TRI DUC ENGLISH - Major Subways of Europe TRI DUC ENGLISH Reading Practice: Major Subways of Europe Public transportation is an intrinsic part of every modern city. Many big cities have an underground rail system as their centerpiece. Three of the biggest and busiest underground rail systems in Europe are in London, Paris, and Moscow. The character of each city imprints its railways. The first of these subways was London’s Underground, which opened in 1863. By that time, horses and pedestrians had so clogged the streets of London that city government ruled that no railroads could enter the city except underground. The method used for laying the first underground tracks is called “cut and cover,” meaning the streets were dug up, the track was laid, a tunnel was built, and then everything was buried. Although the method was disruptive, it worked. Steam engines chugged under London, releasing steam through vents along the city streets. In its initial day of operation, the London Underground carried 30,000 passengers. This cut-and-cover method caused massive disruptions in the city and required the destruction of the structures above the tunnel. A better means of expanding the original Underground was needed, and builders did not have to look far to find it. London was also ...