I had, of course, heard about the "tube challenge" where people try to visit every London Underground station in one day in the fastest possible time. To complete this challenge you can only use public transport (or your own steam), but that does, of course, mean that you don't have to visit them all by tube - you can run, or take a bus. You also don't have to use every line, you just have to go to the stations. I didn't really have the will or the way to attempt this stunt, though - it often takes lots of planning and, generally, a night in a hotel at one end of the network or another :P But I did want to see them all and I also wanted to have travelled the whole extent of a line. So, one evening nearly two years ago (8th Janurary) I decided I would go to every station on the Piccadilly line. I chose the Picc because I was living around King's Cross St. Pancras at the time and it struck me as suitably interesting, but not so long that I would not be able to finish. I decided on some moderately arbitrary criteria that I wanted to have actually stopped in a station, in order to say I'd been to it (not merely passed through it) but, because of time constraints, I didn't get out or have a look around, I just wanted to have called at every station.
So, I got on at King's Cross St. Pancras, took a train northbound to Cockfosters and came back to Uxbridge. I had a small problem, though, because Piccadilly line trains do not serve Turnham Green all day. Nowadays, the map gives you the following very useful information:
"Turnham Green
Served by Piccadilly line trains until 0650 Monday to Saturday, 0745 Sunday and after 2230 every evening. Other times use District line"
When I went on this journey, though, it merely said "early morning and late evening only". Now "late evening" is a pretty vague phrase and I wasn't sure if I would miss it, or - indeed - if I'd already missed it. So, coming back from Uxbridge, rather than changing for the Heathrow branch at Acton Town, I decided to stay on to Hammersmith, to see if we'd stop at Turnham Green. Helpfully, at Acton Town, the T/Op came over the PA and told us "the next station for this train is Hammersmith" (meaning we wouldn't be stopping at Turnham Green) but he then closed the doors and I didn't make it off in time. So I had a fairly pointless journey back to Hammersmith before coming back through Turnham Green and on to Heathrow Terminal 5. I then got a train back to Hatton Cross, went round to Heathrow Terminal 4, waited there for about 8 minutes (at the end of which I noticed someone just miss the train, having got caught at the ticket barriers - bad luck) and headed back round through Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3, back through Hatton Cross (again) up to Acton Town and back to King's Cross St. Pancras, stopping - at last - at Turnham Green.
The Picc was definitely a good place to start, it's a really nice line. I couldn't quite enjoy it as much as it was dark by the time I got out of the tunnels, but hey, I've mentioned before how nice I find the central section and the four tracking between Hammersmith and Acton Town means you can pass through stations at speed (always nice). Also, the somewhat vintage 1973 stock is quite pretty and gives a very comfortable ride:
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| 1973 stock train on the Piccadilly line. (Image courtesy "Janderk1968" (via Wikipedia)) |
Just for those who might be interested, between these two stations there are four tracks, as can be clearly seen in the picture below:
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| A view of the tracks from Chiswick Park's westbound platform. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| The eastbound District line platform at Turnham Green. We are looking west, so the track on the right is the eastbound District line from Chiswick Park and Gunnersbury. District line trains call here and head towards Stamford Brook. On the left is the eastbound Piccadilly line towards Hammersmith. Trains from Acton Town (we are looking towards Acton Town) call here at certain times of day only and during service disruption, engineering work, etc.. On the left of that is the westbound Piccadilly line towards Acton Town. The platform is called at by trains from Hammersmith at certain times of day. Finally, on the other side of that platform there is the westbound District line. At Turnham Green, trains from Stamford Brook can continue to Chiswick Park and on to Acton Town and Ealing Broadway, or head onto the Richmond branch. Note that we have two island platforms, the eastbound platform which we are on in this picture splits the eastbound District and Piccadilly lines, then, on the left, there is the westbound platform, which splits the westbound District and Piccadilly lines. