Wnglok Lo yeah that would be awesome, and have mail tubes going to the surface to deliver right to your house or post office for instant Amazon delivery.
I am starting to think the ground under London is like Swiss cheese with all the tube lines , sewers, secret bunkers and goodness only knows what else down there.
This is why they are now experiencing a forced opening! The closure advocates are actually the ones being forced to operate it for the next couple of years of the forced opening :D
The system was to link the stations with the sorting offices but no mail trains use the main stations anymore - thats why it is disused. Most long distance post instead uses air via a hub at E Mids airport and a few remaining trains from an edge of London location. Sad but inevitable therefore that Mail-Rail is disused...
Another reason for it's closure is that most of the sorting offices directly above Mail Rail's route have been relocated so obviously the stations attached to them are now redundant.
Probably less regular mail. Appreciate there are loads of parcels now from ecommerce but they are handled by a multitude of private companies. The shear volume of letters that RM use to handle are now emails.
I know I know, I’m a sad anorak but I honestly find this fascinating. Well done to the post office for bringing this recording to light so people can see it. 👍👍👍👍👍
Post office mail rail was operational when I joined royal mail at mount pleasant. I am still working here. I have seen lot of changes in past thirty years.
My mum used to work in John Lewis Oxford Street in the seventies and she always swore blind there were locked access hatches to a railway in the lowest levels that wasn't the underground. Must have been this!
When I was about 15 or 16 we had a trip to the post office and saw this little train when it was still in service. This would be around 1980 or 81. I liked the idea of it then, all that post zooming around London. I'm planning on visiting the museum this year to see it again.
Of course. Why not put even more traffic on the surface, it's just what we need, isn't it? Have a beautiful system underground like this, dry, safe, secure, but no... let's toss the mail and stuff into vans and clog up the streets and spew more pollution. Wonderful mail-rail system, all paid for, but they have to go out and buy vehicles, insure them, fuel them, maintain them, then replace them. No wonder the cost of a stamp keeps spiralling skywards.
This is how we do it in the USA. Hope you sense my sarcasm. However I am very conservative on politics and indeed do see this as a better system than trucks and vans. Our rail system here is derelict. I think we have something like 300 passenger trains running across a country thats many times the size of the UK alone. IMHO. Get these trucks off our interstates and put them on rail. Way more fuel efficient even with 50 year old trains.
The system was to link the stations with the sorting offices but no mail trains use the main stations anymore - thats why it is disused. Most long distance post instead uses air via a hub at E Mids airport and a few remaining trains from an edge of London location. Sad but inevitable therefore that Mail-Rail is disused...
I worked at KEB St Pauls working for royal mail as a postman in 1988 when the train went to mount pleasant through to Paddington. beneath KEB building which is now closed as a sorting office but is opposite the old bailey.
In order to reduce the load on the streets, something like this should be available in all major cities. Something like this was planned in the Rhineland with a magnetic levitation train and sensorless for one or two Euro pallets, but it is too expensive. Outside of large logistics centers and small depots in cities, a project has started in Denmark; Often goods go to the city center from outside the city, the garbage often goes from the city center outside of the city, if a vehicle connects both, you save half!
In 1927, Parliament believed London's traffic speeds would never surpass 6 mph. So MPs approved plans to build this Mail Rail, which could run at 40 mph... which must have sounded incredibly fast back then. Couldn't find out what the original cost of the project was, but I have to wonder if it was ever worth it, just to get mail delivered sooner. Seriously. They couldn't wait one extra day for their mail?
So much to learn -I am just discovering arthritis pain in my right knee.I've had a recent X-ray too...that proves the existence. Anything I can do to lessen the hurt without meds is a good thing. So this is a start, G.
Reminds me of the old Chicago Tunnel Company tubes under downtown Chicago, Last used in 1959. In 1992 while driving pilings one burst through an underground river crossing and flooded the loop area.
@@Gartral I think it was a private company who did it. Anyways the government if they actually do get something on time then it’s probably an absolute shambles.
I can see Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong having something like this though the tunnels would be a lot newer, using a much more compact automated system. Snail mail traffic is much smaller but same hour parcel delivery is exploding. Delivery trucks are not the best solution in most cities. Compact vacuum pneumatic delivery systems are. They don't even need to tear up the ground to put such tunnels in. It's not much different than putting in a new deep underground sewer or water trunk main.
