Latest news with #TfL
Evening Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Evening Standard
TfL announces big hike in cost of applying for a 60+ Oyster card, the 'best travel freebie in London'
TfL said the large increase in the cost of the 60+ Oyster was because, of its various concessions, it has 'the biggest gap between the estimated revenue that we would receive were these journeys paid for, and the income we receive through fees'.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I'm 100% guilty of the ‘selfish train trend' everyone's moaning about – call me a nightmare commuter, I'll never change
MOANS about 'selfish' train habits have been doing the round on social media, and while I'm sure they're meant to embarrass me into changing, it's not going to happen. I've lived in London for 10 years, and before that grew up just outside the city, so I'm well aware of the courtesy rules we have here and across many other parts of the UK. 4 4 4 But there are many that I refuse to follow, and I don't feel bad about it one bit. Commuting has never been the most comfortable way to get around, but with TfL prices going up each year, I do my best to make sure I am comfortable. I'm not opposed to pushing my way to a seat on a crowded train and I'm not that fussed if it was 'your turn' to sit down. We're in the city, you gotta be quick or someone will take it (like me). And I won't just take up one seat, my bag will need one too. I know it's infuriating for some, but I'm just not about to put my heavy work bag on my lap for the next 30 minutes. Plus, I really don't want you to sit next to me. Not only is the bag meant to dissuade you from invading my personal space, but I make sure to avoid eye contact when the doors open and fresh passengers scurry on, so people know I'm not inviting you to sit down. And guess what? I don't have any regrets. While my bag might annoy the finance boys and builders getting the early bus with me, your manspreading drives me up the wall. There has never been a time I've sat next to a strange man and he hasn't immediately squashed me into a corner. And if I can provide some sort of barrier from it, I will. 4 The Selfish Travel Trend Annoying Public Transport Users Everywhere Once I get on that seat and make myself comfortable, you best believe I'm grabbing food out of my bag and eating it. Recently, while rushing to get to a friend's party, I grabbed a delicious, yet messy, sausage roll from Greggs to keep me from passing out in the 30 degrees heat. As always, I was running too late to eat in, so I got a takeaway then pulled it out once I'd got myself the best seat on the Tube (the one next to the clear screen so you don't have to fight for arm rests, if you must know). But as I looked up from taking a large bite I made eye contact with the woman opposite, who rolled her eyes in disgust. At first, I thought it must have been the bite size she was sickened by, but as I looked around the packed carriage I realised everyone was giving me a dirty look - all because I ate a humble sausage roll with them nearby. I could sense the anger, the twitching eyes and the sniffs of disdain, but I didn't stop, it's my train too. I agree it's not the easiest food to chomp down without making a mess but I'd already committed to it. When I got up for my station, I let the flaky pastry crumbs fall beside me like a bride walking through confetti (although my wedding guests weren't as happy.) I'm sure you'll be shocked to know it's not the only etiquette rule I like to break on public transport either. While I'm not quite vulgar enough to listen to my phone aloud, I have on more than one occasion been told to turn my volume down - even with headphones on. Listening to your phone aloud, also known as bare beating, is so annoying to London commuters that 34% support fines for doing it on transport, according to a YouGov poll. The thing is, I'm sure the people moaning are just jealous I'm able to tune out the screaming children. While you're listening to them whine and shout, I've got Taylor Swift blasting in my ears. And I'm also not about queuing to get on, whether its the Tube or the bus. I have taken the time over many years to know exactly where the doors open and hold my spot accordingly, you should have done the same. So yes, you can call me selfish, you can call me rude, and you can title me the worst commuter, but I still won't change.
