What is the fastest theoretical route for the London "Tube Challenge"?
The "Tube Challenge" is the accepted name for the Guinness World Record attempt to visit all the stations on the London Underground network in the fastest time possible.
The rules are here.
The current record has stood since 2006.
Some people point out that the problem can be likened to the "Travelling Salesman" problem in computer science.
On tubechallenge.com, some people have made mention of considering Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm to find a fastest path.
Another poster said it was possible that with calculus the fastest possible route was 18 hours and 50 minutes, but they make no mention of what this route would be.
What IS the theoretical fastest route around the London tube stations, given you can also travel overground?
Best Answer
Seeing as I am one of the current holders of this record and 4 time holder of it I offer my opinion.
When we set the record we actually didn't change our route at all so it is possible to have set route and not change anything of that route to the end and complete in a quick time.
A lot of people do tie up the ends of lines i.e. Stanmore to Edgware High, Barnet to Cockfosters, South Wimbledon to Wimbledon etc. Go on Multimap or Google Street View; I find this particular useful to get and idea of what distances are involved.
My particular skill is actually doing the research. I firstly walk the route, say West Ruislip to Ickenham and Ickenham to West Ruislip and time them in both directions. Next I walk the routes again, noting down any bus stops along the way or outside the station that would help cut down the time and if any route is particularly more uphill than the other.
Then I do a light jogging pace; not top speed but comfortable enough to do the whole way without stopping and time that. I then predict my exact top running speed say 30s-2mins under that depending on the distance involved.
Now I have a predicted a rough time for the platform to platform, add in a couple of minutes for waiting times and possible delay and decide which way I prefer to do it.
Pictures about "What is the fastest theoretical route for the London "Tube Challenge"?"
What is the fastest Tube line in London?
Fastest Tube line And with the Victoria Line boasting fewer stops than other lines and an upgraded train network, many believe that line is the fastest. But in terms of top train speed, the Metropolitan Line comes out on top with speeds of up to 62mph at its Northern tip around Chesham and Amersham.How fast can the fastest train of the tube travel?
The average speed on the Underground is 20.5 miles per hour, including station stops. On the Metropolitan line, trains can reach over 60 mph.What is the fastest train in London Underground?
As well as having the highest top speed, the Metropolitan line also has the highest average speed - 28.3mph. The second highest average speed is the Victoria line (25.2mph) followed by the Jubilee line (24.3mph). Meanwhile the slowest line is the Circle line which crawls along at an average speed of 14.7mph.What is the shortest Tube journey?
Popular facts and figuresDate opened1863Shortest distance between stationsLeicester Square to Covent Garden (Piccadilly line) \u2013 0.3kmFurthest station from central LondonCheshamLongest direct journeyEpping to West Ruislip (Central line) \u2013 54.9km18 more rows•Jul 29, 2019The Tube Challenge explained
More answers regarding what is the fastest theoretical route for the London "Tube Challenge"?
Answer 2
We have an actual 'route' now from one of the races, thanks to an article in the Telegraph:
Pictures and charts are in the link, but for the route itself:
START 6:20am
Chesham – take the Metropolitan line to Amersham, then Watford, then North Harrow.
Run 0.7 miles to Rayners Lane.
Rayners Lane - take the Piccadilly line to Ealing Common, then the District line to Ealing Broadway, then the Central line to East Acton and then to West Ruislip.
Run 0.7 miles to Ickenham.
ckenham - take the Metropolitan line to Uxbridge then Preston Road, then Northwick Park.
Run 0.3 miles to Kenton.
Kenton - take the Bakerloo line to Harrow and Wealdstone, then to Elephant and Castle. Then take the Northern line to London Bridge, the Jubilee line to Southwark and then West Ham, and the District line to Upminster and then Tower Hill.
Tower Hill - take the Circle line to Aldgate, then Sloane Square, then Victoria. Then take the Victoria line to Brixton, then to Stockwell, then the Northern line to Kennington and then Morden.
Run 1.6 miles to Wimbledon.
Wimbledon - take the District line to Kensington (Olympia).
Run 0.9 miles to Shepherd's Bush.
Shepherd's Bush - take the Central line to Woodford (via Hainault), then to Epping, then to Snaresbrook.
Run 2.2 miles to Walthamstow Central.
Walthamstow Central - take the Victoria line to Warren Street, then the Northern line to Goodge Street and then Edgware.
Run 1 mile to Canons Park.
Canons Park - take the Jubilee line to Stanmore, then Baker Street, then the Circle line to Moorgate, then the Northern line to High Barnet (including a detour to Mill Hill East).
Run 2.3 miles to Cockfosters.
Cockfosters - take the Piccadilly line to South Kensington, then the Circle line to Edgware Road, then the District line to Richmond, then Acton Town.
Finally, take the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Terminal 5 (via 4, and 1, 2, & 3).
FINISH 11:04pm.
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Images: Olga Lioncat, Olga Lioncat, Daria Shevtsova, Flora Westbrook