Why are underground trains so hot?

Decades of accumulated heat from train brakes; which get hot from friction and heat up the air. With limited ventilation, there's no real way for the hot air to escape quickly. That's the case in London and I can imagine it is very much in the same in New York.



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Wear light clothing. Even if you think you might need to wear a jacket, when you are on the hot Tube, it's likely you'll want to take it off immediately. Heavy, dark, thick clothing will make you more likely to sweat, and hold on to the sweat your body does produce – keeping you hot and clammy for longer.

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The Waterloo & City and the Jubilee were the coolest lines, while the Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City attracted fewest complaints. TfL said air-conditioned trains were in use on 40 per cent of the Underground network. New trains due to be introduced on the Piccadilly line from 2025 will also have air conditioning.

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In hot weather, the overhead lines that provide power to the trains can expand and sag. To avoid damaging the lines, trains must travel more slowly. If the overhead lines are damaged, we have to cancel or divert train services until they are fixed. This causes delays.

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Similarly impressive in terms of proper tube lines (sorry, Waterloo & City, you're too puny to count) were the Metropolitan, because of its cleanliness, and the Bakerloo, due to its short length of only 14.5 miles.

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About half of the underground lines, in terms of length, are actually on the surface when out of the central area. It is easier and safer to dig at depth in London because of the nature of the soil and to avoid other infrastructure and the Thames.

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The estimated accident rate in 2019 is 0.85 fatal collisions or derailments per billion train-kilometres, which represents a fall of 78% since 1990.

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