The most stressful tube lines in London revealed

And number one isn't the Bakerloo line

tube line
(Image credit: Getty Images)

And number one isn't the Bakerloo line

Don't you just love getting a bit of insight into your daily commute? We know which one is the dirtiest tube line in London, and which ones are the hottest, and now a new survey has revealed which lines are the most stressful.

And in case you were wondering, the not-so desirable top spot doesn't go to the Bakerloo line, or the Metropolitan line.

Nope, the most stressful one is the Central line, which incidentally is the second hottest line in London, which may explain why it's so stressful to be honest.

The study, by Virgin Active, found that two thirds of the population admit that their daily journey is the main cause of their stress over and above their career, family life and even politics. People struggling most with their mental health in the capital are the ones who must commute into the city.

It also found that where you lived in London impacted your mood too, with South Londoners being the most stressed (36%) compared to their Northern (22%) and Eastern counterparts (21%).

Why? If you live south of the river you are more likely to experience the greatest delays and cancellations on trains, causing utter misery and frustration. The benefits of living in Zone 1 are clear - the closer we live to Central London the more relaxed we are with much shorter commuting times.

Here are the top 10 most stressful tube lines

  1. Central
  2. Northern
  3. Piccadilly
  4. London Overground
  5. District
  6. Victoria
  7. Bakerloo
  8. Jubilee
  9. Circle
  10. Hammersmith & City

But it's not all doom and gloom, because the same research found that exercising could be really beneficial to combatting stress: 80% are turning to physical activity to help blow off some steam, with one third taking up boxing (like Punch, Virgin Active's new class).

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.