The Royal Mail’s underground railroad reopened
Exciting plans to turn ‘London’s secret tube’ into an underground ride by 2016 have been given the green light by Islington Council.
The plans, which were approved today, will offer the public a chance to ride 1km of the original Mail Rail network under Mount Pleasant.
A museum and exhibition will also open, allowing visitors to explore the history of the 100-year old network – which was used to transport post across the capital for decades before the entire system was mothballed and consigned to history in 2003.
Few have been given permission to view parts of the 6.5-mile long network, which ran between sorting offices in Paddington and Whitechapel, via eight stops including Mount Pleasant, since it closed over 10 years ago.
The Mail Rail as it is today
History of the Mail Rail
A relic of the twentieth-century, the underground rail line came into being in 1927 after crowded London streets started to slow the delivery of post.
At its peak, the driverless trains delivered 12 million letters and parcels every day, travelling at up to 60km per hour some 20 metres below the capital’s streets.
But Mail Rail was not to last – it was mothballed in 2003 when postal volumes decreased as the capital entered the digital age.
The old rolling stock for the mail rail
Adrian Steel, director of the BPMA said: “This is a major boost to our plans and for Islington’s, Camden’s and London’s heritage offering. We hope to launch a public appeal later this year, both in the local community and further afield, and look forward to welcoming our first visitors in 2016.”
But there’s a catch – the British Postal Museum & Archive are waiting on the outcome of an application for £4.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund to finance the renovations. A decision is expected in May.
