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{{Short description|Fastest time to travel to all London Underground Stations}}
{{COI|date=September 2010}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
{{Original research|date=September 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
The '''Tube Challenge''' is the accepted name for the ] attempt to visit all of the ] stations in the fastest time possible, of which there are currently 270 (See ]). Those who attempt to break the record are referred to as '''Tube Challengers'''.
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
] and the ]]]
The '''Tube Challenge''' is the competition for the fastest time to travel to all ] stations, tracked as a ] since 1960. The goal is to visit all the stations on the system, not necessarily all the lines; participants may connect between stations on foot, or by using other forms of public transport.


{{As of |May 2024}}, the record for fastest completion (272 stations) is held by Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, Yipeng Xu who completed the challenge in 18 hours, 8 minutes and 13 seconds on 23 October 2023.<ref name="GWR2023">{{cite news|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/677236-fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations|title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations|quote=18 hr 08 min 13 sec, and was achieved by Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, Yipeng Xu (UK and Ireland) in London, UK, on 23 October 2023.|publisher=Guinness World Records}}</ref>
Guinness lay down numerous rules and conditions under which challenges must be completed in order for an attempt to be eligible for World Record consideration. The main stipulation is that all stations must be visited by either arriving or leaving on a London Underground train, which must must stop or arrive at every tube station, ''in normal public service'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/rules.html |title=The Rules of The Challenge |publisher=Tubeforum.co.uk |date=2004-05-05 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=September 2010}}. It is not necessary to get out at each station . It is permitted instead to use another operator's train only if it runs on the same tracks as the Underground, e.g. on the Richmond branch of the ]). Travel between stations by other means is allowed, for example between two termini, but this can only be done on foot or by using ].


A similar unofficial tube-related challenge is also completed where participants try and ride all 14 ] lines as quickly as possible. This challenge was dubbed: "The All Lines challenge".<ref>{{Cite web |title=diamond geezer |url=https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2023/11/all-lines-challenge.html |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=diamondgeezer.blogspot.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Times: All Lines |url=https://www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubechallenge/alllinetop.htm |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=www.explorerticket.co.uk}}</ref>
The length of time required to visit all stations on the network is currently at around seventeen hours - only slightly shorter than the daily operating hours of the system. Completing the challenge in a single day is therefore difficult, particularly considering some stations are not open at all times of day, and some parts have an infrequent service. Depending on the route used, there can be a fine margin between successfully recording a record time or failing altogether to visit all the stations.


==History==
The current official Guinness World Record stands at 16 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds which was achieved by Martin Hazel, Andi James and Steve Wilson on the 14th December 2009.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}


The first recorded challenge took place in 1959. Although many people have attempted the challenge and held the record since, they have not always been credited in the record books. In the earlier days of the challenge, participants were permitted to use private forms of transport (such as a car or bike) to move between stations. This led to times of less than 16 hours in some earlier records, and Guinness later changed the rules{{when|date=July 2011}} to ban private transport.
== The history of the challenge ==


The following is a list of record holders that have appeared in the printed edition of the '']''. The record did not appear in the book until its eighth edition.
The first recorded instance of a World Record being set for the completion of the challenge dates back to 13 June 1959 when R.J. Lewis and D.R. Longley attempted the challenge. Unfortunately no further information is available for this particular attempt, but it established what has since become a well-known and (particularly within circles of enthusiasts) well-respected challenge. There have subsequently been numerous recorded attempts - a few successful, most unsuccessful - and doubtless many more unrecorded attempts. The list that follows is by no means exhaustive, but merely a record of those who have made notable efforts or who have even held the record themselves.


{| class="wikitable sortable"
===The 1960s===

The first documented record was set on 3 December 1960 by K. and J. Branch, who completed the network (of then 277 stations) in a time of 20 hours and 27 minutes. Marshall<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/others.html|title=Tube Challenge History|publisher=Geoff Marshall|accessdate=2007-11-21}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=September 2010}}
has collated details of the progress of the record in the 1960s which, alongside the historical material at www.tubechallenge.com,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/record_times.html|title=World Record Times|accessdate=2007-11-21}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=September 2010}} form the source material for the following table. Other notable attempts come from Keith Shirland who, despite not breaking the record, completed the network several times in the late 1960s to late 1970s. A common starting place at this time was Ongar. Other starting stations used included Upminster,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rosenstiel/trains/undtrip.htm|title=London Underground trip 1970|accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref> West Kensington and Wembley Park, which involved going straight to Watford and then to Chesham afterwards.

{| class="wikitable"
|- |-
! data-sort-type="date" | Date
! Date
! Record Holder(s) ! Record Holder(s)
! Stations ! Stations
! Time (hr:min) ! Time
|- |-
| 3 December 1960 |{{sort|1960-03|March 1960}}
| George Hurst and Jane Barwick<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1962|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=191|edition=10th }}</ref>
| K.Branch and J.Branch
| 277 | 264
| 18 hours, 35 minutes
| 20:27
|- |-
| {{sort|1961-09-09|9 September 1961}}
| 1 June 1965
| J Birch, B Phillips and N Storr<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1960|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=183|edition=8th }}</ref>
| J.P.Chambers and M.P. Atkinson
| 273 | 274
| 18 hours, 9 minutes
| 18:45
|- |-
| {{sort|1960-12-03|3 December 1960}}
| 12 July 1965
| K A Branch and J Branch<ref name="gbr1964">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1964|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=190|edition=11th }}</ref>
| A.J.T Holmes and C.J.N Holmes
| 273 | 273
| 20 hours, 0 minutes
| 18:32
|- |-
| {{sort|1963-08-22|22 August 1963}}
| 7 September 1965
| Christopher Niekirk<ref name="gbr1964"/>
| Alan Jenkins
| 273 | 272
| 14 hours, 58 minutes
| 16:56
|}

The regulations of the time defined "Class A" attempts, which allowed only public transport to be used and were most similar to the modern rules, and "Class B" attempts, where private transport was permitted between stations. Some recorded times which appear to be "Class B", together with incomplete attempts, have been omitted from the table. The network in 1960 was considerably different from the network that exists today - for more information, see 'Network Changes' below.

