An adage in London is that your favourite Tube line will be the one that serves your neighbourhood – even if you endure a sweaty 80-minute commute.
The topic is a popular one online and train guru Geoff Marshall publishes a yearly ‘World Cup’ on Twitter – where his followers vote for their favourite in a head-to-head competition. More often than not, the Victoria line wins – with the Jubilee usually a strong contender.
But for all the debates in the pub as to which line is the King of the London Underground, a new study has claimed to have settled the debate once and for all.
The Telegraph published a report on Monday which ranked all of the lines for their experience, connectivity, modernity, accessibility and touristic appeal.
Here is how they ranked (it is worth noting that the Overground and Elizabeth line are not included – whether they should be is a whole other debate and actually one we have answered).
The Bakerloo line is bottom of the list
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11. Bakerloo – 26.1 per cent
Ranking lowly for experience, connectivity and modernity – the brown line does at least come with plenty of unique stations and public toilets aplenty.
10. Waterloo & City – 35.2 per cent
It connects two of London’s busiest stations but, sadly, only two! No prizes for guessing which is the reviewer’s favourite between those as well.
9. Northern – 37.8 per cent
The line has 34 unique stops, a night Tube service and connectivity.
However, the last pro might also be a con as the number of stations it takes in does come with the pain of having branch lines.
The Central line is known for being among the warmest
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8. Central – 40.2 per cent
It also provides a high-speed experience, reaching 46mph, and reaches the furthest point northeast at Epping.
7. Piccadilly – 41.2 per cent
While it gains points for its link to Heathrow Airport, the old stock and awkward stations (looking at you, Finsbury Park) count against it.
If Arsenal play Chelsea, however, this is going to serve you well.
6. Hammersmith & City – 41.4 per cent
Middle-ranking for performance and memorability. The Hammersmith & City does make up for its averageness with a great experience and has a low crime rating.
It does, however, have not one stop that’s not served by at least one other line.
5. Victoria – 41.7 per cent
A favourite for anyone looking for a quick north-to-south (or in the reverse journey) the Victoria has stops at only connecting locations apart from Pimlico.
From Walthamstow to Brixton, this is a well-served network with trains every 100 seconds for much of the day.
A man reading the Guardian on the Circle line. Other newspapers are available.
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4. Circle – 48.5 per cent
Since 2009, the Circle has not been a continuous loop and comes to a halt at Edgware Road (to the annoyance of those looking to go from King’s Cross to Victoria).
But the yellow line does have top-tier air conditioning and runs mostly on time.
3. Jubilee – 49.4 per cent
Easily the winner for its modernity, the grey line also scored well for experience and connectivity.
The Jubilee line has some of the most stylist stations on the roster, Southwark and Canary Wharf both being calling points.
The length of wait can depend on where you live and commute to
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2. District – 57.3 per cent
Ranking highly in all three categories, this one has the most stops of any from Upminster to way out west at Ealing Broadway.
The judges took marks off for its loss of identity when it is considered that much of the route runs in parallel to Metropolitan and Circle in places.
1. Metropolitan – 57.8 per cent
Linking King’s Cross with Amersham at one end and Aldgate at the other, the network’s first line is a good one for connectivity.
The data also put it at number one for experience for its cleanliness and unusual forward-facing seats.