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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2327/2343447413_046b4373ce_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23171307@N06/2343447413/)
London Underground A (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23171307@N06/2343447413/) by neiljaxx (http://www.flickr.com/people/23171307@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5655833594_fe28606b7e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zedzap/5655833594/)
London's Paddington Train Station in HDR (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zedzap/5655833594/) by ZedZaP (http://www.flickr.com/people/zedzap/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5063/5673321181_28220097ab_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7point1/5673321181/)
Going Underground, Waterloo, London (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7point1/5673321181/) by 7point1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/7point1/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5672706138_708757d9f6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/5672706138/)
Knightsbridge Underground station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/5672706138/) by bowroaduk (http://www.flickr.com/people/24772733@N05/), on Flickr

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Really cool. :cheers2:

Jubilee line upgrade nearing completion

Work to upgrade the Jubilee line in order to provide a faster and more flexible service to commuters continues to gather pace, with plans to close parts of the line over the next two months.

Transport for London (TfL) reports that this will be the final series of weekend closures that are scheduled in order to get more trains running from July.

The dates will primarily affect the northern end of the line between West Hampstead and Stanmore and once the work is complete it is hoped that 5,000 more commuters will be able to use the service every hour.

London Underground Managing Director Mike Brown said: "We know this upgrade has often been difficult and I'd like to thank Londoners and Jubilee line customers for their patience as we approach this final milestone." The closures will take place at weekends between Sunday 15 May and Sunday 26 June.

Record numbers of people are currently using Tube services, with TfL recently reporting that 42 million more people took this form of transport during the financial year ending March 31st 2011 than the previous 12 months.

http://www.trl.co.uk/trl-news-hub/transport-news/latest-transport-news/jubilee-line-upgrade-nearing-completion_800516836.htm

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New trains?

I feel like this thing is , newer faster, bigger and cleaner too compared to Piccadilly line trains (IMO)

What is the fastest line in LU, you know?

The Met is the fastest line, though that's more as there's space out in the sticks for the trains to reach top-speed (though A-stock is speed limited to 50mph due to age) before having to slow down for the next station. Most LU trains have the same top-speed, though I think S-stock might be a bit faster, but limited.

The new S-stock trains are smaller than the old A-stock ones (mostly as S-stock will have to navigate the currently C- and D-stock lines that aren't as generous with gauge, but also as A stock has the largest profile of any train in Britain), though are more spacious, with less seats, the walk-through carriages and so on.

Being new, newer and cleaner are givens when comparing trains on the Piccadilly to S-stock. As S-stock is for surface gauge, not tube-gauge, lines they are going to be bigger as there's no point in making trains smaller than they have to be.

Thanks for the explanation sotonsi, I wouldn't give such a detailed one.

Cheers sotosi, Thanks for your perfect information :)

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^^That's more appropriate in the other thread.

I see, i didn't realised they are different types of trains :)

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Battersea Northern Line extension plans go on show

TRANSPORT FOR LONDON has launched a consultation today over plans to extend the Northern Line from Kennington to Nine Elms and Battersea. The privately-funded 3km line would provide an important link to a regeneration area in south London.

TfL said the new infrastructure, which could be complete by 2017, would support up to 25,000 jobs and 16,000 new homes in the major redevelopment area around the old power station as well as easing pressure on existing Underground and National Rail stations, particularly Vauxhall.

If the extension goes ahead two new stations would be created, one at Nine Elms and one at Battersea.

Around 40,000 leaflets are being sent to homes and offices in the surrounding area asking people for their views on the project, the location of stations and other infrastructure associated with the extension. Local people can also find out more about the proposals at exhibitions being held on several days in May and June.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson gave the go-ahead for the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station last year. The construction of the extension will depend on funding from the developers Treasury Holdings, and the award of a Transport and Works Act Order by the Secretary of State.

In the first stage of the public consultation, in 2010, local residents were asked by Treasury Holdings to comment on four possible routes for the line, all from Kennington to Battersea. One included an interchange at Vauxhall, but the preferred option was a route via south Nine Elms.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "The iconic Battersea Power Station and its surrounding area have lain dormant too long but the incredible potential of the area could be realised by a privately funded extension of the Tube. I hope local people will visit the exhibitions and respond to the consultation as the plans have the potential to transform this part of London into a thriving new quarter, and deliver the first expansion of the Northern Line for around 70 years."

Rob Tincknell, who is managing director of Treasury Holdings, said: "The extension of the Northern Line is recognised as necessary for the full regeneration of the Nine Elms Opportunity Area. The project to make this happen is an excellent example of how the public and private sectors have come together to achieve a set of shared objectives, all aimed at integrating this area into the rest of Central London and bringing real benefits to everyone who lives in this part of London and beyond."

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/metro/2011/05/09-battersea-northern-line-extension-plans.html

When are they going to invest in major Tube expansion in the neglected south (SE to SW)? Those areas need Tube connections badly. I don't understand why the Northern line? Is this going to be a new branch from Kennington to Battersea (over Nine Elms)?

When are they going to invest in major Tube expansion in the neglected south (SE to SW)? Those areas need Tube connections badly. I don't understand why the Northern line? Is this going to be a new branch from Kennington to Battersea (over Nine Elms)?

It makes all sense to me. What's the point of building a major residential complex as part of the Battersea project without proper transport connections? Besides, the new US Embassy will be built in the Nine Elms area.

But why the Northern line? Why not Victoria from Pimlico to Battersea or better yet Central from Clapham Junction to Nine Elms and possible future connection to Kennington (Northern)? I'd like to know the reason behind the decision because it doesn't make sense to me as it is.

Or why not invest in expanding current lines and perhaps new W2E line in the south because Croydon is the only city in south London that has Tube connections. Extending Northern from Mordon to Epsom would be much more useful because Stockwell which serves both Northern and Victoria is 10min walk from Nine Elms, same for Clapham to Battersea, even less than 10min.

Why not Victoria from Pimlico to Battersea

The Victoria line is already overcrowded as it is. Adding more stations, and thus more passengers onto that doesn't sound like a good idea.

or better yet Central from Clapham Junction to Nine Elms

The Central Line comes nowhere near Clapham Junction, so I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Realistic choices were between extending the Victoria Line or the Northern. Extending the Victoria was not withheld for the reasons stated before (overcrowding) while extending the Nothern gives a faster and easier connection to the financial district (Bank).

Besides, the US Embassy project will include residential buildings and with the housing shortage in London, you can expect a lot of people in the area. Underground links are essential and with a connection to such a central location, I don't know how it could be better.

Consultations set on Underground extension

A privately funded extension of London Underground’s Northern Line to Battersea has the potential to unlock the area’s “incredible potential”, Boris Johnson, the London mayor, said on Monday as he launched public consultations on the project.

The extension would take the line, parts of which date back to 1890, 3km from Kennington in south London through Vauxhall and Nine Elms to the redeveloped Battersea Power Station site on the south side of the Thames. The work could be complete by 2017, according to Transport for London.

The network’s last extension took the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow airport’s new Terminal 5 in 2008. The last major extension was the Jubilee Line from Green Park to Stratford in 1999. Mr Johnson said the power station and its surrounding area had lain dormant too long but that the new route could realise their potential.

The new route would be funded by Treasury Holdings, the developer working on the site of the famous brown brick power station designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It is intended to improve public transport access to the development area along the Thames’s south bank, which is intended eventually to include 16,000 homes and provide 25,000 jobs. The line is expected to take trains arriving at Kennington from London’s West End, which mostly currently run around a loop and back towards the west end, on to Battersea.

Consultations will run until June 17 and will be backed by a series of meetings and exhibitions in the affected areas.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a9517e3a-7a59-11e0-af64-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1LyWMxQ20

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But why the Northern line? Why not Victoria from Pimlico to Battersea or better yet Central from Clapham Junction to Nine Elms and possible future connection to Kennington (Northern)? I'd like to know the reason behind the decision because it doesn't make sense to me as it is.

