London Underground passengers lost nearly 45 years in 2016 due to overcrowding delays
DELAYS caused by overcrowding on London Underground have soared in the last five years, new figures show.
Passengers wasted almost 45 years because of delays to their journeys in the last 12 months because of overcrowding.
The figures take into account the amount of time passengers spent navigating through crowds at Tube stations, time wasted waiting for delayed trains and queuing at the barriers.
The figures were released by Caroline Pidgeon, a Liberal Democrat London Assembly member, who called for half-price tickets for those willing to travel outside the morning peak period.
London Underground passengers lost nearly 45 years in 2016 due to overcrowding
The figures take into account the amount of time passengers spent navigating through crowds
"A good start would be to encourage more people to start their journeys earlier in the morning by offering half-price Tube travel for any journey that starts before 7:30am,” she said.
It is vital that the growth in Tube delays caused by overcrowding comes to an end
Pidgeon said that the figures she obtained “demonstrate that improvements to the Tube are in many places not even keeping up with the rising demand for travel.”
She added that the increased numbers of travellers is “created by London's booming population and record number of tourists.”
The Jubilee line is the worst performing where passengers lost a total of 147,451 hours.
Across London Tube passengers lost at total of 390,786 hours, almost 45 years, in 2016
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly member
London Tube passengers lost at total of 390,786 hours, almost 45 years, in 2016 due to delays caused by overcrowding.
That is a significant increase from 136,644 hours which were lost in 2012.
Pidgeon said: “"It is vital that the growth in Tube delays caused by overcrowding comes to an end.
“There is a vital need to maintain investment in improving the Tube; however, we also need to go further and consider imaginative policies to manage demand on the Tube.”