Research needed for thriller novel set on London Underground's Central Line

[Jack D]

Admin: Feel free to move this thread to the correct part of the forum if this is the wrong place.

Hello everyone,

As some long time, users may remember, I’m a writer and I’m currently planning a novel which takes place almost entirely on the London Underground. The premise for the novel can be found below:

After a successful heist at the British Museum, a family of career criminals accidentally create a hostage situation on the London Underground's Central Line during a heatwave. Trapped beneath ground with the temperature rising and with the world watching the developing global news story, the family must put aside their differences to survive.

About eighty percent of the novel takes place on a Central Line train, between Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus with the remaining twenty percent being before the hostage situation, afterwards and flashbacks from each main character’s point of view. Although I find the tube (and trains in general) fascinating I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge and want to ensure my novel is as accurate as possible awhile allowing myself some creative licence.

I’m currently 66,000 words into my manuscript but I need answers to several operation related questions before I can proceed. I’ve posted the questions below.

• My characters access the British Museum station by running down the tracks from Holborn at the tail end of the morning rush hour. They are able to time their run between services delayed by a heatwave although they do have a close call with an oncoming train. My question is what exactly is stopping someone from jumping down from the platform and running down these tunnels apart from common sense? Most platforms have a metal barrier of gate but I can see these being easily navigated. In addition, although I’ve seen a YouTube video from a driver’s point of view, how long would it take to run from Holborn to the British Museum Tube Station disregarding the heatwave?
• At two separate points in the novel one of my characters studies the digital clock at Holborn station. This isn’t plot related, but does anyone know why the clock is here? It seems something unique to Holborn.
• My characters activate the communication cords along the Central Line train that they eventually hi-jack by running up the train towards the cab and activating each cord one by one. They are doing this to confuse the driver and delay them contacting control. At this point the train is at a standstill as the emergency brakes have already been applied. What would the activation of the communication cords look like from the driver’s point of view? Would they see each communication cord being activated one by one on their controls in the cab?
• My characters gain access to the cab by claiming that a passenger has collapsed due to the heat and needs immediate medical attention. The train is at a standstill between Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus and the driver has a bottle of water with them in the cab. I believe that the protocol is that the driver shouldn’t leave the cab, inform the line controller of the situation who in turn will have someone with medical training waiting for them at the next station or someone to take them to someone else who has medical training. Is this correct? What would cause the driver to open their door to face the passengers?
• The tube driver manages to convince the criminals that she only has the key to the rear doors of the train, the door that leads down to track level and not the key to the door in her cab at the front of the train. Would there be a separate key for each door or would it be the same key? I assume the driver would have access to the key/keys regardless in the case of an emergency?
• What is the etiquette of a train driver speaking to the line controller/signalman? The driver only exchanges a few lines of dialogue before the hi-jackers reveal themselves over the radio but it would be good to have this accurate. Would the tube driver need to identify themselves before speaking?
• What are TFL’s guidelines on a train being held captive in the tunnels, akin to the taking of Pelham 123? I apricate that this is information may be confidential but would it be fair to say that the whole network would be locked down and all passenger trains evacuated? Aside from the police arriving, what else would happen?
• How close is the Central Line tunnel to the Elizabeth line tunnel between Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus? Do they run side by side and if so would there be any way to pass between the two? An access door perhaps? My characters won’t do this but they need to discuss the possibility before disregarding it.
• During the hi-jacking the power to the section of track the train is occupying is turned off so that most of the passengers can walk back to Tottenham Court Road. Would this mean that the control’s in the train’s cab would no longer work? If so would the lights turn off? Does each train have a separate power supply? For context this would be the 1992 stock.
• Do Central Line trains have fire extinguishers inside the cab? I know they are not in the passenger areas due to vandalism concerns, but would the driver have access to one? My characters attempt to cool themselves down by spraying themselves with a fire extinguisher but this aspect can be cut out if needed.
• Similar question to the above, would a Central Line train cab contain a megaphone? I think this is unlikely to be the case, hence why my character fails to find one, but thought it worth checking. Perhaps the driver needs one to evacuate the train if the tannoy system is not operational?
• My novel is set on the 1992 stock of the Central Line which means the train doesn’t have AC and the carriage are separated via doors. I’m aware these trains are no longer in service (although I could be wrong on that fact?) so one of my characters theorizes that because a newer model of train failed some of the older stock has been put back into circulation. Would this be believable? If not I would have to think of another reason as the fact the train has doors between carriage is essential for the plot.
• Would the cab at the rear of the train be identical the cab at the front? Or would they be mirrors of each other i.e in the front cab the driver’s seat on the left, therefore in the rear the driver’s seat would be on the right?
• At one point during the novel a police assault on the front of the train has to be aborted. While the police officers retreat one of my characters wonders if an armed officer was to shoot blindly at the front of the train would any of the bullets enter the cab? I think (could be wrong) that tube trains are re-enforced in the event of high-speed collisions but would the glass of the windscreen still shatter? This doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things as the police don’t open fire but it would be good to know.
• Once a communication cord has been activated, does it need resetting or does it automatically reset itself? For context a cord has been activated at the start of the hi-jacking and is used again about an hour or two later when one of my characters uses it to speak to another character in the cab. Would it need to be reset between each use?
  ‌