Or why not invest in expanding current lines and perhaps new W2E line in the south because Croydon is the only city in south London that has Tube connections. Extending Northern from Mordon to Epsom would be much more useful because Stockwell which serves both Northern and Victoria is 10min walk from Nine Elms, same for Clapham to Battersea, even less than 10min.

There's a thread for the Northern Line extension (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=648864).

Battersea will the terminus if this proposal goes ahead right?

this is from the 70's - from a book about using the tube to see the tourist sites

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9281/015syw.jpg

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/1448/016s2.jpg

Fantastic! Is it yours?

yes in my collection of souvenirs i have the whole book - i am sure the map has changed a wee bit since than

It was only relatively recently that I realised that the current Jubilee line used to be a part of the bakerloo. It's great to see it in a map. It also explains Baker Street's great interchange.

But why the Northern line? Why not Victoria from Pimlico to Battersea or better yet Central from Clapham Junction to Nine Elms and possible future connection to Kennington (Northern)? I'd like to know the reason behind the decision because it doesn't make sense to me as it is.

Or why not invest in expanding current lines and perhaps new W2E line in the south because Croydon is the only city in south London that has Tube connections. Extending Northern from Mordon to Epsom would be much more useful because Stockwell which serves both Northern and Victoria is 10min walk from Nine Elms, same for Clapham to Battersea, even less than 10min.

Extending the Northern Line makes a lot of sense. To understand why, you need to understand the layout at Kennington. There used to be two tube lines, the Great Northern and the Hamstead Tube. There are four platforms at Kennington - the two middle platforms serve the Northern Line via City branch, the two outer platforms serve the Northern Line via Charing Cross branch - these last two platforms are connected by a large radius loop so trains can turn around without reversing.

The extension to Nine Elms would involve new tunnels branching off this loop - so essentially all trains from the Charing Cross branch would run to Nine Elms, instead of terminating at Kennington or running down to Morden.

Here's a drawing of Kennington Station looking south. The southbound tunnel to Nine Elms would branch off from the return loop (near trhe end of the word "...Trains") with the northbound tunnel joining to the right. This would fit nicely with TFL plans to split the Northern Line (Nine-Elms to Edgeware (Hampstead Line?) and Morden to High Barnett and Mill Hill East (Great Northern Line) once they solve capacity issues at Camden Town for interchanging passengers.
http://husk.org/www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/7069/ltkenn.gif
Source: Husk.org

What a fantastic sketch! :cheers2:

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What a fantastic sketch! :cheers2:

It's interesting that LU evidently used to use 'up' and 'down' to label lines, as NR still do today. I don't really know how it would have worked... As London-centric as it sounds, on NR 'up' denotes the London-bound track and 'down' the country-bound track... Easy to remember as "Up to London, down to the country"... but by very nature every LU line traverses London, so a line which is heading into London ends up heading out of London further down the line so I don't understand how they were labelled unless they switched from 'up' to 'down' or vice versa at a point in Central London.

In this diagram the Morden-bound platforms are labelled 'down' and London-bound 'up' as you'd expect... but at East Finchley there was a junction between the Northern Line and the former GNR branches to Edgware and High Barnet, where if the northbound track remained 'up', it would be joining the 'down' BR track at East Finchley which is an anomaly.

This is why LU uses westbound / eastbound / northbound / southbound and not up / down today. I wonder when it changed and how it used to work?

Underground lines are completely horizontal are they?

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Thanks a lot for the explanation. Are there any other expansion plans?

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Underground lines are completely horizontal are they?

???

If you're referring to the 'up' and 'down' terminology... that has nothing to do with whether the lines are going up or down gradients... Of course LU lines have plenty of very steep gradients, bear in mind the topography of London varies from marginally above sea level at The Thames (the tube crossings beneath are well below sea level), to over 150m track height on the Metropolitan Line in the Chiltern hills...

Not much over 150m, mind you. Amersham station is about 500ft ASL, and the reversing sidings are about 15ft higher, if that (Chesham is lower, being in a bowl)

@Tubeman: of course I know the terminology has nothing to do with that. I just had the impression it's more difficult to feel the actual ups and downs while underground.

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It was only relatively recently that I realised that the current Jubilee line used to be a part of the bakerloo. It's great to see it in a map. It also explains Baker Street's great interchange.

What you don't see on the tube maps is the great sweeping curve of the Jubilee Line as it approaches Baker Street from Green Park. Leaving Green Park NB, the tunnels turn east and then begin a large radius curve so they end up parallel to the Bakerloo platforms. This allows cross-platform SB Bakerloo - SB Jubilee.

In reality, the Jubilee tunnels get very close to Regent Street Underground Station (on the Bakerloo) - on a tube map and even a map of London showing the route of the lines, the Jubilee appears to run in a straight line from Green Park to Baker Street.

Baker Street and actual tunnel alignments
http://fridaynightsmoke.co.uk/tubemap.gif
source: fridaynightsmoke.co.uk

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Is it possible to reduce the number of videos to news-related ones? I open this thread always hoping to find actual stuff about the LU, not to watch videos which i can find on youtube as well. Thanks in forward!

Is it possible to reduce the number of videos to news-related ones? I open this thread always hoping to find actual stuff about the LU, not to watch videos which i can find on youtube as well.

I agree.

^Concur. Just add the videos to your previous post using the edit button, surely?

Is it possible to reduce the number of videos to news-related ones? I open this thread always hoping to find actual stuff about the LU, not to watch videos which i can find on youtube as well. Thanks in forward!

Seconded.

Reluctantly agree. Perhaps a new thread dedicated to your train videos?

I agree too

Reluctantly agree. Perhaps a new thread dedicated to your train videos?

That's what a YouTube channel is for.

Well I happen to enjoy seeing the videos; it's the main reason I keep coming back to the thread. But I guess if it bothers other people I can just search for them on Youtube.

Gun police to patrol the Underground to counter terror threat

Armed police will start routine patrols on trains and the London Underground to counter the rising threat of a terrorist attack on the transport system. The first are expected this year, with regular operations beginning in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to announce approval next week for plans to arm the British Transport Police. The move, agreed with the Home Secretary, comes amid growing fears of a Mumbai-style terror raid on railway and Tube stations.

The decision means the BTP will have its own unit of armed officers, expected to be about 100 strong, and need no longer rely on asking the Met for support. Armed officers from other forces were deployed on transport patrols for about two months after the 7/7 terror attack on the Underground in 2005.

The new unit will be based at key rail stations in London but also deployed for occasional patrols on the Underground. Officers will have a fleet of armed response cars and will carry Heckler and Koch MP5 carbines and Glock 9mm self-loading pistols. Last year John Yates, Britain's most senior anti-terrorism officer, warned that police need more powerful weapons to deal with the possibility of a Mumbai-style attack involving multiple gunmen armed with machine guns.

His call led to a review of the weapons carried by forces and the adoption of high-powered rifles capable of penetrating body armour. Nearly 200 people were killed in the Indian city in 2008 when gunmen attacked hotels and the main railway stations. Security analyst Paul Beaver said: "Circumstances in the Tube are much more complex than the street. Training must be much more vigorous. In the run-up to the Olympics this shows they are taking the threat very seriously."

The move will be the first time since the Second World War that armed BTP officers patrol the Underground network as a matter of routine.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23951931-gun-police-to-patrol-the-underground-to-counter-terror-threat.do

DLR upgrades 'ready for the Olympics'

Passengers using the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) as part of their travel plans during the 2012 Olympics will find the service has been extended, following a successful upgrade.

The project was completed on time and on budget, according to Transport for London (TfL) - with new three-car trains being added to the route between Tower Gateway and Beckton.

It is estimated 70,000 travellers are set to use the service each day during next year's Games. In addition, platforms have been lengthened and track and signalling improvements have been carried out under the £325 million project, while a new station has been constructed at South Quay.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "The 50 per cent increase in capacity and longer platforms to accommodate them have been delivered bang on time and more than a year ahead of the 2012 Games."