===1979 to 2000: The 'Bob Robinson' era===

The most prolific Tube Challenger of all, Bob Robinson, made 51 attempts between 1979 and 2000, completing 46 and setting the record time on 6 occasions. He held (with Tom McLaughlin) the pre-Jubilee line extension record of 18 hours 18 minutes 9 seconds for 270 stations.

{| class="wikitable"
|- |-
| {{sort|1964-07-04|4 July 1964}}
! Date
| A Mortimer, J P Herting, D Corke and G Elliot<ref name="gbr1965">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1965|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=200|edition=12th }}</ref>
! Record Holder(s)
| 272
! Stations
| 14 hours, 17 minutes
! Time
|- |-
| {{sort|1965-09-07|7 September 1965}}
| 18 October 1979
| Alan Paul Jenkins<ref name="gbr1965"/>
| Peter Altman, Marilyn Nathan and Ralph Cramer
| 278 | 273
| 16 hours, 57 minutes
| 19:25
|- |-
| {{sort|1966-11-01|1 November 1966}}
| 25 March 1980
| Leslie Burwood<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1967|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=137|edition=14th }}</ref>
| Robert Robinson, David Herring, Paul Eddington & Finn Gleeson
| 278 | 273
| 15 hours, 53 minutes
| 18:22
|- |-
| {{sort|1967-09-01|1 September 1967}}
| 20 May 1980
| Leslie Burwood<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1969|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=175|edition=15th }}</ref>
| John Trafford and Stephen Trafford
| 278 | 277
| 14 hours, 33 minutes
| 18:03
|- |-
| {{sort|1968-09-03|3 September 1968}}
| 23 June 1981
| Leslie Burwood<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1970|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=137|edition=17th }}</ref>
| Robert Robinson and Finn Gleeson
| 278 | 277
| 15 hours, 0 minutes
| 17:57
|- |-
| {{sort|1969-06-27|27 June 1969}}
| 16 September 1981
| Anthony Durkin and Peter Griffiths<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1969|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=183|edition=16th }}</ref>
| Jon Brown, Robert Anderson and Alex Chin-A-Fat
| 278 | 277
| 16 hours, 5 minutes
| 17:48
|- |-
| {{sort|1980-05-20|20 May 1980}}
| 21 October 1981
| John Trafford and Stephen Trafford<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records|year=1980|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=143|edition=27th }}</ref>
| Nicholas Mitchell and Ian Robins
| 278 | 278
| 18 hours, 3 minutes
| 17:42:38
|- |-
| 3 December 1981 | {{sort|1981-12-03|3 December 1981}}
| Colm Mulvany<ref>{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=1982|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=145|edition=29th }}</ref>
| Colm Mulvaney and Seth Vlardis
| 277 | 277
| 17:37 | 17 hours, 37 minutes
|- |-
| {{sort|1982-07-22|22 July 1982}}
| 14 April 1986
| Peter Robinson (youngest person to tour all stations, aged 8)<ref>{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records 1987|year=1986|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=132}}</ref>
| Robert Robinson, Peter Robinson, John Garde and Timothy Clark
| 277
| Not given
|-
| {{sort|1986-04-14|14 April 1986}}
| Robert Robinson, Peter David Robinson, John Garde and Timothy John Clark<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records 1987|year=1986|publisher=Guinness Superlatives Ltd|page=132|edition=33rd }}</ref>
| 272 | 272
| 19:51:14 | 19 hours, 51 minutes, 14 seconds
|- |-
| 30 July 1986 | {{sort|1986-07-30|30 July 1986}}
| Robert Robinson, Peter Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Timothy Clark and Richard Harris | Robert Robinson, Peter David Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Timothy Clark and Richard Harris<ref>{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=1993|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=125}}</ref>
| 273 | 272
| 18:41:41 | 18 hours, 41 minutes, 41 seconds
|- |-
| 4 October 1994 | {{sort|1994-10-04|4 October 1994}}
| Robert Robinson and Tom McLaughlin | Robert Robinson and Tom McLaughlin<ref>{{cite book|title=The New Guinness Book of Records|year=1996|publisher=Guinness Publishing Ltd|page=124}}</ref>
| 270 | 270
| 18 hours, 18 minutes, 9 seconds
| 18:18:09
|}

===2000 - 2009 Changing of the Guard===

The opening of the ] in 1999 was a significant addition to the network and may be seen as heralding the beginning of the modern era of Tube Challenging. Nonetheless, it was the doyen of the previous era - Bob Robinson - who led the team that set the first record including the Jubilee extension in March 2000.

In April 2002, Jack Welsby started at Heathrow and finished at Amersham setting a new world record of 19 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds. Steven Karahan in February 2004 beat the time starting at Amersham and finishing at Upminster setting a new world record of 18 hours 47 minutes and 57 seconds. His subsequent later successful attempt in April 2008 makes him the only the person to hold two solo records. The appearance of two television programmes featuring (unsuccessful) record attempts by Geoff Marshall raised the profile of Tube Challenging. In May 2004 he finally achieved the record on his seventh attempt with a time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3700658.stm|title=:: news.bbc.co..uk :: tube record beaten :: new world record|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2004-09-29}}</ref>

Håkan Wolgé and Lars Anderson from Sweden used computer algorithms to calculate a route which helped them set the last 275 station time in September 2006 with 18 hours 25 minutes and 3 seconds. The Brown family of Anthony, Kevin, Phillip and Jamie along with John Stark further raised the media visibility of the challenge with their charity attempts for ] and ] between 2006 and 2009.