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| The eastbound District line platform at Stamford brook, served by trains from Turnham Green heading towards Ravenscourt Park (in this picture we are looking east towards Ravenscourt Park). Note that there is no eastbound Piccadilly line platform, with the tracks on the near right (just to the right of the eastbound District line) being the eastbound Piccadilly line tracks. To the right, you can see the island platform with the westbound Piccadilly line on the left of it and the westbound District line (towards Turnham Green) is on the right of it, out of shot. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| The eastbound platform at Ravenscourt Park (looking west towards Stamford Brook). You can see the eastbound District Line tracks on the right (called at by trains towards Hammersmith) and the eastbound Piccadilly line tracks on the immediate left (passed through by Piccadilly line trains heading towards Hammersmith, for example the one in the picture). To the left of this is the westbound Piccadilly line and on the far left, on the other side of the island platform, is the westbound District line platform served by trains heading towards Stamford Brook. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
So, anyway, after such success on the Picc, I decided I had to keep it up and I had a free evening later that week and decided, on a whim, to do the Victoria line. Getting on at King's Cross St. Pancras I went up to Walthamstow Central, all the way down to Brixton and back to King's Cross St. Pancras. Easy. It's a nice line, it's fast, it's modern, it's handy (with Pimlico being the only station that doesn't provide interchange) and the new 2009 stock are nice and modern:
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| 2009 stock train on the Victoria line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia)) |
The Northern
Next up it was the Northern line (an obvious choice from King's Cross St. Pancras). I took a High Barnet train up to Finchley Central where I changed onto the scenic Mill Hill East branch. With Finchley Central - Mill Hill East - Finchley Central done, I continued up to High Barnet, came back down to Camden Town and changed onto an Edgware branch train. At Edgware I specifically waited for a Kennington via Charing Cross train so that I could finish at King's Cross St. Pancras. I got one and took it to Golders Green, where we had a small wait. There's a crew depot here and we'd had a brief dwell on the way up so I wasn't surprised. The T/Op came over the PA and informed us there'd be a short delay while they changed drivers and then, as we were about to head off, the new T/Op informed us "this is now a Morden via Bank service, ready to depart". So I rushed off it (nowadays I'd've simply stayed on it until Camden Town) and waited on the freezing, dark platform at Golders Green - very very cold and the next train through was Morden via Bank as well. Anyway, I was soon on a Kennington via Charing Cross train and into the tunnel, which begins just outside Golders Green. I continued onto Kennington, changed for a Morden train and made my way back home up the Bank branch to King's Cross St. Pancras.
I am quite a fan of the Northern line. I know a lot of people who don't like it and before the introduction of the 1995 stock:
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| 1995 stock on the Northern line. (Image courtesy "mattbuck" (via Wikipedia)) |
I must say, though, I'm not a fan of the new ATO (which wasn't in use then) which has been rolled out, now (as of 27th October, I think), between High Barnet/Mill Hill East/Chalk Farm and Euston (Charing Cross branch)/Angel. The ride is not at all smooth, with the motors constantly powering and then switching off. The sound of it is quite annoying as well.
The Central line
As the Central had always been my line, it loomed large on my to-do list, but I wanted to be sure to do it during the day time when I could enjoy it. So, one spare weekend, I took the Picc to HOL (Holborn) and made my way to EAB (Ealing Broadway). I then came back to NOA (North Acton) ran up to WER (West Ruislip), did a full trip to EPP (Epping), came down to WOO and got the HAI train all the way round to Stratford (via NEP and LES). At Stratford I decided I would to the Jubilee line
Yes the Central line has its faults, the very nice 1992 stock:
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| 1992 stock on the Central line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia)) |
The Jubilee line
As I said, on a whim, I decided I might as well do the Jubilee line at Stratford. So, I changed lines, took a train to Stanmore, took one back to Baker Street and managed to get a Circle or H&C line train back to King's Cross St. Pancras, I believe.