Meanwhile, Olympic Delivery Authority Director of Transport Hugh Sumner added that the improved service will allow communities to stay better connected "long after" the commencement of the event. TfL and developer Treasury Holdings this week announced a public consultation into plans to extend the Northern Line to Battersea Power Station.

http://www.trl.co.uk/trl-news-hub/transport-news/latest-transport-news/dlr-upgrades-ready-for-the-olympics_800527370.htm

The videos should remain as they are, it's the only thing that keeps this thread going!

i love the videos! as a non london forumer i love these insights! keep them up!

Tube upgrades 'will benefit UK economy'

An essential programme of work is underway on the London Underground system in order to ensure it is able to cope with increased capacity.

Transport for London has warned that commuters should check before they travel to find out whether any part of their route is being disrupted by the work. The project is deemed as vital to cope with the growing population of the city by delivering more trains and faster, more frequent and reliable services.

In addition, many of the Tube carriages will feature air conditioning following the upgrades, while capacity will be increased by 30 per cent - with the department hoping this will help support economic growth. As well as the Underground, passengers are advised to check any Overground or Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services they regularly use, as some of these routes will also be affected.

Earlier in the month, it was announced that the DLR's three-car upgrade has been completed on time and within budget, meaning it will be able to serve commuters during the London Olympic Games.

http://www.trl.co.uk/trl-news-hub/transport-news/latest-transport-news/tube-upgrades-will-benefit-uk-economy_800537805.htm

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Hey Porto do you think you could put in a title for the videos you are linking to so people know what they are clicking on?

Picture album of one of the S Stock's first runs to Aldgate and back. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/0causton0/sets/72157626674475867/with/5756726002/)

Tube will be open until 2am for London Olympics

London Underground trains will be running until the early hours of the morning during the Olympics next year. The timetable for transporting the millions of fans to and from the events has finally been released, including more over ground and Tube services.

During the games, the last Underground trains will leave the Olympic Park at 1:30am, while trains will be leaving central London until 2am and more services will be available in the evenings.

Late services to Exeter, Liverpool Lime Street, Cardiff Central, Birmingham New Street, Oxford and Manchester Piccadilly will also be laid on. In total, almost 4,000 extra services will run throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a number of trains operating during busy periods also boasting more carriages.

Any disruptive engineering works have been cancelled by Network Rail on routes serving the Olympic venues and Transport for London is suspending planned maintenance closures throughout the summer. Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: 'As well as being able to book their London 2012 Games train fares up to 12 months in advance – a UK first – spectators will also be able to take advantage of thousands of extra services, earlier starting and later trains.'

A working party was previously set up to examine if Tube services could run 24-hours a day during the Games, however, these plans appear not to have come to fruition.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/864366-tube-will-be-open-until-2am-for-london-olympics

i love the videos :)

if the underground is staying open extra hours til 2 am what time does it normally close?

Usually around 11:30-12:00 in my experience

Depends which line and where in London you are. The last train from most Zone 1 stations usually leave between 00.00-00.40.

For example tonight the last Victoria line train from Oxford Circus is at 00.38 (north) 00.30 (south), the last Piccadilly line trains from Leicester Square are 00.30 (north) and 00.09 (south).

If you are travelling into Central London the last trains are earlier, usually 23.45-00.00 depending on how far outside London you are. Here are the last weekday trains from all the termini.

Chesham = 23.28
Heathrow = 23.45
Upminster = 23.41
Epping = 23.45
Amersham = 23.48
Watford = 23.51
West Ruislip = 23.53
Harrow & Wealdstone = 23.54
Cockfosters = 23.55
Wimbledon = 23.57
High Barnet = 23.57
Uxbridge = 23.59
Edgware = 23.59
Morden = 00.01
Richmond = 00.04
Walthamstow Central = 00.07
Stanmore = 00.10
Brixton = 00.12
Elephant & Castle = 00.23

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Police given green light to carry guns on tubes and trains

The British Transport Police have been given the go-ahead to carry out armed patrols of our railways and the London Underground in response to the terrorist threat - currently at its highest level.

Until now, the BTP has not carried weapons, but Transport Secretary Philip Hammond today announced their force will now be armed. He said armed BTP officers would be 'deployed as appropriate in response to the terrorism threat level at any given time'.

In a Commons statement, Mr Hammond said that training BTP officers to carry out armed patrolling of the rail network would 'equip them with a capability already available to other forces'. He added that it would not be a daily event to see armed officers at stations and they would be deployed 'according to operational need'.

Mr Hammond said: 'The Government has been considering the resilience of the overall police armed capability and has concluded that it would be beneficial to enhance this by providing the BTP with an armed capability of its own. The timing of this is not as a result of any specific threat: it is a sensible and pragmatic approach to ensuring that our police forces have the right resources to be able to respond as and when needed to protect the public.'

The forces' Chief Constable Andy Trotter told the Daily Mail: 'I welcome the decision for BTP to have armed officers at mainline stations during times of heightened threat of terrorist attack. 'BTP officers have an excellent working knowledge of the railway which will enable them to respond quickly to any incidents.'

The 7/7 attacks on the Underground in 2005 highlighted the vulnerability of an 'open' system such as the Tube, which, because of its nature, cannot become a 'closed' system like an airport, where passengers can be thoroughly security-checked before passing through. This measure is the first step in further protecting our railways against similar attacks.

http://travel.aol.co.uk/2011/05/25/British-transport-police-given-green-light-to-carry-guns-on-tubes-and-trains/

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DLR boss, Fantastic Mr Fox, is on track for the Olympics

If Jonathan Fox is stressed about what is by far the biggest test of his career, he is a magician at hiding it. Fox is director of the DLR and his driverless light rail system is about to be thrust into the international spotlight as it carries almost double its daily volume of passengers around to crucial Olympics venues next year.

Questions have been asked, not least by ExCeL chief executive Kevin Murphy, about the network’s ability to cope with the deluge of humanity the Games is expected to attract. There are certainly no veins bulging from Fox’s head when he presents his case, though.

“The Olympics isn’t tomorrow. We will be ready,” he stresses. But rogue factors still slightly trouble him. “When you haven’t sold a ticket yet it’s quite difficult to understand how many people will be coming to the Games. But we are working on forecasts that the ODA and LOCOG supply and they are assuming they will sell all the tickets – the busiest case scenario.

“But the difficult one to predict is how many people come to London just to be part of the Games ‘feel’. How many live sights are there going to be? Actually estimating how many people are going to turn up to a free site is very difficult. So there’s some wooliness around the edges.”

In an average week, the DLR transports 275,000 passengers a day, but during the Games he expects around 500,000. “The amount of people we’ll have to carry is almost double. The difference is that we carry most passengers in the peak, whereas the Games are a whole-day affair and also into the evening.”

Professionalism

The 46-year-old answers every question with a calm professionalism, but his answers come served with a heavy dose of industry jargon, showing a man happily encased by his responsibilities.

His career reads like trainspotter pornography. He stepped out of university into British Rail as a trainee operations manager and he’s been bouncing around top jobs in the industry ever since, such as playing a part in launching commercial services through the Channel Tunnel. He’s been DLR director since 2004.

Fox, who in the flesh could easily pass for mid-30s, feigns offence when I suggest that, with this pedigree, one could label him a trainspotter. “I’m a buff, but not into that sort of stuff. You’ve got to be interested in trains to do trains for as long as I have. It does fascinate me, but I’m not a trainspotter,” he assures me – for the third time.

While Fox’s father was a pit manager in the china clay industry in Cornwall, trains run through his veins from both sides of the family a generation before. His grandfathers toiled on the Cornish railways; his paternal one as chief clerk in the booking office at St Austall and his maternal grandfather as a track repair ‘ganger’.

“That wasn’t uppermost in my mind while I was going through university doing my economics degree, but trains were in my family and they were talked about,” his Londonised (since 1982) accent wandering back into the West Country momentarily. “If you live in a fairly remote part of Cornwall, the railway represents mobility and seeing part of the world.”

