Mobiles will be usable on the Tube

There is little escape from the mobile phone - a £350m system means commuters may continue to irritate fellow travellers even deep underground on the Tube.

There is little escape from the mobile phone - a £350m system means commuters may continue to irritate fellow travellers even deep underground on the Tube.

The good news is that Tube managers are to poll commuters first.

"We don't want to horrify people by introducing mobiles against their will," said a London Underground spokesman. "If people think it's dreadful, we won't do it. We already accept it's not natural to travel in fast-moving little trains underground."

The phones would initially work only on platforms. They will work in tunnels only if wanted by the public.