Race The Tube - Sprint
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited as proof that a fit person can outrun a Tube train over short distances.
What it is
A two-minute video of an athlete sprinting against a London Underground Circle Line train between Mansion House and Cannon Street. It shows a runner keeping pace with and beating the train.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2015 to 2018.
What Hacker News said
Cites cxz · 2015-06 · on “Crossrail: The monster tunnelling under London streets”
Someone managed to run between them actually, leaving the train at Mansion House and catching up to it again at Cannon Street! [this video]
Cites Silhouette · 2016-01 · on “Why London Underground stopped people walking up the escalators”
Sorry, but I don't think some of your assumptions make much sense. Tube train tunnels are large. If we were developing some alternative method of transport, why would we reserve the entire cross section of current tunnels for single occupancy vehicles? As demonstrated by the Tube itself, much higher densities could be achieved, even with private vehicles, either by having multiple people per vehicle or by using smaller vehicles that didn't require as much space and could run alongside others. Of course density isn't the only thing that matters. Consider that the average speed of an Underground train is about 20mph. A fit person can run faster than a Tube train moves over short distances.[1]
Cites BuildTheRobots · 2018-01 · on “Under River, Outside Time: The Woolwich Foot Tunnel Anomaly”
There's a handful of stations on the tube where above ground they're but a few minutes walk even though underground the train takes much longer (and I believe I much more circuitous path). IIRC you can actually jump out at the platform and run above ground to the next station before the train arrives. Edit: Here's a guy racing the Circle Line from Mansion House to Cannon Street [this video]