The Post Office (London) Underground Railway, or Mail Rail, transported mail under the streets of London from 1927 to 2003. In 1855, Rowland Hill, then Secretary to the Post Office, submitted a report to the Postmaster General on a system for conveying mail in underground tubes. It was intended that air pressure would be used as the propelling force. Hill envisaged it being used originally in London, connecting the Post Office Headquarters and another Post Office building at Holborn. Ultimately eight other offices might have been linked in. The experts reported that the scheme would work, but the costs involved meant that it never progressed further. But, it came to life a few years later. Here’s the rest of the story…
Categories: History Stories