Fox, who now calls north-west London his home, commutes on the DLR, the last leg of his daily journey to Serco’s offices by Poplar station. The cricket-lover says he’s a team player, not an autocratic leader, while stressing that the buck stops with him. He draws parallels between how he plays his favourite sport and his management style.

“The way I play my cricket is that team is the big thing. I tend to bat in the middle of the order and I normally field close to the bat or keep wicket. I’m involved in everything. I’m more Paul Collingwood than a Kevin Pietersen.”

Fox is proud of his record of project delivery at DLR, which has seen the opening of new routes and the increase of train sizes (from two to three cars) which has meant extensive platform modifications.

Frustrated

He reels these off with gusto: “Three-car train Bank to Lewisham, February last year, tick; 22 new vehicles as part of a 55-new-vehicle offer, all in service 2010, tick; Woolwich-Arsenal, tick, tick.”

But, inevitably, there’s always a skeleton in the project-delivery closet and, again, the Olympic spectre materialises. Despite the successful roll-out of three-car services into the ExCeL last week, there is one sore point for Fox: the key Stratford International link. “We hoped it would be opened in late 2010. I’m highly frustrated that we’re late. The systems integration has not worked as well as it could have done. But we’re over the worst and can see the finish line – ballpark is July.”

Fox is using the London Marathon and World Travel Market at ExCeL as his own Olympic test events. But there is a plan B, one which could involve queuing times unknown in the heaviest rush hour. It’s particularly aimed at day three of the Games when they’ll be events at the Olympic Park and Greenwich.

“We can’t build more railways overnight or order more vehicles overnight so it’s managing people through the stations that’s the plan B. The safety valve is the queue time. At the moment we are targeting a maximum of an hour or so at busiest times.”

Is an hour reasonable? 
Certainly, given the circumstances, responds Fox. He is relentlessly confident that his network of driverless trains and (some) unmanned stations will be able to handle the Olympic crush.

“If you look at Athens, they would have given their right arm to be ready a year before the Games.”

EXPAND AND DELIVER?

Earlier this month a map surfaced on the TfL website illustrating “potential” new DLR routes. It proposes extending the network west, east and south including to St Pancras and Victoria. “The story goes back over 10 years when we did a horizon study about where the DLR could extend to,” says Fox. “The railway went to Beckton so the obvious extensions were to City Airport, Woolwich-Arsenal, Stratford International and Dagenham Dock.

“Dagenham is a well-established route anyway and that’s more long term because the rate of residential growth in that area hasn’t been as strong as it otherwise was so that hasn’t stacked up as a case. But going west, we said how can we fit in with the existing plans - we don’t want to replicate Crossrail or whatever.

“But the reason why St Pancras and Euston have become a possibility is because of the high-speed rail project.” There’s a lot of demand on the Victoria line going northbound – so we thought about how to alleviate that by moving people from Victoria and Westminster area. Will this happen tomorrow? No. Will it happen? I don’t know, but we are constantly thinking about it.”

AWAY FROM THE TRAINS

When Fox steps away from trains it’s usually to play music and sport and spend time with his family. “I’m a bit musical. I play keyboard, guitar and have a Fender jazz bass that I occasionally get out of the case. I also play music at my local church – it’s part of how I relax.”

Fox is also an “occasional football player” and Plymouth Argyle supporter, following his West Country roots. Although it’s been a sad year as his beloved Argyle were relegated from League One. Cricket is his “main sport”, which he played at university. “I played club cricket until my daughter [Ester] was born three years ago – then it went out the window.”

http://www.docklands24.co.uk/news/travel/dlr_boss_fantastic_mr_fox_is_on_track_for_the_olympics_1_905159

Usually around 11:30-12:00 in my experience

thx seems so early for such a big city - people here complain that the trains shut down around 1 am

Maintenance can only be done at night in London.

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thx seems so early for such a big city - people here complain that the trains shut down around 1 am

Well I believe London has one of the most extensive night bus systems to make up for it.

Well I believe London has one of the most extensive night bus systems to make up for it.

Some bus routes even make the same exact stops of the underground.

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Artist on mission to paint 450 Tube stations

An artist from Rickmansworth will showcase a unique collection of Tube-inspired paintings at a prestigious London exhibition this weekend. Ross Ashmore, 54, of Valley Road, is currently working on an ambitious three-year project to paint all 450 stations within the Underground network.

The married father-of-three, who works in a studio at his home, has so far completed Zone 1 – 63 works in total as Blackfriars station is currently closed – including Elephant and Castle, Embankment and Paddington.

Mr Ashmore told the Gazette: "Some people hate the Tube but I have always loved catching the train and I am fascinated by the history and archaeology of the Underground, which I think is often taken for granted. The paintings are created very spontaneously using special industrial oils and they have a textured, expressionist feel to them.

"Each station has a particular meaning to passengers who use them regularly and some of the paintings have already been purchased by people in the UK and as far afield as Hong Kong." Mr Ashmore, who also enjoys sculpting and life drawing, will exhibit his creations at the United Artists Fair, in the historic Chelsea Old Town Hall, Kings Road, London.

The three-day event, the largest of its kind in Britain, attracts thousands of visitors to view and buy the work of as many as 170 artists. The fair opens on Friday evening (invitation only) with free public admission on Saturday and Sunday.

See next week's Gazette for a feature about Mr Ashmore's work.

http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/west-london-news/local-uxbridge-news/2011/05/31/artist-on-mission-to-paint-450-tube-stations-113046-28794701/

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Thanks for that, never realised that it'd be finished so soon!

http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/west-london-news/local-uxbridge-news/2011/05/31/artist-on-mission-to-paint-450-tube-stations-113046-28794701/

???

450 tube stations? Even including the London Overground and DLR I don't think the figure even begins to approach that.

Maybe they are counting by pairs of platforms. For example, King's Cross Sst. Pancreas: don't cot as only one station, but 4 (Victoria, Picaddilly, Northern and Circle/Hammersmith&City/Metropolitan platforms)

That only gives you 381 (not discounting shared platforms*), so the 450 is 69 too high. LO's 78 takes you 9 over, so perhaps we're looking at the DLR's 41 (Poplar x2), but then what makes up the remaining 29?

The article also says 68 stations in zone 1 'as Blackfriars is closed', which is correct for TfL (provided you count both Paddington LU stations and Tower Gateway DLR). There's a bodge going on.

I have no idea how 450 was achieved.

*if you discount shared platforms you get 326 LU, 41 DLR, 67 LO (counting LO/LU as LU), which gives you 434.

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Olympic stadium transport ready

The transport ‘Big Build’ that will help spectators and the rest of London keep moving during the Games is complete with works at the main ‘Gateway’ station for the Games now finished the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) confirmed today.

The ODA announced that work was complete at the main ‘Gateway’ station for the Games, Stratford Station, as guests and media also took a test ride on the newly completed Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension from Stratford International Station for the first time. The DLR extension will open to the public this summer and Transport for London (TfL) is on track to complete the Jubilee line signalling upgrade in July, a year ahead of the Games.

Together, the upgrades and improvement works mean that 10 different rail routes will serve Stratford station during and after the London 2012 Games, making it one of the most connected parts of the capital.

The vast majority of upgrades required for the Games are already operational and form part of a £6.5 billion transport improvement package across the UK to increase capacity and bolster services, enabling 100 per cent of spectators to travel to the Games by public transport, walking or cycling.

The milestone was marked today as the Mayor of London, Transport Secretary and Culture and Olympics Secretary, LOCOG Chair Seb Coe and ODA Chief Executive Dennis Hone showcased the routes that many spectators would use to arrive at the Olympic Park next summer. These routes included the Javelin® service to Stratford International, the new DLR extension linking Stratford International to Canning Town and also the new Northern Ticket Hall that will serve the Westfield shopping centre when it opens in September.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London said: “Thanks to the Games and the massive settlement we've secured from central government, London is seeing a neo-Victorian age of investment in its transport infrastructure. East London now has arguably some of the best transport connections in the world and they are here for all Londoners to take advantage of, a year ahead of the Games.”

