Worst Tube Line?

[gg1]

With the caveats that virtually all my underground usage is confined to zones 1 & 2 and it's largely based on the situation pre-Covid (I've been to London 3 times in the past 3 years, compared to once or twice a month in the 6 or so years leading up to March 2020), definitely the horribly overcrowded Victoria line.

Bakerloo has been mentioned a number of times but it's actually my favourite, in part because I like the rickety old stock but also because it's less crowded than most other lines in zone 1. A few people have commented that it doesn't really serve anywhere of note not covered by other lines but it is the sole underground interchange for Marylebone, most other national rail termini are served by two or more lines.

 

[Lewlew]

There is a Barbican exit, but I have never managed to find it! Unlike the Moorgate/Liverpool Street interchange, there isn't a central passageway between the platforms linking the two sides.

The Barbican exit is just a lift that only goes to the westbound Met platform.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Not such a rabbit warren if you remember to use the old connection routes between/to/from the Deep Tube lines, and ignore the hiking route via the new tunnels...

I do try to but not always too successfully when coming up to the surface !.

There is a Barbican exit, but I have never managed to find it! Unlike the Moorgate/Liverpool Street interchange, there isn't a central passageway between the platforms linking the two sides.

Have to walk along the platforms.

Indeed. Euston Road exit is your friend

Ah ha - I must duly note that.

The Barbican exit is just a lift that only goes to the westbound Met platform.

Ah, not so great but ideal for mobility impaired.

Thinking about it the lift at the Farringdon end might go up to the West/North bound Thameslink platform iirc.

 

[Bald Rick]

The Barbican exit is just a lift that only goes to the westbound Met platform.

That’s not right. There are escalators and a full street entrance / exit on Long Lane.

No doubt there is a lift to the westbound Met, but that is just one small part of the Barbican exit of the Elizabeth line.

 

[Hadders]

That’s not right. There are escalators and a full street entrance / exit on Long Lane.

No doubt there is a lift to the westbound Met, but that is just one small part of the Barbican exit of the Elizabeth line.

Indeed. The Barbican exit signs direct you to new Elizabeth Line station building on Long Lane.

The link to the westbound platform at Barbican Underground station is very easy to miss, it’s deliberately poorly signed.

Here’s a couple of photos I took from the far end of the westbound platform at Barbican, I haven’t got any from the Elizabeth Line side of the connection.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Indeed. The Barbican exit signs direct you to new Elizabeth Line station building on Long Lane.

The link to the westbound platform at Barbican Underground station is very easy to miss, it’s deliberately poorly signed.

Here’s a couple of photos I took from the far end of the westbound platform at Barbican, I haven’t got any from the Elizabeth Line side of the connection.

Why deliberately?

 

[Mojo]

Why deliberately?

Because the only way for the public between the two stations is via a single lift - with the purpose of said lift to provide step free access to Barbican station. Connecting via Barbican is pointless because Westbound customers can change at Farringdon and Eastbound customers would stay on the Elizabeth line to Moorgate.

 

[MikeWh]

I have noticed the Elizabeth line does not really help. It does not have a station for Kings Cross, the Victoria line or the Piccadilly line

The eastern exit from Bond Street station is a short (5 mins) walk from Oxford Circus for the Victoria line.

 

[Railcar]

The Northern Line is bad, noisy between Euston and Camden Town and noisy between Kentish Town and Tufnell Park. I take earplugs.

 

[AlbertBeale]

The Northern Line is bad, noisy between Euston and Camden Town and noisy between Kentish Town and Tufnell Park. I take earplugs.

Is that particularly the City Branch?

 

[Class15]

The Northern Line is bad,

Regular user of that line and I agree.

noisy between Euston and Camden Town

Absolutely terrible on this stretch (particularly the City branch but also the Charing Cross branch)

and noisy between Kentish Town and Tufnell Park. I take earplugs.

I don’t find that one too bad personally, but it’s not good either.

 

[Zamalek]

The Hammersmith & City paired with the Circle Line takes the cake for me. Another person who does Paddington - Kings Cross frequently, I hate that long walk from the mainline platforms to the H&C Platforms at Paddington, realising I've just missed a train and waiting 10-15 minutes for another one. Either that or using the core platforms and then having to change at Edgeware Road. Then there is the inevitable delay at Baker Street to let a Met train pass in front... I gave up using it in the end and found it a lot quicker using the Bakerloo and Victoria.

