What is the first and oldest metro system?

The London Underground first opened as an underground railway in 1863 and its first electrified underground line opened in 1890, making it the world's oldest metro system.



The London Underground is the world’s first and oldest metro system.

Here are the key details:

  • Opened: The first section opened on January 10, 1863.
  • Initial Line: It was the Metropolitan Railway, running between Paddington (then called Bishop’s Road) and Farringdon Street.
  • Technology: It was not a deep-level “tube” as we think of today. This first section was a cut-and-cover tunnel, built by digging a trench, building brick arches, and then covering it over. The trains were powered by steam locomotives.
  • Why it’s considered the first: While there were earlier underground railways (like the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel in New York, 1844) and tunnels, the London Underground was the first system designed specifically for urban passenger transport, integrated into a city’s infrastructure, and intended to form a network.

Important Distinctions:

  • First Deep-Level “Tube”: The first deep-level electric railway line, which is the template for modern metro systems, was also in London: the City & South London Railway, which opened in 1890.
  • Oldest Outside the UK: The Istanbul Tünel (1875) is a short underground funicular and is often cited as the second-oldest underground urban rail line. The first full metro system outside the UK was the Budapest Metro (Line 1, 1896), which is also the first on the European continent.
  • Oldest in Asia: The Tokyo Metro (Ginza Line, 1927) is the oldest in Asia

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