What London Underground line do you least like?

[96tommy]

Just wanted to see what everyone's opinion is when it come to their least favourite tube line.

Mine has got to be the Central Line. Especially the section I use most between my local station (Bethnal Green) and Oxford Circus. Always packed and very noisy, especially eastbound just before Bethnal Green station coming from Liverpool Street.

It's got to the point where if I have a bit of time instead of walking the few minutes to BG, I walk to Stepney Green or Whitechapel to take a ride on the much nicer S7's into Central London.

 

[rebmcr]

Agreed, the Central is just horrid.

 

[highspeed990]

Piccadilly perhaps. Always packed, and they've added modern features to an old train.

 

[westv]

Any that don't have air con.

 

[Bishopstone]

Jubilee. Characterless, with excessive headways whenever I can't avoid using it and need to get somewhere in a hurry.

I've always found the Central line to be efficient, and the Bakerloo to be interestingly quirky.

 

[TFN]

Central in summer due to obvious reasons. Northern all other times simply because it's the most boring of them all. Not to mention it still confuses me until this day, which is sad to mention as I'm a Londoner born and raised. (It needs splitting ASAP)

 

[class387]

Central line is just awful in every way possible. Bad trains, overcrowded, noisy and absolutely boiling in summer.

Don't like the Piccadilly or Northern either.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The Northern Line is objectively the worst, at least in rush hour. 6 minute headways for the branch you want, massive overcrowding, small trains. It's just horrid.

The Central isn't bad, except it always feels a lot dirtier than any other line.

 

[Busaholic]

The Northern Line is objectively the worst, at least in rush hour. 6 minute headways for the branch you want, massive overcrowding, small trains. It's just horrid.

The Central isn't bad, except it always feels a lot dirtier than any other line.

You have to be of a certain age to remember it, but the Evening Standard started to call the Northern the Misery Line round about 1974 and the soubriquet hung around for a good fifteen to twenty years afterwards. It undoubtedly had more ongoing problems than the other lines during that period and, of course, the appalling Moorgate tragedy happened on the Northern City too, which to the average passenger was seen as part of the Northern.

Personally, I've always found the Circle Line to be the most frustrating: if you need that line, and only that line, why do you always just miss a train and have to wait 12-15 minutes for the next one?

 

[yorksrob]

I agree about the Central Line.

Its too crowded and the plain white tiles aren't particularly inspiring.

 

[cactustwirly]

The Bakerloo, I hate the trains they are old, uncomfortable and the line just feels a bit run down.

 

[Mag_seven]

Central Line for me - stifling in the summer and those dirty mice you get scurrying about on the platforms.

 

[fowler9]

I love the Bakerloo.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Just wanted to see what everyone's opinion is when it come to their least favourite tube line.

You mean, apart from 'all of them'?

(Seriously, I admire the tube for its ability to transport so many passengers every day, and I often couldn't do without it when I go into London. But cramped little trains in deep tunnels so nothing to see out the windows, all longitudinal seats, with stations that often take 5 minutes or so along narrow underground passageways to even get from the entrance to the platforms... definitely not my idea of relaxing, enjoyable, train travel!)

 

[Bletchleyite]

It used to be the SSL, with knackered old trains with horrid daylight colour lighting, rough riding, slow, cold and damp, and bunching and unpunctuality of Circle Line trains prior to the "panhandling".

But then along came the wonderful S-stock and the now fairly punctual "panhandled" Circle Line, so now it is the rush-hour Northern Line, specifically Bank, that is to be avoided. Rough riding, slow, cramped and overcrowded.

 

[trash80]

I love the Bakerloo.

Me too

But as for my least favourite i'd have to say the Jubilee Line Extension, its always so packed especially the bit between Waterloo and Canning Town i often travel on.

 

[hassaanhc]

The worst lines have to be the ones that still have stock with a camshaft, so the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines. That combined with their horrible suspension gives a very bouncy and jerky ride. Even the 5 minute journey from Paddington to Baker Street is too long, and if the interchanges with the H&C line weren't so long at both ends I would use that. The 73ts is slightly better as I am able to tolerate the 20-25 minutes between Hounslow Central and Hammersmith if I ever need to go that way. There is however often a lot of congestion and disruption on the Piccadilly.

 

[Clip]

Going north from London bridge on the northern is awful.

 

[HainultLoop]

I've never really liked the Hammersmith and City for no particular reason! I've got used at being annoyed at waiting for ages for a Circle service, watching District services come and go when I don't need them... I'm not a fan of the Victoria either - too loud for me, especially from King's Cross to Finsbury Park.

I absolutely love the Bakerloo and Piccadilly - they all have so much character and really nice rolling stock the seats are also very comfortable, unlike the hard ones that are now being used on Northern now, which are quite uncomfortable if your journey is over 5 minutes!

 

[AlterEgo]

Victoria Line. Characterless, dull, and the passenger-carrying sections are entirely underground.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Victoria Line. Characterless, dull, and the passenger-carrying sections are entirely underground.

The Victoria Line is great simply because it's so quick. It's taken until the building of Crossrail for an east-west equivalent to open.

 

[90sWereBetter]

Probably the Hammersmith and City for me, particularly the Hammersmith to Paddington branch where frequencies seem pretty low compared to the rest of the system. Not too keen on the Circle either.

 

[yorksrob]

The Victoria Line is great simply because it's so quick. It's taken until the building of Crossrail for an east-west equivalent to open.

And because it links Kings X/St P/Euston with Victoria. I also like the pastel blues and pinks of the tilework and the themed platform murals.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And because it links Kings X/St P/Euston with Victoria. I also like the pastel blues and pinks of the tilework and the themed platform murals.

I also like the rolling stock, particularly the body profile and positioning of lights and handrails for standees which are slightly better for very tall standees than other stock.

 

[yorksrob]

I also like the rolling stock, particularly the body profile and positioning of lights and handrails for standees which are slightly better for very tall standees than other stock.

I'm not particularly tall so I haven't noticed that. That said, I have no complaints about the rolling stock.

 

[AndrewE]

I'm surprised that no-one has said "the one I'm on!"
However I do have a soft spot for the Victoria line, a significant bit of public transport investment during my younger days and nicely decorated. It's a pity that it was considered necessary to "upgrade" it by taking out platform capacity and losing the original tiling.
Seriously though, I'm always grateful that all of LUL is there for the journey I need to make, but I do also have memories of travelling with luggage on overcrowded evening peak trains coming home from foreign holidays, say from Victoria off a boat train or Waterloo off a Eurostar to Euston.
Nowadays we can often just walk between Euston and St P or Kings X and take a Thameslink train for anywhere in the the deep south, of course...

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not particularly tall so I haven't noticed that. That said, I have no complaints about the rolling stock.

On deep Tube stock I can only (only just!) stand up in the full-height bit, my head touches the ceiling there but only just. The Vic stock has a slightly wider full-height section than other stock, or at least seems to, or it's less obstructed by other stuff.

 

[96tommy]

Only use the Viccy Line once or twice a week at most but it's so quick. Used to be really handy when I lived in York and was connecting from Kings X to Victoria or Vauxhall. Once managed to get off a train at King's X at 11:03 and by 11:23 was sat on a train at Victoria.

 

[gazthomas]

Central and Northern, especially underground in summer. Yuck!

 

[gazthomas]

Only use the Viccy Line once or twice a week at most but it's so quick. Used to be really handy when I lived in York and was connecting from Kings X to Victoria or Vauxhall. Once managed to get off a train at King's X at 11:03 and by 11:23 was sat on a train at Victoria.

That's a positive - the post is about negatives!