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: “London 2012 has been the catalyst for permanent transport improvements which will benefit millions of people, not just for the Olympics, but for generations to come. This investment will ensure that the thousands of athletes and spectators attending the world's biggest sporting event travel safely and efficiently around the UK.

“But crucially it will also allow us to minimise the disruption for those who are not attending the Games and are going about their everyday business during July and August next year. Obviously, with hundreds and thousands of additional passengers in town, I can’t promise that there will be no disruption to normal travel patterns. And some people will need to think differently about how they travel, possibly working from home, shifting journey times or avoiding the capital at particularly busy times. But I can guarantee that the Government, the Mayor and London 2012 are doing everything possible to get people to the Games, whilst ensuring the rest of the country keeps moving.”

ODA Chief Executive Dennis Hone said: “Working together with TfL, Network Rail and others, we have delivered a positive transport legacy for London a year before the Games. New trains, improved services and upgrades to infrastructure such as at Stratford Station, the main ‘Gateway’ station to the Games, will mean spectators can get to and from venues in 2012 and will leave East London better connected for decades afterwards.”

LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe said: “We have seen over the last five or six years a collective spirit from all of our stakeholders who are focused on not just making London 2012 a huge success, but also creating a fantastic legacy for generations to come. The work on the transport infrastructure which has been completed is a great example of how organisations have come together to ensure that the venues are well connected for Games-time, giving spectators a fantastic experience next summer. And when the Games have left town, London will be left with an enhanced transport system which will benefit communities for generations to come.”

Peter Hendy, London Transport’s Commissioner said: “We’re on track to deliver all transport improvements well ahead of the Games and Londoners are already benefitting from this early legacy.

“Transport networks will be busier than usual, which is why we’re urging businesses to plan ahead now for how and when they travel, and have their goods delivered, during the summer of 2012. But working together, I’m confident we’ll keep London moving and deliver a fantastic Games of which the city and nation can be proud.”

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said: “As with every great city, the transport infrastructure will play a fundamental role in defining the success of the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Stratford has become one of the best connected destinations in London and is a central reason why we are already seeing a great deal of commercial interest in investing in the Park after the Games.”

Upgrades and enhancements have been delivered through partnership working and a united effort between the ODA, Transport for London (TfL), Network Rail and the Department for Transport, resulting in substantial improvements to London’s rail networks, particularly across the ten lines serving the 500-acre Olympic Park and its three stations - Stratford, Stratford International and West Ham. Together, these stations will accommodate just under 80 per cent of visitors to Stratford.

The latest edition of the London 2012 Transport Plan, which gives a comprehensive overview of the Games-time transport arrangements across the UK, was also launched on the day.

Transport improvements across London and the UK will leave behind a lasting legacy after London 2012. During the Games, enhancements will help handle expected capacity, with the three stations expected to handle around 80 per cent of spectators between them.

To increase capacity and improve routes leading to the Olympic Park, the ODA was required to manage a programme with stakeholders to upgrade lines, infrastructure and rolling stock. The bulk of this has now been introduced, with concentrated investment at Stratford Station, which will handle close to half of all Olympic Park spectators to the Olympic Park.

The station has benefitted from more than £125 million of upgrades and enhancements, with capacity trebled to accommodate 120,000 people during the morning peaks in 2012, when more than 200 trains will pass through the station each hour. This has been achieved through upgrades including dual-side opening doors on the Central Line at Stratford station, the introduction of three-car trains on the DLR, and mainline rail service improvements, including the North London Line, Lea Valley lines, Great Eastern Main Line and East London Line (see full list of improvements in factfile below).

Meanwhile, the establishment of the Javelin service at Stratford International will also help meet demand, as will investment in improving capacity at West Ham, where the ODA has built a new temporary bridge that will take spectators directly from the District and Hammersmith & City Line platform to the Greenway walking route and into the Olympic Park. This will also allow regular commuters to follow their usual route through the station with less disruption.

As the ODA concludes its management of Games-time investment, the baton has now been passed to Transport for London (TfL), Network Rail and the nations’ train operating companies to run services next summer.

Transport factfile:

- 78 per cent of spectators are expected to travel to and from the Olympic Park by rail. The breakdown by station is:
- Stratford International: 18 per cent
- Stratford Regional: 61 per cent
- West Ham: 21 per cent
- The London 2012 transport strategy is for 100 per cent of spectators to travel to the Games by public transport, walking or cycling. However, this allows for Blue Badge holders, a limited number of who will be able to drive close to venues.
- The completion of the Jubilee line signalling upgrade by Transport for London is due to be completed in July 2011, delivering a 33 per cent increase in capacity through faster and more frequent train services.
- Transport investment includes:

ODA funded and managed works at Stratford (working alongside delivery partners London Underground and Network Rail):

- Nine new lifts and nine new stairs to increase passenger capacity.
- A new Central Line platform, allowing dual-side opening to speed boarding and alighting.
- A new station mezzanine entrance and ticket hall with ticketing and gate-line facilities.
- Station power and systems completely upgraded.
- Integration of previously disparate security, life-safety and customer information systems.
- Platform de-cluttering and the reopening of the Eastern Subway.

ODA co-funded works (with contribution from TfL and National Rail):
- Upgrades to the North London Line and Lea Valley lines, including associated signalling, track and overhead line works.
- An additional freight loop at Stratford and associated lengthening of Platform 10a to handle 12 car trains.
- The demolition and reconstruction of the existing Angel Lane road-over-rail bridge.

ODA co-funded works (delivered by DLR):
- Introduction of three-car trains on the DLR.
- Extension of the Docklands Light Railway from Canning Town to Stratford International, having completed the extension to Woolwich Arsenal
- Other upgrades include accessibility improvements at Soutfields and Green Park stations; new high-speed domestic trains; new Victoria line trains and signalling improvements at West Ham
- Improving accessibility is central to the upgrades and enhancements at Stratford Station - nine new lifts and eight new staircases have been installed to improve passenger flow and accessibility and in addition, platforms have been lengthened, widened and made clearer to reduce congestion.

http://www.thelondondailynews.com/olympic-stadium-transport-ready-p-5295.html

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Call to prevent Olympics crush

Employers and the public will need to think about changing routine journeys during next year’s London Olympics to avoid overwhelming “stress points” on the transport network, the transport secretary has warned. Philip Hammond was speaking at an event to mark completion of the Docklands Light Railway extension from Stratford to Stratford International – the last piece of new transport infrastructure planned ahead of the Olympics.

The only remaining projects to be completed to prepare London’s transport network for the expected crowds are signalling upgrades on the London Underground’s Jubilee and Victoria lines.

Mr Hammond said many stations, such as London Bridge, would encounter significant amounts of Olympic traffic. Employers would need to consider whether staff should be allowed to change their working hours to avoid the worst congestion or work outside the office. “We need to get people to think about how they plan their journeys,” Mr Hammond said. “Certainly, the government will be allowing significant numbers of people to work from home during the Games to ease the burden on the transport system.”

Among the main new transport links that will handle Olympic spectators are the High Speed One link from St Pancras International to Stratford International and the East London Line from New Cross to Dalston Junction, as well as the DLR extension, which will open this summer.

The extension is vital because it will link Stratford International – which will be served by high-speed trains every six minutes from St Pancras – to the stadiums around Stratford.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/39c88dd4-8c82-11e0-883f-00144feab49a.html#axzz1O3sBgHQc

Buren brightens up underground

French artist Daniel Buren's colourful, geometric art will adorn one of London's busiest underground stations as part of the £1 billion expansion of Tottenham Court Road. Commissioned by Transport for London for its Art on the Underground programme, the project is set to be completed by 2016.

