Between 1799 and 1843 there were three attempts to tunnel under London’s river Thames. But only one was successful, and it would use an invention so simple yet genius that even today’s tunnels are built using an adaptation of it. The idea? Mark Brunel’s tunneling shield.  

We take a look at how the first underground tunnels were built, the questionable health and safety involved in their construction, and how one American financier and ex-convict created the modern underground as we know it.  

We’re also in London to see how Ferrovial Construction are building the latest addition to London’s underground network: the Northern Line Extension.  

This episode of Sounds Like Infrastructure was produced by Craig Lawless and Nicholas Hewson. Original music and editing by Craig Lawless. If you liked this episode, share it with your friends or go to our channel to listen to other cool stories!

To learn more about Ferrovial and check out some of our other projects, visit www.ferrovial.com. 

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