Worst Tube Line?

[VauxhallandI]

Fascinating that there seems to be a very clear majority for liking the Bakerloo most and liking the Central least, with no other candidates in contention for the top/bottom spots; which is nice because I'm often out on a limb in my opinions here...

I agree with this too although I do like the modern Victoria as well.

Central line may have improved due to crossrail but im taller than the Central line interior so it’s a big thumbs down

 

[bramling]

I love the Bakerloo precisely because it feels like a forgotten backwater. It reminds me of the late 1980s/1990s. The trains still make the "tube train sound" (though not as loud as some of the older stock from other lines that is now long withdrawn).

Circle/Hammersmith and City the worst for me. Slow, sometimes very long gaps between trains and sometimes interminable time sat at stations. Thankfully Crossrail makes the Liverpool Street to Paddington transfer much quicker and more reliable now.

I think anyone who has ever tried to use the H&C or Circle from Paddington to King’s Cross would agree these are the worst lines.

A typical experience might be firstly having to take the gamble of which set of platforms to use at Paddington (to be fair this isn’t an issue nowadays but was a very big one in past times). More often than not a long wait for the train. Then you’d either have to change at Edgware Road, where for some reason the eastbound/outer rail platform would always be packed no matter what time of day, or else the train would wait there for ages, and probably be held at Baker Street too.

For a journey which on other lines would take something like 12 mins, you’d have to allow much more. Not great when you had a mainline train to catch from King’s Cross. And to cap it off, to be fair not the H&C’s fault, no decent alternative road route to cycle either, so in the regular event of problems on the H&C you’d have the unpleasant experience of cycling on the Marylebone/Euston roads.

 

[william.martin]

I think anyone who has ever tried to use the H&C or Circle from Paddington to King’s Cross would agree these are the worst lines.

A typical experience might be firstly having to take the gamble of which set of platforms to use at Paddington (to be fair this isn’t an issue nowadays but was a very big one in past times). More often than not a long wait for the train. Then you’d either have to change at Edgware Road, where for some reason the eastbound/outer rail platform would always be packed no matter what time of day, or else the train would wait there for ages, and probably be held at Baker Street too.

For a journey which on other lines would take something like 12 mins, you’d have to allow much more. Not great when you had a mainline train to catch from King’s Cross. And to cap it off, to be fair not the H&C’s fault, no decent alternative road route to cycle either, so in the regular event of problems on the H&C you’d have the unpleasant experience of cycling on the Marylebone/Euston roads.

Thank God the H&C is backed up most the way by the Circle, District and Metropolitan.
All of the stations on the H&C are also served by another line which can all take you into the core subsurface "bottle."
If you don't get what I mean by the bottle, get a tube map and remove everything all the lines other than the circle line and look what you have, a milk bottle with central London sitting inside

 

[TRAX]

If you go to Paris or Berlin there's still 60s/70s vintage trains still going, so just because the Bakerloo is a bit older than the rest doesn't mean it's an embarassement.

They’re in better shape than the 1972 Stock though.

 

[Dr_Paul]

And the "minutes until the next train" on the B'loo are - I'd swear - shorter than real minutes.

Unlike most other lines, where the minutes are a very generous one minute 30 seconds or thereabouts.

 

[endicomark69@g]

Every Line has it's good and bad bits, no Line is wholly bad and certainly no Line is wholly "good."

I regularly use the Northern and Vic - and considering the mix of upgraded bits and decrepit areas on both they are mostly good - reliability on the Northern is certainly greatly improved from the early days of my commuting when it really deserved that Misery Line title.

The Vic is likewise mostly great - except those sections where wheel/rail wear is putting eardrums at risk. That really needs sorting before it gets any worse and people's hearing is actually damaged. The Vic can also get furnace like when temps get higher than 20°C in the outside world - a few days in the heatwave last summer were genuinely a threat to health. But that was probably the same on the entire network.

Overall I like the District best - it's still a PITA at Earls Court and I probably wouldn't feel that way if I had to make a longer journey than Putney to Embankment, but on balance it's got the least drawbacks and is tolerable in both summer and winter.

Least fave I agree is the Central. It feels like all the gains of the 90's upgrade weren't enough to balance out the deterioration that's continued apace -especially around Liverpool St/Mile End.....that's just an armpit.

I agree the Bakerloo has a certain period charm, but I don't know how much longer the Line can continue like that under the benign-neglect policy - Queens Park northwards was always the unloved stepkid of the Network but reliability up there is awful. And anytime I've needed to use it at Paddington it's always been unpleasantly rammed at various times of day - which doesn't seem to tally with the experience of others.

It could certainly do with a deep wash and and brush up along its entire length.

 

[ATrainSpotter]

What do you think is the worst Tube Line?
For me, it's the Bakerloo Line for the following reasons:

• The Bakerloo Line has the oldest rolling stock in regular passenger service in the UK.
• Most of the where the Bakerloo Line goes is served by other lines or the Overground.
• The Bakerloo Line has a Zone 1 terminus (unlike most other tube lines) at Elephant and Castle.
• The northern section of the line is duplicated by the Overground Watford Junction to Euston route.

