The science involved in making London’s tube network run smoothly

Speed isn’t everything

The psychology behind the London tube experience has been revealed – and just how much the staff do to try and streamline the enduring transport system.

Transport for London (TfL) periodically run a series of experiments on the capital’s underground network in an effort to try and improve the commuter experience on a system that is grossly overcrowded, despite passenger numbers declining slightly.

There are various psychological tricks TfL uses to try and affect the commuting experience for Londoners and tourists alike, Wired reports - you may be surprised to discover that speed isn’t everything for the average commuter.

We value politeness over speed

An experiment conducted at Holborn station in 2016 which aimed to relieve commuter congestion at the station failed. Why? Because tube users didn’t want to break with the etiquette embedded in most regular users of the network.

Staff at the station asked passengers to stand on both sides of the escalator, flouting the ingrained rule that directs travellers to stand on the right-hand side, leaving the left-hand side free for those in a hurry.

The escalator at Holborn station is 24 metres high and research revealed that 60 per cent of customers didn’t bother to climb it. Freeing up both sides of the escalator aimed to release more space for passengers to move along, a prediction that proved to be accurate.

Feedback from tube users indicated that they found this enforced shift in behaviour “frustrating”, however, and that they were reluctant to break with tube etiquette even if it took longer to reach their destination.

And it’s not just the British stiff upper lip that meant this trial was a failure. Similar experiments were conducted in Hong Kong and China with comparable results.

Boarding and alighting trains is more important than train capacity

The time it takes passengers to board and alight from trains is critical in improving journey times, rather than the capacity of each train, argues Professor Tyler of UCL’s centre for transport studies.

Capacity will invariably be increased if more trains are running due to speedier boarding and alighting.

Efforts to reduce the time trains spend in a station include announcements for customers to move down the platform to quieter areas and doors, such as those on the Jubilee line, which have clearly demarcated access points to trains and which reduce the fear of falling.

Speed isn’t always our priority

Commuter routes may often strike an outsider as convoluted, but many passengers would prefer to spend longer on a train if it meant that they got a seat, avoided stairs or a particularly busy station. One wifi-based study of commuters reinforced this claim.

People benefit from boundaries (literally)

A trial conducted at King’s Cross station last year involved painting green lines along a platform to improve customer clarity on where they should stand whilst awaiting a train.

The aim of this was to enable passengers to leave the train with greater ease, rather than fighting through hordes of crowded commuters, increasing the time trains spent waiting at each station.

Please sir – can I have your seat?

It’s not all about passenger numbers. An experiment conducted on the New York subway required students to ask other passengers for their seat, without providing any further explanation.

The results found that the majority of people were prepared to sacrifice their seat but, understandably, the students found this a daunting task indeed.

It’s probably another reason why the introduction of TfL’s ‘Baby on Board’ badges and, more recently, ‘Please Offer Me a Seat’ badges have been such a success.

Experts agree that the fundamental issue affecting our bursting underground network is infrastructure, not people. Until this issue is resolved, we’re all looking at a future of tense and sweaty journeys with our face in someone’s armpit.