The Mapped History of the London Tube

In the 19th century, London was a city grappling with rapid population growth. The idea of an underground railway was conceived as a solution to the city's ever-growing traffic congestion. and to help improve travel efficiency.

In 1863, the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, opened its doors. Powered by steam locomotives, the Metropolitan Railway connected Paddington and Farringdon, providing a lifeline for commuters and transforming the way Londoners moved through the city. 

My interactive map, the 19th Century Tube, tells the story of the building of the world's first underground railway in London during the second half of the 19th Century. Press the map's 'play' button and you can follow the construction of the London tube year-by-year from 1860 to the end of the 19th Century. You can also click on any of the underground station markers on the map to learn more about when each station was opened and which London Underground lines that they currently serve. 

I think this may have been the first interactive map I've made without the help of Stack Overflow. Instead, as an experiment, when I needed help I referred to Google's Bard AI. For example I asked Bard to provide the JavaScript and CSS style for the map's slide control. Bard's code works perfectly (although I'm not entirely sure about its design choices and may update how the slide control looks at some point in the future).

If you are interested in exploring the code of 19th Century Tube, or if you want to re-use the code to create your own historical transit map then you can clone 19th Century Tube on its Glitch Page.