Tube Challenge - Other Attempts

Other Attempts

It is quite common for people to attempt the challenge and be sponsored for it — often on a 'pence per station' basis, or a complete sum for travelling the whole network. Attempts have been linked to charities such as Children in Need and Comic Relief. A charity attempt known as 'Tube Relief' was organised, following the 7 July 2005 London bombings, to raise money for the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund. Fifty one people rode the entire tube network for the day, raising over £10,000 towards the official charity fund. Sue Ryder charity event took place in November 2011, where ten teams competed against each other to have their photo taken outside as many of the 270 stations as possible.

Richie Firth from Absolute Radio raised the profile of the challenge by announcing a record attempt as part of the Christian O'Connell breakfast show in 2011. Although a test run was made, the attempt was postponed due to Richie failing a medical. The attempt was eventually made in December 2012, but one station was missed due to the online timetables incorrectly stating that a train service was running to Olympia.

The BBC News Magazine ran a video piece, featuring an attempt made with Geoff Marshall and Anthony Smith, from 28 March 2013.

Other previous attempts have included a Cambridge University student and a pub landlord from Reading in 2006, a man raising money for Tearfund in 2010, two teenagers from Leighton Buzzard in 2011 and two teenagers from Sutton in February 2012.