The closure of East London Line in December 2007 was a significant reduction to the network and explains the faster times being set today. It led to challengers not having to start on the first train of the day (typically around 05.30am in the Amersham/Chesham corner) but about an hour later instead. This in turn meant shorter waits and better connection times and less time wasted at the first few connections early on in the day, as trains are more frequent an hour after the start of service.

Since May 2006, three ladies have claimed the record (the last female holder had been in 1979). Rachel Brabbins (a reporter for BBC Three Counties), Sara Wearn and Sam Cawley have all held the record, the latter being the only female solo World record holder in the history of the challenge.

Since November 2007 Andi James has made twenty-eight attempts completing the network fifteen times and achieved a new record on three of those occasions. James, along with Bob Robinson, Tomothy Clark and Peter Robinson, are the only people to break their own record times.

During 2009, major works started across the whole of network led to a more reliable network, which has contributed to faster times being possible. Continued improvement works in the run-up to the Olympic Games in London in 2012 are expected to lead to yet more improved journey times. Also, challengers increasingly now run between the on-foot connections (rather than wait for buses), which has led to faster times being achieved.

{| class="wikitable"
|- |-
| {{sort|2000-03-16|16 March 2000}}
! Date
| Robert Robinson, Chris Loxton, Chris Stubley, Chris Whiteoak, Olly Rich and Adam Waller<ref>{{Cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2002|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=186}}</ref>
! Record Holder(s)
| 272
! Start
| 19 hours, 57 minutes, 47 seconds
! Finish
! Stations
! Time
|- |-
| {{Sort|2006-09-26|26 September 2006}}
| 16&nbsp;March&nbsp;2000
| Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson<ref name="gbr2008">{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2008|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=198}}</ref>
| Robert Robinson, Chris Loxton, Chris Stubley, Chris Whiteoak, Olly Rich and Adam Waller
| Temple
| Amersham
| 272*
| 19:57:47
|-
| 3&nbsp;April&nbsp;2002
| Jack Welsby
| Heathrow&nbsp;T4
| Amersham
| 275 | 275
| 18 hours, 25 minutes, 3 seconds
| 19:18:45
|- |-
| {{Sort|2013-10-01|1 October 2013}}
| 20&nbsp;February&nbsp;2004
| ] and Anthony Smith<ref name="gbr2015">{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2015|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=189}}</ref>
| Steven Karahan
| 270
| Amersham
| 16 hours, 20 minutes, 27 seconds
| Upminster
| 275
| 18:47:57
|- |-
| {{Sort|2015-05-21|21 May 2015}}
| 5&nbsp;May&nbsp;2004
| Steve Wilson and Andi James<ref name="gbr2021">{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2021|publisher=Guinness World Records|page=130}}</ref>
| Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake
| Amersham
| Upminster
| 275
| 18:35:43<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3700658.stm |title=BBC News, Tube World Record Broken |publisher=BBC News |date=2004-09-29 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>
|-
| 30&nbsp;May&nbsp;2006
| Steve Wilson and Samantha Cawley
| Amersham
| Upminster
| 275
| 18:35:38
|-
| 26&nbsp;September&nbsp;2006
| Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T123
| 275
| 18:25:03
|-
| 25&nbsp;July&nbsp;2007
| Antony, Jamie, Kevin & Phillip Brown and John Stark
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T123
| 274
| 18:20:26
|-
| 10&nbsp;April&nbsp;2008
| Steven Karahan
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 269
| 18:18:42
|-
| 18&nbsp;April&nbsp;2008
| Rachel Brabbins, John Stark, Antony, Jamie, Kevin, Phillip and Ryan Brown
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 269
| 17:56:28
|-
| 8&nbsp;July&nbsp;2008
| Martin Hazel, Sara Wearn and Andi James
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 269
| 17:56:11
|-
| 24&nbsp;July&nbsp;2008
| Steven Karahan and Andi James
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 269
| 17:12:43
|-
| 04&nbsp;December&nbsp;2009
| Samantha Cawley
| Amersham
| Heathrow&nbsp;T5
| 270 | 270
| 15 hours, 45 minutes, 38 seconds
| 17:02:23<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scriv.me.uk/?p=319|title=:: scriv.me.uk :: blog :: I've Only Gone And Done It!|publisher=Matthew Scrivin|accessdate=2010-03-16}}</ref>
|- |-
| {{Sort|2023-10-23|23 October 2023}}
| '''14&nbsp;December&nbsp;2009'''
| Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, Yipeng Xu<ref name="gbr2023">{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Records|year=2024|publisher=Guinness World Records}}</ref>
| '''Martin Hazel, Steve Wilson and Andi James'''
| 272
| '''Chesham'''
| 18 hours, 08 minutes, 13 seconds
| '''Heathrow&nbsp;T5'''
| '''270'''
| '''16:44:16'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1515&start=60#p35114|title=Tube 24 3rd World Record|publisher=Andi James|accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>
|} '

'''Time in bold represents current official Guinness World Record.'''<br/>
''* The number of stations visited is uncertain''

== Route planning ==

Mathematically, the Tube Challenge is closely analogous to the ]. The successful route of former world record holder Håkan Wolgé was designed by computer, using a ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gwr.host-ed.net/ |title=Travelling the London Underground in the shortest time |accessdate=2010-04-12 }}</ref> It is necessary to account not just for the distances or times between stations, but also for the timetable - especially when planning routes over the less frequently served parts of the network. Comparison of recent routes with earlier ones suggests that the dramatic improvement in the record time between 2000-2008 may largely be due to the use of increasingly better routes.

There are a number of commonly used bus, tram, rail or pedestrian connections between termini or near-termini of lines, such as: ] - ] (or ]); ] - ]; ] - ] (or ]); ] - ]; and ] - ]. These may be traversed in either direction, depending on the specifics of the route.

