2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Will Twigger)
The Tube, used by millions of commuters each year, hasn't always been the sprawling network we know today. There was once a 'lost' Tube line, complete with 'tiny trains', that carried mail across the city deep underground. This old rail system ferried post between sorting offices throughout bustling London.
Now, driverless trains sit idle on tracks that were once a vital artery for the capital's postal services. This was a far cry from the image of postmen and postwomen trekking across the city or delivery vans navigating London's busy roads - instead, the mail was often transported beneath the streets. The concept was first conceived in 1855 by Rowland Hill, Secretary to the Post Office.
He envisioned an efficient underground rail network linking various Post Offices across London to the main headquarters. However, due to high costs at the time, the project didn't get off the ground until 1863. In the early 1860s, a pneumatic railway (powered by air pressure) was constructed nine feet below ground, running between Euston Station and Eversholt Street.
The Post Office explored the potential of this subterranean transport method as a way to streamline postal service operations. In the early 20th Century, London was grappling with dense fog and overcrowded streets, causing severe delays in the capital's mail transportation. The Post Office was running out of solutions.
In 1909, a committee was established to explore the feasibility of using underground pneumatic and electric railways. By 1911, the construction of an electric railway with driverless trains had been given the green light. The innovative railway spanned six and a half miles of tunnels, averaging 70 feet below ground level.
It linked the West and East ends of London, featuring eight stations located at Paddington District Office; Western Parcels Office; Western District Office; Western Central District Office; Mount Pleasant; King Edward Building; Liverpool Street railway station and Eastern District Office. Tunnelling work wrapped up in 1917, but due to the war's impact, the Treasury wouldn't allow the Post Office to foot the bill for the necessary operational equipment because of wartime's inflated prices. After several setbacks, the railway finally opened its doors on December 5, 1927.
Parcels were transported between Mount Pleasant and Paddington, and by March 1928, all routes were fully operational. The trains navigated through a single tunnel just 9ft in diameter, much smaller than the trains used by today's London commuters. The stations themselves bore a striking resemblance to those we see today.
By 1930, the original trains were replaced with a smaller 27ft single-car train used to transport four mail bag containers. Each container held an average of 15 bags of letters or six bags of parcels, making transportation across the city more manageable. New trains were introduced as late as 1980, and in 1987, the Post Office Underground Railway was renamed 'Mail Rail' to mark its 60th anniversary.
Although the Mail Rail wasn't operational during the First World War, its tunnels were used to safeguard art treasures from the National Portrait Gallery and the Tate Gallery. The beginning of the end for the Mail Rail came in 1993 when a centralised computer system streamlined mail services to one central location. By the late 1990s, mail was only transported to Paddington, Western Delivery Office, Mount Pleasant, and the East District Office.
Despite the decline in demand for the service, over six million bags of mail were carried underground each year, meaning that four million letters were transported on Mail Rail every day. The network was suspended in 2003 and remains closed today as an operational system. You can sign up to get the latest London public transport news, live updates and fun trivia sent straight to your WhatsApp from the MyLondon team.
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