There might be light at the end of the tunnel for long-suffering commuters on London’s Circle Line…
Architects NBBJ are proposing to transform one of the Tube’s most delayed lines into a travelator. The practice, which designed London’s shadowless skyscraper concept, would replace trains and tracks on the 110-year-old line with a moving walkway, comprising three lanes travelling at varying speeds.
‘The result would be considerably quicker, more enjoyable and healthier journeys,’ says the firm.
Passengers would board the moving walkway on the slowest lane, travelling at 3 mph. They could increase their pace by moving across to quicker adjacent lanes, with the fastest moving at a top speed of 15 mph.
Coupled with the average walking pace of 3 mph, that top speed means passengers could move through the tunnels faster than current Circle Line trains, which reach 20 mph.