Some connections are often made on foot between geographically proximal points on different lines, or different branches of the same line, such as ] - ] (0.36 miles / 0.59&nbsp;km); ] - ] (0.32 miles / 0.52&nbsp;km); ] - ] (0.65 miles / 1.05&nbsp;km); ] - ] (0.68 miles / 1.10&nbsp;km) and ] - ] (0.46 miles / 0.76&nbsp;km).

== Network changes ==

The London Underground network of today is considerably changed from that Lewis & Longley traversed in 1959. The most significant changes were the openings of the ] (1968–1972) and the ] (1999),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/others.html|title=Tube Challenge History|publisher=Geoff Marshall|accessdate=2007-01-13}}</ref> together with the loss of the ] from the network in 2007.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Date
! Line
! style="width:150px;"| Stations Lost
! style="width:150px;"| Stations Gained
! Notes
! Network Size
|-
| 1959
| 25 October
| ]
| ]
| -
| -
| 277 Stations
|-
| 1961
| 10 September
| Metropolitan Line
| ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| -
| -
| 273 Stations
|-
| 1968
| 1 September
| ]
| -
| ]<br/>]<br/> ]<br/>]
| -
| 277 Stations
|-
|
| -
| ]/] Lines
| -
| -
| ] consolidated
| 276 Stations
|-
| 1971
| 23 July
| Victoria Line
| -
| ]<br/>]
| -
| 278 Stations
|-
| 1972
| 14 September
| Victoria Line
| -
| ]
| -
| 279 Stations
|-
| 1973
| 16 June
| ]
| ]
| -
| Consolidated with Charing Cross (Bakerloo)
| 278 Stations
|-
| 1975
| 19 July
| ]
| -
| ]
| -
| 279 Stations
|-
|
| 4 October
| Northern Line
| ]<br/>]
| -
| ] transferred to British Rail
| 277 Stations
|-
| 1977
| 16 December
| Piccadilly Line
| -
| ]
| -
| 278 Stations
|-
| 1981
| 31 October
| Central Line
| ]
| -
| -
| 277 Stations
|-
| 1982
| 24 September
| ]
| ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| -
| -
| 266 Stations
|-
| 1984
| 4 June
| Bakerloo Line
| -
| Wembley Central<br/>North Wembley<br/>South Kenton<br/>Kenton<br/>Harrow & Wealdstone
| -
| 271 Stations
|-
| 1986
| 12 April
| Piccadilly Line
| -
| ]
| -
| 272 Stations
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| rowspan="2" | 30 September
| Central Line
| ]<br/>]
| -
| ] section of Central Line closed.
| rowspan="2" | 269 Stations
|-
| Piccadilly Line
| ]
| -
| ] branch of Piccadilly Line closed.
|-
| 1995
| 23 March
| ]
| ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| -
| East London Line closed for repairs<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/eastlondon.html |title=Clive's UndergrounD Line Guides - East London Line |accessdate=2008-03-22 }}</ref>
| 262 stations
|-
| 1998
| 23 March
| rowspan="2" | East London Line
| -
| Shadwell<br/>Wapping<br/>Rotherhithe<br/>Surrey Quays<br/>New Cross<br/>New Cross Gate
| rowspan="2" | East London Line reopened
| 268 stations
|-
|
| 27 September
| -
| Shoreditch
| 269 stations
|-
| 1999
| 14 May
| ]
| -
| ]<br/>]
| rowspan="4" | ]
| 271 Stations
|-
|
| 18 August
| East London/Jubilee Lines
| -
| ]
| 272 Stations
|-
|
| 17 September
| Jubilee Line
| -
| ]<br/>]
| 274 Stations
|-
|
| 20 November
| Jubilee Line
| -
| ]
| 275 Stations
|-
| 2006
| 9 June
| East London Line
| ]
| -
| Highly disputed Guinness Rule that replacement bus must be used
| 275 Stations
|-
| 2007
| 23 December
| East London Line
| ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
| -
| ] closed for engineering work prior to its incorporation in ]; permanently removed from the ] network.
| 268 Stations
|-
| 2008
| 27 March
| Piccadilly Line
| -
| ]
|
| 269 Stations
|-
|
| 12 October<ref>{{Dead link|date=June 2010}}</ref>
| ]
| -
| ]
|
| 270 Stations
|} |}
Between the 1960s and 1990s the record regularly appeared in the ''Guinness Book of Records'', initially listed under "Underground Railways – circuit of", but later just under "Railways" and then "Trains". Since the change of publishing style of the book from the 2001 edition onwards, the record – although frequently broken – has only twice appeared in printed form, in the 2008 edition, and then the 2015 edition. More recent records have tended to be published online instead. Since the record has not regularly been published in the book, there have been two broad configurations on the system – one for 275 stations, and one for 270 once the East London Line was no longer part of the network.


==Charity Attempts== ===275 stations===
On 3 April 2002 Jack Welsby set a new record time for 275 stations by traversing the system in 19 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-433122-new-record-set-on-the-tube.do|title=New record set on the tube|newspaper=Evening Standard|accessdate=24 July 2002|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305141751/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-433122-new-record-set-on-the-tube.do|archivedate=5 March 2010}}</ref> Welsby made just one attempt, starting his route at Heathrow and finishing at Amersham.

It is quite common for an attempt to be linked to a charity, raising money on a per-station completed basis, or a set amount for getting round the whole system. An attempt was made by some challengers in aid of ] on the very first ] in 1988. More recently, another ] attempt was made in March 2009, when a group of challengers dressed up as Superheroes for a day<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jamesthegill.blogspot.com/2009/03/red-nose-day-tube-challenge-2009.html |title=Red Nose Day Tube Challenging |publisher=James Tong |date= |accessdate=2010-07--3}}</ref> and chased a 'convict' around the system whilst filming the event for a DVD, with the proceeds going to the charity. Towards the end of 2010 there will be an attempt at The Tube Challenge<ref>The preparations for the world record attempt are detailed at http://www.thetubechallenge.com/</ref> linked to the charity ].