Only if you insist on getting on/off the mainline trains at the concourse end. Get on/off carriages C or D (on 800s/802s), and via the bridge it's about 2min.

 

[Sunil_P]

I have noticed the Elizabeth line does not really help. It does not have a station for Kings Cross, the Victoria line or the Piccadilly line, has to be the Northern for a connection.

Actually, there is an interchange with the Piccadilly line - at Heathrow! Terminal 5 probably the easiest interchange.

So, the Elizabeth line lacks interchange with just two Tube lines - the Victoria and the Waterloo & City.

 

[MikeWh]

So, the Elizabeth line lacks interchange with just two Tube lines - the Victoria and the Waterloo & City.

Victoria is covered by the Hanover Square exit from Bond Street being a short walk from Oxford Circus.

I don't think an intercahnge at one end of both lines (T5) is really a useful interchange.

 

[Sunil_P]

Victoria is covered by the Hanover Square exit from Bond Street being a short walk from Oxford Circus.

Not exactly a direct interchange though.

 

[Metro95]

Victoria is covered by the Hanover Square exit from Bond Street being a short walk from Oxford Circus.

Doesn't count as it's not a direct interchange.

 

[MikeWh]

Doesn't count as it's not a direct interchange.

If direct interchange means not going through barriers then you've just blown Heathrow terminal 5 out of the water!

 

[Sunil_P]

If direct interchange means not going through barriers then you've just blown Heathrow terminal 5 out of the water!

Wasn't really referring to gates. Distance!

At Heathrow Terminal 5 - at least the sets of platforms are only a few escalators/lifts apart! It's 200 metres between Hannoverplatz and the Oxford Circus entrances!

 

[rebmcr]

Wasn't really referring to gates. Distance!

At Heathrow Terminal 5 - at least the sets of platforms are only a few escalators/lifts apart! It's 200 metres between Hannoverplatz and the Oxford Circus entrances!

Same as Piccadilly to Jubilee at Green Park.

If someone had a Pimlico to Forest Gate journey, the sensible route would certainly be to make that connection — although someone relying on the Tube Map alone would instead probably end up making additional changes at one of Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, or Stratford.

 

[Sunil_P]

Same as Piccadilly to Jubilee at Green Park.

If someone had a Pimlico to Forest Gate journey, the sensible route would certainly be to make that connection — although someone relying on the Tube Map alone would instead probably end up making additional changes at one of Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, or Stratford.

Piccadilly to Jubilee at Green Park - at least it's the same station!

 

[The0]

Circle line is boring (apart from heading to hammersmith) and the Bakerloo is OK but i haven't been to the north part of it. Victoria line is a bit dull but it's really fast so I'd say the circle then Bakerloo.

 

[trebor79]

Circle line is boring (apart from heading to hammersmith) and the Bakerloo is OK but i haven't been to the north part of it. Victoria line is a bit dull but it's really fast so I'd say the circle then Bakerloo.

Victoria would be great if it wasn't for the incessant auto-announcer. Is it really necessary to tell us between every station and at every station that "This is a Victoria line service to Brixton. Brixton has no step-free access" sometimes accompanied by "The Circle line is operating with SEVERE delays. The Hammersmith and City line is operating with SEVERE delays. The district line is operating with SEVERE delays".
Drives me absolutely potty and it's bliss to occasionally find a train where the stupid thing is broken.

 

[Sunil_P]

"Thank you for using the Central Line"

 

[Peter Sarf]

Victoria would be great if it wasn't for the incessant auto-announcer. Is it really necessary to tell us between every station and at every station that "This is a Victoria line service to Brixton. Brixton has no step-free access" sometimes accompanied by "The Circle line is operating with SEVERE delays. The Hammersmith and City line is operating with SEVERE delays. The district line is operating with SEVERE delays".
Drives me absolutely potty and it's bliss to occasionally find a train where the stupid thing is broken.

I can remember back in 1988 when I discovered the central line had a door hustle alarm when closing. Stopped me sleeping from Oxford Circus to White City in the morning. Blithering nuisance. How things have moved on !.

