Google Doodle celebrates 150th anniversary of the London Underground

Google Doodle celebrates 150th anniversary of the London Underground

By Lauren Grice

Google has transformed its homepage today with a doodle to celebrate the London Underground being 150-years-old.

The search engine giant has spelt its name out in the clever shape of the tube map to commemorate the special occasion.

Google’s logo has been replaced with a map of the tube network to mark the transit system’s birthday.

It has been 150 years since the London Underground opened to the public on 9th January 1863 and it is the world’s oldest underground transport network.

The very first journey took place between Paddington and Farringdon on the Metropolitan Railway and this historic event will be recreated on Sunday, with a steam locomotive pulling an original carriage from the era along the line.

Seven of the original stations between Bishop’s Road and Farringdon Street are still in use to date and another 263 stations have been added since.

The very first escalators were installed on the underground in 1911 and it wasn’t until 1978 that the first female train driver for the tube was employed. Over 1.2 billion passengers are transported across the entire network every year.

London Underground, in partnership with the London Transport Museum, is celebrating throughout 2013 with a range of events and activities, including the production of 10 special stamps, as well as two new £2 coins.

Issued by the Royal Mail, the stamp scenes show a steam locomotive, a carriage of Edwardian passengers and builders at work.

Michael Lopez, the Google doodle creator, took over the role in 2010.

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