Taking selfies at 272 subway stations... London teens set '18-hour world record'

World's Shortest Record Broken Successfully

Eight British teenagers successfully completed the challenge of visiting every station on the London Underground, known as the 'Underground.' The time taken was about 18 hours, which is said to be a world record. The London Underground, the world's first subway, has a deep history dating back to its first operation in 1863.

On the 8th (local time), the World Guinness Records announced that eight teenagers living in the UK succeeded in visiting all 272 stations of the London Underground. The time taken was 18 hours 8 minutes 13 seconds, reportedly the fastest time ever recorded.

A group of teenagers who visited all 272 London Underground stations within 18 hours. [Image source=Guinness World Records]

The group calls themselves the 'Amersham Abusers' and have attempted the "London Underground Challenge" twice so far. The first attempt failed, but this time they succeeded in visiting all 272 stations.

Team member Arthur Phillips told Guinness, "We wanted to complete this record for two reasons. Some of us are quite talented in math, so planning the travel route was fun, and we also wanted to explore new parts of London that we had never been to before."

London Underground. [Image source=Official London Underground website]

Since its inception in 1863, the London Underground is notorious for its maze-like routes as much as its history. Over its more than 150-year-long history, countless construction projects have been carried out, including digging new subways and covering previous routes. To visit all more than 270 stations, one must carefully plan the travel route, and the time required is enormous.

Because of this, among some Londoners, the 'Underground Challenge,' or the nickname for the London Underground, the 'Tube' Challenge, has become a popular new challenge. It involves planning and testing the shortest possible route to travel through all stations in London. This race also boasts a long history, having started in 1960.

When George Hurst and Jane Berwick set the starting line in 1960, the Tube Challenge record was 18 hours 35 minutes. The previous record took 15 hours 45 minutes 38 seconds but covered only 270 stations, two fewer than the new record holders.