Phillip Mulligan New York did have an underground mail postal subway system. It was mostly forgotten with certain sections flooded out. When Google found about it they leased out the tunnels to lay out fiber optic cables. IRC this was featured on CNN.
Budapest had a pneumatic tube network under the streets that connected the main post buildings, government offices, some hotels and some businesses. It was exactly like an office pneumatic tube system but covered an entire city. You loaded up a capsule with papers, sealed it, and put it into a tube and pressed a button. It would get sucked up the pipe and speed along to where it was supposed to go. It operated like a telephone exchange where substation operators would transfer them to the correct tubes to get the capsule to where it was addressed. It could send small packages too. It operated using simple electric air compressors. It operated up until the mid 1990's when after the communists were out the commercial courier business competed with the post office and nobody wanted to spend the money to upgrade the system. Imagine, back in the 1950's someone on the other side of the city could get a letter you sent- via regular mail- in 2 hours or less. Government offices could get letters within minutes.
Edmonton International airport is small by international airport standards but we roughed in an underground tunnel system to feed future buildings, terminals and wear houses at the airport. Currently its a fully automated baggage sorting system and conveyer system under the air terminal. It even has advanced chemical sniffing and X-Ray tunnels for this kind of work. It's a sweet setup.
Yes, Germany had this pneumatic network, too in many big cities, e.g. Berlin. However, during WWII many of the lines were damaged and nowadays it's no longer used.
Rode this today , real shame you can’t do the entire railway , and that it’s all battery powered now ! Instead of the 155-440v DC system. I wonder if they still have the original mercury arc rectifiers ?
My grandad Brian Foulkes worked on the Royal Mail rail I don't know what he did but I'm pretty sure he was some kind of manager and he was the one who put forward the idea about the Christmas decorations as he was inspired by a trip to Florida the one show did a Christmas special a couple of years ago and he was interviewed and I got to ride it with my younger brother
Since this line runes across central London, Liverpool Street and Paddington stations, if it is upgraded to tube standards it can see some crazy commuter traffic.
Hammersmith and City line/Circle line runs between Liverpool St and Paddington. The route is very similar to that of the mail rail, so it'd be pretty useless to upgrade this.
I would love to see the mail rail open for passengers with the concept of heathrow pods. 1 tunnel two roads, each station with a drop off and pick-up extra lane. and easy expanded above ground on a DLR/Tram style system. Go on Londonist make it happen :p
How come you can't ride the entire rail line? Is it because of safety purposes? Or is it just private property that was only allowed for one station to be visited?
Muchas Gracias por el video. Desconocía que existiese este sistema para trasladar el correo. Por cierto, el edificio de correos se llama Monte Agradable, en homanaje a la batalla de las Malvinas? Un abrazo.
I get it and fully support the channel (please sign up for patreon), just an idea for one yearly special from a sister city abroad (brits did tremendous efforts to spread the railway culture worldwide)
they should have upgraded it to electricity-driven and keep it in use to deliver priority mail and packages which can thus reduce cars across the roads and improve the efficiency of the delivering system.
cost of maintaining train + carts + rails + power + tunnels is much greater than maintinging postal cars or bikes + inurance + fuel its most likely a budget thing. also mail isnt sent as much as it used to,. for over a decade now you can get your bills, important letters, advertisements in your E-mail inbox instead of papers in your mailbox.
Effectively each station was a terminus. Trains couldn't run backwards but had to be turned. Long dwell times and plenty of tracks to load mail for different destinations. Remember it was a freight railway - not passenger.
TheOrgano The train was designed to carry mail as cargo and not human passengers. So you don't have a enclosed car with comfortable seats and sound insulated cabin. The noise is just typical for a train travelling over a rail track. It just appears to sound louder when it's an open train cabin traveling inside the tunnel. When the mail train was still in operation. The train engineer would be the only human passenger and he'll be wearing earmuffs as noise protection.
Really? Considering they already have the infrastructure in place and it is electrically run it should be cheaper and more ecologically friendly, not to mention lessening congestion. Probably has more to do with that the stations it used to service are out of use.
the point of this line is for what? to move employees to the nabour hoods in which they deliver mail or is it to move mail to different locations in the city for pick up / delivery? can someone explain?
chicago had a very similar mail rail back in the 1920's till ?? i am guessing about 1950's it closed and later in the 1990's it flooded by a construction accident damaging a lot of chicago buildings connected to it..