I do love the tube, but the Jubilee line is probably my least favourite part of it. There are some really nice views (which it was too dark for me to enjoy that time) up at the north end of it, the whine from the old motors (these are one of the differences between the 1996 stock on the Jubilee and the 1995 stock on the Northern - the ones on the Jubilee are actually older, with the specs having been frozen in 1991 - the technology is simply outdated, but they sound great) is really nice, too. However, I don't really find it very interesting, the extension is nice and has some great architecture on the surface, but underground the dark blue look doesn't appeal. I also don't like the announcer's voice, the ATO system is (and was then) the same as the Northern line's and, while it seems to have improved, it's not as nice a ride as it could be. I, also, don't personally like platform edge doors, I find they ruin the view of the platform from the train and vice versa. Some say they're worth it - I'm unconvinced. The 1996 stock, although (as mentioned above) actually slightly more out-of-date than its 1995 stock counterpart on the Northern line, does have its merits (fancy a game of spot the difference :P):
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| 1996 stock train on the Jubilee line. (Image courtesy Joshua Brown (via Wikipedia)) |
W&C
I suppose I should just mention the Waterloo & City line now. Since there're only two stops on it, having been on it, I had seen all of it. I actually did this a while before I started taking trips all over the tube. I was coming home from, I think, Oxford Circus and I decided to take a trip on it (and the Bakerloo line, as I hadn't been on either), so I changed at BAN, took the W&C to Waterloo, took the Bakerloo back to OXO and made my way home as if nothing had happened :P
It's a useful little line; not terribly interesting. The whole thing is entirely underground, including the depots, and trains have to be lowered onto the line from street level by crane. The line is operated by 1992 stock, but there are various differences between the ones on the W&C and the ones on the Central such that the two are not interchangeable any longer. For one thing, the W&C does not have ATO and there're various cosmetic and technical differences too (time for another game of spot the difference? :P):
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| 1992 stock train on the Waterloo & City line. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
After that, I decided to do the Metropolitan line. I was coming home for university one day, I had plenty of work to do and had meant to do my washing but, as I passed Russell Square, I found myself unable to resist the lure of the Met. It was a beautiful evening, just a few days after we had had heavy snow and many of the platforms were actually still covered in snow and ice. Anyway, having made up my mind, I took the Picc to King's Cross and changed for the Met to Aldgate. I then went up to Amersham (taking care to get an all stations Amersham train), taking in the glorious views between Finchley Road and Wembley Park in the setting sun. I then came back to the frigid Chalfont & Latimer, where I sat in the waiting room and did my reading. Unfortunately, since old Chalfont & Latimer was then (and is now) bereft of electronic indicators - relying on signs and timetables - I got confused and ended up just missing the Chesham, having tried to make sure that a train which had just pulled in on the other platform definitely wasn't mine. So I was there for about an hour, before finally catching the Chesham train. I took that train back to Moor Park and changed for the Watford service, before coming back to Harrow-on-the-Hill for the Uxbridge, which brought me back to King's Cross.
Throughout the whole journey, though, I didn't once get an S stock (which were being newly rolled out at the time). Instead I did the whole journey on the old A60 and A62 stock trains:
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| A62 stock train on the Metropolitan line. (Image courtesy "Antje" (via Wikipedia)) |
Nowadays, of course, the whole line is operated by brand new S8 stock trains (8 for the 8 carriages, S for sub-surface):
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| S8 stock train on the Metropolitan line. (Image courtesy "Spsmiler" (via Wikipedia)) |
The Bakerloo line
My next journey was very spur of the moment. We had a power cut at the halls and, knowing that these tended to knock the internet out for some time, I decided to take a trip on the Bakerloo line. Having not yet ridden an S stock train, I made sure to take one to Baker Street from King's Cross. There, I changed onto the Bakerloo and went up to Harrow & Wealdstone before coming back to Elephant & Castle, where I took the Northern line back home to King's Cross. As we were coming into Lambeth North and then in the tunnel towards Elephant & Castle, the train was braking very noisily and was juddering a little. The T/Op then informed us:
"There is no cause for alarm, we were just testing the secondary breaks, which - er - don't appear to be all that good, actually, but the train is fine and we will soon be stopping at Elephant & Castle." :P
The train in question was a train of 1972 stock. The history of this stock is slightly complicated, with 30 "1972 Mk1" trains initially being ordered to replace ageing stock on the Northern line. It was based heavily on the 1967 stock of the Victoria line. Later, an additional 33 "1972 Mk2" trains were ordered for use on the Jubilee line. These were slightly different on the inside and the outside. The 1972 Mk2 trains made their way onto the Bakerloo line via the Northern line, when they were replaced by the short-lived 1983 stock on the Jubilee line. The 1972 Mk1 stock trains, when replaced by 1995 stock on the Northern line, were converted and used on the Victoria line and are now all, I believe, retired (apart from 2 which were converted and are used on the Bakerloo line). 1 remains permanently at Aldwych for use by film crews:
