Temperatures on the London Tube and other underground train systems are continuing to increase, leading to escalating complaints from passengers.
Northwestern University scientists have conducted a broad-ranging study that scraped social posts and online reviews published between 2008 and 2024. They then analysed more than 85,000 crowdsourced comments from across Boston, London and New York.
The findings show a clear pattern that as temperatures rise because of climate change, below-ground thermal complaints also increase.
“No one wants to feel uncomfortable,” said Giorgia Chinazzo, who led the study. “But while discomfort might seem like a minor inconvenience, extreme heat also represents a serious threat to public health. Extreme heat causes more deaths per year than all other natural hazards combined.
“Having information about when and where people feel uncomfortable could help transit agencies and policymakers make targeted interventions, such as increasing the number of operating fans...