Despite being the world's biggest (and oldest) underground railway, with over 250 miles of track ad one billion passenger journeys in 2007, it's amazing that only two babies have ever been born on the London Underground.
Julia Kowalska is the first person to give birth on the London Underground since Marie Cordery was born at Elephent and Castle station in 1924
Woman gives birth to baby girl on London Underground platform
By Rashid Razaq
02nd January 2009
The Daily Mail
A woman unexpectedly went into labour and gave birth on the London Underground, to the astonishment of other passengers.
Julia Kowalska was travelling with her sister on a Jubilee line train when her waters broke.
She got off the train at Kingsbury Station, north-west London, but could not make it any further and went into labour on the platform.
Julia Kowalska went into labour on a Jubilee line train platform at Kingsbury before she was moved to the station supervisor's office to give birth
Station supervisor Sebastian Rebello told how he responded to a distress alarm to discover Ms Kowalska about to give birth.
He said: 'I got a call from Wembley Park about a woman with stomach pains, but it was only when I reached the platform that I found out she was expecting.
'I just kept holding her hand to try to reassure her. I was a bit anxious, I just wanted the ambulance to get there as soon as possible.'
Paramedics arrived at about 9pm on 19 December to find Ms Kowalska was too far into her labour to be taken to hospital.
She was taken to the station supervisor's office where she gave birth to a healthy girl just 35 minutes after calling for help.
The mother and baby were taken to Northwick Park Hospital. A Brent council spokesman said the authority had met Ms Kowalska, who is homeless, and was assessing her circumstances to establish what assistance it might provide.
A spokesman said: 'A further meeting will take place this week.'
Ms Kowalska is the second ever person to give birth on the Tube. Transport For London said the only other recorded birth on the network was when Marie Cordery was born at Elephant and Castle station in 1924.
London Underground - Facts and Figures
The London Underground is the world's oldest underground railway, with the Metropolitan Line opening in January 1863.
It is also the world's longest, with over 240 miles (400 kms) of track.
The London Underground Map, showing the lines and stations, is a colourful thing - to make it easier for people to use. The first maps were geographically correct, with the tracks shown at their correct distances. However, in 1932 a colour-coded map was introduced with each line shown a different colour. For instance, Bakerloo is corporate brown, Central is corporate red, Hammersmith & City is underground pink, Metropolitan is corporate magenta, Northern is corporate black, and so on. And, for simplification, the tracks aren't shown at their right lengths on the map and, rather than the geographic positions, the relative positions of stations along the lines are shown.
The Jubilee Line Extension was the most expensive railway line in the world ever built. It cost the equivalent of US$330 million per kilometre!
The peak hour for suicides on the London Underground is 11am. Victoria and King's Cross record the highest number of tube suicides each year. This isn't surprising as Victoria is the tube's busiest station with 85 million passengers each year and King's Cross has 70 million passengers each year.
Out of the 287 stations, only 29 are south of the river Thames.
One of the female automated voice announcers is called Sonia - because her voice "gets on yer nerves".
The Central line covers the longest route - from West Ruislip to Epping you will travel 34 miles without changing.
The Waterloo and City line covers the shortest route - 2 kilometres.
dailymail.co.uk
Julia Kowalska is the first person to give birth on the London Underground since Marie Cordery was born at Elephent and Castle station in 1924
Woman gives birth to baby girl on London Underground platform
By Rashid Razaq
02nd January 2009
The Daily Mail
A woman unexpectedly went into labour and gave birth on the London Underground, to the astonishment of other passengers.
Julia Kowalska was travelling with her sister on a Jubilee line train when her waters broke.
She got off the train at Kingsbury Station, north-west London, but could not make it any further and went into labour on the platform.
Julia Kowalska went into labour on a Jubilee line train platform at Kingsbury before she was moved to the station supervisor's office to give birth
Station supervisor Sebastian Rebello told how he responded to a distress alarm to discover Ms Kowalska about to give birth.
He said: 'I got a call from Wembley Park about a woman with stomach pains, but it was only when I reached the platform that I found out she was expecting.
'I just kept holding her hand to try to reassure her. I was a bit anxious, I just wanted the ambulance to get there as soon as possible.'
Paramedics arrived at about 9pm on 19 December to find Ms Kowalska was too far into her labour to be taken to hospital.
She was taken to the station supervisor's office where she gave birth to a healthy girl just 35 minutes after calling for help.
The mother and baby were taken to Northwick Park Hospital. A Brent council spokesman said the authority had met Ms Kowalska, who is homeless, and was assessing her circumstances to establish what assistance it might provide.
A spokesman said: 'A further meeting will take place this week.'
Ms Kowalska is the second ever person to give birth on the Tube. Transport For London said the only other recorded birth on the network was when Marie Cordery was born at Elephant and Castle station in 1924.
London Underground - Facts and Figures
The London Underground is the world's oldest underground railway, with the Metropolitan Line opening in January 1863.
It is also the world's longest, with over 240 miles (400 kms) of track.
The London Underground Map, showing the lines and stations, is a colourful thing - to make it easier for people to use. The first maps were geographically correct, with the tracks shown at their correct distances. However, in 1932 a colour-coded map was introduced with each line shown a different colour. For instance, Bakerloo is corporate brown, Central is corporate red, Hammersmith & City is underground pink, Metropolitan is corporate magenta, Northern is corporate black, and so on. And, for simplification, the tracks aren't shown at their right lengths on the map and, rather than the geographic positions, the relative positions of stations along the lines are shown.
The Jubilee Line Extension was the most expensive railway line in the world ever built. It cost the equivalent of US$330 million per kilometre!
The peak hour for suicides on the London Underground is 11am. Victoria and King's Cross record the highest number of tube suicides each year. This isn't surprising as Victoria is the tube's busiest station with 85 million passengers each year and King's Cross has 70 million passengers each year.
Out of the 287 stations, only 29 are south of the river Thames.
One of the female automated voice announcers is called Sonia - because her voice "gets on yer nerves".
The Central line covers the longest route - from West Ruislip to Epping you will travel 34 miles without changing.
The Waterloo and City line covers the shortest route - 2 kilometres.
dailymail.co.uk