In 2006 the first annual charity attempt was made in aid of ]. Challengers taking part featured on ]<ref>{{Cite web|author=&ldquo;&rdquo; |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfZjV7XjnRI |title=Audio of Children In Need Tube Challenge 2006 |publisher=Youtube.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> and ] during the challenge.

In the wake of ], a special charity event "Tube Relief"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tuberelief.co.uk/ |title=Tube Relief |publisher=Tube Relief |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> was organised, to encourage people to ride the tube all day and attempt to visit all the stations. The spirit of the event was not to try and break the record time, but to merely show that the "We're not afraid" tag line in use at the time was very much true. On 25 August 2005, sixty-seven people participated - most of them travelling the majority of the network - starting at ] and finishing at ]. Over £10,000 was raised in total for the official relief fund.


This time was beaten on 4 May 2004 by ] and Neil Blake who achieved a new record time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/every-tube-station-in-18-hours-7235423.html|title=Every Tube station in 18 hours|newspaper=Evening Standard|accessdate=5 April 2016}}</ref> Their attempt began on the first train out of ] on the Metropolitan Line and ended at ], and it took ''Guinness World Records'' four months to ratify it.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3700658.stm|title=Tube station visit record broken|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=29 September 2004 | date=29 September 2004}}</ref> A previous attempt had been broadcast on TV as part of '']'' TV series and another attempt had been televised as part of an ITV1 programme ''Metroland: Race Around the Underground'' on 16 October 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-7231700-going-down-the-tubes.do|title=Going down the tubes|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=17 October 2003|accessdate=27 January 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429143148/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-7231700-going-down-the-tubes.do|archivedate=29 April 2011}}</ref>
==Tube Challenge in the media==


Although this time stood for two years before being beaten by just five seconds by Samantha Cawley and Steve Wilson on 30 May 2006,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/tytc4/GWRCertificate.jpg|title=Guinness World Records Certificate: Steven Wilson and Samantha Cawley (both UK) travelled through all 275 stations on the London Underground network in a time of 18hr 35min 38sec on 30 May 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://s92.photobucket.com/user/tytc4/library?page=1|title=Steven Wilson's (tytc4) Photobucket|date=2006}}</ref>{{Non-primary source needed|date=July 2024}} it was not until Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson (both from Sweden) set a new record time for 275 stations that it appeared in the ''Guinness World Records'' book again, in the 2008 edition.<ref name="gbr2008"/> They set a new record of 18 hours, 25 minutes and 3 seconds, on 26 September 2006.
Former Guinness World Record holder Geoff Marshall was featured in an episode of the ] documentary series (later sold to ] amongst others) "]", as he and friend Dave Brooks attempted (unsuccessfully) to break the record.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/tube3.html |title=Tube 3 (the one in "24 hours") |publisher=geofftech.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref><ref name="geofftech1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/media.html |title=Media/TV appearances |publisher=geofftech.co.uk |date=2003-10-16 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>


===270 stations===
A few months later, as part of the 'Metroland' series of programmes on ITV, Geoff appeared again: this time with two friends, Chris Vinall and Peter Martell, as they made another (unsuccessful) attempt. This programme was called 'Race Around The Underground'<ref name="geofftech1"/> and also featured previous world record holders Jack Welsby and Bob Robinson.
In 2007, the closure of the ] (incorporated into ]) removed seven stations from the Underground network, while ] and ] both opened in 2008, resulting in the record being 'reset' several times in quick succession before the network settled on 270 stations for the following 13 years.


Subsequent holders of the 270-station record were Andi James and Steven Karahan, who set a time of 17 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds on 24 July 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|title=So you think you know the Tube?|quote="At the time of writing the official Guinness World Record stood at 17 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds (set on 24 July 2008 by Steven Karahan and Andi James)."|publisher=BBC London|date=19 July 2010|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8834000/8834065.stm}}</ref>
The 'Tube Relief' charity attempt attracted attention from ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4180368.stm |title=BBC News, Tube Challenge for Bomb Charity |publisher=BBC News |date=2005-08-25 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> and ], as well as several channels in ], ], from where one participant had travelled to take part, only to return home in the wake of ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/08/tami-in-news-and-on-tv.html |title=Going Underground - Tami in the news and on TV |publisher=London-underground.blogspot.com |date=2005-08-31 |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>


On 14 December 2009, James set another record with Martin Hazel and Steve Wilson, achieving a time of 16 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds.<ref name=Southwest>{{Cite news |title = Richard's going underground on charity mission|quote = '' attempt to dethrone Andi James, Martin Hazel and Steve Wilson who set the benchmark on December 14, 2009.''|work = This Is Plymouth |date = 4 February 2010 |url =http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Richard-s-going-underground-charity-mission/story-11837754-detail/story.html |accessdate = 12 July 2011 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120614040236/http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Richard-s-going-underground-charity-mission/story-11837754-detail/story.html |archivedate = 14 June 2012 |df = dmy-all}}</ref> TfL used this route four years later as part of the Art on the Underground ] project to mark the 150th anniversary of the ], installing permanent designs at stations in the same order that the world record route had taken, and later appeared in an ''Information Capital'' article.<ref name="James-Wilson-Telegraph">{{cite news|newspaper=Telegraph|title=How to do the Tube Challenge|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11174269/How-to-do-the-Tube-Challenge.html|accessdate=20 October 2014}}</ref> The three became the first people to have held records for both the London Underground and the ] when they beat the New York ] record in November 2013.<ref name=awford>{{cite news |url=http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/10866339.Bournemouth_tube_challenger_breaks_record_for_visiting_New_York_s_468_subway_stations_in_fastest_time/?ref=rss |title=Bournemouth tube challenger breaks record for visiting New York's 468 subway stations in fastest time|last=Awford | first=Jenny | work=Daily Echo| date= 10 December 2013 | access-date= 24 September 2018}}</ref>
In April 2008, BBC Three Counties Radio featured the Tube Challenge for a week on the Lorna Milton show, culminating in the coverage of a record attempt by station reporter Rachel Brabbins, who along with Ryan Brown joined current holders Antony, Jamie, Kevin and Phillip Brown and John Stark for the day. The teams progress was followed by the station throughout the day, and they finished in a new record time of 17 hours, 56 minutes and 28 seconds.


