DOCSLIB.ORG

London Underground from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia See Also: London Overground

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
London Underground from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia See Also: London Overground London Underground From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia See also: London Overground The London Underground (often shortened to the Underground ) is a rapid transit system in the London Underground United Kingdom, serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. It incorporates the oldest section of underground railway in the world, which opened in 1863 and now forms part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines; [3] and the first line to operate electric trains, in 1890, now part of the Northern line.[4] The oldest sections of the London Underground completed 150 years of operations on 9 January 2013. [5] The Underground system is also colloquially known as the Tube . As commonly used today both by Londoners and in most official publicity, this term embraces the entire system. [6] It originally applied only to the deep-level lines with trains of a smaller and more circular cross-section, and served to distinguish them from the sub-surface "cut-and-cover" lines that were built first and originally used steam locomotives. The earlier lines of the present London Underground network were built by various private companies. They became part of an integrated transport system in 1933 when the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) or London Transport was created. The underground network became a separate entity in 1985, when the UK Government created London Underground Limited (LUL). [7] Since 2003 LUL has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London, which is run by a board and a commissioner appointed by the Mayor of London.[8] The Underground serves 270 stations and has 402 kilometres (250 mi) of track, 45 per cent of which A Central line train at Lancaster Gate is underground. [9] It is the third largest metro system in the world in terms of route miles, after the Background [10] Beijing Subway and the Shanghai Metro and part of the largest system in terms of route miles Locale Greater London, Chiltern, Epping [citation needed ][11] when taken together with the Docklands Light Railway. It also has one of the Forest, Three Rivers and Watford [12] largest numbers of stations. In 2007, more than one billion passenger journeys were recorded, Transit type Rapid transit and in the year 2011/12 passenger numbers were just under 1.2 billion making it the third busiest metro system in Europe, after Moscow and Paris. The tube is an international icon for London, with Number of 11 the tube map, considered a design classic, having influenced many other transport maps worldwide. lines As part of the extended TfL rail network and per the standard tube map, the London Underground is Number of 270 served (260 owned) usually considered to incorporate the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground, and stations the Emirates Air Line. Daily 3.23 million (approximate) [1] Currently, 86% of operational expenditure on the London Underground is covered by passenger ridership 3.66 million (weekdays) [2] fares. [13] Almost all London Underground trains currently lack air-conditioning, which leads to the (approximate) network getting very hot in the summer, although plans are under way to mitigate this problem with Website www.tfl.gov.uk/tube [14] new air-conditioned trains and other schemes. Because of engineering work being carried out (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube) [15] under the 2010–2012 upgrade plan, lines were regularly closed during weekends. In June 2012, Operation it was announced that stations along the network would get Wifi coverage.[16] Began 10 January 1863 operation Operator(s) London Underground Ltd; part of Contents Transport for London (TfL) 1 History Technical 1.1 The first underground railways System length 402 kilometres (250 mi) 1.2 First tube lines Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄ in) Standard 1.3 Integration 2 gauge 1.4 London Transport 1.5 Nationalisation Electrification 630 V DC Fourth rail 1.6 GLC control System map 1.7 London Regional Transport 1.8 Public–private partnership 2 Transport for London 3 Infrastructure 3.1 Stations and lines 3.2 Rolling stock and electrification 3.3 Planned improvements and expansions 3.3.1 Signalling and infrastructure 3.3.2 Ventilation 3.3.3 Crossrail 3.3.4 Line extensions 4 Travelling 4.1 Ticketing 4.1.1 Penalty fares and fare evasion 4.2 Hours of operation 4.3 Accessibility 4.3.1 Escalators 4.4 Delays and overcrowding 4.5 Safety 4.6 Wi-Fi 5 Design and the arts 5.1 Map 5.2 Typography 5.3 Roundel 5.4 Contribution to arts 5.5 In popular culture 5.5.1 The Tube 6 Notable people 7 Selected facts 8 See also 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 External links History Main article: History of the London Underground Railway construction in the United Kingdom began in the early 19th century, and six railway terminals had been built just outside the centre of London by 1854: London Bridge, Euston, Paddington, King's Cross, Bishopsgate and Waterloo.