These are London’s hottest Tube lines – and this is why the Underground gets SO humid… as 30C heatwave blasts Britain
- MailOnline breaks down the hottest Tube lines in 2023 after an FOI from TfL
The London Underground has come in for increased criticism over rising temperatures endured by commuters.
Anyone who regularly uses the TfL network in the summer months will attest to its baking heat and sweltering conditions.
And with temperatures set to go as high as 32C by mid week, Londoners can be braced for more commutes in what has come to be known as a sweatbox.
But there are some lines you’ll want to avoid more than others… and the MailOnline can now reveal the hottest Tube lines most recently recorded.
Anyone who regularly uses the London Underground in the summer will attest to the baking heat and sweltering conditions. Pictured: A woman uses a fan to cool down on a tube train in central London
- Bakerloo: average of 26.18C per month
- Central: average of 25.86C per month
- Jubilee: average of 21.42C per month
- Northern: average of 24.60C per month
- Piccadilly: average of 23.16C per month
- Victoria: average of 26.70C per month
- Waterloo and City: average of 19.02C per month
TfL data shows that the Victoria line – which runs between Brixton and Walthamstow Central – takes the unwanted crown for the hottest line on the London Underground. with an average of 26.7C throughout the near three-year period.
The hottest individual month in the overall recorded period came in August 2022, when temperatures on the Central line reached 31.32C.
This would make some parts of the London Underground hotter than Ibiza, which reaches averages of 30C in the summer.
The high of 31.32C recorded on the Central line is also seven degrees higher than the maximum recommended temperature for storing cattle, which is anywhere between 5C and 25C, depending on surrounding weather conditions.
Sub-surface lines, which comprise of the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, averaged of 18.05C per month on the mercury.
The stifling humidity of trains on the London Underground network can be attributed to the deep level of some services, as well as poorly-ventilated tunnels.
Most of the heat in the tunnels is generated by the trains themselves, with a small amount coming from station equipment and passengers.
Despite not averaging the hottest temperatures over the recorded period, the Piccadilly line could be even cooler in the future.
From 2025, an upgrade to the line will feature air conditioning for the first time on a deep-level Tube train.
Despite not averaging the hottest temperatures over the recorded period, the Piccadilly line could be even cooler in the future. From 2025, an upgrade to the line will feature air conditioning for the first time on a deep-level Tube train. Pictured: Arsenal station on the Piccadilly line
Currently, only the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines – also known as sub-surface lines – have air conditioning installed.
A statement from TfL reads: ‘London Underground records temperatures across the Underground in order to inform our cooling initiatives.
‘Platform temperatures on the deep Tube are routinely monitored using data loggers.
‘We are investing millions as part of a long-term programme to ensure we can deliver more services, and continue to introduce new trains to meet growing customer numbers whilst providing more comfortable journeys.’
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