The record remained unbeaten for 17 months, until Marc Gawley from Denton, Greater Manchester, set a new time of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds on 21 April 2011.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|title=New world record for Denton man who travelled to all 270 London tube stations in under 17 hours |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1425496_new-world-record-for-denton-man-who-travelled-to-all-270-london-tube-stations-in-under-17-hours |accessdate=2 July 2011}}</ref> As a fast marathon runner, he revealed that he did not use any buses on the day, preferring instead to make all his connections on foot. Gawley's record was beaten 37 days later, when James and Wilson completed the challenge in just 44 seconds under Gawley's time, setting a new record of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 13 seconds on 27 May 2011.<ref name="James-Wilson-Telegraph" /><ref name="bbc2013"/>
On 17 November 2008, a team of Tube Challengers appeared on the BBC2 quiz show ].


This record stood for over two years until August 2013, before being broken by previous record holder ] who along with Anthony Smith, completed the challenge in 16 hours, 20 minutes and 27 seconds,<ref name="bbc2013">{{cite news|publisher=BBC News|title=London Tube Station Visiting Record Broken|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24203949|accessdate=23 September 2013 |date=23 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Londonist |title=New world record for Tube Challenges|url=http://londonist.com/2013/09/new-world-record-for-tube-challenge.php |accessdate=23 September 2013 |date=23 September 2013}}</ref> the record time was then published for the first time in seven years in the ''Guinness World Records'' in the 2015 edition.<ref name="gbr2015"/>
==Tube Challenge documentaries online==


Clive Burgess and Ronan McDonald set a new Guinness world record time of 16 hours, 14 minutes and 10 seconds on 21 February 2015.<ref>{{cite news|work=Brighton Argus|title=For the record, world was enthusiats's Oyster card|url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/12901532.For_the_record__world_was_enthusiast___s_Oyster__card_/|accessdate=21 April 2015|date=21 April 2015}}</ref> The record was broken later that year, on 21 May, by previous record holders Andi James and Steve Wilson, in a time of 15 hours, 45 minutes 38 seconds.<ref name="guinnessworldrecords.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations|title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations|quote=15 hr 45 min 38 sec, and was achieved by Andy James (Finland) and Steve Wilson (UK) in London, UK, on 21 May 2015.|publisher=]|accessdate=11 March 2016|archivedate=4 March 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083335/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations/}}</ref>
On 10 February 2009, a team of Southampton students filmed an online documentary with record holder Andi James.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jem |first=William |url=http://www.vimeo.com/4799982 |title=Mind the Gap London 2009 |publisher=Vimeo.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref>


===272 stations===
On 14 September 2009 Paul Berry along with Simon Hollett, Hassan Chagani, Chris Marshall and Andi James also filmed an online documentary<ref>{{Cite web|last=Beans |first=Pouring |url=http://www.vimeo.com/6717302 |title=Tube Challenge 14/09/09 |publisher=Vimeo.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-22}}</ref> simply called "Tube Challenge".


The total number of stations rose to 272 after the opening of ] and ] on the ].
==Tube Challenge in literature==


Adham Fisher set a new Guinness World Record time of 20 hours, 4 minutes and 10 seconds on 4 October 2021.<ref name="Adham.Fisher">{{cite web |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/677236-fastest-time-to-travel-to-all-london-underground-stations |website=] |access-date=9 August 2023 |lang=en |date=4 Oct 2021 |title=Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations}}</ref>
The 2001 novel '']'' (ISBN 0-09-941668-9) by author ] follows a fictional man who on the eve of his wedding, in a fit of last-minute nerves, makes a drunken bet about completing a Tube Challenge and thus putting his wedding at risk. Ian Marchant's 2003 autobiography Parallel Lines (ISBN 0-7475-6584-8) includes a description of a solo attempt at the Challenge.


Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, and Yipeng Xu set a new Guinness World Record time of 18 hours, 8 minutes, and 13 seconds on 23 October 2023.<ref name="GWR2023"/>
==Other Challenges==


==Other attempts==
Though corresponding full system tours have been recorded for numerous cities, including Paris, Berlin and Moscow, Guinness World Records only acknowledge attempts for London and New York. The latter is known as the ] and takes longer than London to complete as there are substantially more stations on the New York subway.


Attempts to travel the network have been linked to charities such as Children in Need<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wear/hi/front_page/newsid_9184000/9184337.stm|title=Pudsey Challenge 2010|publisher=BBC Sunderland|date = 12 November 2010|accessdate=26 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/going_underground_1_2769466|title=Going Underground|newspaper=Sunderland Echo|date = 26 January 2011|accessdate=26 January 2011}}</ref> and Comic Relief.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jamesthegill.blogspot.com/2009/03/red-nose-day-tube-challenge-2009.html|title=Aiming to misbehave|date = 14 March 2009|accessdate=26 January 2011}}</ref> A charity attempt known as "Tube Relief" was organised, following the ], to raise money for the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund. Fifty-one people rode the entire tube network for the day,<ref name="Tube challenge for bomb charity">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4180368.stm |title=Tube challenge for bomb charity|publisher=BBC News |date=25 August 2005 |accessdate=22 June 2010}}</ref> raising over £10,000 towards the official charity fund. A ] charity event took place in November 2011, when ten teams competed against each other to have their photo taken outside as many of the 270 stations as possible.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.purplefrog.co.uk/2011/11/visiting-270-london-underground-stations-in-1-day/|title=Visiting 270 London Underground stations in one day|work=Purple Frog|date=14 November 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424125549/http://www.purplefrog.co.uk/2011/11/visiting-270-london-underground-stations-in-1-day|archivedate=2012-04-24}}</ref> Former record holder ] subsequently organised a mass-participant events in 2014, 2015 and 2016, called "Walk The Tube", raising tens of thousands of pounds in the process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/tube26.html |title=Tube 26 - Walk The Tube 2014 |website=Geofftech |date=4 April 2014 |accessdate=6 December 2018}}</ref>
There are also ], shorter than the full network, on the London Underground.


