Sunshine to blame for Tube problems

London Underground has said “excess sunlight” was to blame for “blinding” CCTV cameras and causing delays on the Tube network.

London - London Underground has said “excess sunlight” was to blame for causing delays on the Tube network over the past few days.

Bright sunshine beaming on to CCTV monitors, which are used to give a clear view of the platform before pulling away, was blocking drivers' line of sight, according to staff.

Passengers at South Harrow station were surprised to hear “the wrong type of sun” was causing their slow journey last Friday - an announcement which London Underground said was “not ideal”. The issue of bright sunshine, although rare, is reportedly a problem when the sun rises in the morning in early spring or winter.

“There are lots of things we can control but unfortunately the sun isn't one of them, a spokesperson for London Underground said. “The 'wrong sort of sunlight' isn't how we'd usually say it as we want to keep passengers calm and reassure them. But basically it's when the sun is in certain parts of the sky at certain stations, and it shines on to the CCTV monitoring screen in the drivers' cabs so they can't see the screen and who's on the platform.”

Drivers radio through to platform staff to let them know they cannot see and staff in turn report when it is safe to move - an arrangement which causes some delay.

Anthony Goldsmith, who was a passenger at South Harrow on the delayed service on May 13, 2016, said the carriages were left at the station for some time. “It's just a bit of sun and they must have door sensors too,” he said.

Tony Matthews, general manager for the Piccadilly line, said: “The safety of our customers and staff is our number one priority. On rare occasions when a driver's vision is impaired by sunlight and they can''t check the platforms, they are instructed to keep the train in the platform while another member of staff helps the driver carry out platform safety checks.”

Despite being called the “Underground”, more than half of the Tube system, which moves some four million people a day, is above ground.

The Independent