Building the Metropolitan Railway.

This extraordinary photograph from 1862 captures a group of workers constructing the Metropolitan Railway, the world’s first underground railway, right in the heart of London. These men — with pickaxes, waistcoats, and flat caps — were the pioneers of a global revolution in urban transport.

The Metropolitan Railway officially opened in January 1863, running from Paddington to Farringdon. Built using the cut-and-cover method, it required the temporary removal of entire streets, disrupting city life but laying the foundations for what would become the London Underground — a system that today moves millions daily.

The men seen here, frozen mid-task or during a brief rest, remind us of the human effort behind the innovation. Their grit and labour made possible one of the most transformative engineering feats of the 19th century.

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