Does the clock seen in the tube platform run with conventional minutes?

Question

I've tried to measure the minutes whilst waiting for the tube - and it seemed that one tube minute is one and a half conventional minutes. Is this true?

Answer 1

Time, and the accurate measurement thereof, has been a crucial part of rail operations for a century and a half.

In the days before automatic block signals, a railroader with an accurate watch was a safety device as well as a part of a method for dispatching trains over various territories.

I think it more likely that you have encountered a malfunctioning timekeeping device.  US railroads operate on GMT, or Zulu time, with the appropriate adjustments for global position and in compliance with the Uniform Time Act, expressed in 24 hour, or "military" notation.

The platform clocks may not be maintained, but it wouldn't take long for a major time discrepancy to be evident.  Have you checked your watch?

Answer 2

I think they use Martian minutes just to keep us on our toes.

Answer 3

It is because the countdown is triggered by the train passing sensors in the Tunnel. I guess that if a train takes longer then a minute to pass between the sensors (ie a longer then average station stop, a temporary speed limit or a cautious driver) then the minute shown on the displays will be longer