When it seemed the Bakerloo’s trains were going quite a considerable time without having a wash at the start of it all anyone could have assumed it was perhaps a temporary hiccup. But after seeing Bakerloo train after Bakerloo train totally covered in grime for the past two months and the trains are getting increasingly filthy, one must in all reasonableness conclude the shocking grime that covers the 1972 tube stock is here to stay! Its an amazing turn of events especially after the news that came in September 2024 revealing that the Piccadilly line trains were the filthiest on the entire London Underground system! The current state of the Bakerloo stock puts that into pale insignificance.
Who’d have thought such an about turn of events would take place! At least the Piccadilly line has more fall back on this than the Bakerloo as we will see later. But first let’s introduce everyone to this London Underground hell hole of unwashed tube trains!
Hi from the Bakerloo at Baker Street.
Quite a few people have noticed the seditious nature of the Bakerloo trains. Its not the graffiti – but the dirt! There’s no doubt the trains’ external graffiti problem is being exacerbated by an inability to wash the trains and the extent of graffiti has also got worse.
I realise Bakerloo Line trains are old but is there any reason why Transport for London cannot clean them? And remove the graffiti inside? pic.twitter.com/cjBIooANdd
— Philip Haigh (@philatrail) February 25, 2025
This from a former RAIL editor! Why are TfL not even cleaning the Bakerloo trains?
The one major issue with having trains covered in such deep layers of grime and muck is it must get on people’s clothes. Imagine people finding their clothes covered in filth, having tried to maybe alight from a crowded train or perhaps needed to place their hands on the sides of the train for steadiness as they board these. Those are just some of the surprises a vast fleet of completely unwashed trains could have for its passengers.
Its not only that, its a graffiti attractor too. People run their hands or fingers through the dirt and write various stuff, some of it offensive. And the stuff stays on the train for days and weeks, in fact some of the dirt graffiti has existed on the trains since the problem first began!
If anyone had ever been in doubt what the role of the person sat at the front of the train was, well there’s no longer any need to worry! Bakerloo at Oxford Circus.
Phallocracy on the move! Seen at Queens Park. This stuff has been visible for ages!
Bakerloo train at Maida Vale. At least the service came with a smile!
A number of the trains even had dust graffiti on their roofs. Dirt stricken 72 tube stock spotted at Waterloo.
Weeks of accrued dirt must no doubt get on peoples’ hands and clothes as they try to board or alight the Bakerloo trains. Seen at Paddington.
‘Clean the trai(ns)’ seen at Queens Park. A message that has undoubtedly failed to impress as passengers endure week upon week of filthy tube trains.
One of several of the worst excesses of dirt conveyancing trains on the Bakerloo line at Paddington.
The highly venerated LT roundel – the ironic effort expended in cleaning that up but not the train itself says a lot. TfL protects a lot of its iconic elements by way of copyright – but when it comes to trains the state of cleanliness happens to be a different matter. Seen at Queen’s Park 5th March 2025.
The section on the problems with the 72 tube stock not being washed has been removed because a far better exposition has been offered on Rail Forums – Poor condition of Bakerloo line stock.