The 7 Oldest London Underground Stations
The London Underground, known affectionately by Londoners as the “Tube”, completes around 4 million commuter journeys per day.
But did you know it’s also the oldest metro network in the world?
It all started in the 1830s-40s when London’s population was pushing a mighty 2 million people. Congestion was starting to reach intolerable levels because of commuters arriving into the city from mainline stations like Euston, Paddington and King’s Cross.
The solution? A 3¾-mile long underground train line running from Paddington to Farringdon street.
Despite the possibility of suffocation, vibration and collapsing tunnels, construction began in March 1860. And on 10th January 1863, the London Underground — then known as the Metropolitan Railway — was opened.
After 6 months of operation, it was carrying 26,500 passengers per day, making it one of the busiest railways in the world at the time.
Just 2 years ago in 2023, TFL celebrated the London Underground’s 160th birthday.
In this piece, we’ll rewind that time. Which of the stations on the Tube were operational during and shortly after it first opened, and which of those are still in operation today?
Let’s explore the history of the London Underground!
But first, if you enjoy London's history, sites and just love the city itself, please do check out our collection of London Canvases!
Some fast London Underground facts
Last updated: Sept 2025
- The London Underground network has 312 stations, of which 272 are active. The rest are disused, have relocated or have been abandoned.
- The first trains that ran on the London Underground were steam engines.
- In spite of being called the London Underground, less than half (45%) of its network is actually underground!
- The fastest London Underground line is the Metropolitan Line, with an average speed of 27.4 mph (44.1 km/h). The slowest is the Circle Line, which averages 15.1 mph (24.3km/h).
- The total length of the London Underground is 250 miles (402 km). For reference, that’s greater than the distance between London and Brussels (218.4 miles / 351.5 km).
- The last time the length increased was in 2021 on the opening of the Northern Line Extension, which added 1.8 miles (3km) and 2 stations: Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms.
- The opening of the Elizabeth Line in 2022 did not change the reported length of the London Underground, because...
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The Elizabeth Line is not considered a London Underground line! This line, which was nearly named the Churchill Line after the wartime prime minister, doesn't fit the classification for two reasons;
- Even though it goes underground through central London, it spends significant time on the National Rail network.
- Its trains are much bigger than normal Tube trains. According to Crossrail CEO Mark Wild, it's "not a Tube line" but a "new mode of transport".
- If its length was included, the Elizabeth Line would add 73 miles (118 km). That's almost a third the length of the rest of the entire Tube.
A brief history of the London Underground
As London’s congestion started worsening in the mid-1800s, people proposed a few different solutions.
- A rail line on viaducts (a bridge on arches) over the city — too expensive and ugly.
- A surface-level rail through the city — too disruptive and ugly.
- An underground station to link the mainline stations and relieve street traffic, the idea of the then City Solicitor — a man called Charles Pearson.
Yeah, I guess you know how that went.
Work began in March 1860.
Since the underground line was to follow existing streets like Praed Street and Marylebone Road, they used a technique called “Cut and Cover”. They’d dig deep trenches along these roads, lay the tracks underground then cover them up. As you might imagine, this ended up being incredibly disruptive anyway.
Nonetheless, when it did open on 10th January 1863, huge queues of citizens formed outside Farringdon station to see the spectacle: a line under London which served 7 stations. It carried 38,000 passengers on its first day.
Here are the stations that opened with the Metropolitan Railway on its first day in service.
The source for many of these facts is John Robert Day’s The Story of London’s Underground (1963).
#1: Paddington 🧸
- Opened: 10th January 1863
- Previously known as: Bishop’s Road
If you hear “Paddington”, you might subconsciously add “Bear”.
You might also have a hankering for marmalade sandwiches.
But long before Michael Bear’s creation, Paddington station was the western terminus of the original Metropolitan Railway. It would have been the starting point for thousands of daily commuters who took the London Underground in its earliest incarnation.
Today, a bronze statue of Paddington Bear lives at the station, ready to greet passengers travelling around the city.
#2: Edgware Road 🛣️
- Opened: 10th January 1863
The opening of the original Metropolitan Rail was not without flaw.
In particular, passengers complained about the lack of ventilation.
In the early 1870s, engineers cut “blow-holes” in the tunnel roof between Edgware Road and King’s Cross. Whenever trains passed below, sudden eruptions of steam and smoke were said to spook the horses on the roads above.
Whilst Edgware Road was one of the stations on the original London Underground, it was rebuilt in 1928 to the white building that stands in its place today.
#3: Baker Street 🎷
- Opened: 10th January 1863
Baker Street is most famous because of its connections to Gerry Rafferty or Sherlock Holmes.
But in 1863, when the Metropolitan Rail opened for the first time, Baker Street was one of the stations that opened with it — and it’s now the oldest surviving underground station in the world.
It’s mostly preserved from when it was first built; the platforms it has to this day are the same platforms it had when it was first built. But as part of a refurbish to the station in the 1980s, tiles in the silhouette of Sherlock Holmes were added to the station which are still there to this day.
#4: Great Portland Street 🏥
- Opened: 10th January 1863
- Previously known as: Portland Road
Great Portland Street began life as Portland Road before being renamed to Great Portland Street in 1917.
