The Refillable Water Bottle Tube Map

If you’re wondering what symbol will be added to the subway map next, how about a refillable water bottle?

It’s always obvious in retrospect.

To be fair, this is not a Tube map, just the Overground network, which is why the map is titled “London Overground Stations with Free Drinking Fountains”. So the new symbol means “station with free drinking fountain”, and you will either be impressed by their number or disappointed by their small number.

The Mayor wants you to have somewhere to refill a water bottle because he’s trying to cut down on single-use plastic in London, and TfL wants you to be able to hydrate more easily because people passing out on trains tend to disrupt the service. Apparently, the average Londoner buys more than three plastic water bottles a week, or a worrying 175 a year, the exact same statistic that was bandied about six years ago when the Mayor announced the first round of water coolers.

It seems odd to launch a water bottle map at the end of summer rather than the beginning, and equally odd to launch it a month before the six Overground lines are colour coded differently, but it is not our job to explain why.

Even if I move around the map, it doesn’t look quite as impressive. It turns out that the Liberty line will have no free drinking fountains, the Lioness line will have only one (at Euston) and the Suffragette line will have only two. Mildmay, Weaver and Windrush are doing rather better, but so far there are only 28 Overground stations with charging, so it’s best to fill up before you set off.

Reading a press release is all well and good, but I wanted to experience these free water fountains in real life, so I grabbed my refillable bottle and went to visit seven of them. You may not be surprised to learn that the map wasn’t always particularly helpful, or even apparently accurate.

Homerton

Homerton is a small station so it was very easy to find, it was built into the wall just beyond the ticket gates, next to the Tube bins. It is one of six new free water refill points installed by the Overground, and it looked very smart. It is also fully automatic, you just place your bottle under the spout and the water flows until you pick it up again. I thought the water dispensed was slightly cold, but maybe I was imagining that. Also, the machine has a small LCD display showing the number of bottles saved. Yesterday it was just over 3000, but I admire the manufacturers optimism as the display has eight digits so could easily cope with everyone in the UK using it.

Hackney Centre

One stop later I had more problems. I scoured the platforms with no luck, as well as the original ticket hall next to platform 2, and the new ticket gates next to platform 1. It took a while. Eventually I approached the staff at the assistance desk, waved my bottle and asked if the station had a water refill machine. They shook their heads. I didn’t say “but there’s a new map today and it says Hackney Central has a free drinking fountain”, but thought “ha, typical, the map is actually wrong”. I can’t fault the staff though, as they offered to give me a free refill anyway. They walked me to the platform where I waited while they filled my bottle in the dining hall, all the way to the top, and what’s more, it was nice and cold too. I received fantastic customer service, but that couldn’t hide the fact that the new card appeared to be incorrect.

The Hackney Downs

I had problems here too. The station has three sets of platforms, a deep underpass, and a narrow funnel that opens onto the street. I explored some of them, and eventually asked the staff member at the entrance if he knew where a water filling machine was. Alas, he didn’t. But I kept looking anyway and eventually found it in the center of platform 2, next to the staff office, also with just over 3,000 lifetime users. Now that I know where the machine is, I can use it over and over again, but the problem with the map is that it doesn’t show the location, it just sends you on a scavenger hunt around the station until you manage to find it. I gather from bitter experience that this is not optimal.

Bethnal Green

Is it on the platforms? No, it’s not. Is it in the subway? No, it’s not. This time it’s in the ticket area, out The entrance gates, under a small blue sign that says ‘Compliments of London Overground’. As it’s outside the entrance gates, this means that anyone on the street can use it, which is a good thing, but also that no one on a train can get out and use it without incurring a nasty fare penalty. Inside or outside is quite important, in practice, if you want your bottle filled.

Haggerston/Hoxton

These fountains are also located outside the ticket gates, and this time they are also located outside the station, as they have nothing to do with the Overground. They were introduced five years ago in the first wave of Sadiq fountains, partly funded by Thames Water, and feature a distinctive blue water droplet perched on top. You can’t miss them on the pavement, especially the Hoxton dispenser, but you should remember to get out and look.

Liverpool Street

My latest search for a water refill was tricky as Liverpool Street station is vast and the machine could have been anywhere. It certainly wasn’t in the ‘Overground’ part of the concourse as I looked around and then decided it would be quicker to go and ask at the central information kiosk. ‘It’s over there’, gestured the staff member, and lo and behold, there it was by the Tube entrance in the alcove next to the lift used for step-free access. It turned out to be a beast of a machine, a flashy dispenser supplied by @sipplehydration that appeared to offer super-cool, double-filtered UV-sterilised water… for a price. It was 45p for a chilled half-litre, 75p for a litre at room temperature and 10p more if you wanted sparkling water. Don’t worry, there was an option for free tap water below so I used it, but it was all a bit of a touchscreen palaver and I’m reminded of the squirting simplicity of Homerton any day.

In conclusion, of the seven stations I tried…

Homerton:Inside the front door (in the subway)

Hackney Centre: Unable to locate

The Hackney Downs:Middle of platform 2

Bethnal Green:Outside the boarding line (by ticket machine)

Haggerston/Hoxton: Outside the station (on the street)

Liverpool Street:Next to the elevator leading to the metro

A tube map with bottles on it is all well and good, but what is missing in practice is a precise list of where the water filling stations are. For example, it turns out that Hackney Central do There is a water filling machine, a small black object outside the access gates at the new Graham Road entrance, but the staff on the other side of the station were completely unaware of its existence. If they can’t locate it, what are the chances for the rest of us?

The new Overground supply points are great once you find them, but right now the campaign feels too much like a poorly mapped orienteering challenge, with a relatively small number of stations. Hopefully things will have improved, in terms of numbers and direction, by next summer.