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| 1972 stock train (Mk2) on the Bakerloo line. (Image courtesy " Hahifuheho" (via Wikipedia)) |
The H&C
If I recall correctly, the next line I did was the Hammersmith & City line. One weekend I took the opportunity to head from King's Cross St. Pancras to Barking. It was very cold at Barking, but the old C stocks have a handy feature where, at the terminus, all but the end doors in each carriage close, to try and keep it a bit warmer, but still allowing people on and off. We then headed back to Hammersmith and home to King's Cross St. Pancras. It's quite a nice line, y'know, the H&C. A lot of it is through fairly grotty east London and, these days, since it was separated from the Met, it's just a single route - no branches. But the trip down to Hammersmith has its moments, and I quite like grotty east London, it reminds me of the London I knew as a child, visiting my grandmother in Newham. There are, also, plenty of open air sections and it, too, runs over the oldest Underground line (as a reminder, this is, essentially Paddington - Farringdon. For more, see my second blog post.) I also love going from Aldgate East - LIS, you can clearly see Aldgate station from passing trains :)
Of course, back when I did this, the line was solely operated by C69/C77 stock (C stands for circle):
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| C stock train on the Hammersmith & City line. (Image courtesy "Edgepedia" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| S7 stock train on the Hammersmith & City line. (Image courtesy "Edgepedia" (via Wikipedia)) |
Again, these are essentially the same as the S8s and so they lend all of the advantages to the H&C that the S8s lend to the Met. The C stock, while ageing and breaking and generally not performing (the carriage lights, for instance, flicker on and off, giving the impression of a run down old school building or something). But they're comfortable and are a bit like the big red buses of the Underground. Since they're found on so many lines, they seem a little bit like the archetypal tube train :P
LO
Technically, the London Overground network is not part of the London Underground, but it is on the tube map, so I wanted to do it as well. I set aside a day of my week off specially, so that I could see as much of it as possible in the daylight. The London Overground is actually a franchise uniting a number of historically independent railway lines under a single identity. I began my trip, of course, at King's Cross St. Pancras and took the Northern line to Euston, from where I got on the "Watford DC Line" (Euston to Watford Junction). I travelled up to Watford Junction and then returned to Willesden Junction (a nice station with pretty interesting views). There, I believe I changed for a train to Clapham Junction (Willesden Junction to Clapham Junction is the "West London Line" (WLL), a short but important line, which carries a fair amount of freight, if I recall.) I then returned to Willesden Junction. I believe trains from Clapham Junction alternately terminate at Willesden Junction and continue on towards Stratford. Richmond to Stratford is the "North London Line" (NLL), so you can see that, under LO, the lines have largely lost their independence, with half of the trains from Clapham Junction serving only the WLL and half of them merging with the NLL. It was the NLL which was next on my route and I took a train down to Richmond and then all the way back to Stratford. Here, I made my way back to Canonbury and changed for the "East London Line" (ELL). Now the ELL is even more complicated. Prior to 2007 there was an East London Line that was part of London Underground. It ran between New Cross/New Cross Gate and Shoreditch. Although, the underused Shoreditch was actually closed in 2006, but a replacement bus service was provided. From then on, the line operated only as far as Whitechapel, until the whole line was closed in 2007. It was then upgraded and extended progressively (over some entirely new tracks and some old, disused ones). Shoreditch was replaced with the new Shoreditch High Street station and the line was extended to Dalston Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon. It was also later extended to Highbury & Islington. This is the line as it was when I visited it (Highbury & Islington - New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon). I took a train to Crystal Palace, then returend to Sydenham and got a train to West Croydon, before returning to Surrey Quays and going to New Cross. I then headed up to Whitechapel and got the H&C to Barking. Nowadays the line has been further extended between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction, forming an "orbital railway." Slightly confusingly, much of the track is taken from what used to be called the "South London line", but I believe it's technically referred to as the "East London Line extension phase 2". Anyway, I rode along that a few days after it had opened. We had a brief scare with a signal failure that meant the line had been suspended, but it got up and running and I went from Highbury & Islington (actually: Russell Square-King's Cross St. Pancras-Highbury & Islington) to Clapham Junction, where I actually connected with a train to Stratford and got the Central line home to ROV where, at that time, I was already living. So, anyway, Barking. Barking was where I began my journey over the last part of the London Overground from Gospel Oak to Barking. I used to think that this line had the least imaginative name (the "Gospel Oak to Barking line") until I learned that it is usually abbreviated as GOBLIN - which is a great name for a railway. Anyway, I went to Gospel Oak, then to Highbury & Islington again and took the Vic home.