Like Baker Street and Gower Street, it was one of the first stations to be built completely underground; a true feat of engineering in the 1860s.
Whilst it’s less famous than its neighbour Baker Street, Great Portland Street is still another survivor from the London Underground’s earliest days.
#5: Euston Square 📚
- Opened: 10th January 1863
- Previously known as: Gower Street
Euston Square first opened as Gower Street before being renamed to Euston Square in 1909 owing to how close it was to Euston Station.
Nowadays, it’s a key stop for nearby institutions like University College London and the Wellcome Collection.
#6: King’s Cross St. Pancras 👑
- Opened: 10th January 1863
- Previously known as: King’s Cross
From its humble beginnings on a line serving 26,500-odd passengers a day, King’s Cross St. Pancras is now the busiest underground station on the network, servicing almost 10 times that amount at around 200,000 passengers daily.
It’s one of the most famous stations in the world. Not only is it the first rail station after “Go” in British Monopoly, it’s also been immortalised by J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter as the station from which the Hogwarts Express leaves.
And yep, Platform 9¾ absolutely exists! Even if ironically, King’s Cross is not the station from where we can get to Harry Potter Studios.
#7: Farringdon 🧦
- Opened: 10th January 1863
- Previously known as: Farringdon Street
Farringdon was the eastern terminus of the original Metropolitan Railway.
On 9th January 1863, the day before the rail opened for the first time, an opening banquet was held with 350 guests and 250 company directors to celebrate.
The following day, Farringdon Street station was where thousands of Londoners queued up to ride the world’s first underground trains.
These days, it’s a key interchange for Thameslink services — and, in 2022, it joined the Elizabeth line, meaning one of the oldest stations on the Tube is one of the newest major cross-London hubs!
Trailblazing trains: why they matter
The original lines of the Metropolitan Rail are now mostly part of the Metropolitan line. But some parts are now also part of the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines.
But from 1 line up to 11 (not including the Elizabeth line), and from 7 stations up to 272; what an incredible history.
It turns out, the first stations on the Metropolitan Railway were more than just that. They paved (literally, in some cases) the way for such commuter networks around the world. What makes them incredible is how many of them are still active over a century-and-a-half later.
So the next time you’re at King’s Cross or Baker Street, make sure you take a moment to register that you’re using the same tunnels and platforms that Victorians did all those years ago!
If you’ve enjoyed this deep dive into the city’s history and culture, you might also like to explore London Canvas' collection of artwork, featuring photography of London’s landmarks and characterful corners — a way to bring a piece of the capital’s story into your own home.
A table of the early Tube stations
A history of all 312 stations on the London Underground would be pretty long.
But here’s a table which shows some of the earlier ones and some of what makes them interesting.
| Tube station | Original Name (if different) | Date opened | Fun fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | Bishop’s Road | 10 January 1863 | In 1867, a woman named Sarah Dobner died here. The coroner blamed the suffocating atmosphere of the early London Underground. |
| Baker Street | N/A | 10 January 1863 | This was where the London Underground’s 160th birthday was celebrated. One of the first stations to be built completely underground, and now the oldest surviving underground station in the world. |
| Great Portland Street | Portland Road | 10 January 1863 | Was renamed to Great Portland Street in 1917. One of the first stations to be built completely underground. |
| Euston Square | Gower Street | 10 January 1863 | Was renamed to Euston Square in 1909. One of the first stations to be built completely underground. |
| King’s Cross St. Pancras | King’s Cross | 10 January 1863 | With about 72 million passengers going through per year, this is the busiest underground station in the London. |
| Farringdon | Farringdon Street | 10 January 1863 | This was the eastern terminus of the original Metropolitan rail, and was the site of the first ever underground train passenger journey. |
| Edgware Road | N/A | 10 January 1863 | There are actually 2 Edgware Road stations; one on the Bakerloo line, another on the Circle/District/Hammersmith & City lines, neither of which was the one which opened in 1863. |
| Barbican | Aldersgate Street | 23 December 1865 | Has been renamed several times: Aldersgate Street (1985), shortened to Aldersgate (1910), Aldersgate & Barbican (1924), and then finally Barbican (1968). |
| Moorgate | Moorgate Street | 23 December 1865 | You can explore Old Moorgate’s hidden and unused platforms as part of a tour offered by the London Transport Museum. |
| Swiss Cottage | N/A | 13 April 1868 | The station which originally opened as part of the Metropolitan Railway closed in 1940. The current day Jubilee line station is a different, adjacent station which opened in 1939. During the Blitz of World War 2, people used this station as an air raid shelter. |
| Gloucester Road | N/A | 1 October 1868 | In 2000, a disused platform at Gloucester Road became an art gallery space called Art on the Underground, which has been going ever since. |
| South Kensington | N/A | 24 December 1868 | This is the closest tube station to Imperial College London (where, coincidentally, I went to university). It’s the portal into London’s “Museum Neighbourhood”, where you can find the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A museum. |
| Sloane Square | N/A | 24 December 1868 | A big, District line water pipe runs above the platform here which you can still see at the station to this day. |
| Victoria | N/A | 24 December 1868 | |
| St James’ Park | N/A | 24 December 1868 | St James’ Park is directly connected to 55 Broadway, the old London Underground HQ. |