Underground passengers could soon be cooler

Date: 29/6/2011

Following what was the hottest day of 2011 (June 27th) to date, Transport for London (TfL) has announced that it is continuing its efforts to keep passengers on the Underground cool.

The first air conditioned carriages on the network are already running through the centre of the capital, while the capacity of fans at ventilation shafts on the Victoria Line is to be doubled.

This will circulate cool air from the tunnel's ground level and direct it into carriages at head height.

It is hoped that by 2016, 40 per cent of the entire tube network will support new air conditioned trains, with the Metropolitan Line already carrying them and the Hammersmith and City, District and Circle lines set to follow suit.

The age of the Underground means that the tunnels retain heat while little space was allowed during their construction for air conditioning inside or outside the carriages.

TfL is now working towards creating a new train that will be energy efficient and light, which may make it easier to carry the necessary cooling equipment.

It is hoped regenerative braking will be used to achieve this, whereby power passed by the brakes back to the rails is then transferred to the air conditioning system.

Earlier in the week, TfL announced that the city's public transport network carried a record number of passengers in the year ended March 31st 2011.

Posted by Mary Treen