[17] At this point, only Fenchurch Street station was located in the actual City of London. Traffic congestion in the city and the surrounding areas had increased significantly in this period, partly due to the need for rail travellers to complete their journeys into the city centre by road. The idea of building an underground railway to link the City of London with the mainline terminals had first been proposed in the 1830s, but it was not until the 1850s that the idea was taken seriously as a solution to traffic congestion.[17] The first underground railways In 1855 an Act of Parliament was passed approving the construction of an underground railway between Paddington Station and Farringdon Street via King's Cross which was to be called the Metropolitan Railway. The Great Western Railway (GWR) gave financial backing to the project when it was agreed that a junction would be built linking the underground railway with its mainline terminus at Paddington. The GWR also agreed to design special trains for the new subterranean railway. A shortage of funds delayed construction for several years. It was largely due to the lobbying of Charles Pearson, who was Solicitor to the City of London Corporation at the time, that this project got under way at all. Pearson had supported the idea of an underground railway in London for several years. He advocated the demolition of the unhygienic slums which would be replaced by new accommodation in the suburbs; the new railway would provide transport to their places of work in the city centre. Although he was never directly involved in the running of the Metropolitan Railway, he is widely regarded as one of the earliest visionaries behind the concept of underground railways. And in 1859 it was Pearson who persuaded the City of London Corporation to help fund the scheme. Work finally began in February 1860, under the guidance of chief engineer John Fowler. Pearson died before the work was completed. Construction of the Metropolitan Railway near King's Cross station, The Metropolitan Railway opened on 9 January 1863 [7] (the general public admitted next day), and was carrying 1861 over 26,000 passengers a day within a few months of opening. [18] The Hammersmith and City Railway was opened on 13 June 1864 between Hammersmith and Paddington. Services were initially operated by GWR between Hammersmith and Farringdon Street. By April 1865 the Metropolitan had taken over the service. On 23 December 1865 the Metropolitan's eastern extension to Moorgate Street opened. Later in the decade other branches were opened to Swiss Cottage, South Kensington and Addison Road, Kensington (now known as Kensington Olympia). The railway was initially dual gauge, allowing the use of the GWR's broad-gauge rolling stock as well as the more widely used standard-gauge stock. Disagreements with GWR forced the Metropolitan to switch to standard gauge in 1863 after the GWR withdrew all its stock from the railway. These differences were later patched up. Broad-gauge trains ceased to run on the Metropolitan in March 1869. On 24 December 1868, the Metropolitan District Railway began operating between South Kensington and Westminster using Metropolitan Railway trains and carriages. The company, which soon became known as "the District", was first incorporated in 1864 to complete an Inner Circle railway around London in conjunction with the Metropolitan. This was part of a plan to build both an Inner Circle line and Outer Circle line. A fierce rivalry soon developed between the District and the Metropolitan. This severely delayed the completion of the Inner Circle as the two companies competed to build more lucrative railways in the suburbs. The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) began running its Outer Circle service from Broad Street via Willesden Junction, Addison Road and Earl's Court to Mansion House in 1872. The Inner Circle was not completed until 1884, with the Metropolitan and the District jointly running services. In the meantime, the District had finished its route between West Brompton and Blackfriars in 1870, with an interchange with the Metropolitan at South Kensington. In 1877, it began running its own trains from Hammersmith to Richmond, on a line originally opened by the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1869. The District then opened a new line from Turnham Green to Ealing in 1879 [19] and extended its West Brompton branch to Fulham in 1880. Over the same decade the Metropolitan was extended to Harrow-on-the-Hill station in the north-west. The early tunnels were dug mainly using the cut-and-cover method.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Rail Accident Report