I’m being a bit more lenient with myself in terms of the access between the British Museum station and the Museum itself. Upon entering the abandoned the British Museum station my characters are able to ascend a disused stairwell, break down a disused door and enter the museum via an old entrance that now leads to one of the basement levels. In real life the British Museum station didn’t actually connect directly to the Museum. As far as I can tell this idea spouted from the film Bulldog Jack in 1935 and the ever persistent urban myth that the cursed Mummy of the Egyptian Pharaoh wanders down to the platform at night to scream at passing trains…

If anyone has any answers to my questions or advice on the British Museum station I would love to hear it.

Thank you in advance,

Jack

 

[Dstock7080]

You don’t give a time period for the novel but mention 1992 Stock.

• passenger alarm would not stop the train, except if part of the train is in a platform. Just one indication of an alarm being operated, further investigation would reveal how many.
• medical staff would be provided at a station in advance. The driver shouldn’t open the door to the saloon if unsure.
• there is no key to open the front or rear door onto the track, there is no lock.
• the driver would only identify themselves as the driver of that train; stating number.
• Central and EL tunnels are not connected.
• driver controls would still be operative but unable to move the train, brake release can be obtained to roll. Emergency lighting is provided by batteries.
• walking back to a station is not the preferred method unless all protections have been put into place.
• Central Line trains do have cab fire extinguishers.
• no megaphone on trains, PA system will be available.
• 1992 Stock is still in service on the Central.
• the rear cab is the same as front, driver sitting on the left on 1992 Stock.
• 1992 Stock has communication doors between cars.
• a bullet would penetrate the body and windscreen of a cab.
• once an alarm has been used it will need resetting by the driver at a station.

 

[Gloster]

I would add one comment based on a recent thread. Moving between cars of a moving train via the end doors might not be as quick and easy as you may be assuming.

 

[AlterEgo]

I would gently suggest the following: If your audience isn't going to care about the physical layout and complexities of British Museum station (which of course does not lead into the museum), why would they care about the processes train drivers or the control room follow, or how emergency lighting operates in real life?

 

[Sorcerer]

To be honest, I think many of these things you raise probably won't be of much importance to the vast majority of readers. I think the bigger questions would be:

• Why is a family of career criminals trying to access the British Museum for a heist drawing attention to themselves by going down the tracks before they've got their hands on the merchandise? It's a risky strategy for an already incredibly risky heist.
• Why would they also use public transport instead of having a getaway vehicle? This seems like a surefire way of getting yourself caught or cornered because the environment is tightly controlled against you with guarded ticket barriers on each end. You do not want to be pulling a high-risk heist in that environment.
• Why do they want the train to stop in the middle of these hot tunnels? There are few circumstances where this would be of any tangible benefit to anyone. It's like locking yourself in a freezer during a game of hide and seek.

Personally if I were writing this novel I would have it go down like this:

• They access the British Museum through using disguises that might not work long-term, but just enough to bluff their way through and get where they need to be. A ladder and hi-vis jacket would be believable enough.
• The heist is successful right up until it's time to make the getaway, at which point the authority's response has made it impossible to reach their getaway vehicle such as blocking the way or catching the driver.
• They fight through the streets of London and try to escape via tube, and seeing an officer on the platform radio ahead as the train leaves the criminals realise they are cornered. This is portrayed as a mistake.
• In a desperate attempt they break into the cab and hold the driver at weapon point, creating a hostage situation and using the driver as the intermediate between control/police negotiations and themselves.

That way you still get your career criminal family survival in a hostage situation during a heatwave story on the Underground.