I am in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, and there is a town called Mount Pleasant not a stone's throw from me. I mean, you'd have to have a really good arm...it's near, is what I'm saying. And not a mountain in sight. How it got that name, I cannot say.
Jonathan Cook Yes - they now use a whole fleet of vans instead of the train due to letters being sent by email now. The maintenance costs probably went up as time goes on too - it's now very old!
In this day and age with online shopping, this should be in use, delivering parcels
Ya. Especially in the very busy Central LONDON, you will want all cargo go underground. It should get a upgrade with modern automation system.
MrBoliao98 you go to remember that cars and people have to go over the roads and if the parcels get delivered under ground it could collapse the city
Wnglok Lo yeah that would be awesome, and have mail tubes going to the surface to deliver right to your house or post office for instant Amazon delivery.
Adam Jacob did you go do school you are stupid
Mckenzie Welsh i think he is just stupid
I am starting to think the ground under London is like Swiss cheese with all the tube lines , sewers, secret bunkers and goodness only knows what else down there.
1973Washu h
Hermitcraft 1
1973Washu KH hbhhhg de dedah kjhhhhg hhhggttdbhf
lol'z
1973Washu mhhhhhhm london cheese
Absolutely crazy to close it!
This is why they are now experiencing a forced opening!
The closure advocates are actually the ones being forced to operate it for the next couple of years of the forced opening :D
Why did they close it ? Surely distribruting the mail by truck in a big city wouldn't be as efficient.
The system was to link the stations with the sorting offices but no mail trains use the main stations anymore - thats why it is disused. Most long distance post instead uses air via a hub at E Mids airport and a few remaining trains from an edge of London location. Sad but inevitable therefore that Mail-Rail is disused...
Another reason for it's closure is that most of the sorting offices directly above Mail Rail's route have been relocated so obviously the stations attached to them are now redundant.
Probably less regular mail. Appreciate there are loads of parcels now from ecommerce but they are handled by a multitude of private companies. The shear volume of letters that RM use to handle are now emails.
@@JD-wn3cc mail rail was stopped before e-commence was ready a thing
I know I know, I’m a sad anorak but I honestly find this fascinating. Well done to the post office for bringing this recording to light so people can see it. 👍👍👍👍👍
Post office mail rail was operational when I joined royal mail at mount pleasant. I am still working here. I have seen lot of changes in past thirty years.
That’s one of the early attempts at a building a high speed railway.
Why nothing about the driver-less trains that actually carried the mail? They're probably the most interesting bit.
My mum used to work in John Lewis Oxford Street in the seventies and she always swore blind there were locked access hatches to a railway in the lowest levels that wasn't the underground. Must have been this!
Is she still around to watch this video? I bet she'd enjoy having her mystery solved after all those years.
I can confirm that there were - I worked in JL from 2009 - 2011 and was shown them.
"Danger Asbestos Hazard" how lovely, I'm sure the workers love seeing that each day.
Its harmless if left alone. You'd be surprised at just how much of todays world still contains the stuff!
When I was about 15 or 16 we had a trip to the post office and saw this little train when it was still in service. This would be around 1980 or 81. I liked the idea of it then, all that post zooming around London. I'm planning on visiting the museum this year to see it again.
Man, if that's still running along under there these days, I'd gladly love to go on it one day. That's awesome! ☺
such a waste to have all these tracks underground and not have them used...
They were used to deliver bulk mail. It was replaced with hundreds of vans slowly winding their way through central London streets.
Of course. Why not put even more traffic on the surface, it's just what we need, isn't it? Have a beautiful system underground like this, dry, safe, secure, but no... let's toss the mail and stuff into vans and clog up the streets and spew more pollution. Wonderful mail-rail system, all paid for, but they have to go out and buy vehicles, insure them, fuel them, maintain them, then replace them. No wonder the cost of a stamp keeps spiralling skywards.
