tubechallenge.com

I did it earlier in 36 minutes and 32 seconds.

Anyone else?

ehm.... We're talking about one line, right?
I better go and start planning this!

Here's some more information for the others who feel like planning for this complex challenge.
http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/bir/birmingham.htm

Since a couple of stations are on the street there are probably rush hour / quiet times considerations to be taken into account. A lunchtime run during school summer holidays is probably quite a good one.

What's the challenge in this? Surely it's all down to the running of the trains, with no manual factors at all.

Precisely.

So is this the easier 'metro' challenge then? What about the Glasgow subway?

And what about the Circle line challenge? All the way around once, in either direction. Any time below fifty-two minutes wins a Mars bar.

Aha, but there's all sorts of strategies that come into play there. Do you have to finish at your starting station or the one before it (and if the latter, which starting station will allow you to miss out the longest stretch)? Do you dash out at Edgware Road and hop onto a H+C train? Is there a mad run you can do, like Farringdon to Blackfriars and then back onto the Circle line in the opposite direction?

The possibilities are... well, not endless. Maybe 20 or something.

I think the main point would be where to start and finish. The longest stretch of track is Farringon-King's Cross (I think), but you -could- save more time by avoiding the Earl's Court junction. Decisions, decisions!

And when the trains are "on time" they synchronise at Edgware Road and Aldgate (and HSK?)

Wow, I never knew that the Circle line could offer such a cornucopia of possibilities. I'd suggest that you had to use the Circle line all the way (and not get off) and finish where you started. Then you've done a complete loop.
Obviously you'd do slightly better by going anti-clockwise, and maybe by starting at one of those synchronising stations.

Farringdon to Blackfriars sounds fun!

Starkey7 wrote: cornucopia

Congrat's to Starkey who wins the "word of the week" competition

Well actually I always try to sneak long and ostentatious words into my posts without anybody noticing.