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January 2013 will be the 150th Anniversary of the public opening of the
Metropolitan Railway in London. It was the world’s first urban rapid transport
system to run partly in subterranean sections. As the precursor of today’s
London Underground, it was not only a pioneer of technological and engineering
advances, but also instigated new spatial, political, cultural and social
realms that are now considered to be synonymous with London and modern urban
experiences across the globe.