London Underground glitch—same train, two different platforms

This happened to me on September 5th on the Central Line and I'm still thinking about it. I'm posting here because it fits the simulation theory framework.

I was at Oxford Circus station waiting for the eastbound train. The announcement said it was arriving in two minutes. But then I got distracted and stepped away from the platform edge to check the departure board more carefully.

When I turned back around, the exact same train (same number visible on the front, same slight graffiti mark on one window I'd noticed) was pulling into the platform behind me - the westbound platform, opposite direction, about 20 metres away.

Time stamp on my phone showed only 90 seconds had passed. The train couldn't possibly have looped around the line and come back in that time. The routes don't work that way. It's the same physical train in two places at once, basically.

I got on the eastbound one (the first one) and got off at my stop fine. But that moment of seeing the identical train on the opposite platform... it felt like a rendering error. Like the system had duplicated an object.

Anyone experienced anything like this? Simulation glitches where the same thing appears in two places simultaneously?

This is either: a) you misremembered which train was which and they're actually different b) false memory from distraction c) genuinely anomalous. The London Underground is underground specifically which could theoretically affect perception of time/space. Interesting that you noticed.

Train numbers repeat. Central Line probably has multiple trains with the same identification visible from the passenger side. The graffiti mark is likely also repeated across multiple trains or you misremembered it. Simulation theory is fun but Occam's Razor usually wins.

It felt like a rendering error. Like the system had duplicated an object.

This is the interesting bit though. Even if there's a mundane explanation, you're noticing things that feel «wrong» at a perceptual level. That's worth investigating. Our brains are pattern-matching machines and sometimes they flag genuine anomalies.

I've had similar experiences on the Tube where timing seems off. Like you're somewhere for what feels like 2 minutes but 20 have passed, or vice versa. London Underground stations are incredibly disorienting - no natural light, strange architecture, noise. Easy place for perception to glitch legitimately.

Next time you're in that situation, take a photo. If the same train somehow appears on two platforms simultaneously, that's proper evidence. Right now it's an interesting anecdote but documentation would make it significant.