Proposals for the first London railway line, linking London Bridge and Greenwich, were proposed in 1831 and the line was finally opened in 1835. Trains departed hourly and the fare was sixpence. Travellers enthused about the comfort and speed. Meanwhile, work had already begun on the London to Birmingham railway, and Euston Station opened in 1837. Virtually all London's main termini were completed within the next forty years. Huge areas of farmland and housing had to be destroyed to make way for the new railway lines. Within the central metropolis, transport was improved by the construction of the first Underground line, the Metropolitan, from Paddington to Farringdon, in 1863.
Thanks to the new railways Londoners were now able to live at a greater distance from their place of work, and London grew from a compact city into a vast, sprawling metropolis. The immense upheaval attracted various artists, in particular Thomas Bury and John Bourne, whose aquatints and lithographs are deservedly famous.
This gallery presents some of our finest photographs and prints of London's railways. To discover more, try searching or use the London Picture Map to focus on a location.