A colourful series of diamond and circle shapes will cover the internal glass walls of the station. “I decided to work with very simple shapes so that I can respond to the requirements of the subway station in different ways”, said Buren. The work will become a major feature of the station's new entrance hall, designed to accommodate some 200,000 commuters and tourists a day. Transparent versions of the work will serve to section off the ticket areas. Buren is also designing a sculpture of the shapes for the station's ticket hall, which will be displayed behind glass, “like an antique”, said Buren. Tamsin Dillon, the head of Art on the Underground said: “We wanted to build on the underground's tradition of working with world-class artists. By collaborating with Buren, we are continuing this connection.”

Buren said that he did not create the design with a function in mind but recognised that travelling on the underground can be stressful. “It’s a very difficult situation for everyone,” he said. So he wanted to avoid creating something visually “irritating”.

“Working in the public sphere one must find a balance between being supple and being strong, so that one's work is not compromised,” he said, referring to the red tape involved in such a commission. For Tottenham Court Road, Buren originally intended to include the ceilings above the escalators, because they are “always very claustrophobic” he said. But Transport for London ruled that out saying it would be too difficult to maintain.

“Being in the public space, a work can have a very large audience. We know that the majority of people have their reservations when it comes to contemporary art. This is compounded when a work stops working or deteriorates, and in the end, the artist is always blamed,” said Buren. He is confident that London Underground's maintenance staff will be up to the job, however. “It's only a matter of cleaning, and tube stations are cleaned anyway,” he said.

Buren has become something of a public transportation designer du jour. He has also been commissioned by the French city of Tours to help design its new tram system. His ideas, which were presented at the beginning of May, include designs for the vehicles and stations, complete with sound and lighting effects.

Tottenham Court Road station already features a large-scale work of art: mosaic murals by the late Eduardo Paolozzi, designed in the early 1980s. When the refurbishment plans for the station were first announced, there were fears for the work. The majority of the Paolozzi mosaics are being preserved, while some smaller sections will removed to an alternative site, which is still to be identified.

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Buren-brightens-up-underground/23950

That only gives you 381 (not discounting shared platforms*), so the 450 is 69 too high. LO's 78 takes you 9 over, so perhaps we're looking at the DLR's 41 (Poplar x2), but then what makes up the remaining 29?

The article also says 68 stations in zone 1 'as Blackfriars is closed', which is correct for TfL (provided you count both Paddington LU stations and Tower Gateway DLR). There's a bodge going on.

I have no idea how 450 was achieved.

*if you discount shared platforms you get 326 LU, 41 DLR, 67 LO (counting LO/LU as LU), which gives you 434.

Count with the ones that are at construction on DLR, and, possibilly, the Crossrail stations?

Crime ‘continues to fall’ on the Tube network

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has welcomed the news that once again the number of crimes on the transport network has fallen. New figures released by the British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police Service show that crime on the Underground and Docklands Light Railway went down by seven% and offences on London’s bus network down by four% in the last twelve months.

The figures show that in 2010/11:

- Violent crime against a person offences on the bus network has been cut by 5%
- Public disorder offences on the Tube and DLR are down by 11%
- Vandalism has reduced by 20% for the Tube and DLR, and 12% for buses
- Theft on the bus network is down by 6%

Over the last three years the Mayor and TfL have increased investment in transport safety and security. Safer Transport Teams have were introduced in all London Boroughs, providing over 400 MPS officers, and a cycle task force of 40 officers has been created. In addition, the consumption of alcohol on the TfL services has been banned, which has won the support of Londoners wanting to improve their experience of travelling on the Tube and on the bus.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said:

“When I became Mayor I pledged to make London’s vast network of public transport safer, and these figures confirm that our laser like focus on reducing crime on the network is having a positive effect. The additional investment in safer transport team officers we created and extra British Transport Police officers we provided are doing a great job of helping keep Londoners safe, but we also plan to provide them with some extra support by putting another 413 Police Officers on the transport network next year.”

The reduction in overall bus crime has been largely down to the work done by the TfL-funded Safer Transport Teams in each of the Capital’s boroughs working closely with TfL, through working with community groups and schools, conducting intelligence-led operations and being a visible presence on the network. On the Tube and DLR, continued improvements in safety and security on trains and stations, as well as TfL’s ongoing, collaborative work with the BTP, have also helped achieve a seven per cent reduction in overall crime.

Despite the overall reductions in crime, small increases in robbery offences have been experienced over the last year. The numbers are low particularly in context of the ‘billions of journeys made’ on the system each year – an additional 101 offences on the bus network and an additional 24 offences on the Tube and DLR over the year.

TfL say they are not complacent and have measures in place to deal with this such as targeted police operations, CCTV to bring offenders to justice and crime prevention advice to encourage passengers to take extra care of their belongings, particularly expensive electronic items. Where robbery is an issue certain Safer Transport Teams will address any trends or increases by conducting high-visibility and intelligence led operations to deter offenders.

Another offence that has seen a rise in the past year is theft of railway property, most notably cable theft. To combat this, officers from the BTP are using various tactics including covert operations and community based intelligence to crack down on those whose actions can disrupt the Tube.

TfL continually works with the BTP on dedicated operations to minimise crime on the Tube and DLR networks and the hundreds of BTP officers who patrol the Tube and DLR network are supported by around 12,000 CCTV cameras in order to minimise any risks to passenger safety and security.

Steve Burton, Director of Community Safety, Enforcement and Policing at TfL, said: “The transport network is a low crime environment and it is encouraging that the number of crimes has again fallen on the bus and Tube/DLR networks. But we are not complacent and will continue to work together with our policing partners to further reduce transport crime in the Capital and keep passengers safe.”

There are now just 10.5 crimes per million passenger journeys on London’s buses, with 11.4 crimes per million passenger journeys on the Tube and DLR as the transport network remains a safe, low crime environment.

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/03/crime-continues-to-fall-on-the-tube-network/

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Jubilee line stock at Stratford.

by looper23 on Flickr.

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/6513/578720719672a023b357b1.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98587546@N00/5787207196/sizes/l/in/pool-75793947@N00/

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Bermondsey

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/7535/5787447082cd1018f444b1.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98587546@N00/5787447082/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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The rail transport network over there has coverage to numerous points. Very extensive coverage

With that said though, my only worry so far is just one thing:
Getting from Paddington station to King's Cross/St. Pancras

Trains to and from Wales are at Paddington but trains bound for Scotland are at King's Cross/St. Pancras

My worry is with regards to encountering overcrowding when going to and from those two stations whilst carrying heavy luggage.

I've seen the official map as well
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf

I've counted and so far:
Paddington -> Edgware Road -> Baker Street -> Great Portland Street -> Euston Square -> King's Cross St. Pancras Train Station

Total of six stations - two stations = four stations in-between our journey.

The thing is I want to know what happens in those four stations.

Any thoughts and opinions or help on this?

Thanks :)

Wales - Scotland (and generally any journey not involving London or the SE) tend to use trains via Birmingham.

Also, having done a Paddington - St Pancras interchange (on a Southampton - Wellingborough journey), the Paddington - St Pancras train had seats to spare, whereas I left my train north out of London with people still standing, with it starting off crush-loaded.

If you look at congestion data, then the Circle line from Paddington to Kings Cross is busy at peak hours, but nowhere near as busy as many sections of line. Also journeys that don't begin or end in the London area are a drop in the ocean when it comes to rail traffic in London - it's only really direct ones done on Thameslink that are busy flows - the change across London is off putting.

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Wales - Scotland (and generally any journey not involving London or the SE) tend to use trains via Birmingham.

Also, having done a Paddington - St Pancras interchange (on a Southampton - Wellingborough journey), the Paddington - St Pancras train had seats to spare, whereas I left my train north out of London with people still standing, with it starting off crush-loaded.

If you look at congestion data, then the Circle line from Paddington to Kings Cross is busy at peak hours, but nowhere near as busy as many sections of line. Also journeys that don't begin or end in the London area are a drop in the ocean when it comes to rail traffic in London - it's only really direct ones done on Thameslink that are busy flows - the change across London is off putting.

