The London Post Office Railway is a hidden gem in the heart of London. It's a 6.5-mile underground railway that was built in 1910 to transport mail between railway stations and the General Post Office.
The railway was designed to be a quick and efficient way to move mail, with trains running on a narrow gauge track at a speed of up to 30 miles per hour. It was a marvel of engineering for its time, and it played a crucial role in keeping London's mail system running smoothly.
Today, the railway is still in operation, but it's no longer used for mail transport. Instead, it's been converted into a tourist attraction, allowing visitors to take a ride on a vintage train and experience a piece of London's history firsthand.
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History and Development
The London Post Office Railway has a rich history that spans over a century. The idea of using underground tubes to move mail was first suggested by Rowland Hill in 1855.
Rowland Hill, then Secretary to the Post Office, was a visionary who introduced the Penny Post and postage stamps in 1840. His idea of pneumatic tubes was considered a promising solution for efficient mail delivery.
The first privately built system, operated by the Pneumatic Despatch Company, was a model for future development. It linked London sorting offices and ran between Euston Station and Eversholt Street, nine feet below ground.
The trial-use of this system started on February 20, 1863, and lasted until 1866. Later, the system was extended to the GPO building in St Martins-le-Grand via Holborn, opening in December 1873.
Is Born
The London Post Office Railway, rebranded Mail Rail in 1987, was born to transport mail across the city.
This underground system was a game-changer, spanning about 6.5 miles of tracks with multiple stops at key destinations in the city between Paddington and Whitechapel stations.
The mail traveled underground for nearly 75 years, with trains running nearly 22 hours a day, and men working tirelessly to remove and replace sacks of mail at each platform in just about a minute.
The trains were driverless and controlled centrally, which was a remarkable feat of logistics and technology for its time.
Visiting the London Transport Museum is a great way to learn more about the history of the mail rail system and its significance in the city's infrastructure.
Forerunners – Pneumatic Tubes
Rowland Hill, the Secretary to the Post Office, suggested using underground tubes to move mail using air pressure as far back as 1855. This was a pioneering idea that would eventually lead to the development of pneumatic tube systems.
The first privately built pneumatic tube system was operated by the Pneumatic Despatch Company, which connected Euston Station and Eversholt Street nine feet below ground. It was a model system that was considered for use in the post office.
Trial use of the system to move mail started on February 20, 1863, and lasted until 1866. This was a significant step towards the development of modern mail transportation systems.
The system was later extended to the GPO building in St Martins-le-Grand via Holborn, opening in December 1873. However, it was not a success and closed after only a few months in October 1874.
One of the cars from the system survives and is now on display at the Mail Rail museum. It was discovered by accident in 1930, following the Holborn Explosion of 1928, which damaged the old pneumatic tubes.
1990s Transport System Changes
The 1990s brought significant changes to the London Post Office Railway's transport system. Royal Mail's operational principles changed little from the 1920s to the late 1990s.
Mail was sorted by town and county and distributed, much of it by train. London, especially Mount Pleasant, was a key part of the national network, with Mail Rail used for several purposes.
Mount Pleasant acted as a national sorting centre sending mail to every part of the UK, and it also handled almost all international mail arriving in the country. This made Mail Rail a key method of getting it to Paddington and Liverpool Street stations.
The decision to sort by postcode area rather than by town and county simplified the transport system. Wheeled containers called ‘Yorks’ were introduced to speed up transport and cut costs.
The new ‘Railnet’ TPO network, which opened in 1996, was one of the reasons use of Mail Rail declined in the mid 1990s.
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Closure and Future
The London Post Office Railway's fate was sealed on May 31, 2003, when it was closed.
Royal Mail still maintains the tunnels and buildings, employing a small team of engineers to do this.
The only part of the line still in use is Mount Pleasant, a very busy mail processing office.
Mount Pleasant remains the only mail processing office left open on the Mail Rail's original route.
A National Postal Museum opened in 2017, located near Mount Pleasant mail sorting centre.
The museum has two buildings, one telling the story of 500 years of postal services, and the other housing the former Mail Rail workshop and tunnels.
Visitors can now ride a 1km loop of the old Mail Rail system on new trains.
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Ride & Postal Museum Experience
The Mail Rail passenger train ride is a must-see attraction at the Postal Museum, with trains running every seven minutes at weekends.
You'll enter a large room with a video projection on the right-hand side, providing a short film history of Mail Rail, and various descriptive boards around the room.
The main attraction is the small trains that have been upgraded to fit people snugly into the compartments that used to carry mail bags.
You can leave all bags, coats, etc. in the cubbies if you want, avoiding the deposit lockers upstairs.
The trains limit tickets to 20 people per time slot, so you might get lucky like I did and not have to share the small space with a stranger.
The glass overhead is closed to secure the train, giving a claustrophobic feel for some, but the driver's short announcement before departure will get you excited for the ride.
The 20-minute ride is not enough, as everyone moans upon returning to the platform, but it's just enough to provide insight into the Mail Rail history.
You'll stop at the first platform to see a video projection of the history of mail, the Mail Rail, and London, which is a bit Disney-fied, but a great touch.
The experience transports you back in time, following the letters, the workers, and the people behind the stories over the years.
The ride costs around £900,000, including the purchase of two passenger trains and installation of a multi-media communications system.
The Postal Museum has cost around £26 million, largely funded by donations from the National Lottery and corporate sponsors, including Royal Mail.
You can easily fit this hour-long experience into your London itinerary, making it a great addition to your day.
The museum also has a few interactive sections, and you can walk through the small but nicely curated postal museum and mail rail displays after the ride.
The Ride and Museum
The ride on the Mail Rail is a 1km loop that takes around 20 minutes, and trains run every seven minutes at weekends. You'll be seated in a small train that's been upgraded to fit people into the compartments that used to carry mail bags.
As you board the train, you'll notice a glass overhead that closes to secure the train, giving some a claustrophobic feel. The driver will make a short announcement before the train starts moving, and the audio tour will begin, following the train and stopping at a platform to show a video projection of the history of mail, the Mail Rail, and London.
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The ride is a great way to experience the history of the Mail Rail, and it's not enough time - everyone seems to moan upon returning to the platform, wishing they could continue the journey. The cost to fully restore all the stations to take the train across the city is not feasible, so the one-way journey is just enough to give you a glimpse into the past.
After the ride, you'll disembark and walk through the small but nicely curated postal museum and Mail Rail displays. The exhibit area is U-shaped and begins with a map showing the stations across London that the Mail Rail serviced. Next to the map is the train driver's car, which is super small if you try to climb in.
The interactive part of the exhibit is mostly for children, where they can try on equipment and clothes, and even play a timed game to sort mail as the train moves from side to side.
Inside the Railway
The London Post Office Railway was a remarkable feat of engineering. It was a 6.5-mile tunnel system that connected the main post office with various sorting offices across London.
The railway used a unique 3-foot gauge, which was narrower than standard railway tracks. This allowed for tighter curves and more efficient use of space within the tunnel.
The railway had a top speed of 30 miles per hour, which was impressive for its time. The trains were designed to be quiet and vibration-free, so as not to disturb the surrounding buildings.
The Post Office Railway had 22 stations, each serving a specific sorting office or mail center. These stations were strategically located to minimize the time it took for mail to be sorted and dispatched.
The railway was operated by a team of skilled postal workers, who used specialized trains and equipment to move mail quickly and efficiently through the tunnel system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did they stop using mail rail?
The mail rail system was shut down due to declining use and increasing costs. It was officially suspended in 2003 and remains closed today.
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