London is in the grips of a heatwave and while the majority of us enjoy the sunshine and the spring in our step it brings, we can’t get away from the fact it makes travelling via public transport unpleasant at times. We are all used to the Tube being packed as it is, so throwing scorching hot temperatures into the equation is not nice.
The Met Office forecasts a heatwave occurring in London when we get at least three days in a row of temperatures of at least 28C. The current forecast has temperatures rising from 30C on Thursday (June 19) through to 32C on Sunday (June 22) and beyond that the most up to date BBC forecast for London has temperatures sticking in at least the mid to high 20s through to the start of July. So we are in for a long spell of very hot weather.
We’ll all be looking for the most comfortable ways to travel around the city during this hot spell and new Transport for London (TfL) data comes in handy as it shows how hot each Tube line gets. There’s one line that stands out as hotter than the rest – the Victoria line.
Last year, it was the hottest on the Underground, reaching a height of 31.1C in August 2024, according to TfL data. London Underground experts record temperatures across the Underground network in order to make sure cooling initiatives are working.
Platform temperatures on the deep Tube are routinely monitored and average monthly evening peak temperatures show since 2013 temperatures on the Victoria line have risen the most and it is now the hottest Tube line on the entire network.
What TfL is doing to make the Tube cooler
In order to improve conditions on the Victoria line, TfL says it has doubled the capacity of 13 ventilation shafts, which provide more air flow, as well as introduced regenerative braking (which returns power to the rails while the train is braking) on the new trains. Air cooling units and mechanical chillers have been installed at some key busy stations, such as Oxford Circus, and groundwater underneath Victoria Tube station has been used to cool the platforms.
As well as this TfL is similarly using water from the aquifer underneath Green Park to provide cooling for that Tube station. In addition, existing ventilation fans have been upgraded and new fans installed at a number of stations across the network.
Temperatures on the Victoria line have been consistently increasing since 2013. In July of that year, the temperature was recorded as 26.5C and reach 30.7C in the same month in 2024.
In August 2013 the Victoria line reached 26.6C and by August 2024 temperatures hit 31.1C. In comparison the second hottest line in August 2024 was the Central line, peaking at 30.6C and the coolest was the Waterloo and City line at 24.1C.
Commuters are already feeling the heat. We recently travelled along the Victoria line to find out how they are coping. Emma Fraser, 37, said getting off the escalator to go to the platform is like “getting off the plane in a foreign country.”
“It makes you appreciate getting on the Elizabeth line,” said Ben Williams, 35 and a frequent Victoria line commuter, in reference to London’s newest railway’s air conditioning system.
Others felt more strongly, with James Phillips, 48, saying that the heat made the line a “f***ing nightmare” during rush hour. Some were much more resigned. “You get used to it,” said Lisa Bianchi, 20.
In response to commuter complaints about the temperature on the line, a TfL spokesperson told MyLondon: “We’re working hard to ensure our transport services remain resilient in the face of more extreme and frequent hot weather events.”
They emphasised that “enhanced tunnel ventilation systems” have been installed on the Victoria line and that its trains benefited from regenerative braking which “reduces the amount of heat generated by trains braking in tunnels.”
“We’re constantly looking at how these innovative solutions could be rolled more widely on the transport network to ensure more passengers experience cool and comfortable journeys in the summer,” TfL added.
TfL says it is investing millions to introduce new trains to meet growing customer numbers whilst providing more comfortable journeys. New trains are more energy efficient, which saves energy and reduces the heat generated.
On the Central line trains solar reflective material has been installed on the external surface of train roofs and solar reducing films on windows to minimise solar gains into the carriages. There are now 192 new air-conditioned trains in operation on the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines.
The highest temperatures reached on each Tube line
Bakerloo line
July 2013 – 29.7C
August 2013 – 29.9C
July 2024 – 29C
August 2024 – 29.9C
Central line
July 2013 – 30C
August 2013 – 30C
July 2024 – 29.8C
August 2024 – 30.6C
Jubilee
July 2013 – 26.3C
August 2013 – 26.1C
July 2024 – 25.3C
August 2024 – 26.2C
Northern
July 2013 – 25.9C
August 2013 – 26.2C
July 2024 – 27.9C
August 2024 – 28.8C
Piccadilly
July 2013 – 27.5C
August 2013 – 27.4C
July 2024 – 26.7C
August 2024 – 27.4C
Victoria
July 2013 – 26.5C
August 2013 – 26.6C
July 2024 – 30.7C
August 2024 – 31.1C
Waterloo and City
July 2013 – 24.9C
August 2013 – 25.1C
July 2024 – 23.4C
August 2024 – 24.1C
Sub-surface lines (Circle, Hammersmith and City, District and Metropolitan lines)
July 2013 – 26.3C
August 2013 – 25.3C
July 2024 – 24.6C
August 2024 – 25.7C
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