Ah I see.

This was one of the reasons why Hilton Paddington Hotel keeps popping up on top of my list so far.

Imagine this. When you reach the airport, all you need is to travel via Heathrow Express train then you are in the main area in less than 30 minutes. To be more exact, it stops at Paddington Station itself. All you need to do is just walk with your luggage from Paddington station to the nearby Hilton hotel and you're done.

The convenience aspect gives it a huge advantage. Sure, we could've considered Mariott Canary Wharf (the area is newer and is not cramped/congested) or the-upcoming Shangrila Hotel @ Shard London Bridge Tower (the tallest hotel in all of European Union).

However the distance between Paddington to those stations.......as well as facing concerns of congestion and overcrowding (esp. in worst-case scenarios where trains are 'packed like sardines')

Just my thought. Need some advice and opinions on this as well....

It depends on when you arrive at Heathrow, what engineering works and events there are and unforeseen things suspensions (Saturday I did Covent Garden to Marylebone: as the Victoria was closed, the Piccadilly was massively rammed; as the Jubilee was suspended, the Bakerloo was likewise rammed and when I got to Marylebone I was met by hoards of people entering the tube network from both the Cricket at Lords (with the Jubilee suspended, Marylebone is the nearest tube station) and the Football at Wembley coming down the steps and I was glad that I wasn't about to go on the Bakerloo line). Then again, it wasn't massively bad, but if I had luggage, I wouldn't have got on the trains easily as the lines were carrying the passengers of two lines.

Don't rule out the Piccadilly line for getting from Heathrow (it's a lot cheaper than HEx and Heathrow Connect), or the coach to Victoria, or the bus to Feltham and the train to Waterloo.

It's worth pointing out that Paddington is only dubiously in the main area and, for a tourist, it's as far away from the main places you'd want to go as Canary Wharf.

If you arrive in Central London outside peak hours on a weekday, there shouldn't be much of a problem with congestion on the tube making it difficult with luggage and there's simple, easy routes to all three locations and it's factors like cost, location, niceness of hotel and such that matter.

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More bins on London Underground for a tidier Tube

London Underground (LU) has launched a campaign, in partnership with the Mayor of London, Metro newspapers and Keep Britain Tidy, to encourage Tube customers to dispose of their litter. An extra 25% more bins have been installed which means there is now access to a bin on any journey on the Tube. The aim is for a tidier and more pleasant Tube to travel in and to help LU to recycle more waste.

The campaign, part of the Mayor Boris Johnson’s commitment to make travelling in London more civilised, will run across the Tube network, in conjunction with Metro newspaper and Keep Britain Tidy. It will encourage passengers to use the 1,600 plus bins that are in, or within walking distance of, the 270 Tube stations.

To help, LU has recently installed an additional 166 bins on the network, taking the total to 800 and making it easier for customers to get rid of their rubbish. LU regularly monitors stations to ensure that high levels of cleanliness are maintained and recent figures have shown an improvement at over 70% of the stations where the new bins have been installed.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London said: “Time and again passengers have said they want more bins so they can dispose of their rubbish and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We can all do our bit to ensure we use these sparkling new bins, which will mean a more pleasant journey to work and a great first impression of London for tourists to the capital.”

Richard Parry, Strategy and Commercial Director, London Underground, said: “We know that our customers appreciate a litter free Tube and we have an army of cleaners who regularly patrol the network collecting rubbish. However we also believe that providing more bins will make it easier for our customers to get rid of their rubbish and over the last few months have increased the number of bins on the network by 25%.

“All rubbish placed in any of our stations bins is sorted and we recycle everything that we can. Over the years LU has made every effort to recycle waste and we now recycle over two thirds of rubbish left on the Tube network.”

John Leitch, Executive Director at Metro, said: “We want to support green behaviour among our readers and increase the amount of recycling by Tube travellers. It’s fantastic to be working with London Underground to achieve this and we’re delighted that they are using Metro’s innovative design in this campaign.”

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/08/more-bins-on-london-underground-for-a-tidier-tube/

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Hmm.......good point

But I figured that Heathrow Express would be our choice. It's the most expensive yes but it is also the fastest of the bunch. And since it's the most expensive, the Airport->Paddington journey will not be a problem for me and you will always have a vacant seat each and every time :)

I gotta say that Hilton was smart to put up a location on Paddington train station. They've already anticipated (I'm guessing even before Heathrow had rail connections) that most overseas tourists and travelers taking the journey from Heathrow airport to the city would land at Paddington.......and yes Hilton saw it. They can corner that market because their location offers convenience (Heathrow->Paddington->Hilton Paddington hotel). You do not have to travel further whilst carrying your luggage when going to hotels in other areas.

Sure, it may not be as new as Mariott Canary Wharf or Shangrila Hotel London Bridge..........but the convenience aspect favors Hilton :)

@sotonsi
Oh and I guess I don't have to worry about time since my future trip would be in this pattern:
England (London)->Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh)->Wales (Cardiff)->Northern Ireland (Belfast)->Republic of Ireland (Dublin)

then

Dublin Airport->Heathrow Airport->Keflavik Airport Iceland

yeah time won't be much of a problem I guess in this regard :)

X0U0n-jGW6w

X8We7G8StaQ

We've been going round in circles: Tube map adds to journey times

Passengers have called for a system of dots representing distance to be introduced on the London Tube map to help plan their journeys.

Research has shown that up to 30 per cent of people using Harry Beck's map end up taking longer than they need because the map ignores above-ground distances between stations.

In a new study called Mind the Map, New York University professor of urban planning Zhan Guo compared the journeys made by Tube passengers with routes the travel time data showed they "should" have made. He compared the journey between Bond Street and Paddington stations - a trip with two potential routes, the first via Baker Street and the second through Notting Hill Gate.

The second route is slower, but about 30 per cent of travellers chose it. He wrote: "Passengers often (mis)trust a transit map more than their actual experience; they often take a path that looks shorter on the system map but is longer in reality."

Jason Perks, 40, visiting London from Dubai, said: "It's deceptive because sometimes it looks very far between Tube stations when they're right next to each other. Dots to indicate speed and distance on the map would help." But student Georgia Coates, 21, said: "It's a bit confusing.

I normally calculate the fastest route by the number of stops. I have no idea what would make it simpler." Yasmin Bemath, 42, from Kent, said: "They should have more codes. I'm not sure people are that bothered about distance - as long as the trains are running on time they're happy."


The map that messes with reality

Professor Zhan Guo used the journey from Paddington to Bond Street station, shown, to demonstrate one of the problems with the Tube map. In his book Notes from a Small Island, author Bill Bryson suggested a slightly more fun version: take tourists to Bank station and tell them to make their way by Tube to Mansion House.

While they are following Harry Beck's map - which involves going by Central line to Liverpool Street, then transferring to the Circle line and going five stops - you can have breakfast and do a little light shopping before walking the 200 feet or so along Victoria Street to meet them at, yes, Mansion House. Or try Temple to Aldwych - hours of fun!

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23958474-weve-all-been-going-round-in-circles.do

CY2dEzgYrnQ

^^That article only applies to tourists or out-of-towners. Most Londoners know the fastest route, the fact that 30% of people chose the fastest to get from Bond Street to Paddington shows this. I don't think the map should be cluttered even more than it already is because of 30%.

^^

People using more efficient routes would reduce overcrowding though, since their total time spent on the tube is less. For example, on my previous very overcrowded commute KGX - Canary Wharf, many people transfer at Bank to the DLR, but transferring at London Bridge to the Jubilee is actually a full minute and sometimes more shorter.

^^

People using more efficient routes would reduce overcrowding though, since their total time spent on the tube is less. For example, on my previous very overcrowded commute KGX - Canary Wharf, many people transfer at Bank to the DLR, but transferring at London Bridge to the Jubilee is actually a full minute and sometimes more shorter.
I agree. I lived in London for twenty years and still made mistakes as to the quickest route, when travelling on sections of the network I normally did not use. It would be useful information for passengers whomever they are.

