Explain the social changes in London which led to the need for the underground Railway. Why was the development underground criticized?

Older cities like London changed dramatically when people began pouring in after the Industrial Revolution. These migrant people lived in tenements which were cheap but unsafe and dirty. Hence, the need for housing for them began to be felt tens were taken to clean up London.


The development of suburbs as a part of the drive to decongest London led to the extension of the city beyond the range where people could walk to work. Though these suburbs had been built, the people could not be persuaded to leave the city and stay far away from their places of work in the absence of some form of public transport. The Underground railway was constructed to solve this housing problem.


The London Underground railway solved the housing crisis by carrying large masses of people to and from the city. The very first section of the Underground railway the world opened on 10 January, 1863 and Farrington Street in London. By 1880, the train service expanded to a great extent a massive destruction.


The development of the Underground was criticized because:


● Underground travelling was considered risky.


● Many felt that it added to the mess and unhygienic conditions of the city.


● Also, to clear the path for the construction of the Underground, 900 houses were destroyed to build two miles of railways. This led to the displacement of a great number of London poor.


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