Phew. The day was every bit as long as it sounds. It was quite a tough day to be honest. The trains are nice, the different routes do make it interesting and the orbital nature is quite cool. However, it is pretty slow, the service (particularly on the branches) is not amazingly frequent and it's difficult to reach civilisation. All the same, it is mostly overground, wich is nice, although a lot of the areas it passes through aren't very scenic. I must say, it doesn't quite hold the magic of the tube for me.
Those trains, by the way, are mostly Class 378 Capitalstars. These are used everywhere except on GOBLIN, because GOBLIN is not electrified. They're nice trains, very spacious, modern, good information with new LED displays and they have walk-through carriages:
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| Class 378 Capitalstar train on the London Overground (specifically the East London Line). (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| Class 172/0 Turbostar train on the London Overground (specifically the Gospel Oak to Barking Line). (Image courtesy "mattbuck" (via Wikipedia)) |
The Circle line was next. I'd had to wait for Blackfriars to be re-opened, but when it was, I soon took the opportunity. I had thought it'd be a good idea to go to Hammersmith, then do a full loop to Edgware road, before crossing over and taking the direct route to King's Cross St. Pancras via Baker Street and Great Portland Street. However, I soon realised that Cannon Street was only open until 21:00. Fearing that it would be shut by the time I reached it, I went back in the other direction to Edgware Road via Liverpool Street and Tower Hill, then changed at Edgware road for a train to Hammersmith, before returning to King's Cross St. Pancras via Paddington and Baker Street.
I do like its loop nature and I think Edgware Road is a fascinating station. It also runs over that oldest Underground section (which, by the way, is very nice, as well as being of historical note) and I suppose it is what you might call an "icon". It doesn't have any stations to itself, barely any of its track is its own and it only appeared as a separate line from 1949 (a little late in its history, considering the line itself was basically completed by 1884). However, it does go all through central London serving some important and very pleasant stations. It's definitely a nice line, even if it is mainly in cut and cover tunnel.
As with the H&C, when I first rode the length of it, it was solely operated by C stock:
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| C stock train on the Circle line. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| S7 stock train on the Circle line. (Image courtesy "X2K9" (via Youtube)) |
DLR
At this stage I'd moved back and was living near WOO. I had a spare day around Easter and decided to take a trip on the DLR (Docklands Light Railway). So I took the Central in to STR and changed for the DLR to Statford International. There, I believe, I went down to Woolwich Arsenal, before heading back to Canning Town and getting a train to Beckton. I then went back to Bank, before returning to Shadwell to get a train to Tower Gateway (in order to make sure I stopped at West India Quay, which is not served by trains from Bank before 21:00). This I took as far as Canary Wharf, where most trains stop at that time of day. I changed for a train to Lewisham, before returning to STR, where I got the Central line home.
I like the DLR. It may not have the history and the "character" and the intrigue of the tube, but it's fun. You can sit at the front of the train and look out on the tracks, which is very cool. It's got plenty of branches which add interest. It has fantastic views of London City Airport and, because of all the sharp corners and flyovers, the wheels are actually set at a slightly higher angle than usual. This means that the train wobbles about a bit at speed. It's kinda like being on an incredibly tame roller coaster - it's good fun.
