Londoners on the things that could help make the tube feel safer

Let’s face it, getting around London at night is not the safest, especially for women. It’s almost impossible to get an Uber, the night tube is still a thing of the past, and the night bus isn’t always suitable for long distances. 

Since we published our story about how women are calling on TfL to bring back the night tube, we’ve heard a lot of interesting ideas from our readers about how the tube could be made safer for Londoners in general. 

For starters, one Facebook user called for CCTV to be installed on all tube lines.

According the Mayor of London, all trains operating on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines were fitted with CCTV as of January 2021. The Central line on-train CCTV should be installed when TfL’s Central line Improvement Programme is rolled out in due course, meanwhile the Piccadilly line fleet will be replaced by new trains with CCTV by around 2025. Unfortunately, the Bakerloo line is so bloody old that it can’t accommodate a CCTV system. 

Another user, Gaye Baya, commented on Time Out’s post, suggesting that ‘Male police must be accompanied by female police on duty not un-duty uniform’, and that 24-hour service security should be introduced at stations.

Meanwhile, Victoria Ellison said that she would like to see free phone-charging points:

‘I’d also like a free charging point for phones in all tube stations. My phone died tonight and I felt much more anxious getting home without it.’

The Independent reported in 2019 that USB ports were introduced on two trains running the London Overground service line from Gospel Oak to Barking, meanwhile Shoreditch High Street Overground station trialled a new area dedicated to charging devices back in 2018. 

USB charging points are currently available on many of TfL’s electric buses so users can charge phones during journeys, but recent news about new charging points on trains or at stations has been relatively stale. 

Do you have any ideas about how the tube could be made safer? Tweet us @TimeOutLondon

Women are calling on TfL to bring back the night tube.

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