50 miles (80Â km) from Baker Street and the centre of London.[23]
History of rail transport in the United States The Americans closely followed and copied British railroad technology. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier and started passenger train service in May 1830, initially using horses to pull train cars.[7]:90 The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company was the first to use steam locomotives regularly beginning with the Best Friend of Charleston, the first American-built locomotive intended for revenue service, in December 1830.