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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Charlotte Ambrose

'It's like a sauna': Temperatures on London's Tube hit 33C on the hottest day of the year so far

Londoners have described Tube and bus travel as being like a “sauna” amid sweltering temperatures recorded on the hottest day of the year.

A survey by The Standard found the Victoria, Central, Northern and Elizabeth lines reached temperatures of up to 33C by lunchtime on Tuesday.

It comes after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office issued an amber heat-health alert in London for the heat wave.

Transport for London activated its hot weather plan in a bid to keep passengers as comfortable as possible.

Salvatore Cafaelli, 60, who lives in Norwood Park and commutes on the Victoria line, said: “I have no choice, I have to take the Tube for work, but definitely it’s too hot. It’s like I am in a sauna.

“It’s an extra job to take the Tube and go to work,” he added, referring to the added difficulty of travelling in high temperatures.

“I think for the money commuters are paying, (TfL) should be improving the system,” he said – and called for air conditioning to be provided on all Tube lines.

An underground train at King’s Cross station (REUTERS)

Kavita Patel, 34, from London said it took her over an hour and 45 minutes to get to work on the Tube - but she was so hot after her journey that she rescheduled her meetings so she could go home before lunchtime.

She said: “I’ve gone home as my clothes are too wet with sweat.”

Only four of the 11 Tube lines have air conditioning - the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan - as well as the Elizabeth line and London Overground.

Plans to launch a new £3bn fleet of air-cooled trains on the Piccadilly line have been delayed by a year.

Passengers without the luxury of air conditioning on lines (including the Northern, Victoria and Central line) used portable fans, envelopes and books to cool down.

Liz Tune, 55, from Shropshire, said she always carried an electric fan on the Tube, describing it as “absolutely invaluable.”

She said: “I put my hat off to (TfL) for keeping the service running during this sort of trouble because the mainline trains are much worse affected.”

Temperatures were even higher on the buses – The Standard’s thermometer reached 33 degrees.

But it felt far hotter than the Tube due to the lack of ventilation. Ezra Sussman, 18, from Herne Hill said: “I feel like buses are worse (than the Tube) … it’s like being in a sauna.”

The Northern line reached 28 degrees, the Victoria and Central lines reached 31 degrees and the Elizabeth line reached 33 degrees.

The lack of air flow and high humidity on the Central, Northern and Victoria lines left passengers sweltering.

But the air conditioned “Lizzie line” was more comfortable. Nick Josh, 50, from Essex, said he avoids using any line other than the Elizabeth line because of the air conditioning and Wi-Fi available on board.

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