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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The world's first and biggest underground metro railway started operations 150 years ago.
The London Underground's first journey took place between Paddington and Farringdon on 9 January 1863.
Today, the system serves 275 stations, has a track length of 408 kilometres, 45 per cent of which is underground.
The Tube, hailed as the lifeline of London, carries over 3 million passengers daily.
London Underground, in partnership with London Transport Museum is celebrating 150 years of service with a range of events and activities throughout 2013.
Queen Elizabeth II alongwith her granddaughter-in-law Kate Middleton also joined the year-long celebrations of 150 years of London's Tube.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The London Tube system serves a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The Tube is one also of the world's deepest metro systems, it descends to 220 feet at Hampstead Heath in north London.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
It is the fourth largest metro system in the world in terms of route miles, after the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, Shanghai Metro and the Beijing Subway.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The Metropolitan Railway was granted permission to build railway line in 1854.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
It started services between Paddington and Farringdon using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
It was hailed as a success, carrying 38,000 passengers on the opening day.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The metro network also has one of the largest number of stations. The underground railway system is currently being upgraded to increase capacity.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
Fifty-five per cent of the system runs on the surface, and there is 20 miles (32 km) of cut and cover tunnel and 93 miles (150 km) of tube tunnel.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
London Underground trains come in two sizes, larger sub-surface trains and smaller deep-tube trains. Since the early 1960s all passenger trains have been electric multiple units with sliding doors.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The underground railway carries 1.1 billion people every year.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The Underground does not run 24 hours a day except at New Year and during major public events such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The escalators in Underground stations include some of the longest in Europe and all are custom-built. The longest escalator is at Angel station, 60 m (197 ft) long, with a vertical rise of 27.5 m (90 ft).
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
Passengers use the escalator at Paddington Underground station, passing posters highlighting London Underground's 150th anniversary.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
A cleaner, known as a fluffer, works in Highbury and Islington station in London.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
In January, a 1898-built steam engine known as Met Locomotive No 1, pulled carriages along part of the Hammersmith & City Line, as part of the celebrations to mark 150th anniversary of the world's oldest underground passenger railway.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
The passageways at the London Bridge Underground station are unusually empty during rush hour in London.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
Commuters board a tube train at Holborn Underground Station in London.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
A cleaner, known as a fluffer, inspects the train tracks on the Victoria Line near Highbury and Islington station in London.
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London's 'lifeline' is 150 years old!
A London underground worker sweeps snow off the platform at Barons Court tube station in London.