An ambitious £1.2million plan to connect two popular areas in London had to be abandoned (Image: Getty)
An ambitious £1.2million plan to connect two popular areas in London was abandoned after rich homeowners raised some objections. The to connect Victoria and Kilburn was scheduled to start construction in 1892.
The proposed Tube line would have included stops at Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Edgware Road, Maida Vale and Kilburn High Road, reports .
However, not known to many Londoners, the line was never constructed as the affluent residents of Mayfair and Victoria raised concerns about potential disruptions and the impact on .
Objections were also raised by the existing Metropolitan and District railways, the London County Council, and the Duke of Westminster.
Mayfair, an affluent district, was home to influential landowners and residents who objected to tunneling under their properties, fearing noise, disruption, and depreciation of .
Locals from Mayfair raised objection to the plans. (Image: Getty)
A committee in the House of Commons was set up to review the plans in 1893.
To gain the Committee’s approval, the railway’s organisers focused on commuters by offering discounted tickets for workers, making travel to Westminster more affordable for Kilburn residents.
The project also faced funding issues, with private investors hesitant due to the strong opposition from Mayfair elites.
To appease homeowners, the proposed route was altered to run beneath Hyde Park rather than under the residences on Park Lane.
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However, this change introduced further challenges in obtaining permission to tunnel under a Royal Park.
In the end, Underground planners failed to persuade both Parliament and homeowners of the railway’s feasibility or profitability. As a result, the House of Commons Committee rejected the proposal on 24 March 1893.
While this specific line was never built, parts of its proposed route were later served by other transport projects.
The Jubilee Line (opened in 1979 and extended in 1999) and the Bakerloo Line (which reaches Kilburn today) provide connections that partially fulfill the original plan.