"but its more expensive to maintain an underground train system" thats the answer you would get but more formal
This is how we do it in the USA. Hope you sense my sarcasm. However I am very conservative on politics and indeed do see this as a better system than trucks and vans. Our rail system here is derelict. I think we have something like 300 passenger trains running across a country thats many times the size of the UK alone. IMHO. Get these trucks off our interstates and put them on rail. Way more fuel efficient even with 50 year old trains.
The system was to link the stations with the sorting offices but no mail trains use the main stations anymore - thats why it is disused. Most long distance post instead uses air via a hub at E Mids airport and a few remaining trains from an edge of London location. Sad but inevitable therefore that Mail-Rail is disused...
Would that be useful now for essential goods during covid19 ?
I worked at KEB St Pauls working for royal mail as a postman in 1988 when the train went to mount pleasant through to Paddington. beneath KEB building which is now closed as a sorting office but is opposite the old bailey.
I was looking EVERYWHERE to find footage of the Mail Rail! Thanks!
In order to reduce the load on the streets, something like this should be available in all major cities. Something like this was planned in the Rhineland with a magnetic levitation train and sensorless for one or two Euro pallets, but it is too expensive. Outside of large logistics centers and small depots in cities, a project has started in Denmark; Often goods go to the city center from outside the city, the garbage often goes from the city center outside of the city, if a vehicle connects both, you save half!
In 1927, Parliament believed London's traffic speeds would never surpass 6 mph. So MPs approved plans to build this Mail Rail, which could run at 40 mph... which must have sounded incredibly fast back then. Couldn't find out what the original cost of the project was, but I have to wonder if it was ever worth it, just to get mail delivered sooner. Seriously. They couldn't wait one extra day for their mail?
Love it! Amazing video! Can't wait to watch what else you guys come out with.
So much to learn -I am just discovering arthritis pain in my right knee.I've had a recent X-ray too...that proves the existence. Anything I can do to lessen the hurt without meds is a good thing. So this is a start, G.
Reminds me of the old Chicago Tunnel Company tubes under downtown Chicago, Last used in 1959. In 1992 while driving pilings one burst through an underground river crossing and flooded the loop area.
So, did it open in 2020?
No it opened before that. I went on it in 2019
@@OnTheRailwayOfficial No way... the government actually got something done AHEAD of schedule?
@@Gartral I think it was a private company who did it. Anyways the government if they actually do get something on time then it’s probably an absolute shambles.
Looks like it’s about 15 stories deep there at Mount Pleasant Station. Not had the chance to visit the museum yet but it’s on my todo list!
Very cool! Thanks for bringing up along!
I can see Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong having something like this though the tunnels would be a lot newer, using a much more compact automated system. Snail mail traffic is much smaller but same hour parcel delivery is exploding. Delivery trucks are not the best solution in most cities. Compact vacuum pneumatic delivery systems are. They don't even need to tear up the ground to put such tunnels in. It's not much different than putting in a new deep underground sewer or water trunk main.
Phillip Mulligan New York did have an underground mail postal subway system. It was mostly forgotten with certain sections flooded out. When Google found about it they leased out the tunnels to lay out fiber optic cables. IRC this was featured on CNN.
Budapest had a pneumatic tube network under the streets that connected the main post buildings, government offices, some hotels and some businesses. It was exactly like an office pneumatic tube system but covered an entire city. You loaded up a capsule with papers, sealed it, and put it into a tube and pressed a button. It would get sucked up the pipe and speed along to where it was supposed to go. It operated like a telephone exchange where substation operators would transfer them to the correct tubes to get the capsule to where it was addressed. It could send small packages too. It operated using simple electric air compressors.
It operated up until the mid 1990's when after the communists were out the commercial courier business competed with the post office and nobody wanted to spend the money to upgrade the system.
Imagine, back in the 1950's someone on the other side of the city could get a letter you sent- via regular mail- in 2 hours or less. Government offices could get letters within minutes.
Edmonton International airport is small by international airport standards but we roughed in an underground tunnel system to feed future buildings, terminals and wear houses at the airport. Currently its a fully automated baggage sorting system and conveyer system under the air terminal. It even has advanced chemical sniffing and X-Ray tunnels for this kind of work. It's a sweet setup.
Yes, Germany had this pneumatic network, too in many big cities, e.g. Berlin.
However, during WWII many of the lines were damaged and nowadays it's no longer used.
