LONDON Underground trains have been an icon of the capital for decades and now you can ride on an art deco one next month.
To celebrate Railway 200 and Transport for London’s 25th anniversary, the London Transport Museum is launching a one-of-a-kind event where the public can hop on board and travel back in time on a 1938 train.
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Setting out on the Metropolitan line from Amersham station, the train will head to Harrow-on-the-Hill or Watford, depending on which day you attend.
Also, one of the rides will venture through the ‘secret’ railway line, that is rarely used called the North Curve.
This is a section of the track of the Metropolitan line which connects Croxley and Rickmansworth and bypasses Moor Park station, but it doesn’t feature on tube maps.
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The journeys will take place from Friday, September 5 to Sunday, September 7.
In the 1920s and 1930s, thousands of homes were built in numerous rural areas of north-west London, along the Metropolitan Railway (as it was known at the time).
This was when the name ‘Metro-land’ first appeared in a 1915 publicity leaflet that aimed to lure aspiring homeowners to the new housing developments.
When the 1938 train then emerged, it was the first kind of tube train to have all of its electrics under the floor, using the latest technology.
The interior, though, is in a late 1930s style, with green and red seating and art deco light fittings.
The 1938 trains were used on several deep tube lines for more than 50 years, making them one of the city’s longest-serving tube trains.
The one that will be used in September has been completely restored and has four carriages.
And in September, passengers will head through many of the leafy suburbs from ‘Metro-land’ that helped develop the Underground network in London as it is known today.
The journey on September 5 will head from Amersham to Harrow-on-the-Hill, before heading back to Amersham.
Then on September 6, the route will change to Amersham to Watford, via the North Curve, before returning to Amersham.
Finally, on September 7, the train will once again head off and return to Amersham, with Harrow-on-the-Hill as the middle point destination.
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Those heading off on the train on September 7 can also head to the annual Amersham Heritage Day in Amersham town.
Matt Brosnan, head curator at the London Transport Museum, said: “Come and be transported to the golden era of travel.
“Our gleaming 1938 art deco train is a rare historic gem that we know the public loves travelling on.
“This is a rare treat – make sure you don’t miss out!”
Ticket prices vary depending on what carriage you travel in and which day you travel on, but prices start from £17 per adult and £7 per child.
New London underground attraction to open in 2028
A NEW £120 million underground attraction called The London Tunnels is set to open by 2028.
Located beneath Chancery Lane, the attraction will feature the world’s deepest bar, situated 30 meters below street level.
The mile-long tunnels were built during WWII to protect people from the Blitz but were never used for that purpose.
Instead, they housed a spy headquarters where James Bond author Ian Fleming once worked, and they’re believed to have inspired Q Branch.
The project will transform the historic tunnels into a cultural and multi-sensory experience.
It will also include a museum dedicated to British military intelligence and a WWII memorial.
The developers expect up to three million visitors annually.
There is also a UK train line ‘that time forgot’ that has been crowned as one of the best in the world by National Geographic.
Plus, a gamechanger new budget train line is set to launch from London next year.
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