Revealed: the tube line that’ll be the hottest this summer

We’ve all been there: it’s a sweltering summer morning and you’re heading on your commute to work. You head down into the depths of London’s Underground, hoping, naively, for some escape from the sunshine, only to realise that the tube is actually hotter than it was on the surface. Maybe you make eye contact with another sweaty commuter, maybe you try to distract yourself by reading a book – either way you’ll end up certain that your carriage is actually the stuffiest place in the entire city.

Of course, not all tube lines are the same – it’s always a relief if you have to do part of your journey on the mercifully air-conditioned Elizabeth line. But which line is actually the worst when it comes to temperature management? The answer has not changed for a couple of years now.

Unfortunately for the Victoria line, it has consistently been the most sweaty line on the Underground since 2023, and that isn’t set to change any time soon. Although the Central held the title for a long time, it was overtaken two years ago by the light blue line which is predicted to reach highs of 32C this summer according to research from real estate agents Making Moves. They combined forecasts for this summer with historical data to get their data.

That isn’t to say journeys on the Central will be much better though – it’s expected that its carriages will get up to 31.2C this August. That’s only one degree warmer than the next on the list – the Bakerloo – which could hit 30.1C before the end of summer.

It won’t be like this forever, though. New Piccadilly line trains are due to come into service next year, and they’ll have the air conditioning the deep level tube lines have been so desperately in need of since they were built more than a century ago. Perhaps one day this technology will reach even the Victoria line.

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