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Glasgow Times
London Underground and Overground closures: July 18
The changes will see some stations closed or partly closed for TfL to carry out essential work. So you don't get caught out by the changes, we've broken down a list of all the work on the London Underground, Overground and Elizabeth Line this weekend. To get the most up-to-date stats for the Underground, you can use the TfL app or website. What's your go-to Tube line, and why is it your favourite? 👇 — TfL (@TfL) June 3, 2025 London Tube and Overground closures this weekend Friday, July 18 Suffragette: Friday 18 July, the 0618 Barking Riverside to Gospel Oak train is revised to start from Barking, platform 1, at 0624. Tram: Monday 14 until Tuesday 22 July, no service between Reeves Corner and East Croydon. From 2230 Sunday 13 until Sunday 27 July, no service between Arena and Elmers End. This is due to planned engineering work. Cutty Sark station: The Station is closed until spring 2026 while they replace all four escalators at the station. Roding Valley station: From Tuesday, May 6 until the end of July 2025, westbound trains (towards Woodford) will not stop at the station, and the footbridge will be closed. Saturday, July 19 District: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July, no service between Earls Court and Ealing Broadway / Richmond. DLR: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July, no service between Bank / Tower Gateway and Canning Town / Lewisham, or between Stratford and Canary Wharf. Piccadilly: Saturday 19 July, between 0100 and 0430 approximately, no service on the entire line. Tram: Monday 14 until Tuesday 22 July, no service between Reeves Corner and East Croydon. Waterloo & City line: Service operates between 0600 and 0030, Monday to Friday only. There is no service on Saturdays, Sundays and on bank/public holidays. Windrush: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July, no service between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction / Battersea Park. Cutty Sark station: The Station is closed until spring 2026, while all four escalators at the station are being replaced. Roding Valley station: From Tuesday, May 6 until the end of July 2025, the westbound trains (towards Woodford) will not stop at the station, and the footbridge will be closed. @tfl Historic maps, signs, and vehicles? We have them all 🤩 Join us at the London Transport Museum Depot open days from 6 – 8 June and 18 – 21 September! Book now on London Transport Museum's website 🔗 ♬ original sound - Transport for London Sunday, July 20 District: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July, no service between Earls Court and Ealing Broadway / Richmond. We track your journeys and cap them, so you never spend more than you need to 👏 For more info on how TfL's daily cap benefits you, visit: — TfL (@TfL) May 29, 2025 DLR: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July, no service between Bank / Tower Gateway and Canning Town / Lewisham, or between Stratford and Canary Wharf. Mildmay: Sunday 20 July, no service between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction. Piccadilly: Saturday 19 July, from 0430 approximately, and all day Sunday 20 July (including Saturday Night Tube), no service between Kings Cross St Pancras and Heathrow (all terminals) / Uxbridge. Tram: Monday 14 until Tuesday 22 July, no service between Reeves Corner and East Croydon. Recommended Reading Waterloo & City line: Service operates between 0600 and 0030, Monday to Friday only. There is no service on Saturdays, Sundays and on bank/public holidays. Windrush: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July, no service between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction / Battersea Park. Cutty Sark station: The Station is closed until spring 2026, while they replace all four escalators at the station. Roding Valley station: From Tuesday, May 6 until the end of July 2025, westbound trains (towards Woodford) will not stop at the station, and the footbridge will be closed.
Mint
4 days ago
- Climate
- Mint
The London Tube ‘feels like hell.' Efforts to cool it just make it hotter.