Phillip Mulligan u
Rode this today , real shame you can’t do the entire railway , and that it’s all battery powered now ! Instead of the 155-440v DC system. I wonder if they still have the original mercury arc rectifiers ?
The children’s book The Horn of Mortal Danger is based on the railway , used to be a favourite as a child.
Would make an excellent film now too
Epic! Did you know Michael Portillo did this too in GBRJ?
My grandad Brian Foulkes worked on the Royal Mail rail I don't know what he did but I'm pretty sure he was some kind of manager and he was the one who put forward the idea about the Christmas decorations as he was inspired by a trip to Florida the one show did a Christmas special a couple of years ago and he was interviewed and I got to ride it with my younger brother
I worked at the King Edward Buildings and went down to the platforms occasionally..it was very warm down there.
It was a huge surprise for me . I’m never heard about this railway
I heard Harrods has a tunnel and once had a railway like this. It'd be great to see a video on this.
Anyone watching this in 2016?
Yes.
Nøderak I'm watching on January first 2017 😏😂
Joe Scholar Happy New Year!
Nøderak Watching in 2019 here...
October 2020
I think that is really neat. It would be neat to see this when it opens.
Very cool!!! Smart way of gettin the mail delivered.
I been there and it’s amazing
Is the track intact from Paddington to Whitechapel?
Since this line runes across central London, Liverpool Street and Paddington stations, if it is upgraded to tube standards it can see some crazy commuter traffic.
Hammersmith and City line/Circle line runs between Liverpool St and Paddington. The route is very similar to that of the mail rail, so it'd be pretty useless to upgrade this.
Went on this .after the covid is over I would recommend this to anyone great day out .
I would love to see the mail rail open for passengers with the concept of heathrow pods. 1 tunnel two roads, each station with a drop off and pick-up extra lane. and easy expanded above ground on a DLR/Tram style system.
Go on Londonist make it happen :p
Maybe with a tunnel to ground lift for each pod similar to the Ascensore Castello, now that would be full access without the need for big stations.
@@antmorrow1 Nah that's stupid. It's fine as it is. A historical museum rail that visitors are allowed to ride in.
How come you can't ride the entire rail line? Is it because of safety purposes? Or is it just private property that was only allowed for one station to be visited?
Maybe the rest of the rail is now being used privately by government "officials". :\
I love Geoff Marshall's job . . .
Muchas Gracias por el video. Desconocía que existiese este sistema para trasladar el correo.
Por cierto, el edificio de correos se llama Monte Agradable, en homanaje a la batalla de las Malvinas?
Un abrazo.
2021, how does it look down there, now?
Was wondering myself. It should be opened now by what the dude said.
Great channel and some very interesting videos.
I think we have one of these lines going through Shepherds Bush Central Line ??!!
This channel is awesome, consider doing some foreign rail special
the channel is called 'Londonist'. It's a London channel that covers thing in London.
I get it and fully support the channel (please sign up for patreon), just an idea for one yearly special from a sister city abroad (brits did tremendous efforts to spread the railway culture worldwide)
DC9848 d
DC9848 d
Well the tourist attraction is still not open and latest date to open up is given as mid 2017. Here's hoping!
well it was definitely all open by 2019 so that is ahead of the 2020 schedule mentioned. (crossrail take note)
How were/are these powered - is that an electric third rail down the middle, or is it a battery loco?
how long would a ride on the full mail rail route make?
Was it used for anything else besides the mail?
Enjoy video .Thanks very much.
Reporter: The railway should open by 2020
2020: Hold my beer
Were the tunnels constantly illuminated, or is it just for tourists?
iannickCZ constantly illuminated because there were engineers
03:40 - So its 2020 now (even 2021). Has this opened?
@@craftsandhome821 2 years ago? But he said it will open 2020
@@craftsandhome821 Very good
Why was there passenger transport on the railway?
Did those high visibility jackets really kept you safe?
Thats the cutest little thing I've ever seen!!!
Sounds like thes thing that should be left open it would certainly help get the parcels and letters around the City avoiding all the traffic
Is the Mail Rail some super narrow gauge track?
What a neat railway! What gauge and voltage is this?
RockyRailroad Animation I think its just narrow gauge?