    Rail Accident Report Penetration and obstruction of a tunnel between Old Street and Essex Road stations, London 8 March 2013 Report 03/2014 February 2014 This investigation was carried out in accordance with: l the Railway Safety Directive 2004/49/EC; l the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003; and l the Railways (Accident Investigation and Reporting) Regulations 2005. © Crown copyright 2014 You may re-use this document/publication (not including departmental or agency logos) free of charge in any format or medium. You must re-use it accurately and not in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and you must give the title of the source publication. Where we have identified any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This document/publication is also available at www.raib.gov.uk. Any enquiries about this publication should be sent to: RAIB Email: [email protected] The Wharf Telephone: 01332 253300 Stores Road Fax: 01332 253301 Derby UK Website: www.raib.gov.uk DE21 4BA This report is published by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Department for Transport. Penetration and obstruction of a tunnel between Old Street and Essex Road stations, London 8 March 2013 Contents Summary 5 Introduction 6 Preface 6 Key definitions 6 The incident 7 Summary of the incident 7 Context 7 Events preceding the incident 9 Events following the incident 11 Consequences of the incident 11 The investigation 12 Sources of evidence 12 Key facts and analysis
    [Show full text]
  • The Operator's Story Appendix
    Railway and Transport Strategy Centre The Operator’s Story Appendix: London’s Story © World Bank / Imperial College London Property of the World Bank and the RTSC at Imperial College London Community of Metros CoMET The Operator’s Story: Notes from London Case Study Interviews February 2017 Purpose The purpose of this document is to provide a permanent record for the researchers of what was said by people interviewed for ‘The Operator’s Story’ in London. These notes are based upon 14 meetings between 6th-9th October 2015, plus one further meeting in January 2016. This document will ultimately form an appendix to the final report for ‘The Operator’s Story’ piece Although the findings have been arranged and structured by Imperial College London, they remain a collation of thoughts and statements from interviewees, and continue to be the opinions of those interviewed, rather than of Imperial College London. Prefacing the notes is a summary of Imperial College’s key findings based on comments made, which will be drawn out further in the final report for ‘The Operator’s Story’. Method This content is a collation in note form of views expressed in the interviews that were conducted for this study. Comments are not attributed to specific individuals, as agreed with the interviewees and TfL. However, in some cases it is noted that a comment was made by an individual external not employed by TfL (‘external commentator’), where it is appropriate to draw a distinction between views expressed by TfL themselves and those expressed about their organisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Uncovering the Underground's Role in the Formation of Modern London, 1855-1945
    University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--History History 2016 Minding the Gap: Uncovering the Underground's Role in the Formation of Modern London, 1855-1945 Danielle K. Dodson University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2016.339 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Dodson, Danielle K., "Minding the Gap: Uncovering the Underground's Role in the Formation of Modern London, 1855-1945" (2016). Theses and Dissertations--History. 40. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/40 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the History at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--History by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known.
    [Show full text]
  • Responses to the Rail Strategy Consultation Page 1 West Anglia
    Responses to the Rail Strategy Consultation Appendix1 West Anglia Mainline Organisation Consultation Comments - WAML HCC Response Action for Rail Strategy Broxbourne 4-tracking & CR2 to be given higher profile - Include CR2 on page 14 but Borough Council e.g. on pages 4 & 32 & in figure 2.2 on page not on pages 4 & 32 as 14. Include Ambition Broxbourne's aspiration these figures list existing of Cheshunt as strategic hub with CR2, links services and lines. Include to Stratford, London & Stansted, and reference to Ambition significant development around the station Broxbourne's aspiration of associated with a potential redevelopment of Cheshunt as strategic hub, Delamare Road. Include lobbying for early and of lobbying for early safeguarding of regional CR2 route. CR2 safeguarding of regional route. Cambridgeshire Include addressing single track tunnel at Single track tunnel at None. County Council Stansted to improve journey times & capacity Stansted as constraint for all services, from the north & south. already included in Strategy. East Herts District Objects to wording on page 41 re - HCC not pursuing Hertford Council investigation into the implementation of East as CR2 terminus and development around Hertford East branch so text will be removed. stations. Serious constraints of implementing Amend text on page 40 re CR2 in East Herts should be recognised. Ware platform. There was never a second platform at Ware (page 40). Hertford Town Appropriate service mix with more semi-fasts - Include reference to semi- Council to London, and longer term to Liverpool St. fasts including to Liverpool St. Hertfordshire Lobby for Hertford East & Harlow as northern HCC not pursuing Hertford None.