But if sticking with what you've already written, I can only suggest using the fire extinguisher to cool down if the fire suppressant is appropriate. Dry powder wouldn't be that effective, and carbon dioxide would make conditions of the carriage even worse. Water and foam extinguishers would do better but in a highly electrical environment I can't see them being used there. I'd confirm this before including it in the story.

 

[Jack D]

passenger alarm would not stop the train, except if part of the train is in a platform. Just one indication of an alarm being operated, further investigation would reveal how many. - Would this be the same for the emergency brakes? I do need to stop this train between two stations.
• medical staff would be provided at a station in advance. The driver shouldn’t open the door to the saloon if unsure. - That's fine.
• there is no key to open the front or rear door onto the track, there is no lock - there is no key to open the front or rear door onto the track, there is no lock. – Do these doors just open manually with a turn handle?
• the driver would only identify themselves as the driver of that train; stating number. - Would that be the unit number? Something along the lines of 'Hello Line Controller this is driver Lima, Sigma, two, nine, zero?'
• Central and EL tunnels are not connected. - That's good for me.
• driver controls would still be operative but unable to move the train, brake release can be obtained to roll. Emergency lighting is provided by batteries. - Good news about the lighting.
• walking back to a station is not the preferred method unless all protections have been put into place. - What protections would these be?
• Central Line trains do have cab fire extinguishers. - Okay great. I'll re-add the scene of my characters spraying themselves to cool down.
• no megaphone on trains, PA system will be available. - Ok.
• 1992 Stock is still in service on the Central. - Great, I was worried about this.
• the rear cab is the same as front, driver sitting on the left on 1992 Stock. - Good.
• 1992 Stock has communication doors between cars. - Good.
• a bullet would penetrate the body and windscreen of a cab. - Good to know.
• once an alarm has been used it will need resetting by the driver at a station - in the novel the alarm is activated and about an hour later the same alarm is activated again. The driver, due to the cab being breached, probably wouldn’t have time to reset the alarm. Would the alarm still be active (i.e someone able to speak through it?) or how would that work?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2026 ==

I would add one comment based on a recent thread. Moving between cars of a moving train via the end doors might not be as quick and easy as you may be assuming.

Why is this? I've seen people (buskers and the occasional tramp begging for money) step through them on the tube although not on the central line. Is it a case of turning the handle, opening the door and stepping through?

 

[Sorcerer]

• Central Line trains do have cab fire extinguishers. - Okay great. I'll re-add the scene of my characters spraying themselves to cool down.

Do more research into this before including it back in. Quick research on my end suggests most driver cab extinguishers are carbon dioxide which wouldn't help in this situation and actually make things worse. Water or foam might occasionally be used, so make sure you're confident this is the case before including it.

 

[Jack D]

I would gently suggest the following: If your audience isn't going to care about the physical layout and complexities of British Museum station (which of course does not lead into the museum), why would they care about the processes train drivers or the control room follow, or how emergency lighting operates in real life?

I don't think they would, to be fair and whatever details I get wrong I can either admit to or chalk up to creative licence. I would like it to be as realistic as possible though.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2026 ==

To be honest, I think many of these things you raise probably won't be of much importance to the vast majority of readers. I think the bigger questions would be:

• Why is a family of career criminals trying to access the British Museum for a heist drawing attention to themselves by going down the tracks before they've got their hands on the merchandise? It's a risky strategy for an already incredibly risky heist.
• Why would they also use public transport instead of having a getaway vehicle? This seems like a surefire way of getting yourself caught or cornered because the environment is tightly controlled against you with guarded ticket barriers on each end. You do not want to be pulling a high-risk heist in that environment.
• Why do they want the train to stop in the middle of these hot tunnels? There are few circumstances where this would be of any tangible benefit to anyone. It's like locking yourself in a freezer during a game of hide and seek.

Personally if I were writing this novel I would have it go down like this:

• They access the British Museum through using disguises that might not work long-term, but just enough to bluff their way through and get where they need to be. A ladder and hi-vis jacket would be believable enough.
• The heist is successful right up until it's time to make the getaway, at which point the authority's response has made it impossible to reach their getaway vehicle such as blocking the way or catching the driver.
• They fight through the streets of London and try to escape via tube, and seeing an officer on the platform radio ahead as the train leaves the criminals realise they are cornered. This is portrayed as a mistake.
• In a desperate attempt they break into the cab and hold the driver at weapon point, creating a hostage situation and using the driver as the intermediate between control/police negotiations and themselves.

