LONDON'S RICHEST TUBE LINES

Piccadilly and Northern Line Commuters

The Wealthiest in London

• Piccadilly Line commuters earn more than £56k on average

• Commuters on Hammersmith & City Line are least well-off

• Commuters on Deep Level lines earn 20 per cent more

Commuters on the Piccadilly and Northern Line are the richest in London, according to the London offices of Randstad the specialist recruiter.

A survey of 1,000 working Londoners who spend the majority of their commute on the Tube found the average salary of someone commuting on the Piccadilly Line is £56,250. The Northern Line trails close behind at £47,250.

Mark Bull, CEO of Randstad said: “With Bank a key stop on the Northern Line, you might think this would be the wealthiest tube line. While twenty years ago the Square Mile was home to pretty much every financial institution in London, the wealth has now spread east to Canary Wharf and west to the West End. The Piccadilly line, though, runs right through Green Park and Piccadilly Circus – which has become prime private equity territory over the last thirty years. As the gentlemen’s clubs of St James have moved out, the venture capitalists have moved in.

“Perhaps it’s fitting that Piccadilly line is home to the capital’s richest commuters now. During the war, the British Museum stored some of its most treasured antiquities – including the Elgin Marbles – into a disused spur of the Piccadilly line . The capital’s wealth is clearly very at home there.”

“It’s not all bad on the Northern Line though. Bank might have been voted the “Most Disliked” tube station in London – and Kennington might be haunted – but in terms of hard cash, the Northern Line is anything but The Misery Line”

Despite connecting Moorgate and Liverpool Street with the rest of London, the average salary of commuters on the Hammersmith & City Line is just £35,250.

The Hammersmith & City line is not the only sub-surface line that moves less wealthy commuters. Commuters on the District, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines are paid, on average, 20 per cent less than those on the deep-level lines.

Mark Bull said, “Sub-surface commuters may luxuriate in spacious air-conditioned coaches, but when it comes to comparing pay-packets between the deep level lines and their subsurface equivalents, it’s a case of mind the gap. While the deep level lines are known for their punishing journeys, overcrowding, and cramped conditions, the extra cash commuters are pocketing should help ease the pain.”

While very few of London’s tube commuters spend the majority of their commute on the Waterloo & City line, those that do are technically speaking the wealthiest of all – average salaries on the Waterloo & City line are £81,250.

Career Choices Reflected in Tube Lines Most Travelled

The Northern line is the most used line by a variety of professions, from Customer Services and Leisure and Hospitality workers to corporate commuters in IT and Professional Services, some professions are more prevalent on certain tube lines than others.

Mark Bull said: “Tube commuters are notorious for trying to create the illusion of their own private space, despite packed cars and it’s rare passengers glance up from their smart phones, iPods or newspapers with very few words spoken on a typical journey – if at all. On certain lines, if tube travellers did strike up a conversation they might just find that they have more in common with the person standing next to them than they might think. In fact, in many cases they could be heading to the same employer – which in some cases may explain the radio silence!”