For many Redbridge residents, the Central Line is the lifeline to central London for work and leisure.

Nearly half of respondents to a Recorder poll said they put up with the busy Tube line, despite its faults.

Only 17 per cent said they “hated” the Central Line and a happy 36 per cent said they “loved it”.

The most common gripes with the line included overcrowding and delays but passengers liked the frequent and fast service to central London.

Ilford South MP Mike Gapes said his experience of the busy line depends where he gets on.

He added: “If I get on at Gants Hill I can get a seat but it’s impossible at Stratford if you change from the mainline.

“I’m looking forward to Crossrail because it should take a lot of the pressure off when it opens.”

Between August and September last year, more than 99 per cent of the planned service operated on the Central Line.

There were 10 delays of more than two minutes caused by signal and point problems and four delays caused by the track.

Overall, 109,000 customer hours were lost because of delays – an improvement on 557,000 the month before and the lowest ever on the line.