TfL Reports 34.3C at Oxford Circus, Waterloo Station Delays
London’s transport network hit waterloo station passengers and other Underground users with sauna-like conditions on Tuesday, when temperatures rose to the hottest May day on record. The peak reading reached 34.3C on the Central Line platform at Oxford Circus, as severe delays hit the Central and Jubilee lines.
Tom Brown, travelling from the city on the Central Line during rush hour, said: “It’s like a sauna down here. Every year it gets worse, I can’t understand why they haven’t sorted it yet.” Outside, the mercury hit as high as 35C in Kew Gardens, while trains on the District and Circle lines reached 28.7C.
Oxford Circus heat reading
The Standard recorded temperatures on trains and platforms across the city on Tuesday afternoon, and the highest Underground reading came at Oxford Circus. Commuters endured sweltering conditions of up to 34.3C below ground while the network dealt with severe delays on two major Tube lines.
Nick Dent, TfL’s Director of Customer Operations, said work was ongoing to make London’s transport network “remain resilient in the face of more extreme and frequent hot weather events.” He also said: “We are investing millions as part of our continuous work to improve the network, which includes introducing new trains to meet growing customer numbers whilst providing more comfortable journeys.”
TfL cooling rollout
Dent said TfL has air conditioning on more than 190 Tube trains, covering 40 per cent of the Underground network, and on all London Overground and Elizabeth line trains. He said: “We have implemented energy efficient solutions on new trains, which reduce the heat generated.”
He also said the introduction of new trains on the Piccadilly line and the DLR will extend air conditioning to more customers. For passengers facing Tuesday’s delays, the network already has cooling on the District and Circle lines, but the hottest platform reading still came from the Central line at Oxford Circus.
District and Circle lines
Tuesday’s readings left a clear split across the network: some services had air conditioning, while others still faced far higher temperatures underground. The District and Circle lines recorded highs of 28.7C, well below the 34.3C seen at Oxford Circus, but still hot enough to keep comfort uneven across the system.
The practical answer for commuters is immediate rather than theoretical: the hottest conditions were on the Central line platform at Oxford Circus, and the severe delays were on the Central and Jubilee lines. TfL’s stated response is continued investment in trains and cooling, with more air-conditioned journeys due when new Piccadilly line and DLR trains enter service.