I can see that, but measurements.
they should have upgraded it to electricity-driven and keep it in use to deliver priority mail and packages which can thus reduce cars across the roads and improve the efficiency of the delivering system.
they should continue to use it to move large bulky packages. They could still do tours on slower days.
is it open yet?
That was great, Ride the mow row.
Is it electrified Rail (Third rail)?
Rail.TrainMaster yes
Does any one know what the deal is with the Christmas trees painted on the roof of the tunnel at 2:11 ?
Amazing! Such ingenuity.
and the link??? at least you can use this sistem as touristic affairs. I know internet turn down many of the Post office work.
Is it open in 2022
Why did you stop using the mail rail?
cost of maintaining train + carts + rails + power + tunnels
is much greater than maintinging postal cars or bikes + inurance + fuel
its most likely a budget thing.
also mail isnt sent as much as it used to,. for over a decade now you can get your bills, important letters, advertisements in your E-mail inbox instead of papers in your mailbox.
Is the mail rail opened now?
Why were the track layouts in each station so complicated?
Because of the massive graves underneath London...no that isn't a joke.
Effectively each station was a terminus. Trains couldn't run backwards but had to be turned. Long dwell times and plenty of tracks to load mail for different destinations. Remember it was a freight railway - not passenger.
Is it an electric train?
can I put his on my own website if I credit you
How efficient is this system?
great stuff thanks Geoff
Thanks for the great info and ride. Were people housed down there during WWII bombings?
AS far as we know - no. People did shelter in tube stations, but we don't think down here.
Londonist Ltd Lp
WOW!! This is the epitome of cool!!!!
Why is it so loud and squeaky? Is it just a side effect of tight radius curves or is it something else?
TheOrgano it's a fairly old system so it's probably just wear and tear
TheOrgano The train was designed to carry mail as cargo and not human passengers. So you don't have a enclosed car with comfortable seats and sound insulated cabin. The noise is just typical for a train travelling over a rail track. It just appears to sound louder when it's an open train cabin traveling inside the tunnel. When the mail train was still in operation. The train engineer would be the only human passenger and he'll be wearing earmuffs as noise protection.
I've been on that train.
I think and believed inside tunnels didn't have overhead lights only train mail have headlight.
The queen elizabeth line when will be finished?
We had a School tour of Mount Pleasant I954 .
Chicago and London are both sitting upon ( no pun intended ) a tourist goldmine. They would pull in the tourists if opened to the public in full.
Chicago has a mail rail?
why do they not use it for mail anymore?
More expensive than a fleet of vans
Really? Considering they already have the infrastructure in place and it is electrically run it should be cheaper and more ecologically friendly, not to mention lessening congestion. Probably has more to do with that the stations it used to service are out of use.
was wondering if those royal Mail places on the line are out of action
They still use it. Just to transport tools and stuff for maintenance.
At least it's not completely going to waste
Geoff do you what day the metropolitan railway opened
9th of January 1863 according to Wikipedia.
I knew this existed - it was probably on Blue Peter in the 1960s.
Is this 2 ft or 610mm guage?
Wikipedia says 2ft
Huge bogies considering size of rolling stock - are they cannibalised?
I was one years old when this was made
Interesting, but with this type of video editing hard to watch. It would be better if this video story was longer.
the point of this line is for what? to move employees to the nabour hoods in which they deliver mail or is it to move mail to different locations in the city for pick up / delivery? can someone explain?
Just mail.
+Angel Kanchev ah ok so they move mail to different post offices and collection points around the city?
well I hope they get the whole line back in action
chicago had a very similar mail rail back in the 1920's till ?? i am guessing about 1950's it closed and later in the 1990's it flooded by a construction accident damaging a lot of chicago buildings connected to it..
Shit Car Go!
Can people fit inside the tunnels?
I am in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, and there is a town called Mount Pleasant not a stone's throw from me. I mean, you'd have to have a really good arm...it's near, is what I'm saying. And not a mountain in sight. How it got that name, I cannot say.
How does the mail travel today? By van?
Jonathan Cook Yes - they now use a whole fleet of vans instead of the train due to letters being sent by email now. The maintenance costs probably went up as time goes on too - it's now very old!
Jonathan Cook A lot goes by private company couriers, not by Royal Mailn
Ian moseley Royal Mail is now a private courier service n'est pas ?
My Grandad used to drive the mail train :)