The biggest threats to the Tube revealed

Tube network is fragile, say experts

The Tube network would be foreced to shut down if just six stations closed, a study by experts found today.

They said that 68 per cent of the Tube network would grind to a halt if six Tube stations shut. These include Baker Street, Earl’s Court, Notting Hill, Euston, Rayners Lane and West Ham.

Matthew Williams of the University of Birmingham and Mirco Musolesi of University College London, found that shutting the six stations would lead to 190 of the Tube’s 270 stations closing.

Musolesi said: “We wanted to understand what happens if you have some stations that are not available any more. It can be because of an accident. It can be because of a [terrorist] attack.

“We tried to understand what happens if you cannot go from a certain point in the network, say from Euston to Charing Cross. We found a way of measuring how your journey would be delayed, and a method of identifying the stations that are most critical.”

He added: “The London Underground is fragile. It’s the result of it being a patchwork of previously built lines.”

“London Underground should connect more lines to each other. A ‘mesh’ network is very robust. You can go from any point because you have alternatives.”

A TfL spokesman said: “We are completely focused on running a safe and resilient service for London and are carrying more customers more reliably than ever before. Our plans for further upgrades to signalling and stations will ensure that we deliver an increasingly robust service for our city.”