 Charles Pearson ( 1793 – 1862 ) had proposed the idea of an underground railway connecting the City of London with the relatively distant main @-@ line termini in around 1840 . Construction began in 1860 . On 9 January 1863 the line opened as the Metropolitan Railway ( MR ) , the world 's first underground passenger railway . The MR was successful and grew steadily , extending its services and acquiring other local railways north and west of London . In 1872 Edward Watkin ( 1819 – 1901 ) was appointed its Chairman . A director of many railway companies , he had a vision of unifying a string of railways to create a single line from Manchester via London to an intended Channel Tunnel and on to France . In 1873 Watkin entered negotiations to take control of the A & B and the section of the former Buckinghamshire Railway north from Verney Junction to Buckingham . He planned to extend the MR north from London to Aylesbury and the Tramway southwest to Oxford , creating a through route from London to Oxford . Rail services between Oxford and London at this time were poor : although still an extremely roundabout route , this scheme would have formed the shortest route from London to Oxford , Aylesbury , Buckingham and Stratford upon Avon . The Duke of Buckingham was enthusiastic , and authorisation was sought from Parliament . Parliament did not share the enthusiasm of Watkin and the Duke , and in 1875 the Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire Union Railway Bill was rejected . Watkin did , however , receive consent in 1881 to extend the MR to Aylesbury . 
