According to a prominent officer of the New York Central, a member of the Board of Directors, Commodore Vanderbilt had fully intended to extend the underground steam railroad to City Hall, and had plans drawn and ready to be executed. His son, William Vanderbilt, objected to the plan after returning from London, and having ridden on the Metropolitan Railway, believed that the public would not tolerate riding in a dark tunnel. Commodore Vanderbilt decided not to build the line due to public criticism for the grant, opposition to the project from business people and homeowners in the Bowery and due to the Panic of 1873.