== References == ==See also==
*]
{{Reflist}}


==References==
== External links ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
*


==External links==
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}
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] ]

Latest revision as of 18:14, 19 August 2024

Fastest time to travel to all London Underground Stations

A geographic 2021 map of the stations on the London Underground and the Docklands Light Railway

The Tube Challenge is the competition for the fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations, tracked as a Guinness World Record since 1960. The goal is to visit all the stations on the system, not necessarily all the lines; participants may connect between stations on foot, or by using other forms of public transport.

As of May 2024, the record for fastest completion (272 stations) is held by Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, Yipeng Xu who completed the challenge in 18 hours, 8 minutes and 13 seconds on 23 October 2023.

A similar unofficial tube-related challenge is also completed where participants try and ride all 14 London Underground lines as quickly as possible. This challenge was dubbed: "The All Lines challenge".

History

The first recorded challenge took place in 1959. Although many people have attempted the challenge and held the record since, they have not always been credited in the record books. In the earlier days of the challenge, participants were permitted to use private forms of transport (such as a car or bike) to move between stations. This led to times of less than 16 hours in some earlier records, and Guinness later changed the rules to ban private transport.

The following is a list of record holders that have appeared in the printed edition of the Guinness Book of Records. The record did not appear in the book until its eighth edition.

Date Record Holder(s) Stations Time
March 1960 George Hurst and Jane Barwick 264 18 hours, 35 minutes
9 September 1961 J Birch, B Phillips and N Storr 274 18 hours, 9 minutes
3 December 1960 K A Branch and J Branch 273 20 hours, 0 minutes
22 August 1963 Christopher Niekirk 272 14 hours, 58 minutes
4 July 1964 A Mortimer, J P Herting, D Corke and G Elliot 272 14 hours, 17 minutes
7 September 1965 Alan Paul Jenkins 273 16 hours, 57 minutes
1 November 1966 Leslie Burwood 273 15 hours, 53 minutes
1 September 1967 Leslie Burwood 277 14 hours, 33 minutes
3 September 1968 Leslie Burwood 277 15 hours, 0 minutes
27 June 1969 Anthony Durkin and Peter Griffiths 277 16 hours, 5 minutes
20 May 1980 John Trafford and Stephen Trafford 278 18 hours, 3 minutes
3 December 1981 Colm Mulvany 277 17 hours, 37 minutes
22 July 1982 Peter Robinson (youngest person to tour all stations, aged 8) 277 Not given
14 April 1986 Robert Robinson, Peter David Robinson, John Garde and Timothy John Clark 272 19 hours, 51 minutes, 14 seconds
30 July 1986 Robert Robinson, Peter David Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Timothy Clark and Richard Harris 272 18 hours, 41 minutes, 41 seconds
4 October 1994 Robert Robinson and Tom McLaughlin 270 18 hours, 18 minutes, 9 seconds
16 March 2000 Robert Robinson, Chris Loxton, Chris Stubley, Chris Whiteoak, Olly Rich and Adam Waller 272 19 hours, 57 minutes, 47 seconds
26 September 2006 Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson 275 18 hours, 25 minutes, 3 seconds
1 October 2013 Geoff Marshall and Anthony Smith 270 16 hours, 20 minutes, 27 seconds
21 May 2015 Steve Wilson and Andi James 270 15 hours, 45 minutes, 38 seconds
23 October 2023 Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, Yipeng Xu 272 18 hours, 08 minutes, 13 seconds

Between the 1960s and 1990s the record regularly appeared in the Guinness Book of Records, initially listed under "Underground Railways – circuit of", but later just under "Railways" and then "Trains". Since the change of publishing style of the book from the 2001 edition onwards, the record – although frequently broken – has only twice appeared in printed form, in the 2008 edition, and then the 2015 edition. More recent records have tended to be published online instead. Since the record has not regularly been published in the book, there have been two broad configurations on the system – one for 275 stations, and one for 270 once the East London Line was no longer part of the network.

275 stations

On 3 April 2002 Jack Welsby set a new record time for 275 stations by traversing the system in 19 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds. Welsby made just one attempt, starting his route at Heathrow and finishing at Amersham.

This time was beaten on 4 May 2004 by Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake who achieved a new record time of 18 hours 35 minutes and 43 seconds. Their attempt began on the first train out of Amersham on the Metropolitan Line and ended at Upminster, and it took Guinness World Records four months to ratify it. A previous attempt had been broadcast on TV as part of The Tube TV series and another attempt had been televised as part of an ITV1 programme Metroland: Race Around the Underground on 16 October 2003.

Although this time stood for two years before being beaten by just five seconds by Samantha Cawley and Steve Wilson on 30 May 2006, it was not until Håkan Wolgé and Lars Andersson (both from Sweden) set a new record time for 275 stations that it appeared in the Guinness World Records book again, in the 2008 edition. They set a new record of 18 hours, 25 minutes and 3 seconds, on 26 September 2006.

270 stations

In 2007, the closure of the East London Line (incorporated into London Overground) removed seven stations from the Underground network, while Wood Lane and Heathrow Terminal 5 both opened in 2008, resulting in the record being 'reset' several times in quick succession before the network settled on 270 stations for the following 13 years.

Subsequent holders of the 270-station record were Andi James and Steven Karahan, who set a time of 17 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds on 24 July 2008.