That way you still get your career criminal family survival in a hostage situation during a heatwave story on the Underground.

But if sticking with what you've already written, I can only suggest using the fire extinguisher to cool down if the fire suppressant is appropriate. Dry powder wouldn't be that effective, and carbon dioxide would make conditions of the carriage even worse. Water and foam extinguishers would do better but in a highly electrical environment I can't see them being used there. I'd confirm this before including it in the story.

• Why is a family of career criminals trying to access the British Museum for a heist drawing attention to themselves by going down the tracks before they've got their hands on the merchandise? It's a risky strategy for an already incredibly risky heist. – This is explained by a variety of reasons in the novel but I admit it is still a worrisome plot hole.
• Why would they also use public transport instead of having a getaway vehicle? This seems like a surefire way of getting yourself caught or cornered because the environment is tightly controlled against you with guarded ticket barriers on each end. You do not want to be pulling a high-risk heist in that environment. – Part of their plan is to make a statement against the museum and to make the museum’s security team look foolish. They do plan to only travel a few stops before reaching their getaway car and from there going straight to the airport.
• Why do they want the train to stop in the middle of these hot tunnels? There are few circumstances where this would be of any tangible benefit to anyone. It's like locking yourself in a freezer during a game of hide and seek. – They don’t. A passenger sees one of the character’s mock guns, panics and pulls the emergency brakes.

In terms of your point about the fire extinguisher having the right suppressant… I didn’t consider this. My characters wouldn’t either. Rather than re-adding the scenes I’ve just deleted I’ll add one of the character trying to use it and realising it won’t work.

 

[Gloster]

Why is this? I've seen people (buskers and the occasional tramp begging for money) step through them on the tube although not on the central line. Is it a case of turning the handle, opening the door and stepping through?

It is not as easy as it looks. You say that your characters activate the communication cord by running up the train, but going through the end doors is going to slow the process down more than you may have calculated. I have only done it once (on old Bakerloo stock), but it is not just a ‘swing open the doors as you approach and dive through while opening the further door’ fluid movement.

There is a recent thread on the Railway History part of this forum called ‘Old London Underground Trains’ that has a bit more.

 

[Sorcerer]

• Why is a family of career criminals trying to access the British Museum for a heist drawing attention to themselves by going down the tracks before they've got their hands on the merchandise? It's a risky strategy for an already incredibly risky heist. – This is explained by a variety of reasons in the novel but I admit it is still a worrisome plot hole.

I'm sure it might make some more sense in context but I'd stress-test the whole idea separately regardless.

• Why would they also use public transport instead of having a getaway vehicle? This seems like a surefire way of getting yourself caught or cornered because the environment is tightly controlled against you with guarded ticket barriers on each end. You do not want to be pulling a high-risk heist in that environment. – Part of their plan is to make a statement against the museum and to make the museum’s security team look foolish. They do plan to only travel a few stops before reaching their getaway car and from there going straight to the airport.

I think simply pulling off a successful heist and getting away with it would be enough to make that statement. A big elaborate plan like that would be a fool's errand, unless of course your goal is also to be clear that the criminals are so inexperienced or so greatly overconfident that they think they'll be able to pull off this big Hollywood-style heist without issue, but then you'd have to justify why career criminals who are usually smarter than that would do such a thing.

• Why do they want the train to stop in the middle of these hot tunnels? There are few circumstances where this would be of any tangible benefit to anyone. It's like locking yourself in a freezer during a game of hide and seek. – They don’t. A passenger sees one of the character’s mock guns, panics and pulls the emergency brakes.

Okay, that's fair enough. I think by itself that works fine but the lead up is what needs work I'd say.

In terms of your point about the fire extinguisher having the right suppressant… I didn’t consider this. My characters wouldn’t either. Rather than re-adding the scenes I’ve just deleted I’ll add one of the character trying to use it and realising it won’t work.

Not to worry, that's why you came here to verify your research after all. I think there is precedent for a foam or water extinguisher, I just think it's something you should either research or try to work around, and it's not something that needs huge stretches of explanation. You could simply have a character getting delirious from the heat and spraying a dry powder extinguisher hoping for some kind of misting or cooling effect. This would be a good way of raising the stakes for the narrative and also remain realistic for London Underground in line with your goals.

