The
first section of the London & Greenwich Railway was opened in
1836. However, it was not until December, 1838 that the whole line
was finished. Although the original survey suggested that the four-mile
railway would cost £400,000, by the time Greenwich Station was
finished in 1840, the total sum spent on the railway was nearly a
£1 million.
Built on a viaduct consisting of 978 arches, the line ran from London
Bridge to Greenwich. Unlike other railways at the time, the London
& Greenwich was built specifically for passenger traffic and was
the first of the many inner suburban commuter systems. The railway
was a great success and by March 1841 the locomotives on the line
had made 170,000 journeys and had carried 6,800,000 passengers.
London to Greenwich Railway in 1840.
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