The DLR is operated by two different types of train - B90/B92/B2K and B07 (the B is for Beckton). Again the numbers refer to the dates (2K = 2000). Of course, as with many other trains (e.g. the Central line's 1992 stock, which first entered service in 1993) the date used in the designation is not necessarily the date when the trains entered service, I believe it varies, but I think it has to do with when the train was commissioned, or first built, or something similar. Ultimately, it's a largely formal designation. Anyway, the B90 (eventually replacing the original P86 and P89 stock) was built in 1991 and 23 vehicles were produced. An additional 47 vehicles of B92 stock were built between 1993 and 1995. These were the same, but the 24 vehicles of B2K stock built between 2001 and 2002 were cosmetically slightly different. I do not believe the differences are retained any longer:
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| B90 stock train on the Docklands Light Railway. (Image courtesy Stefan Baguette (via Wikipedia)) |
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| B07 stock train on the Docklands Light Railway. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
District
I had a long wait for an opportunity to visit every station on the District line. This is because, back then, Cannon Street was closed all weekend, but Kensington (Olympia) was (and is) only "open weekends, public holidays and some Olympia events". So I needed a public holiday and I found one. I think it was a jubilee of some sort, but whatever it was, they were both open, so I visited the District line. I was at WOO at the time, still, so I went to MIE (Mile End) and took a train up to Upminster. I then came back to Earl's Court and got that elusive train to Kensington (Olympia), which took me back to High Street Kensington. There I changed for a Wimbleware (Wimbledon - Edgware Road) train up to Edgware Road, which took me back to Wimbledon. I then came back to Earl's Court, went to Richmond, then back to Turnham Green and, finally, to Ealing Broadway. The plan was to get the Central home, but there had been delays on it for a while and then it was suspended between WHC and MAA (White City and Marble Arch). So I came back to Acton Town and foolishly changed for a Picc train, thinking to make the most of express running to Hammersmith. It probably took me just as long to get to Hammersmith, but the train was busier. I decided to continue to HOL, but, really, I'd've been better off staying on the District to MIE. It took about 20 minutes for the next train to arrive and by this time HOL's platform was absolutely packed. So was the train, which arrived full. It was like that at every station, a full train pulling into a full platform. I don't think I've ever had a worse tube journey and, with little kids crammed on this train (although, I've gotta say, as a parent I'd have to have a really compelling reason to take my child on such a train, rather than getting home by bus, taxi, or even just waiting a few hours, because that was dangerous) I've never been as scared for the safety of myself, or my fellow passengers on a tube train. All, however, was well and we made LES without incident. If I recall, it was a HAI via NEP train, with all trains from EPP being short turned at LES and reversed off WB2 back to EPP. I managed to catch a train to EPP and was home fairly quickly after that.
Anyway, the District line. It does go through the far from scenic parts of east London (but, as I say, I have a bit of a soft spot for these areas and the journey to Upminster isn't bad). But it does go to some really nice places. It's the only Underground line to cross the Thames by bridge (between Putney Bridge & East Putney and Gunnersbury & Kew Gardens) and that's very nice. The central section also has some very nice stations on it, such as brand new Blackfriars, Sloane Square, etc. The branches add interest, I like it a lot.
On the District, we mostly have D78 stock trains. (The D, you won't be surprised to hear, is for district):
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| D78 stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia)) |
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| C stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy Chris McKenna (via Wikipedia)) |
However, we also (since 02/09) have an S7 operating on the District line. As I've also mentioned before, it's currently running between Kensington (Olympia) and West Ham, but it's expected that all C stocks will be replaced first (so it should be on the Wimbleware soonish) and then it will begin to be phased in across the whole line. I believe the whole line is scheduled to be operated by S stock by 2016, but we'll see just how well that works out, given that all S stock roll-outs have been delayed (with the possible exception of that S7 on the District which was not expected).
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| S7 stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy "Spsmiler" (via Wikipedia)) |
This hardly counts, but it's on the map (for now) so I have to do it. This is really just a waste of good money that could have been better spent, say, doing something to help the homeless people who continue to suffer on the streets of London. Or, if you don't care for things like human decency and compassion, it could at least have been spent on improving worthwhile services in London. But, it wasn't, it was spent on a publicity stunt by the arse in charge of city hall. It's pointless. It is, though, fun. Sadly, I did enjoy both rides on it. Sure, it offers really very pretty views of London. It isn't a useful commuter link and it's scarcely a decent tourist attraction given the price and that the London Eye is just better, but it was fun. First time, I rode on it on the way back from a visit to the O2. I took the Air Line from Emirates Greenwich Peninsula to Emirates Royal Docks, where there's a fairly substantial walk (one of the reasons, including the price, the length of the journey, etc., why it's not a practical solution for commuters) to Royal Victoria, where I got the DLR back to STR and the Central line home to ROV (which was home by then). It doesn't really have rolling stock, it just has gondolas which look like this:
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| The Emirates Air Line and its gondolas |
And those are really the full extent of my travels. To end on something interesting - while writing this, I was thinking about a question I'm sometimes asked: how would I rank the tube lines, in order of preference? I'm gonna exclude the DLR, LO and the Emirates Air Line, because they aren't London Underground lines and, also, none of them hold me enthralled as the tube does. So, after that, my list would be as follows:
- Central line
- Metropolitan line
- Piccadilly line
- District line
- Northern line
- Circle line
- Hammersmith & City line
- Bakerloo line
- Victoria line
- Waterloo & City line
- Jubilee line
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