 

[Dstock7080]

Quick research on my end suggests most driver cab extinguishers are carbon dioxide which wouldn't help in this situation and actually make things worse.

Underground cab extinguishers are deionised water.

 

[Bald Rick]

passenger alarm would not stop the train, except if part of the train is in a platform. Just one indication of an alarm being operated, further investigation would reveal how many. - Would this be the same for the emergency brakes? I do need to stop this train between two stations.

To pick up on this point, activating the passnger alarm(s) does not activate the emergency brakes. The driver does that through positive action (or inaction in the case of vigilance device). This is for good reason, namely that it is much much easier to respond to any sprt of emergency in a station than between them.

Trains are usually driven automatically (ATO), so the only things stopping the train between stations is a) the train control system, b) the actions/inactions of the driver, or c) a fault on the train.

I guess you could take artistic licence though, and say that pulling the arsm does cause it to stop midway. I don’t think you’ll get many letters of complaint from members of Pedants Anonymous.

 

[Mawkie]

To pick up on this point, activating the passnger alarm(s) does not activate the emergency brakes.

Pulling the Passenger Emergency Alarm on the 73 Stock immediately activates the emergency brakes. Can't speak for other stock, but I would suggest the OP can use some artistic licence.

 

[Dstock7080]

Pulling the Passenger Emergency Alarm on the 73 Stock immediately activates the emergency brakes. Can't speak for other stock, but I would suggest the OP can use some artistic licence.

It also does on ‘72 Stock and on S Stock in non-CBTC areas but this thread is specifically about the Central Line.

 

[Mawkie]

It also does on ‘72 Stock and on S Stock in non-CBTC areas but this thread is specifically about the Central Line.

Yes. It was a cack-handed way of saying that some stocks do stop trains in tunnels with the PEA, so the writer could apply that to his Central Line story with artistic licence.

 

[Jack D]

The novel is set on the 1992 stock, Central Line. I'm not sure about the emergency brakes stopping the train or not but as it is a common belief (much like the British Museum tube station connecting directly to the British Museum) I think I can get away with this.



Would the ionised water not cause damage to the electronic equipment in the cab, if sprayed?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Would the ionised water not cause damage to the electronic equipment in the cab, if sprayed?

Ionised water does cause shocks etc if sprayed onto live circuits - so you could possibly find a way of working that into the story as well, if it cripples the controls in the cab for example, or puts all the lights out including the emergency circuits.

From memory, a lot of the electronics in the 1992 Stock are in the bulkhead between the cab and the saloon, so there should be some interesting possibilities there?

 

[Jack D]

Ionised water does cause shocks etc if sprayed onto live circuits - so you could possibly find a way of working that into the story as well, if it cripples the controls in the cab for example, or puts all the lights out including the emergency circuits.

From memory, a lot of the electronics in the 1992 Stock are in the bulkhead between the cab and the saloon, so there should be some interesting possibilities there?

I can find a use that, that's handy to know.

Just returning to a previous point about the evacuation doors in the cab of the Central Line trains. It was my understand that the emergency door in the nose of the cab would be opened by the driver (this is in the situation that the train needs to be evacuated between tunnels and passengers walking down the track to the next/last station) via a special key. In Baptism by Max Kinnings (also about a hostage situation on the Underground) it is explained to the reader that the keys look like oversized Allen keys. They might have been called an S key or a L key or something along those lines? Is this a case of creative licence or can these evacuation doors just be opened like a normal door?

Also at Holborn station, at the tunnel mouth there are these strange digital clocks. The platforms have the standard departure board above with the time, do these digital clocks serve an additional purpose or are they a reference to something in the station’s history? It is possible I’m confusing these clocks with something else as they’re not appearing on Google images and I’ve not been to the station recently…

 

[Dstock7080]

It was my understand that the emergency door in the nose of the cab would be opened by the driver (this is in the situation that the train needs to be evacuated between tunnels and passengers walking down the track to the next/last station) via a special key.

Already explained up thread, there is no key or lock to the end cab doors, a turn of the handle will open the door and allow passengers to evacuate without the need for a key.

 

[Jack D]

One quick follow up question. As someone stated above the driver would been to identify themselves to the signalman/line controller. Would this be via the unit number, how would their callsign (they may not be the right word) allocated?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2026 ==

Already explained up thread, there is no key or lock to the end cab doors, a turn of the handle will open the door and allow passengers to evacuate without the need for a key.

