Hot weather plan for Tube activated for heatwave

Passenger numbers dropped during the 2022 heatwave

Transport for London (TfL) has said it has a "comprehensive" hot weather plan in place during the current heatwave.

Last year, the Victoria line was named the hottest on the London Underground, with an average temperature above 30C between June and October, followed closely by the Central and Bakerloo lines.

TfL is urging passengers to carry water and to "look out for each other while travelling".

Train drivers' union Aslef said TfL had removed chilled water and "spending your working shift in a small metal box deep underground is rarely a pleasant experience" while the RMT called on TfL to "accelerate long-overdue efforts to introduce effective cooling".

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TfL said 40% of trains across the network have air conditioning, including the Circle, Hammersmith & City, District and Metropolitan lines, which have the coolest temperatures (19.3C) on average.

London Overground and Elizabeth line trains are also conditioned.

During the prolonged 2022 heatwave, TfL reported a drop in passenger numbers who were advised to travel only if essential.

On older lines, TfL says it has introduced "a range of station cooling systems including industrial-sized fans and chiller units to pump in cold air".

Tube trains on older lines can become even hotter during rush hour

Finn Brennan, Aslef's London Underground organiser, said heat affects Tube train drivers in different ways.

He said: "Although cabs have air cooling units, these are very variable in quality.

"The job requires long hours of concentration, which is difficult to achieve when hot nights make it hard to get any sleep before a shift that can start as early as 04.45 BST.

"Hot weather also leads to more delays, through the impact on track and on passengers who have been taken ill.

"As part of TfL's cost-cutting programme, they removed the supply of chilled water for staff across the network but while TfL staff in head office buildings still have access to cool water and the opportunity to work remotely, Tube train drivers have no such luxury.

"We still turn up and do the job of keeping London moving, whatever the weather."

RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said London Underground staff do "vital, safety-critical work", often in deep-level tunnels where the temperature regularly exceeds 30C.

He added: "The TUC has long called for a legally enforceable maximum workplace temperature of 30C, or 27C for strenuous work.

"Underground conditions can frequently exceed those temperatures and that is not acceptable or safe."

The union wants TfL to "take this key health and safety matter seriously" by providing access to water, improving ventilation, and accelerating "long-overdue" efforts to introduce effective cooling.

"That includes upgrading air circulation systems, expanding use of tunnel ventilation shafts, and rolling out proven solutions like cooling panels, chiller units, and modern air-conditioned rolling stock."

Carl Eddleston, TfL's director of streets and network operations, said with continuous hot weather forecast over the coming days, customers should carry water with them when they travel.