London Post Office Railway

London Post Office Railway
Mail Rail trains at a platform
Overview
StatusClosed; partially re-opened as museum
OwnerRoyal Mail
LocaleLondon, England
Termini
  • Paddington Sorting Office
  • Whitechapel Eastern Delivery Office
Stations9
Service
TypePrivate industrial railway
Services1
Depot(s)Mount Pleasant
Rolling stock1980 Greenwood & Batley
History
Opened3 December 1927
Closed31 May 2003
Technical
Line length6.5 miles (10.5 km)
Track gauge2 ft (610 mm)
Loading gaugeCustom gauge
Electrification440 V DC Third rail
Operating speed40 mph (64 km/h) through core tunnels; 7 mph (11 km/h) through stations, platforms and loops
Highest elevation70 feet (21 m) below street level

The Post Office Railway, known since 1987 as Mail Rail, is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge, driverless underground railway in London that was built by the Post Office with assistance from the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, to transport mail between sorting offices. Inspired by the Chicago Tunnel Company, it opened in 1927 and operated for 76 years until it closed in 2003. A museum within the former railway was opened in September 2017.