Practice Reading Passages*

The development of the London underground Railway

In the first half of the 1800s. London’s population grew at an astonishing rate, and the central area became increasingly congested. In addition, the expansion of the over ground railway network resulted in more an more passengers arriving in the capital.  However, in 1846, a Royal Commission decided that the railways should not be allowed to enter the City, the capital’s historic and business center. The result was that the over ground railway stations formed a rind around the City. The area within consisted of poorly built, overcrowded slums and the streets were full of horse-drawn traffic. Crossing City became a nightmare. It could take an hour and a half to travel 8 km by horse-drawn carriage or bus. Numerous schemes were proposed to resolve these problems, but few succeeded.

Amongst the most vocal advocates for solution to London’s traffic problem was Charles Pearson, who worked as a solicitor for the City for London he was both social and economic advantages in building an underground railway that would link the overground railway stations together and clear London slums at the same time. His idea was to relocate the poor workers who lived in the inner-city slums to newly constructed suburbs, and to provide cheap rail travel for them to get to work. Pearson’s ideas gained support amongst some businessmen and in 1851 he submitted a plan to Parliament. It was rejected, but coincided with a proposal from another group for an underground connecting line, which Parliament passed.

The two groups merged and established the Metropolitan Railway Company in 1854. The company’s plan was to construct an underground railway line from the Great Western Railway’s (GWR) station at Paddington to the edge of the City at Farringdon Street – a distance of almost 5 km. the organization had difficulty in raising the funding for such a radical and expensive scheme, not least because of the critical articles printed by the press. Objectors argued that the tunnels would collapse under the weight of traffic overhead, buildings would be shaken and passengers would be poisoned by emissions from the train engines. However, Pearson and his partners persisted.

The GWR, aware that the new line would finally enable them to run trains into the heart of the City, invested almost £250,000 in the scheme. Eventually, over a five-year period, £1m was raised. The chosen route ran beneath existing main roads to minimize the expense of demolishing buildings. Originally scheduled to be completed in 21 months, the construction of the underground line took three years. It was built just below street level using a technique known as ‘cut and cover’. A trench about ten meters wide and six meters deep was dug, and the sides temporarily help up with timber beams. Bricks walls were then constructed, and finally a brick arch was added to create a tunnel. A two-meter deep layer of soil was laid on top of the tunnel and the road above rebuilt.

The Metropolitan line, which opened on 10 January 1863, was the world’ first underground railway. On this first day, almost 40,000 passengers were carried between Paddington and Farringdon, the journey taking about 18 minutes. By the end of Metropolitan’s first year of operation, 9.5 million journeys had been made.

Even as the Metropolitan began operation, the first extensions to the line were being authorized; these were built over the next five years, reaching Moorgate in the east of London and Hammersmith in the west. The original plan was to pull the trains with steam locomotives, using firebricks in the boilers to provide steam, but these engines were never introduced. Instead, the line used specially designed locomotives that were fitted with water tanks in which steam could be condensed. However, smoke and fumes remained a problem, even though ventilation shafts were added to the tunnels.

Despite the extension of the underground railway, by the 1880s, congestion on London’s streets had become worse. The problem was partly that the existing underground lines formed a circuit around the center of London and extended to the suburbs, but did not cross the capital’s center. The ‘cut and cover’ method of construction was not an option in this part of the capital. The only alternative was to tunnel deep underground.

Although the technology to create these tunnels existed, steam locomotives could not be used in such a confined space. It wasn’t until the development of a reliable electric motor, and a means of transferring power form the generator to a moving train, that the world’s first deep-level electric railway, the City & South London, became possible. The line opened in 1890, and ran from the City to Stockwell, south of the River Thames. The trains were made up of three carriages and driven by electric engines. The carriage are narrow and had tiny windows just below the roof because it was thought that passengers would not want to look out at the tunnel walls. The line was not without its problems, mainly caused by an unreliable power supply. Although the City & South London Railway was a great technical achievement, it did not make a profit. Then, in 1900, the Central London Railway, known as the ‘Tuppenny Tube’ began operation using new electric locomotives. It was very popular and soon afterwards new railways and extension were added to the growing tube network. By 1907, the heart of today’s Underground system was in place.

Questions 1- 6

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

Questions 7- 13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 7-13 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE                         if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE                        if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN              if there is no information on this

7.    Other countries had built underground railways before the Metropolitan line opened.
8.    More people than predicted travelled on the Metropolitan line on the first day.
9.    The use of ventilation shafts failed to prevent pollution in the tunnels.
10.    Different approach from the ‘cut and cover’ technique was required in London’s central area.
11.    The windows on City & South London trains were at eye level.
12.    The City & South London Railway was a financial success.
13.     Trains on the ‘Tuppenny Tube’ nearly always ran on time.

Practice #2

Reading Passage 1

 Dubai’s expanding metro boosts its ’20-minute city’ ambitions

Emirate has set out plans to double its number of Metro stations to support growth strategy

Dubai’s plans to expand its Metro network and more than double the number of stations could have a significant impact on the development of the emirate, analysts have said. New business openings could be created and there could be reductions in pollution and congestion – if drivers can be tempted out of their vehicles. Under the plans – announced as part of a wider economic strategy by the emirate’s Executive Council on Sunday – the number of Dubai Metro stations will jump from today’s 55 (plus 11 tram stops) to 96 by 2030, with a further significant increase, to a projected 140 stations, by 2040. While Dubai is often seen as car-orientated, the Metro expansion aims to help turn the urban area into a 20-minute city, meaning key daily needs, including work and shopping, would be available within a maximum 20 minutes of where a person lives without their having to use a car.

