London’s Secret Postal ‘Mail Rail’ Will Open To The Public In 2017

The Royal Mail’s little-known subterranean railway is set to reopen next year as a tourist attraction, forming part of a new Postal Museum.

First opened in 1927, the ‘Mail Rail’ was the world’s first driverless electric railway and ran beneath the streets of London.

Until 2003, the underground railway was used to transport mail between Paddington and Whitechapel.

Visitors will be able to see the old rail cars as well as taking a ride in the new carriages with perspex viewing hoods for a audio-visual tour of the railway’s history.

A concept drawing of the new perspex-covered rail cars (The Postal Museum)

The tour is set to take around 15 minutes, travelling around a small loop of a much larger underground network

This is the first time that the Royal Mail’s private railway has been open to the public.

Both the new Postal Museum and the entrance to the Mail Rail will be located in Phoenix Place close to the famous Mount Pleasant sorting office.

The museum will celebrate the 500-year history of Britain’s postal service including the Penny Black and the first ever pillar box.

The Mail Rail and Postal Museum are due to open in Spring 2017 following a £26 million redevelopment.

Image credit: The Postal Museum/Twitter