    [Show full text]
  • A Beautifully Presented One Bedroom Garden Flat
    A beautifully presented one bedroom garden flat City Road, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V £625,000 Leasehold (87 years remaining) 1 Bedroom • 1 Bathroom • 1 Reception Room Solid wood floors • Private courtyard garden • Own entrance • Spacious reception • Separate kitchen • Close to Angel tube • Moments from Regent's Canal About this property City Road connects Angel and A beautiful, well-proportioned, Old Street offering excellent bright, garden flat within a period transport links and plenty of terrace. Located just South of restaurants, nightlife and Angel Underground station, the shopping facilities. property is extremely well positioned for access to Angel, Angel tube station is the City, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Old approximately 380 yards and Old Street and King's Cross. Street Tube Station is approximately 0.7 Miles (Source: The flat, which benefits from its Streetcheck.co.uk). own private entrance, has been overhauled by the current owner and is finished to a high standard Tenure throughout with solid wood floors, Leasehold (87 years remaining) bespoke fitted wardrobes, high ceilings, shutters and column Local Authority radiators. The kitchen and Islington = Band C bathroom are both recently appointed and incredibly well Energy Performance presented. EPC Rating = C To the rear is a private, south Viewing facing courtyard garden complete All viewings will be accompanied with built-in masonry barbecue, and are strictly by prior which is perfect for entertaining. arrangement through Savills Clerkenwell Office. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7253 2533. Local Information Michael Smit Clerkenwell City Road, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V +44 (0) 20 7253 2533 Gross Internal Area 495 sq ft, 46 m² savills savills.co.uk [email protected] Important notice Savills, its clients and any joint agents give notice that 1: They are not authorised to make or give any representations or warranties in relation to the property either here or elsewhere, either on their own behalf or on behalf of their client or otherwise.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic & Business History
    This article was published online on April 26, 2019 Final version June 30, 2019 Essays in ECONOMIC & BUSINESS HISTORY The Journal of the Economic &Business History Society Editors Mark Billings, University of Exeter Daniel Giedeman, Grand Valley State University Copyright © 2019, The Economic and Business History Society. This is an open access journal. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ISSN 0896-226X LCC 79-91616 HC12.E2 Statistics and London Underground Railways STATISTICS: SPUR TO PRODUCTIVITY OR PUBLICITY STUNT? LONDON UNDERGROUND RAILWAYS 1913-32 James Fowler The York Management School University of York [email protected] A rapid deterioration in British railways’ financial results around 1900 sparked an intense debate about how productivity might be improved. As a comparison it was noted that US railways were much more productive and employed far more detailed statistical accounting methods, though the connection between the two was disputed and the distinction between the managerial and regulatory role of US statistical collection was unexplored. Nevertheless, The Railway Companies (Accounts and Returns) Act was passed in 1911 and from 1913 a continuous, detailed and standardized set of data was produced by all rail companies including the London underground. However, this did not prevent their eventual amalgamation into the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933 on grounds of efficiency. This article finds that despite the hopes of the protagonists, collecting more detailed statistics did not improve productivity and suggests that their primary use was in generating publicity to influence shareholders’, passengers’ and workers’ perceptions.
    [Show full text]
  • Biology Powerhouse Raises Railway Alarm
    NEWS IN FOCUS to enrol all participants by 2018. Certain factors make researchers optimis- tic that the British study will succeed where the US one failed. One is the National Health Service, which provides care for almost all pregnant women and their children in the United Kingdom, and so offers a centralized means of recruiting, tracing and collecting medical information on study participants. In the United States, by contrast, medical care is provided by a patchwork of differ- ent providers. “I think that most researchers in the US recognize that our way of doing population-based research here is simply different from the way things can be done in the UK and in Europe, and it will almost always be more expensive here,” says Mark Klebanoff, a paediatric epidemiologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Colum- bus, Ohio, who was involved in early dis- cussions about the US study. The Francis Crick Institute sits at the nexus of three central London railway hubs. At one stage, US researchers had planned to knock on doors of random houses looking URBAN SCIENCE for women to enrol before they were even pregnant. “It became obvious that that wasn’t going to be a winning formula,” says Philip Pizzo, a paediatrician at Stanford University Biology powerhouse in Palo Alto, California, who co-chaired the working group that concluded that the National Children’s Study was not feasible. raises railway alarm “The very notion that someone was going to show up on your doorstep as a representa- tive from a govern­ment-funded study and Central London’s Francis Crick Institute fears that proposed say ‘Are you thinking of getting pregnant?’ train line will disrupt delicate science experiments.