Dr Alexandra Gomes, research fellow at the London School of Economics who has analysed cities in the Gulf, said with the addition of new stations and lines, Dubai could “densify” through “transit-oriented development”, a strategy applied successfully in many other cities worldwide. Densification often goes hand in hand with strengthened public transport networks, because low-density areas tend to be less suitable for public transport. “To maximise the benefits of this densification, it’s essential to also develop mixed-use development and good walking infrastructure that supports walkability both within the areas surrounding the stations and in the access routes to the Metro stations,” she said.

Mixed-use developments, Dr Gomes said, may combine residential, commercial and other uses, contrasting with “monofunctional areas”. The building of new Metro lines and stations in Dubai will create “significant potential business opportunities if the land near the stations is made available for commercial developments”, Dr Gomes said. “Densification increases the demand for goods and services, creating a favourable environment for businesses,” she said. Dr Gomes said the likes of Hong Kong, Singapore and many European cities had grown significantly around their metro and train networks, potentially offering a glimpse into what could happen in Dubai. “For example, London has recently opened the Elizabeth Line, a high-frequently, high-capacity railway line similar to a metro,” she said. “This line not only supports potential new developments but also connects areas that were geographically close, yet distant in terms of travel time, by public transport, which previously encouraged car use.”

Another example is Tokyo, where land around metro lines has become much more densely developed and has increased in value. Even before this week’s announcement, Dubai Metro, which currently has a Red Line with 35 stations, and a Green Line with 20, was set for significant expansion through the construction of the Blue Line, which will add 14 stations and 30km at a cost of Dh18 billion ($4.9 billion). Peter Schwinger, a transport economics, strategy and planning specialist in Germany who has previously worked in the UAE, said that in the creation of new “centres” – high-density mixed-use developments with workplaces and services in close proximity – was a core component of the Dubai 2040 masterplan. “The key challenge for Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) however, is to align the new metro corridors with those centres,” he said.

“In the past, metro lines were often built parallel to urban highways to save cost and time rather than through the [middle] of the development they are supposed to serve. “He gave Dubai Mall Metro Station as the most prominent example, where millions of passengers each year have to walk an extra 10 to 15 minutes to reach their destination using the Metro Link Bridge. One hope that residents may have is that the expansion of Dubai Metro will reduce traffic congestion, potentially making commuting easier for drivers and cutting pollution. Experience from other cities indicates that improvements in public transport can cut gridlock if other measures incentivise people not to use cars.

For example, in London, the Elizabeth Line, along with the Congestion Charge and the Ultra Low Emissions Zones, have “been instrumental in reducing the number of cars in central London”, Dr Gomes said. This has, she added, had a positive effect on pollution levels. “If the expansion [in Dubai] encourages a significant number of people who previously drove to switch to using the Metro, it could lead to a reduction in the number of cars on the roads, decrease traffic congestion and lower pollution levels,” she said. “However, if the expansion primarily supports new Dubai residents without reducing the number of cars on the roads, the impact on traffic and pollution might be minimal. Nevertheless, it is positive that these new residents might not need a car to move within the city. “Mr. Schwinger said that adding lines could cut pollution, although he cautioned that some of the existing lines served new developments in Dubai, so may not have caused public transport to gain a greater market share.

“Dubai has seen a significant rise in public transport usage in recent years that goes beyond the post-Covid rebound in ridership you see elsewhere in urban transport,” he said. “Growing the network certainly has a positive impact on the level of congestion as well as pollution. “Dr David Roberts, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, said Dubai’s continued focus on construction, as indicated by the plans to expand the Metro, tied in with the nature of the city’s political economy – the way that economies are managed by political systems – which is “fundamentally oriented towards building stuff”. He said part of this may be driven by the momentum of a sector made up of companies with access to “comparatively cheap credit”. “It’s a local political economy in the region where there’s a lot of competition from the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia], from Qatar, from Bahrain,” said Dr Roberts, who is an editor of the Elements in Middle East Politics series published by Cambridge University Press. “Some constant growth is maybe aimed at keeping Dubai’s place as the premier commercial [and] logistical hub.

“I would imagine there will be continual growth in the near future. That’s the guess. “While Dubai has developed a diversified economy and reduced its dependence on hydrocarbons, Dr Roberts said it was “co-dependent” on other major cities in the region, where sometimes a greater proportion of economic activity has been linked to hydrocarbons. As the world slowly transitions to activities that do not involve hydrocarbons, it made sense for Dubai to continue to grow and develop its other capabilities, Dr Roberts said. (Daniel Bardsley)

Source: Dubai’s expanding metro boosts its ’20-minute city’ ambitions | The National

Bottom of Form

Questions 1- 7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write

         TRUE                               if the statement agrees with the information

         FALSE                              if the statement contradicts the information

         NOT GIVEN                    if there is no information on this

1. Dubai plans to increase the number of Metro stations to 140 by 2030.
2. Alexandra Gomes believes densification will have no impact on business opportunities around the new Metro stations.
3. Dubai’s current Metro network includes 55 stations and 11 tram stops.
4. The Elizabeth Line in London has decreased traffic congestion through measures like a congestion charge.
5. David Roberts suggested Dubai’s Metro expansion is a direct response to competition with Abu Dhabi.
6. New Metro lines in Dubai are expected to improve walkability within the areas surrounding the stations.
7. The construction of the Blue Line is estimated to cost $5 billion.

Questions 8- 14

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.