Simon Sterne, ‘The Greathead Underground Electric Railway’ [Extract]

The old underground railway system of London, although carrying an enormous traffic, had not been a financial success. It is also a constant source of complaint to its patrons by reason of the offensive odors which permeate the tunnel, and its dampness and draughtiness. The Greathead system of tunnelling places the tunnel so far below the streets and houses of the city that the land occupied by it is of no value practically, and but of nominal value theoretically. As fast as a segment ring of the tunnel is completed, it is thoroughly and compactly grouted. The cars are supplied with longitudinal seats, lit by electricity, and luxuriously cushioned, the passengers facing each other.