LU Water refill at stations

[chrisdevlin]

With the tube often being hot, and advice to stay hydrated, I've often wondered why they don't have water fountains at stations to refill your bottle. Granted might be tricky for some stations, but most I imagine have a running water supply for staff, and it would certainly be well used! Have TfL ever considered this? Aside from installation costs I can't think of anything else limiting them

 

[notverydeep]

With the tube often being hot, and advice to stay hydrated, I've often wondered why they don't have water fountains at stations to refill your bottle. Granted might be tricky for some stations, but most I imagine have a running water supply for staff, and it would certainly be well used! Have TfL ever considered this? Aside from installation costs I can't think of anything else limiting them

These were being rolled out just before the pandemic, at least at a number of London Overground stations - I am not sure what happened to the project, but the pandemic was a severe setback for this sort of thing, along with 'bring your own' cups at coffee shops...

 

[Bletchleyite]

These were being rolled out just before the pandemic, at least at a number of London Overground stations - I am not sure what happened to the project, but the pandemic was a severe setback for this sort of thing, along with 'bring your own' cups at coffee shops...

Most Network Rail operated stations have them. There appears to be a commercial company that will install them in return for taking income from selling bottles and selling "premium filtered and chilled water", there's one of those at Paddington but it's easy enough to tap a couple of buttons and get normal tap water for nowt, which is perfectly adequate.

 

[Egg Centric]

Now that the OP has been answered, I will answer what I though the thread was going to be about - there's at least two water towers on the tube - at Rickmansworth and Chesham - which were used for refilling steam engines.

 

[The exile]

With the tube often being hot, and advice to stay hydrated, I've often wondered why they don't have water fountains at stations to refill your bottle. Granted might be tricky for some stations, but most I imagine have a running water supply for staff, and it would certainly be well used! Have TfL ever considered this? Aside from installation costs I can't think of anything else limiting them

Something that encourages people to linger rather than move through to the platforms and on to a train at the earliest opportunity is something that most busy tube stations could well do without. Ok - most will have the odd quieter corner - but not necessarily where the is east access to running water and drainage.

 

[notverydeep]

Something that encourages people to linger rather than move through to the platforms and on to a train at the earliest opportunity is something that most busy tube stations could well do without. Ok - most will have the odd quieter corner - but not necessarily where the is east access to running water and drainage.

Those in London Overground stations are in ticket halls and circulating spaces (and even then intentionally in areas less likely to become congested), certainly they would be unlikely to go on platforms...

 

[Recessio]

Something that encourages people to linger rather than move through to the platforms and on to a train at the earliest opportunity is something that most busy tube stations could well do without. Ok - most will have the odd quieter corner - but not necessarily where the is east access to running water and drainage.

They could have it outside of the gateline. That way it could also work as a public water fountain when the stations are opened. It's not completely without precedent to have public facilities outside of the gateline: off the top of my head, Hampstead station has an ATM, and Kennington has a photo booth, all before the gateline. There's also a seemingly defacto standard of water fountain I see used a lot in the NR-run mainline stations, so presumably a mass off-the-shelf purchase could be made rather than needing to custom design stuff.

Access to water sources could be more challenging I concede, but if we can run trains through underground tunnels, it's not beyond the wit of man to run a few metres of water pipes.

 

[The exile]

They could have it outside of the gateline. That way it could also work as a public water fountain when the stations are opened. It's not completely without precedent to have public facilities outside of the gateline: off the top of my head, Hampstead station has an ATM, and Kennington has a photo booth, all before the gateline. There's also a seemingly defacto standard of water fountain I see used a lot in the NR-run mainline stations, so presumably a mass off-the-shelf purchase could be made rather than needing to custom design stuff.

Access to water sources could be more challenging I concede, but if we can run trains through underground tunnels, it's not beyond the wit of man to run a few metres of water pipes.

In many of the busier stations it is the area before the gate line that is the most awkward to negotiate already. In principle I’m in favour (though preferably of the airport or older Network Rail station variety) - but there is also no reason councils can’t install them in the street. Round here The water company has done precisely that (OK - not many, but it can be done!)