A century ago, the London Underground wooed passengers during the summer with the promise it was 'cooler below." That seems like a cruel joke today. 'It genuinely feels like hell down there," said Hussein Zaaiter, a London-based student. 'It's a free sauna on the Central line," he joked, referring to one of the Tube's hottest train lines. Riding the Tube during the summer has long been an unpleasant, sweaty experience. The bad news for Londoners is that the Tube isn't just hot, it's getting hotter. And figuring out how to cool it down presents challenges that air conditioning can't easily fix. Engineers have spent decades trying everything from industrial fans to giant blocks of ice to temper the sweltering subterranean climate, but a remedy remains elusive. Heat has been steadily building below the surface ever since the world's oldest underground transportation system opened in 1863. Across all lines, average temperatures increased by 1 to 3 degrees Celsius over the past 10 years, according to measurements from Transport for London. Summer temperatures on the Tube now regularly exceed 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the legal limit for transporting cattle, pigs and sheep in the U.K. The temperature at the surface doesn't really affect the temperature in the tube. Throughout the summer, the tube maintains a fairly constant 86 degrees, while the surface wobbles between lows in the 50s at night and as high as 104 degrees during the day. The busy Central Line is one of the transit system's deeper lines, where narrow tunnels have made it difficult to add air conditioning to trains. Zaaiter has ridden the Paris Metro and the New York subway, but 'it's never as bad," he said. For Verity Walker, a musical-theater actress in London, the heat underground has a habit of sticking with her. 'I'm turning up to auditions, and I'm worried I smell," she said. 'The price should be decreased in the summer because of the conditions." Climate activists turned the Tube into their personal sauna, riding around the city in their bathrobes and hair towels to raise awareness about the heat. Experts pin the Tube's hot mess on its tight Victorian-era tunnels, which restrict air circulation, especially on deeper lines. Moreover, London's bedrock is composed of a dense, stiff clay that absorbs and retains warmth. Every day, friction from accelerating and braking trains generates more heat. Even carelessly discarded newspapers obstruct air vents behind seats and trap hot air in train cars, exacerbating the problem. In 2003, then-Mayor of London Ken Livingston launched a competition with a £100,000 prize for a tunnel-cooling solution, or about $159,500 at the time. Of the 3,400 entries, many simply suggested riders not wear clothes. Other proposals included handing out Popsicles or putting up pictures of snowmen. No practical designs emerged, and the competition was closed in 2005. Since then, TfL has spent millions of pounds on initiatives to beat the heat. Early attempts included placing large blocks of ice in refrigeration units under train seats, where the thawing ice would cool air passing over it. Groundwater was also tapped to try to cool the tunnels. Industrial fans were installed at stations. Even after the TfL discovered they slightly increased temperatures because of the heat generated by the motors, the fans remained. Surveys indicated the fast-flowing air made people feel more comfortable. 'It always perplexed me that boffins could produce mobile phones the size of a credit card yet passengers would emerge dripping with sweat from Tube trains," Boris Johnson said in 2018 during his stint as mayor. Air conditioning has now been added to roughly 40% of London Underground trains, but it is hard to install on the smaller, deeper Tube lines. It also isn't a panacea. AC simply moves heat from one place to another, so while trains may get cooler, platforms and tunnels get hotter. Engineering experts have proposed various solutions, all to cool reception. Ideas included regenerative braking, where heat from brakes is recovered to use as energy for trains or stations; improved ventilation systems; energy-efficient construction materials; and smart sensor networks to monitor and regulate temperatures in real time. Even successful solutions, such as using heat pumps to remove excess heat, have proved tricky to employ across the vast network. One London borough uses the excess heat from the local Tube station to warm nearby homes, but expanding the program faces logistical and funding challenges. A citywide heat network is at least a decade away. TfL, noting the 'stop-start nature of funding," says it's focused on areas that provide the greatest relief to passengers. Next year, after several delays, it plans to finally introduce the first air-conditioned trains on a deep tunnel Tube line. They will still fit along the Piccadilly line thanks to the AC being placed under the trains, a design that took years to master. TfL said it is also exploring the possibility of cooling panels, subject to funding. While the heat makes journeys uncomfortable for passengers, it's a prolonged punishment for staff—even with the cooling systems in drivers' cabs. Tube bosses have been encouraging train drivers to drink more water, but union organizer Finn Brennan says that's an impractical solution. 'With more water, we need the toilet more," he said, adding that drivers are often on a strict schedule with limited breaks. 'This isn't a situation that will get better." With London enduring repeated summer heat waves, some train workers are planning a 'heat strike" if temperatures rise above 96.8 degrees. TfL has sought to reassure the public, saying it has 'a comprehensive hot weather plan in place" to get through the summer. Its enduring advice: 'Please carry water with you." Write to Anvee Bhutani at
Evening Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Evening Standard
The Mayor's new congestion charge for electric vans is a penalty for going green
Small firms face massive financial and operational hurdles. Most still depend on diesel vans - which pump out substantial amounts of Nitrogen Dioxide. While TfL's £122 million van scrappage scheme was hugely welcomed, only 1.7% of recipients made the leap to electric. That tells you everything about the scale of the challenge. Londoners get this too - recent polling shows most residents (67%) believe that small businesses need more support to transition to electric vehicles.
