# @science on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DV87z_FElUR
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/60146647-science-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2a6f8f617d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-03-16T16:31:16.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Science 🧬 (@science) — https://gondola.cc/science

## Caption

If you're standing on a sweltering subway platform, you're not suffering in solitude. A new study tracking rider complaints across New York, Boston, and London found that underground heat discomfort has been rising in a clear, measurable way as outdoor temperatures climb.⁠
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Using more than 85,000 posts from X and Google Reviews published between 2008 and 2024, researchers identified over 22,000 complaints specifically tied to thermal discomfort in subway systems. Instead of relying on short surveys or scattered temperature checks, they used years of public posts to build a wider picture of how commuters actually experience heat below street level.⁠
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The trend was steep. For every 1°C increase above 10°C, complaints rose by 10% in Boston, 12% in New York, and 27% in London. Complaints peaked in summer, especially in July, and surged during major heatwave years like 2018 and 2019. In Boston and New York, riders complained most around noon and again near 9 p.m., while London peaked in the late afternoon.⁠
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That underground heat comes from several sources at once. Soil and rock trap warmth, while trains, braking systems, lighting, and human bodies keep adding more. In London, subway temperatures have reached 47°C, hotter than the city’s highest recorded surface air temperature.⁠
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The study argues this is far more than a miserable commute. Extreme underground heat can threaten public health, deform rails, strain mechanical systems, affect groundwater, and disrupt the hidden infrastructure cities depend on. The heat building below our feet is becoming harder to ignore, and much more dangerous than a sweaty train ride home.⁠
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Source: 10.1038/s44284-026-00404-4⁠
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#science #climatechange #subway #publictransit #heatwave #urbanheat #infrastructure #cities #environment #transportation #research

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 346
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- **Comments:** 5

## Tags

science, publictransit, research, climatechange, infrastructure, transportation, environment, cities, subway, heatwave, urbanheat

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