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Study Finds Rising Heat Causes More Subway Complaints in Boston, London and New York
The study found a 10% to 27% rise in subway heat complaints per 1°C increase above 10°C, highlighting climate change’s impact on underground transit comfort.
- On March 10, 2026 Northwestern University scientists published a Nature Cities paper finding subway riders report feeling uncomfortably hot in Boston, London, and New York.
- Rising surface heat explains more underground complaints as surface temperatures warm subterranean spaces, and commuters dressing for cold outdoors feel overdressed underground, Rotta Loria said.
- Using X and Google Reviews, the researchers analyzed more than 85,000 crowdsourced comments and identified more than 22,000 thermal complaints, which rose 10% in Boston, 12% in New York, and 27% in London per 1°C above 10°C.
- Transit agencies could use the findings to anticipate extreme heat and implement targeted measures like running more fans, as extreme heat risks public health and damages infrastructure, Giorgia Chinazzo said.
- Longer-Term monitoring and expanded public datasets would support wider application beyond Boston, London, and New York, where complaints peaked during major heat wave years such as 2018 and 2019, Rotta Loria said.
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16 Articles
16 Articles
The Record+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Taking to social media to complain about hot subway rides? You’re not alone, study says
Commuters, residents and tourists who take to social media during warm months to complain about sweltering subway systems in New York, Boston and London should feel vindicated — new research says they aren't alone.
·Waterloo, Canada
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Associated Press News+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
Taking to social media to complain about hot subway rides? You're not alone, study says
A new study in the journal Nature Cities shows that as temperatures rise aboveground, the number of subway riders reporting uncomfortable heat belowground increases.
·United States
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Subway systems are uncomfortably hot—and worsening, study finds
For millions of commuters, the workday doesn't just begin with a train ride. It also begins with a blast of heat. In one of the largest studies ever conducted on thermal comfort in metro systems, Northwestern University scientists found that subway riders consistently report feeling uncomfortably hot while underground.
·United Kingdom
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left8Leaning Right0Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Left
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
57% Left
L 57%
C 43%
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