Subway

in engineering, an underground passage. More particularly, the name has been applied in cities to underground tunnels for foot passengers or for the transportation of passengers. The London subway is a tunnel for foot passengers beneath the Thames. It has not proved popular. In London, New York, Boston, and other large cities, the term is applied also to underground railways as contrasted with elevated and surface roads. The first subway of this sort was begun in London in 1853. Two circuits operated by steam were completed prior to 1870. A third, operated by electricity, was begun in 1886. In 1908 the subways of London are said to have collected 258,000,000 fares. New York, Boston, Paris, Berlin, Budapest, and Glasgow have followed the example. Boston has spent $10,000,000 on a subway. It runs beneath Old South Church. In New York alone $47,000,000 has been expended for subways, and as much more for equipment. City engineers now maintain that subways should run beneath the regular streets, and that the tunnel should provide for wire conduits, water pipes, gas mains, sewers and a double-track trolley line, all in one systematic plan. See London