I have trained myself to tune out and ignore most of it. Just like personal music/videos etc. I find enough announcements generally are incorrect more often than there are valid announcements that I needed to heed. I am broadening that out to all public transport.

 

[Recessio]

Victoria would be great if it wasn't for the incessant auto-announcer. Is it really necessary to tell us between every station and at every station that "This is a Victoria line service to Brixton. Brixton has no step-free access" sometimes accompanied by "The Circle line is operating with SEVERE delays. The Hammersmith and City line is operating with SEVERE delays. The district line is operating with SEVERE delays".
Drives me absolutely potty and it's bliss to occasionally find a train where the stupid thing is broken.

I really don't understand why they can't group those announcements together.

It doesn't go "Change here for the Picadilly Line. Change here for the Northern Line. Change here for the Circle line", it groups them together, surely it cannot be beyond the wit of man to code operational announcements to group together where possible? Especially if it's just "the X line is suspended, the Y line is suspended" with no station locations, or no step free access at more than one station. Why could it not just be "the X and Y lines are part suspended. There is no step free access at Station A or Station B".

 

[trebor79]

I really don't understand why they can't group those announcements together.

It doesn't go "Change here for the Picadilly Line. Change here for the Northern Line. Change here for the Circle line", it groups them together, surely it cannot be beyond the wit of man to code operational announcements to group together where possible? Especially if it's just "the X line is suspended, the Y line is suspended" with no station locations, or no step free access at more than one station. Why could it not just be "the X and Y lines are part suspended. There is no step free access at Station A or Station B".

I guess the pre recorded phrases are one per line, so multiple lines just plays multiple prerecorded phrases.
I don't get why you have to announce all that rubbish on the train anyway - there are display boards and announcements at the stations regarding disruption on other lines anyway.
We don't even need telling 40 times per journey it's a x line train to y. Just announce "This is x" as the train nears a station. That's all that's needed.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I guess the pre recorded phrases are one per line, so multiple lines just plays multiple prerecorded phrases.
I don't get why you have to announce all that rubbish on the train anyway - there are display boards and announcements at the stations regarding disruption on other lines anyway.
We don't even need telling 40 times per journey it's a x line train to y. Just announce "This is x" as the train nears a station. That's all that's needed.

Eventually they will consider slowing the trains down between stations to fit all the announcements in !. Then we will need an announcement along the lines of "to help keep this service on time will passengers please be ready to disembark promptly" .

 

[trebor79]

Eventually they will consider slowing the trains down between stations to fit all the announcements in !. Then we will need an announcement along the lines of "to help keep this service on time will passengers please be ready to disembark promptly" .

Don't get me started. Stop in tunnel. 2 seconds later "We are being held at a red signal and should be on the move shortly. We apologise for the delay". 2 seconds later we set off again. Repeat ad nauseam when the service is bunched up.
Really? The signalling system has stopped us? Well blow me down with a feather, I thought perhaps the driver had stopped to nip out and get a packet of fags!

 

[Route115?]

I think that the Central Line has the worst timetable involving meshing eight 20 minute frequency services together, which doesn't always work. For this reason it becomes very "gappy" even though there are generally quite a lot of trains in service. I often find myself waiting over ten minutes for a train. I often wish that zone 1 stations had a Paris RER style display showing the eight next trains. After a long wait a train to West Ruislip will be very full but three come together so there are plenty of seats on subsequent trains. I don't know to what extent a new timetable would make it more resilient to late running and cancellations. Typically 10% of trains may be cancelled may be cancelled on a day - not a lot per se but it seems to be difficult to regulate trains to reduce the gaps.

The Metropolitan line has a lot of waiting time which can be annoying but some is necessary as fit the service into the H&C and Piccadilly lines and also to give resilience in the case of delays. Layovers are longer than in previous years but this has its advantages in the case of late running.

 

[Kilopylae]

Don't get me started. Stop in tunnel. 2 seconds later "We are being held at a red signal and should be on the move shortly. We apologise for the delay". 2 seconds later we set off again. Repeat ad nauseam when the service is bunched up.
Really? The signalling system has stopped us? Well blow me down with a feather, I thought perhaps the driver had stopped to nip out and get a packet of fags!

People who aren't experienced with trains find it reassuring.