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Get ready to swelter on Tube, travellers warned
By Dick Murray, Evening Standard Last updated at 12:29pm on 25.04.07Tube users were today warned they face the warmest summer ever on the network.
A double whammy of record numbers of passengers and record temperatures are set to combine to cause unbearable conditions.
Passenger numbers have already soared past a billion a year - far ahead of predictions.
Weather forecasters have, meanwhile, warned that even without the record temperatures seen in London in the last two summers, there is little prospect of a cooler than average season.
Tube bosses now say it will be "years" before the Underground system gets better and are telling passengers to prepare for the worst.
A senior Tube source said: "This summer, if the weather is as hot as some are predicting, it will be difficult down there.
"We are going to be completely honest with passengers. We have a strategy for mitigating the worst of the hot weather but it is going to take years to implement."
Last summer the Evening Standard recorded "apparent temperatures" of 47C (117F) on the Tube.
The apparent temperature combines air temperature with humidity to find out the true effect of heat. Official European Union guidelines state that cattle should not be transported in temperatures above 27C (81F).
London Underground is already planning to stockpile even more mineral water than before to hand out to overheated passengers.
They fear a repeat of last summer's string of delays which saw thousands of commuters at a time stuck in sweltering tunnels because of broken-down trains.
The Mayor also warned commuters to expect the worst before work is completed to cool the Tube. He said: "There are going to be a lot of very hot sticky summers on the Tube before we get this work done."
Last year Ken Livingstone warned of a "serious loss of life" if a train breaks down in a tunnel" and said: "We are in a real race now, otherwise four or five years down the road we could face having to close down some Tube lines because they are not safe for passengers in the temperatures they will be experiencing."
Over the next few weeks, the Mayor will reveal how Transport for London, the Tube's parent-company, plans to cool down the network. An LU spokesman said: "Prior to TfL taking control of the Tube, attempts to try and cool the system were haphazard. We are now implementing a coordinated programme."
Brian Cooke, chairman of London TravelWatch, said: "It is regrettable that moves to cool down the system will take years - but the only alternative would be to close down entire lines for years. The Underground was designed in an era where today's conditions did not come into it."
Reader views (15)
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Ken Livingstone has made London a commuters nightmare - he has been obsessed with placing as many traffic lights up as he can, affecting both buses and cars by increasing their journey times or the amount spent queuing, charging to enter London and expanding that, now even suggesting to toll the Blackwall tunnell. And it is all because he wants us to use public transport system, that is dirty, overpriced, that cannot cope with London's growth and that constantly puts passengers health and safety at risk.
So we are forced to endure the hell of public transport if we have to travel within central London.
- Jenny, London
So we're penalised for driving to work with the congestion charge. The mayor openly admits that the tube network is possibly fatal with the expected temperatures and cyclists only have a fighting chance on London's busy roads.... True, I could walk but why should I? London is one of the most expensive cities to live in and yet I cannot understand why the capital is so incapable of providing a humane and reliable way to get to work.
- Tony B, London
Well, how about if TFL provides an ice cold bottle of Evian for everyone that boards their overcrowded and overheadted trains!
- Raminder Bhalla, Richmond
13°c
20°c
