The Bakerloo line is four times faster than the District. Nope, we're not talking about trains — but WiFi speed.
In collaboration with TfL, price comparison site Uswitch measured WiFi speeds on 99 platforms across zone 1 tube stations, using a broadband speed test. And there are some surprises — not least that all these tube stations HAVE WiFi...
The Bakerloo line — dating back to 1906 and known for its rickety 1972 stock — actually boasts the fastest WiFi speeds, with an average download speed of 24.2 Megabits per second (Mbps). The slowest line for WiFi is the District, clocking up a measly average of just 5.6 Mbps.
Edgware Road is revealed as the fastest zone 1 station WiFi connection, with a download speed of 49.7 Mbps. At the other end of the table, Westminster is 50 times slower — at a lousy 0.9 Mbps.
To put that in perspective, you could download a one-hour Netflix show in 48 seconds at Edgware Road... at Westminster it'd take 40 minutes.
(By the way, if you're wondering why Moorgate has no WiFi, that's a temporary thing, owing to Crossrail works.)
In all, only 30 of the 99 station platforms have what qualifies as 'superfast fibre broadband' — that is, 24+Mbps.
TfL has promised 4G coverage on the tube network imminently, with the Jubilee line benefitting first.
It was recently reported that four million homes across the UK have slower broadband than the average London Underground WiFi speed.