    [Show full text]
  • No. 133 Upper Street . London . N1 1QP January 2013
    28 Scrutton Street London EC2A 4RP UK www.kyson.co.uk No. 133 Upper Street . London . N1 1QP January 2013 . Design and Access Statement Contents 2 Introduction 03 Site Location 04 Map of London Location Map Site History and Context 06 Upper Street North Conservation Area - Historic Background Upper Street No. 133 Upper Street Access 09 Planning Context 10 Planning Appraisal 11 Sustainability 18 Sustainable Statement 20 Design 21 Existing Drawings 33 Overview Site Location Plan Floor Plans Elevations Site Sections Sections Proposed Drawings 47 Site Models Site Plan Demolition Proposal Floor Plans Elevations Site Sections Sections Contextual Drawings 68 Contextual Floor Plans Contextual Elevation No. 133 Upper Street . London . N1 1QP . January 2013 INTRODUCTION 3 Kyson, on behalf of our client, is seeking to gain Planning and Conservation Area consent for the demolition of 133B Upper Street, London, N1 1QP, and erection of a new 5 storeys building comprising the use of basement and ground floor as Restaurant (A3) and Residential (C3) uses at upper floors. The development proposals also incorporate alteration and a single storey extension at ground floor of the rear wing at 133 Upper Street. No. 133 Upper Street . London . N1 1QP . January 2013 Site Location 4 Location The application site is located on the western side of Upper Street within the London Borough of Islington. It is situated in the Upper Street North Conservation Area. Map of London Aerial View of London Aerial View of London Borough of Isllington No. 133 Upper Street . London . N1 1QP . January 2013 Site Location 5 Location Map View Southward Aerial View of No.
    [Show full text]
  • Sir Edgar Speyer
    SIR EDGAR SPEYER (1862 – 1932) THE UNDERGROUND KING by Professor Tony Lentin, author of the book “Banker, Traitor, Scapegoat, Spy? The Troublesome Case of Sir Edgar Speyer” (Haus Publishing, 2013) A report of the LURS meeting at All Souls Club House on Tuesday 8 July 2014 “Sir Edgar who?” you might ask. Not many people have heard of Sir Edgar Speyer. He is absent from the LT Museum, and from Bownes, Green & Mullins’ book Underground that marked the 150 anniversary. Why should this be so when without him there would be no London Underground that we know today? In his time he was known as ‘The Underground King’. Of course there were the early deep-level electric tube railways, the City & South London opening in 1890 and the Waterloo & City Line in 1898. But it was not until the arrival of Charles Tyson Yerkes that widespread construction got under way. He had established the Chicago elevated railway, the loop, and its tramways. Having made his fortune and also acquired an unfavourable reputation, he moved to London and started again. Between 1900 and 1902 he bought the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway (part of the future Northern Line), bought the steam operated Metropolitan District Railway (including rights to the Brompton & Piccadilly Circus Railway and the Great Northern & Strand Railway, together the future Piccadilly Line), founded the Metropolitan District Electric Traction Company, and bought the incomplete works of the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway (the future Bakerloo Line). More funds were required to integrate these lines into a functioning system, so in 1902 the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) was founded with £5 million capital provided by merchant banks Speyer Bros.