Victoria. Loud, cramped, hot. Only the speed is a plus (makes it quicker to get out of there!)

 

[Russel]

I have to say the Piccadilly is my least favourite line, the 73 stock for me seem very bland and generic, they have no where near the same level of character as the 72 stock, despite being of similar ages.

 

[Couru]

The Bakerloo has nostalgia and a sort of out-of-time feel that works in its favour. The Central has all of the downsides with none of the benefits.

 

[Sifyu]

The worst line has got to be the Piccadilly line! I know it's a favourite for enthusiasts but the line in terms of service provision, recovery and management seems to be the worse out of them all. When an issue hits the picc, the aftermath recovery phase is drawn out and tends to last till COT.

I'd argue the Bakerloo is probabily one of the more reliable lines lol. Despite the really old stock (which is only a year older then the picc mind you), the line itself doesn't suffer no where near as many issues as some of our other lines. Probabily cause it's not as heavily used (plus the route isn't as long nor complex).

 

[urbophile]

Even when I lived in London, I wasn't a regular commuter. But the District Line was the one I used most often and it's still a favourite. Earls Court is definitely my favourite interchange station. The Bakerloo I have used rarely but has that nostalgic charm that others have mentioned.

If we are talking stations rather than lines per se, the Piccadilly has probably got the most impressive Charles Holden designs. Otherwise I love the Metropolitan and the Central (despite the latter's obvious drawbacks) for the amazing contrast between the inner city and the rural. And the Hammersmith and City for the relics of GWR influence.

Least favourite for lack of character is probably the Victoria, but it is a very quick way of getting from south London to the mainline termini.

 

[MikeWM]

The worst line has got to be the Piccadilly line! I know it's a favourite for enthusiasts but the line in terms of service provision, recovery and management seems to be the worse out of them all. When an issue hits the picc, the aftermath recovery phase is drawn out and tends to last till COT.

Which is interesting, as my experience is similar, and there is usually significant bunching of trains and (very) large gaps between the bunches even when things are 'fine'.

But it didn't seem to be that way 10 or 15 years ago, when I often needed to catch the Piccadilly line in a very time-critical schedule, and it didn't ever seem to let me down. At the time I often commented about how it didn't have the bunching issues often seen on other lines and was actually remarkably reliable.

Of course this is only anecdotal, but it is based on a pretty large number of journeys over the last 15 years or so. Things definitely seem to have significantly changed for the worse.

On the wider question, I agree there are good and bad things to be said about all lines. I suppose my least favourite is the Waterloo & City simply because it is back to never running at weekends which is pretty much the only times when I'm in London, so it is fairly useless to me now. Which is a shame - I was one of the people who used it quite a bit when it had Saturday running.

 

[Lewlew]

• The Bakerloo Line has a Zone 1 terminus (unlike most other tube lines) at Elephant and Castle.

The Metropolitan line has two Zone 1 termini (Baker Street and Aldgate), does that make it worse than the Bakerpoo?

 

[Mikey C]

The Piccadilly Line is much more important than the Bakerloo line, therefore the latter can get away with the poorer frequency and elderly trains, whereas the former can't.

 

[class68fan]

Which is interesting, as my experience is similar, and there is usually significant bunching of trains and (very) large gaps between the bunches even when things are 'fine'.

But it didn't seem to be that way 10 or 15 years ago, when I often needed to catch the Piccadilly line in a very time-critical schedule, and it didn't ever seem to let me down. At the time I often commented about how it didn't have the bunching issues often seen on other lines and was actually remarkably reliable.

Of course this is only anecdotal, but it is based on a pretty large number of journeys over the last 15 years or so. Things definitely seem to have significantly changed for the worse.

On the wider question, I agree there are good and bad things to be said about all lines. I suppose my least favourite is the Waterloo & City simply because it is back to never running at weekends which is pretty much the only times when I'm in London, so it is fairly useless to me now. Which is a shame - I was one of the people who used it quite a bit when it had Saturday running.

I don't often use Piccalilly line today but years back when I did it were good for airport but rayners lane and Uxbridge were bad.

 

[MikeWM]

I don't often use Piccalilly line today but years back when I did it were good for airport but rayners lane and Uxbridge were bad.

Yes, true - that's always been pretty bad in my experience. But the 'core' part of the line - which I'd say was Wood Green to Heathrow - was pretty reliable.

 

[Sifyu]

From an operational standpoint, yes the Piccadilly line is more important than the Bakerloo! Despite that, Bakerloo seems to be run better than the Piccadilly!

These days the entire line has been suffering badly from lack of staff, high turnover and limited fleet capacity. Hence why I think it wins the award of the 'Worse Tube line'

 

[AlbertBeale]

I don't often use Piccalilly line today but years back when I did it were good for airport but rayners lane and Uxbridge were bad.