On 14 December 2009, James set another record with Martin Hazel and Steve Wilson, achieving a time of 16 hours, 44 minutes and 16 seconds. TfL used this route four years later as part of the Art on the Underground labyrinth project to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Underground, installing permanent designs at stations in the same order that the world record route had taken, and later appeared in an Information Capital article. The three became the first people to have held records for both the London Underground and the New York City Subway when they beat the New York Subway Challenge record in November 2013.

The record remained unbeaten for 17 months, until Marc Gawley from Denton, Greater Manchester, set a new time of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds on 21 April 2011. As a fast marathon runner, he revealed that he did not use any buses on the day, preferring instead to make all his connections on foot. Gawley's record was beaten 37 days later, when James and Wilson completed the challenge in just 44 seconds under Gawley's time, setting a new record of 16 hours, 29 minutes and 13 seconds on 27 May 2011.

This record stood for over two years until August 2013, before being broken by previous record holder Geoff Marshall who along with Anthony Smith, completed the challenge in 16 hours, 20 minutes and 27 seconds, the record time was then published for the first time in seven years in the Guinness World Records in the 2015 edition.

Clive Burgess and Ronan McDonald set a new Guinness world record time of 16 hours, 14 minutes and 10 seconds on 21 February 2015. The record was broken later that year, on 21 May, by previous record holders Andi James and Steve Wilson, in a time of 15 hours, 45 minutes 38 seconds.

272 stations

The total number of stations rose to 272 after the opening of Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station on the Northern line extension to Battersea.

Adham Fisher set a new Guinness World Record time of 20 hours, 4 minutes and 10 seconds on 4 October 2021.

Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, and Yipeng Xu set a new Guinness World Record time of 18 hours, 8 minutes, and 13 seconds on 23 October 2023.

Other attempts

Attempts to travel the network have been linked to charities such as Children in Need and Comic Relief. A charity attempt known as "Tube Relief" was organised, following the 7 July 2005 London bombings, to raise money for the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund. Fifty-one people rode the entire tube network for the day, raising over £10,000 towards the official charity fund. A Sue Ryder charity event took place in November 2011, when ten teams competed against each other to have their photo taken outside as many of the 270 stations as possible. Former record holder Geoff Marshall subsequently organised a mass-participant events in 2014, 2015 and 2016, called "Walk The Tube", raising tens of thousands of pounds in the process.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations". Guinness World Records. 18 hr 08 min 13 sec, and was achieved by Arthur Philipps, Ruairí O'Grady, John Mawdsley, Alex Rennie, Tim Livant, Joseph Solomon, Alex Sinclair, Yipeng Xu (UK and Ireland) in London, UK, on 23 October 2023.
  2. "diamond geezer". diamondgeezer.blogspot.com. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  3. "Top Times: All Lines". www.explorerticket.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  4. The Guinness Book of Records (10th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1962. p. 191.
  5. The Guinness Book of Records (8th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1960. p. 183.
  6. ^ The Guinness Book of Records (11th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1964. p. 190.
  7. ^ The Guinness Book of Records (12th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1965. p. 200.
  8. The Guinness Book of Records (14th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1967. p. 137.
  9. The Guinness Book of Records (15th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1969. p. 175.
  10. The Guinness Book of Records (17th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1970. p. 137.
  11. The Guinness Book of Records (16th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1969. p. 183.
  12. The Guinness Book of Records (27th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1980. p. 143.
  13. Guinness Book of Records (29th ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1982. p. 145.
  14. Guinness Book of Records 1987. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1986. p. 132.
  15. The Guinness Book of Records 1987 (33rd ed.). Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1986. p. 132.
  16. Guinness Book of Records. Guinness World Records. 1993. p. 125.
  17. The New Guinness Book of Records. Guinness Publishing Ltd. 1996. p. 124.
  18. Guinness Book of Records. Guinness World Records. 2002. p. 186.
  19. ^ Guinness Book of Records. Guinness World Records. 2008. p. 198.
  20. ^ Guinness Book of Records. Guinness World Records. 2015. p. 189.
  21. Guinness Book of Records. Guinness World Records. 2021. p. 130.
  22. Guinness Book of Records. Guinness World Records. 2024.
  23. "New record set on the tube". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2002.
  24. "Every Tube station in 18 hours". Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  25. "Tube station visit record broken". BBC News. 29 September 2004. Retrieved 29 September 2004.
  26. "Going down the tubes". Evening Standard. 17 October 2003. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  27. "Guinness World Records Certificate: Steven Wilson and Samantha Cawley (both UK) travelled through all 275 stations on the London Underground network in a time of 18hr 35min 38sec on 30 May 2006".
  28. "Steven Wilson's (tytc4) Photobucket". 2006.
  29. "So you think you know the Tube?". BBC London. 19 July 2010. At the time of writing the official Guinness World Record stood at 17 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds (set on 24 July 2008 by Steven Karahan and Andi James).
  30. "Richard's going underground on charity mission". This Is Plymouth. 4 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2011. attempt to dethrone Andi James, Martin Hazel and Steve Wilson who set the benchmark on December 14, 2009.
  31. ^ "How to do the Tube Challenge". Telegraph. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  32. Awford, Jenny (10 December 2013). "Bournemouth tube challenger breaks record for visiting New York's 468 subway stations in fastest time". Daily Echo. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  33. "New world record for Denton man who travelled to all 270 London tube stations in under 17 hours". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  34. ^ "London Tube Station Visiting Record Broken". BBC News. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  35. "New world record for Tube Challenges". Londonist. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  36. "For the record, world was enthusiats's Oyster card". Brighton Argus. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  37. "Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016. 15 hr 45 min 38 sec, and was achieved by Andy James (Finland) and Steve Wilson (UK) in London, UK, on 21 May 2015.
  38. "Fastest time to travel to all London Underground stations". Guinness World Records. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  39. "Pudsey Challenge 2010". BBC Sunderland. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
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