2017年CRI UKMail Rail lets tourists visit London's secret postal railway

 

Few visitors to London realise that the Underground isn't the only subway train beneath the streets of the British capital.

70 feet below ground level, the world's first driverless, electrified¹ railway was built as a vital artery² for Britain's postal³ system for 75 years, transporting letters, telegrams and packages across a 10 kilometre stretch of London at speeds of up to 56 kilometres per hour.

It's now been opened up to the paying public, who can ride in glass-roofed carriages, through dark and dingy⁴ tunnels, on a journey that takes 20 minutes to complete.

The deputy director of the Postal Museum is Tim Ellison.

"It's never been accessible before and our project is really opening it up for the first time so people can see the infrastructure⁵ and see what it provided in terms of keeping the system moving."

Mail Rail sits across the street from the newly renovated⁶ Postal Museum, which has opened to the public in advance of the Mail Rail ride which begins at the beginning of September. A single adult ticket – costing 16 pounds, or about 21 US Dollars – gives admission to both.

For those who prefer not to experience the cramped⁷ and claustrophobic conditions, the museum offers an interactive⁸ journey through 500 years of Britain's Royal Mail.

"There's an audio-visual experience, which tells the story of the people that worked on the network, how they kept the network going and what the network did. When you're in Mail Rail, you're within our best exhibit, if you like, you're within the structure of it."

Visitor Margot Hauer says the museum is a reminder⁹ that, despite the speed of modern communications, a personal touch is still vitally important.

"When communication and when reaching out to people is so easy, whether it's on Facebook, or Instagram, or Snapchat, I think by contrast the effort and the conscious effort you make when you send someone a postcard or a letter is amazing."

Ellison concedes the museum serves up a healthy dose of nostalgia¹⁰, particularly in an age of almost instantaneous communication via email, messages and various social networks, but he believes there'll always be a role for Britain's postal service in knitting people together.

1 electrified   

v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The railway line was electrified in the 1950s. 这条铁路线在20世纪50年代就实现了电气化。
• The national railway system has nearly all been electrified. 全国的铁路系统几乎全部实现了电气化。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

3 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

4 dingy   

adj.昏暗的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
• The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

7 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

8 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

9 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

10 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。