London is set to be hotter than parts of Spain and Portugal this weekend, with highs of 32C predicted across the capital. Whilst lounging in the sun sounds great, millions of people still have places to be and will brave the Tube network on Saturday and Sunday.
Sadly, it’ll be a much sweatier journey than usual as a majority of lines do not currently have air conditioning. It may be particularly wise to avoid the Victoria line entirely as platforms have been known to reach a sweltering 30C between June and October.
Transport for London (TfL) has attempted to cool things down a bit via larger ventilation shafts, better fans and mechanical chillers at the busiest stations. However, as most Londoners will know, some lines remain almost unbearable during the summer.
But, which London Underground lines have air conditioning? And which other train and transport services offer it?
Which London Underground lines have air con?
Only a handful of Tube lines have air conditioning. These include:
- Circle
- Hammersmith & City
- District
- Metropolitan
The following public transport services also have cooling technology:
- Overground
- Trams
- Elizabeth line
Which Tube lines don’t have air-conditioning?
People using the TfL network during the heatwave may want to avoid these lines:
- Central
- Bakerloo
- Jubilee
- Victoria
- Piccadilly
- Waterloo & City
- Northern
Why isn’t there air-conditioning on all London Underground lines?
There are numerous reasons why the majority of the London Underground doesn’t have air-conditioning but the most obvious is it’s age. The oldest tunnels date back to the 1800s and there simply just isn’t enough room to add air-conditioning equipment.
That doesn’t mean engineers haven’t tried. A single Northern line carriage was fitted with Frigidaire technology under the seats and floor way back in 1934 but was deemed unsuccessful.
Another major problem is that air conditioning on trains would likely heat up platforms even more as the hot air needs to vented. Building new ventilation shafts on the deepest Tube lines would be an incredibly expensive task, according to Engineering & Technology.
The good news is more air conditioning is on the way, with the Piccadilly Line set to be cooler than ever thanks to a £2.9 billion upgrade. This new fleet will replace the existing 86 trains and are expected to be in use by the end of 2025.
TfL is trying to acquire Government funding to install new trains on the Bakerloo line by 2030, which would also boast air conditioning, as well as real-time information and quicker journeys.
The Central line has also been given solar reflective material on the external train roofs and solar reducing films on windows to minimise solar gains into the carriages.
Should I take the train?
Escaping the heat may be made easier be switching the Tube for a train. The following services all have air con:
- Northern City
- Thameslink
- Gatwick Express
- Greater Northern
- GWR (either air conditioning or extractor fans)
- c2c
- Chiltern Railways
- Greater Anglia
- London Northwestern Railway
-
Southeastern (new fleet only, older Network trains may not)
-
Southern (majority do, older trains may not)
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