Home • The Tube Challenge

The Tube Challenge Constitution Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional Valid CSS

by Ian Taylor
  1. This document comprises the rules and guidelines for the Tube Line Challenge (here and after referred to as the TLC). The unelected and irremovable participants in the TLC are Anon, Matt Slade and Ian Taylor. These participants are referred to as the committee.
  2. These rules are a hard copy of the initial agreement made by the committee in Summer 2003 and agreed on thereafter. These rules may only be changed by a unanimous vote from the committee with the exception of rule 2, which may not be changed.
  3. Additional members of the committee may be added at the discretion (and with a unanimous vote) from the existing committee if, and only if, the nominee has completed all tube stations completed by the existing committee to date on sanctioned barcrawls between the dates of 01-Jan-2000 and 31-Dec-2009. See rule 11 for a definition of sanctioned barcrawls.
  4. The expiry date for the TLC is 31-Dec-2009. This document ceases to be valid after this date.
  5. The goal of the TLC is to have a drink at every tube station on the London Underground map by 31-Dec-2009. This includes all stations on the Bakerloo, Central, Circle, District, East London, Hammersmith and City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, and Victoria Lines but does not include the Docklands Light Railway or any British Rail station that does not also correspond with a station on one of the above lines.
  6. Stations not geographically in London must still be done if they appear on one of the above lines. These include those weird stations at the top of the Metropolitan Line that are outside Zone 6.
  7. Stations that are on two different lines only need to be drunk at once. Two exceptions are if the tube station changes name on different line (e.g. Bank/Monument) and if the station appears on the tube map twice (e.g. Shepherds Bush).
  8. To complete a station, all members of the committee must have a drink at a pub near the station nominated by the committee. This should, where possible, be the closest pub to the station. The same pub may be used for two or more stations if it is the closest one found to each station. The closest pub may be discarded in favour of another if it is disqualified for reasons such as being closed, being a wine bar or 'looking dodgy'.
  9. The drink drunk at each station by members of the committee should be an alcoholic drink. A pint of beer (lager, bitter, cider, stout or ale,) a shot of a non-girly spirit (such as whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, tequila or aftershock,) or a bottle of beer/alcopop are all acceptable. Half pints, pints of shandy, girly shots and wine are frowned upon but allowable for completion purposes.
  10. Non-alcoholic drinks are severely frowned upon and are not usually allowable. Rare exceptions may be made by a unanimous vote from the committee if the person in question is seriously struggling and could possibly not continue if forced to drink more alcohol. This should only be invoked in rare one-off circumstances and never more than twice in a barcrawl.
  11. A sanctioned barcrawl is any barcrawl of three stations or more, where all members of the committee are present and rules 1 to 13 are obeyed in full. Single or double station bar-crawls may not be counted as these are defined as going to the pub' rather than an actual barcrawl. The exception to this rule is if there are only one or two stations left to complete on a particular tube line, in which case these may be completed on their own and considered part of the TLC.
  12. All committee members must complete all stations on the barcrawl. If any committee member is not present at any station then the barcrawl is unsanctioned at that point and this station may not be counted towards the TLC. If all committee members are not present for at least three stations of the barcrawl, then the whole barcrawl is considered unsanctioned.
  13. Barcrawls should, where possible, be along one particular tube line and the stations should be carried out in order. Stations may be carried out in a different order if this will significant improve efficiency, and if the missed stations are then completed at the first possible opportunity.

- Ian Taylor, 22-Dec-2004