TUBE COOLING PLANS

London Underground (LU) says it will have the first of its air-conditioned trains running by 2010.

Long-suffering passengers enduring overcrowding have complained that the summer months are stifling deep under the UK capital’s streets, but ambitious plans unveiled by LU could see the introduction of cooler trains in time for the Olympics.

Recently-elected London Mayor Boris Johnson said: “It always perplexed me that boffins could produce mobile phones the size of a credit card, yet passengers would emerge dripping with sweat from Tube trains that lacked air conditioning.

“That is why I am chuffed to bits that plans are afoot to finally put these systems on Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan Line trains. Cooling the Tube does though, remain a major challenge, especially on deeper lines such as the Northern and Piccadilly, where we will continue to strive for a solution to the problem.”