 

[Trainbike46]

They could have it outside of the gateline. That way it could also work as a public water fountain when the stations are opened. It's not completely without precedent to have public facilities outside of the gateline: off the top of my head, Hampstead station has an ATM, and Kennington has a photo booth, all before the gateline. There's also a seemingly defacto standard of water fountain I see used a lot in the NR-run mainline stations, so presumably a mass off-the-shelf purchase could be made rather than needing to custom design stuff.

Access to water sources could be more challenging I concede, but if we can run trains through underground tunnels, it's not beyond the wit of man to run a few metres of water pipes.

An alternative would be having a public water fountain outside near the tube station - at the end of the day TfL is under the mayoral responsibility, and both the current and previous mayor have been pushing for more water fountains in any case

 

[Chris M]

There are public water fountains nearby some stations, Archway and Leyton come immediately to mind. There are also at least two in the shopping centre at Canary Wharf DLR (albeit not well signed).

Most Network Rail operated stations have them. There appears to be a commercial company that will install them in return for taking income from selling bottles and selling "premium filtered and chilled water", there's one of those at Paddington but it's easy enough to tap a couple of buttons and get normal tap water for nowt, which is perfectly adequate.

The one at Paddington is by far the worst water refill I've used as it's unnecessarily complicated and by only offering exact multiples of 250ml (maybe even only 500ml and 750ml?) results in wasted water when you want to top up a bottle that is not fully empty or have a non-standard sized bottle.

 

[Meerkat]

Surely tube stations have unused ticket offices in locations where loitering/queueing people didn’t unduly impact passenger flow? Probably got a water supply there or nearby for kettle duties in their previous role.

 

[matt_world2004]

In some stations there are boxes of bottled water for emergency use.

 

[jon81uk]

Surely tube stations have unused ticket offices in locations where loitering/queueing people didn’t unduly impact passenger flow? Probably got a water supply there or nearby for kettle duties in their previous role.

Most old ticket offices that are suited to passengers entering the space have been converted to retail shops/cafes.

 

[lookapigeon]

They could have it outside of the gateline. That way it could also work as a public water fountain when the stations are opened. It's not completely without precedent to have public facilities outside of the gateline: off the top of my head, Hampstead station has an ATM, and Kennington has a photo booth, all before the gateline. There's also a seemingly defacto standard of water fountain I see used a lot in the NR-run mainline stations, so presumably a mass off-the-shelf purchase could be made rather than needing to custom design stuff.

Access to water sources could be more challenging I concede, but if we can run trains through underground tunnels, it's not beyond the wit of man to run a few metres of water pipes.

All those facilities are all commercial arrangements if you look at it - the photo booth own no doubt gets charged rent by TFL, the ATMs contracted to note machine (formerly run by HSBC) etc.

I think the challenge will be trying to get the drainage, plumbing and electrics as well as a location that doesn't jam up the circulation of passengers. In the main NR stations you have space aplenty.

 

[cemdog]

All those facilities are all commercial arrangements if you look at it - the photo booth own no doubt gets charged rent by TFL, the ATMs contracted to note machine (formerly run by HSBC) etc.

I think the challenge will be trying to get the drainage, plumbing and electrics as well as a location that doesn't jam up the circulation of passengers. In the main NR stations you have space aplenty.

Wanstead station has a water fountain outside, as does Edmonton green - branded by thames water. I believe it's recent, last two years maybe. not sure if they'll install more elsewhere

 

[lookapigeon]

Wanstead station has a water fountain outside, as does Edmonton green - branded by thames water. I believe it's recent, last two years maybe. not sure if they'll install more elsewhere

Re Edmonton Green, if it's the one by the greenery outside that's wrapped in a grey protective cover on google maps, it looks like the ones TW have installed as part of their programme: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/responsibility/water-fountains.

 

[cemdog]

Yes, I think it is. it's now out of wrapping though thankfully

Re Edmonton Green, if it's the one by the greenery outside that's wrapped in a grey protective cover on google maps, it looks like the ones TW have installed as part of their programme: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/responsibility/water-fountains.