London Underground

I would like to congratulate London Underground for their exemplary service this morning.

I arrived at London Bridge underground and went straight down to the Northern Line, Northbound platform - this is good - sometimes they close the access to the platform due to overcrowding.

A train arrived within a minute - again a great result - sometime you have to wait 9 or 10 minutes for one.

I got on - fantastic - sometimes you have let a train or two go without getting on.

Then it all went fricking pear shaped. The temperature in the train must have been 45degrees (120degF) or even more - it sure felt like a furnace. Literally.

Someone in our carriage pulled the Emergency Handle at Moorgate and asked the Driver (so politely to "Turn The Heating Off"!!!!!!

Turn the heating off? Yes, I checked the blower behind me and it was blowing out hot air. Unbelievable! Here we are in a serious heatwave - the Underground is hot, sticky, smelly and unpleasant at the best of times and they have the heating on....

Clearly pulling the emergency handle caused a bit of a furore and the station staff were all over us like a rash but do you think they could turn the heating off? You got it. Nope.

They were talking about pulling the train out of service until a good few HARD STARES made them realise that this would be A BAD IDEA. We continued on, in our stoically British way until I got off at Old Street.

My parting comment to someone waiting to get on was "Good luck, the heating's on there".

The baking hot platform was a blessed relief and air conditioned office was a fantastic. .