    [Show full text]
  • Watford Station Closure Panel
    Watford Station Closure Panel Document L Final Report, 28 08 2012 Author: Vincent Stops Final report of the consideration by London TravelWatch of the proposed closure and discontinuance of services to and from Watford station 1 Purpose of report 1.1 To set out the background and process undertaken as part of the consideration of the proposed closure and discontinuance of services to and from Watford station. 1.2 To summarise London Underground Limited’s (LUL’s) case for the closure, the concerns of passengers and the conclusions of Panel members consideration of the issues. 1.3 To report to the Mayor of London any hardship that would result from the closure, should it proceed. 1.4 To report to the Mayor of London measures that would alleviate hardship resulting from the closure, should it proceed. 1.5 To report any other conclusions from London TravelWatch’s consideration of the closure. 2 Background 2.1 Watford station is one of the northern terminal stations on the Metropolitan line. There is a long-standing aspiration to divert the Metropolitan line, via the former Croxley Green branch line, to terminate at Watford Junction station. This would entail a short section of new railway being built to connect the Metropolitan line to the former Croxley Green branch line. The Link would have two new accessible stations at Ascot Road and Vicarage Road and connect to Watford Junction station via Watford High Street station. The project is known as the Croxley Rail Link. See Appendices A & B below for schematics of the existing and proposed Metropolitan line.
    [Show full text]
  • London National Park City Week 2018
    London National Park City Week 2018 Saturday 21 July – Sunday 29 July www.london.gov.uk/national-park-city-week Share your experiences using #NationalParkCity SATURDAY JULY 21 All day events InspiralLondon DayNight Trail Relay, 12 am – 12am Theme: Arts in Parks Meet at Kings Cross Square - Spindle Sculpture by Henry Moore - Start of InspiralLondon Metropolitan Trail, N1C 4DE (at midnight or join us along the route) Come and experience London as a National Park City day and night at this relay walk of InspiralLondon Metropolitan Trail. Join a team of artists and inspirallers as they walk non-stop for 48 hours to cover the first six parts of this 36- section walk. There are designated points where you can pick up the trail, with walks from one mile to eight miles plus. Visit InspiralLondon to find out more. The Crofton Park Railway Garden Sensory-Learning Themed Garden, 10am- 5:30pm Theme: Look & learn Crofton Park Railway Garden, Marnock Road, SE4 1AZ The railway garden opens its doors to showcase its plans for creating a 'sensory-learning' themed garden. Drop in at any time on the day to explore the garden, the landscaping plans, the various stalls or join one of the workshops. Free event, just turn up. Find out more on Crofton Park Railway Garden Brockley Tree Peaks Trail, 10am - 5:30pm Theme: Day walk & talk Crofton Park Railway Garden, Marnock Road, London, SE4 1AZ Collect your map and discount voucher before heading off to explore the wider Brockley area along a five-mile circular walk. The route will take you through the valley of the River Ravensbourne at Ladywell Fields and to the peaks of Blythe Hill Fields, Hilly Fields, One Tree Hill for the best views across London! You’ll find loads of great places to enjoy food and drink along the way and independent shops to explore (with some offering ten per cent for visitors on the day with your voucher).
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of Political Electricity: Market Failure Or Political Opportunism?
    THE ORIGINS OF POLITICAL ELECTRICITY: MARKET FAILURE OR POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM? Robert L. Bradley, Jr. * The current debate over restructuring the electric industry, which includes such issues as displacing the regulatory covenant, repealing the Public Utility Holding Company Act, and privatizing municipal power sys- tems, the Rural Utilities Service (formerly Rural Electrification Adminis- tration), and federally owned power systems, makes a look back at the origins of political electricity relevant. The thesis of this essay, that govern- ment intervention into electric markets was not the result of market fail- ures but, rather, represented business and political opportunism, suggests that the intellectual and empirical case for market-oriented reform is even stronger than would otherwise be the case. A major theme of applied political economy is the dynamics of gov- ernment intervention in the marketplace. Because interventions are often related, an analytical distinction can be made between basis point and cumulative intervention.' Basis point regulation, taxation, or subsidization is the opening government intervention into a market setting; cumulative intervention is further regulation, taxation, or subsidization that is attribu- table to the effects of prior (basis point or cumulative) intervention. The origins and maturation of political electricity, as will be seen, are interpret- able through this theoretical framework. The commercialization of electric lighting in the United States, suc- cessfully competing against gas lamps, kerosene lamps, and wax candles, required affordable generation, long distance transmission capabilities, and satisfactory illumination equipment. All three converged beginning in the 1870s, the most remembered being Thomas Edison's invention of the incandescent electric light bulb in 1878. - * Robert L.
    [Show full text]