Hot, busy... but only if timed badly! (Underground in general)

Member Name: suzanneb84

Product:	Underground in general
Date:	30/08/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap, fast, freqent

Disadvantages: hot with a capital H

The Underground in London is normally called "the tube" as in "where is the nearest tube from here?". It comprises of an underground network of London and some areas of greater London, stretching with the odd line to far out places such as Watford in Buckinghamshire. The majority of the tubes are centered in "Zone 1/2" which covers about 4 square miles of London. There is generally a stop every 1/2 mile so always very easy to walk to one. Many people believe the tube to be less effecient to our european neighbours, mainly due to the fact that in peak rush hour times it is extremely busy and tempuratures can reach up to 35 degrees in mid Summer. There is a lot of bad feeling that airconditioning should be included in the tubes, however some stations now have in place big fans which do ease the high tempuratures a bit. The business does depend on timing though - on the hour is quieter than the half hour as people try to get into work for 8/9am. Also, there is a lot of upgrading work at the moment which means that at weekends when the tube is less used some lines are closed which can be frustrating, however as there is an excellent bus network in London its not the end of the world and they tend to be well advertised! The pluses outweight these points though - a tube is never more than 3 minutes away on average, it is fast, and if you use an Oyster card rather than pay cash it is very good value! I do love it but tend to avoid it in peak times.

Summary: Love it in non-busy times