There’s a secret bit of trivia you can drop at a pub quiz. The fastest-ever recorded speed on the Tube was 56 mph (90 km/h), achieved on a test run of the Northern line back in the 1960s. That’s basically a vintage sports car speed. But for safety and comfort, engineers dialed it back. Your daily commute isn’t a race; it’s a gentle dance with history.
And that’s the charm. The Tube is a Victorian-era idea that still works. It wasn’t designed for Formula One; it was designed to get thousands of people from A to B without collapsing into a heap.
What about the trains that go above ground?
When the Tube pops out into daylight—say on the District line near Richmond or the Metropolitan line past Harrow—it can relax a little. Those sections can reach 40 to 45 mph. You get a lovely view of gardens, and maybe a wave from a kid. That’s the sweet spot: fast enough to feel like you’re going somewhere, slow enough to see a squirrel on a fence.
