2006-11-15 01:21:57 · 17 answers · asked by Selenky 1 in Travel ➔ United Kingdom ➔ London
Come on, Selenky...something will have to power the air conditioning - summat that will be giving off immense heat itself, which means the situation will certainly be worse, yes?
2006-11-15 01:30:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because the basic principle of an airconditioning system is much the same as a refrigerator.
It takes the heat from one place and takes it to another.
In the case of the tube it would need to take the heat from the trains and disperse it elsewhere. The problem in the tube is that the tunnels are so far underground there is currently no viable way to get this heat up to the surface.
If you compare our tube to say the new york metro which is air conditioned you will notice that newyork used the 'cut and cover' method whereby you simply excavate at a relativley low level, lay the track and then cover it back up resulting in less deep tunnels.
The hot air is then dispersed the few feet to street level using vents - you will notice these as you walk along the streets.
The tube is many feet underground so this method is not possible.
There has been a prize open by london underground for a couple of years for the best solution to the problem. So far nobody has come up with a solution.
2006-11-17 20:52:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mainly because air con would require an AC feed and the traction current rails feed DC to the trains, Also, there is no space on the trains to actually put the unit. The space underneath the trains is used for compressors, auxiliary converters and other equipment. (I know the aux cons could technically convert the DC feed into AC, but again there would be no space for the actual unit).
Finally, the tunnels are so narrow there is only just enough space for the trains. There is about six inches of clearance.
In 2009, new trains are due to be delivered to the sub-surface lines (Metropolitan, District, Circle and Hammersmith & City) and these trains will be air conditioned. However, these trains run on or just below street level, not in deep level tunnels.
2006-11-15 18:27:55 · answer #3 · answered by Gerbil 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree - it's close to hell in summer! Here's a piece I've copied from the link below; I remembered a competition a couple of years ago that Ken Livingstone initiated for air-conditioning ideas:
"In summer, temperatures on parts of the Underground can become very uncomfortable due to its deep and poorly ventilated tube tunnels: temperatures as high as 47°C were reported in the 2006 European heat wave [8]. Conventional air conditioning has been ruled out on the deep lines because of the lack of space for equipment on trains and the problems of dispersing the waste heat these would generate. Heat pumps were trialled in 1938 and have been proposed again recently to overcome this problem. Following a successful demonstration in 2001 funds were given to the School of Engineering at London's South Bank University to develop a prototype; work began in April 2002. A prize of £100,000 was offered by the Mayor of London during the hot summer of 2003 for a solution to the problem, but the competition ended in 2005 without a winner being announced."
http://www.answers.com/topic/london-underground
Meanwhile, posters advise the answer is to carry a bottle of water with us...
2006-11-15 10:14:58 · answer #4 · answered by Sybaris 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The heat produced by the air conditioning units would need to be dispersed, and with the size of the running tunnels, it'd end up doing so at stations.
2006-11-16 05:04:33 · answer #5 · answered by Barry Salter 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, to AC the Underground would cost more to install & maintain than the moon landing...but I think more fans would be a real boon!
2006-11-15 09:30:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mainly because the tunnel system is very old, and the cost of AC for the entire system is so prohibitive it would entail putting an extra £2 on every fare...which would be too unpopular.
2006-11-15 10:15:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
NASA could put air conditioning on the London Underground.
If the UK wants it badly enough to pay for it, I'm sure it could be put in posthaste.
2006-11-15 09:31:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Whats the point? Its only hot enough for air conditioning for two weeks of the year... so why waste millions of pounds.
2006-11-16 04:17:04 · answer #9 · answered by saltwater 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Amen to that! It's already £12 to go through London at peak time though, so I guess we're screwed.
2006-11-15 16:26:10 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