I'm actually a little saddened by this. The lack of connectivity in the tube felt like a positive aspect in ways that I'm finding difficult to articulate. Something... humanizing, about being surrounded by people who
weren't having a conversation with someone you couldn't see. For a brief interlude, your carriage mates are the only humans in your universe - a cozy little intimate moment in a bustling and anonymous city. A chance to see how a random slice of an incredibly wide demographic conducts themselves when cut off from the global hive mind. One of the few places you might still see someone reading a book instead of doomscrolling.
It was bound to happen, but I'll miss it. Time marches on.