Hmm. Okay. There is a key plot point where the driver evacuates most of the passengers via the rear cab while bluffing the main characters that the front door is locked. The character later bust open this door. I might have to take this as creative licence and follow Baptism’s example because my characters would, instinctively try to open the door.

 

[Dstock7080]

One quick follow up question. As someone stated above the driver would been to identify themselves to the signalman/line controller.

Not the unit number but the Working Timetable train number, Central currently has a range from 1-172 (not consecutive numbers); just stating:
“Train 063 to Control” or
“Central Train 063 to Control” or
“Train 063 to Signal Operator”
Driver can select who they need to speak to via the radio, or make a telephone call to a desktop phone.

“If the call is an emergency, begin by stating ‘This is an emergency call'. Always begin by stating Who you are (Train number / Grade / Name) Where you are (Location / Station / Signal) The message (Be clear, brief and to the point) Repeating back the message is the best way of confirming understanding”

 

[Jack D]

Not the unit number but the Working Timetable train number, Central currently has a range from 1-172 (not consecutive numbers); just stating:
“Train 063 to Control” or
“Central Train 063 to Control” or
“Train 063 to Signal Operator”
Driver can select who they need to speak to via the radio, or make a telephone call to a desktop phone.

“If the call is an emergency, begin by stating ‘This is an emergency call'. Always begin by stating Who you are (Train number / Grade / Name) Where you are (Location / Station / Signal) The message (Be clear, brief and to the point) Repeating back the message is the best way of confirming understanding”

How are the working timetable train numbers allocated? This is probably nitty gritty to be fair and I doubt a reader would care but I’m interested to know.

 

[Egg Centric]

Yes. It was a cack-handed way of saying that some stocks do stop trains in tunnels with the PEA, so the writer could apply that to his Central Line story with artistic licence.

Or the 73 stock could have been upgraded with CBTC and the 92 stock cascaded to the Bakerloo line, as a political decision by the Reform-Green coalition of all the talents.

 

[Acathater]

Underground cab extinguishers are ionised water.

should that be deionised?

 

[Dstock7080]

should that be deionised?

Indeed it should, thanks

 

[norbitonflyer]

Already explained up thread, there is no key or lock to the end cab doors, a turn of the handle will open the door and allow passengers to evacuate without the need for a key.

The handle of the door between the cab and the passengers is secured behind a "break glass" panel.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54458036906_61bb103f51_b.jpg

 

[Dstock7080]

The handle of the door between the cab and the passengers is secured behind a "break glass" panel.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54458036906_61bb103f51_b.jpg

Currently yes, but that is not at ‘the nose of the cab’, or ‘the door that leads down to track level’

 

[Jack D]

Hi all,

I’ve gone through my manuscript and incorporated many of the information and suggestions I’ve received here in relation to London Underground operations. Hopefully this will ground my novel to some degree.

I expect that as I progress further in the story I may stumble across other questions I require the answer to, so in all likelihood I may post in the thread again over the coming months. I’m hoping to finish the first draft before Christmas of this year.

One quick question. During the high jacking two characters venture out onto the tracks behind the stationary train (once the power has been turned off) In my mind they are walking along a suicide pit or a trench beneath the rails so that when standing their heads are level with said rails. Upon reflection, however, would there be any need for a pit/trench in the middle of a tunnel? For maintenance workers maybe? This isn’t a big issue in the grand scheme of things but realism is always welcome. Would there be a pit beneath the rails in a tunnel between stations?

Thanks all,

 

[bluegoblin7]

No.

 

[Acathater]

Hi all,

I’ve gone through my manuscript and incorporated many of the information and suggestions I’ve received here in relation to London Underground operations. Hopefully this will ground my novel to some degree.

I expect that as I progress further in the story I may stumble across other questions I require the answer to, so in all likelihood I may post in the thread again over the coming months. I’m hoping to finish the first draft before Christmas of this year.

One quick question. During the high jacking two characters venture out onto the tracks behind the stationary train (once the power has been turned off) In my mind they are walking along a suicide pit or a trench beneath the rails so that when standing their heads are level with said rails. Upon reflection, however, would there be any need for a pit/trench in the middle of a tunnel? For maintenance workers maybe? This isn’t a big issue in the grand scheme of things but realism is always welcome. Would there be a pit beneath the rails in a tunnel between stations?

Thanks all,

not between stations
there would be WITHIN stations that are in a tunnel