Many many years ago, I used to be quite a frequent user of the Rayners Lane branch of the Piccadilly Line. And my memory is that once the Hounslow branch got extended to the airport, the other branch suffered a loss of frequency (and a loss of some late-night services), and suddenly became the "poor relation" of the Hounslow branch. Hence the Piccadilly went down in my estimation, and has stayed down since. (Though admittedly - going back even further - the Hounslow branch lost its District services, which maybe felt like a downgrading to those using that branch.)

(Though as a kid I always enjoyed the 'Dilly for the pointwork around Acton Town...)

 

[yorksrob]

I'm not that fussed about the Central. Boring white tiling, has a tendancy to get overcrowded and doesn't go to Ongar anymore !

 

[Jonny]

From an operational standpoint, yes the Piccadilly line is more important than the Bakerloo! Despite that, Bakerloo seems to be run better than the Piccadilly!

These days the entire line has been suffering badly from lack of staff, high turnover and limited fleet capacity. Hence why I think it wins the award of the 'Worse Tube line'

Having used the Bakerloo line a lot (a relative lives along the route, where I stayed when last in London) the 72 stock seems to have quite a few issues; doors not moving at first then slamming, lights not coming on and going completely off at section gaps, etc, etc... Then there is the amount of curvature, now I see the real meaning of "Winding your way down to Baker Street". Frankly, the Bakerloo core could benefit from being rebuilt. Further up, all it is good for is relieving the Watford/DC Lines Overground services on the shared tracks.

 

[trebor79]

Having used the Bakerloo line a lot (a relative lives along the route, where I stayed when last in London) the 72 stock seems to have quite a few issues; doors not moving at first then slamming, lights not coming on and going completely off at section gaps, etc, etc...

That's what all tube trains used to be like. I love it for the very fact it still has some of that character I dimly remember from 30 years ago.

 

[yorksrob]

I remember the days when if someone obstructed one set of doors, all the others would start opening and closing.

Not seen that for a while so presume its a technical improvement (as opposed to passengers being better behaved).

 

[Dstock7080]

I remember the days when if someone obstructed one set of doors, all the others would start opening and closing.

Not seen that for a while so presume its a technical improvement (as opposed to passengers being better behaved).

Selective Re-opening fitted to many modern Stock, will only cycle door which hasn’t closed correctly.

 

[yorksrob]

Selective Re-opening fitted to many modern Stock, will only cycle door which hasn’t closed correctly.

Ah, cheers for the explanation !

 

[setdown]

I know the Central line trains are due for refurbishment, but in the meantime they’ve just been left to rot, and are looking so poor. I got off a terminating service the other day, and as I walked alongside the train, literally every set of internal doors had graffiti all over them. The etching film is no longer replaced on the windows, and the seat cushions are years past when they should have been replaced.

It’s a shame because I still love the sense of speed of them approaching a station. Feels so smooth to stop.

 

[90sWereBetter]

For me it's the Circle line - I've lost count of the amount of times I've been let down by trains either not turning up, or getting delayed while onboard.

Conversely I quite like the Central line, always had a soft spot for the 1992 Stock and the line beyond Stratford is always fun to use, going deep into Essex suburbia and countryside. The Woodford-Hainault shuttle is a nice little curio in this day and time too.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

The Bakerloo line is a disgrace.

 

[class68fan]

The Bakerloo line is a disgrace.

Why?

I ride on it regular, don't usual wait long for a tube and if go to Queen Park their is over ground train to go further.

 

[bramling]

The Bakerloo line is a disgrace.

Seems okay to me. The only thing that’s not so good is the way the timetable has been thinner back in the last year or so, which does seem to mean waiting conspicuously longer for a train. Not the end of the world though.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Why?

I ride on it regular, don't usual wait long for a tube and if go to Queen Park their is over ground train to go further.

Seems okay to me. The only thing that’s not so good is the way the timetable has been thinner back in the last year or so, which does seem to mean waiting conspicuously longer for a train. Not the end of the world though.

Obviously the stock is appalling, but for me the real issue is the frequency. The amount of times evenly spread throughout 2019-2022 - so COVID world or non COVID world - I've had to change from southbound Victoria to southbound Bakerloo at Oxford Circus to be greeted with something like 4-6 minutes on the board. With no other line do I seem to get that, other than Circle for which you can use all other subsurface lines to get to pretty much any destination, by changing at Aldgate East or Earl's Court. And the speed - so slow.

The stock is very bad indeed though. Very rattly and rocking everywhere, shuddering into life with a jerk when departing, slow as previously mentioned, no PIS screens, no armrests which aren't for comfort on the tube but instead to keep people out of your personal space, and very muffled announcements. These trains are older than my mother, for goodness' sake, and I'm hardly at nappy age. Then again, so are the 1973 stock, which despite only a year between the two stocks seem somehow much much nicer - very reminiscent of a 1995 stock from inside.

Not the end of the world though.

That depends who you are and what your need to travel is, where you're going to and how your day is set out.