I'm sure once upon a time this information was shown electronically on display screens in stations, indicating the quickest route on the map, or did I dream that?

Waterloo to Kings Cross is another one - I recall that going via Oxford Circus is quickest, as the transfer is cross-platform, rather walking than up and down stairs and through tunnels to the 2nd platform.

signol

^^

People using more efficient routes would reduce overcrowding though, since their total time spent on the tube is less. For example, on my previous very overcrowded commute KGX - Canary Wharf, many people transfer at Bank to the DLR, but transferring at London Bridge to the Jubilee is actually a full minute and sometimes more shorter.

Even so, would you want to be on the Jubilee during peak hour to Canary Wharf? I'd rather use the DLR.

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^^That article only applies to tourists or out-of-towners. Most Londoners know the fastest route, the fact that 30% of people chose the fastest to get from Bond Street to Paddington shows this. I don't think the map should be cluttered even more than it already is because of 30%.

Subscribe that. If they put all those details, everyone would then be complaining how 'cluttered and hard to understand' the map would be. It's always 'damn if you do, damn if you don't'.

Even so, would you want to be on the Jubilee during peak hour to Canary Wharf? I'd rather use the DLR.

You're right that you don't want to be on either ;)

ULM0VomkZQo

If they put all those details, everyone would then be complaining how 'cluttered and hard to understand' the map would be. It's always 'damn if you do, damn if you don't'.

In my opinion, all the general system maps which attempt to show the fastest route from any station to any other station are cluttered, confusing, and create more difficulties than they alleviate. However, I have seen some metro maps that show for one station only the fastest route to every other station.

This would require every station to have a different map and probably for every station to also have the uniform map which does not indicate the fastest routes.

Examples and discussion can be found here (pages 11-13):
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1200121&page=11

In a new study called Mind the Map, New York University professor of urban planning Zhan Guo compared the journeys made by Tube passengers with routes the travel time data showed they "should" have made. He compared the journey between Bond Street and Paddington stations - a trip with two potential routes, the first via Baker Street and the second through Notting Hill Gate.

The second route is slower, but about 30 per cent of travellers chose it. He wrote: "Passengers often (mis)trust a transit map more than their actual experience; they often take a path that looks shorter on the system map but is longer in reality

Those 30% of people are clearly idiots... and no amount of embellishments on the map will change that.

The two stations are the same distance apart on the map if you follow the lines, so logically you then use the number of stops and / or changes as a tie-breaker... and the Baker Street route is clearly superior as it's 3 stops and 1 change versus 6 and 1.

The only reason why someone unfamiliar with the Tube might be excused for going via Notting Hill Gate is because it's a much simpler interchange (i.e. when you alight from the Circle / District Line, there's only one other line you could change onto).

EyaDqmJ9-wA

Tube passengers warned over upgrade work

London’s new deputy mayor for transport has warned passengers that they will face “teething problems” as the last stage of the troubled Jubilee line upgrade is completed and workers shift to the Northern line, the network’s busiest route.

But Isabel Dedring, who was appointed in April, said the work on the two lines was vital to ensure the metro system could handle fast-rising traffic levels. Its completion would prove London Underground could “get to grips with” the problems that have plagued its upgrade programme.
LU is due to start from early July using a more sophisticated Jubilee line signalling system between Dollis Hill and Stanmore, the last section using traditional signals. The section includes Neasden depot, where engineers have been struggling to ensure Metropolitan line trains will be able to run safely alongside trains using the new Jubilee line system.

The new system will let trains run faster and closer together. But undetected software flaws produced serious breakdowns when it was first introduced elsewhere on the line. “If we look forward to July on the Jubilee line, we should certainly expect that we will have teething problems as we drop the last bit of kit in,” Ms Dedring said. “The fact is that everywhere, where you’re putting in that kind of scale of investment, metros will experience disruption for a period.”

The new kit would nevertheless let the underground carry more passengers, Ms Dedring said.

After a month to allow for any problems to emerge, LU plans to start running 27, rather than the present 24, trains an hour on the Jubilee. The figure will rise to 30 trains an hour next February. The new timetable will help the line to cope with traffic during the 2012 Olympics. LU would apply lessons from the Jubilee line upgrade – started under Tube Lines, the public-private partnership contractor that LU bought out last year – to the Northern line.

The Northern line programme, which will use the same technology as the Jubilee, should benefit from work already undertaken to adapt the system to London Underground conditions. But Ms Dedring insisted significant effort had also gone into avoiding the regular weekend closures inflicted on Jubilee line passengers.

Work on the Northern line will start late this year. A new timetable, boosting the line’s capacity by 20 per cent, should be adopted by the end of 2014.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/786f74f8-9529-11e0-a648-00144feab49a.html#axzz1P5ae1EC7

Z5-3onTXU3Q

Tube delays down by more than a third in 8 years

Delays on London Underground (LU) have dropped by more than a third since 2003/4 when the Tube became part of Transport for London, new figures from TfL show.

The figures were provided to the London Assembly’s Transport Committee, ahead of this week’s inquiry into Tube performance.

The figures demonstrate a long-term continuing trend of improvement:

- Record numbers of passengers per year use the Tube – last year there were 1.1 billion passenger journeys, up 17% since 2003/4.

- Rising levels of passenger satisfaction measured by independent surveys.

- The volume of train service has increased while reliability has improved, since 2003/4.

- A 12% improvement in the reliability of LU’s scheduled services (measured by the ‘excess journey time’ experienced on average by passengers).

- Delays have fallen by 35%.

- Despite the vital weekend closures to upgrade the Tube, the number of kilometres operated still remain near their highest ever level.

- While the data shows that there was a dip in performance during the autumn and winter – due to a number of factors such as the introduction of new systems on the Jubilee and Victoria lines and industrial action – performance has improved over recent months and has returned to the level that was being achieved before the dip.

LU’s Managing Director, Mike Brown, said: “The Tube has an underlying long-term trend of improving performance, which has been achieved despite the need to close parts of the network more frequently at weekends for upgrade work. However we are not complacent and we are putting in additional measures to continue to improve our performance and deliver an increasingly reliable service for Londoners.”

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/13/tube-delays-down-by-more-than-a-third-in-8-years/

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D98po75C7K4

New signalling on the Tube to increase capacity on 40% of network

London Underground has awarded Bombardier Transportation the contract to upgrade the signalling on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.

The new signalling contract was finalised over the weekend following a statutory ‘standstill’ period. Alongside the fleet of 191 new air-conditioned walk-through trains, already being rolled out on the Metropolitan line, the new signalling system, when complete, will mean passengers can travel more quickly, and frequently on all of the sub-surface lines, which together make up 40% of the Tube network.

Overall the upgrade, which is due for completion in 2018, will mean:

- 24% more capacity on the District line by providing space for an extra 10,000 passengers an hour – increasing the line’s capacity from 40,000 to 50,000 passengers an hour.

- 27% more capacity on the Metropolitan line by providing space for an extra 9,500 more passengers an hour – increasing the line’s capacity from 35,000 to 44,500 passengers an hour.

- 65% more capacity on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, delivered through new signalling, longer trains and recent improvements to service frequency. In total the upgrade will provide space for an extra 17,500 more passengers each hour – increasing the capacity from 26,000 to 43,500 passengers an hour.

London Underground has been working with and learning from other metros around the world in order to identify innovative ways to upgrade the Tube while minimising disruption. As a result, Bombardier Transportation, who recently upgraded the signalling on the Madrid Metro, has committed to installing and testing the new signalling system without any need for weekend closures.

There will still be a need for weekend closures to upgrade track and platforms, however these will not be the full line closures that have been experienced during previous upgrade work on other lines under the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said: “The signing of this contract means that we can now proceed with one of the most important elements of the Tube upgrade programme. The Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines are the oldest in the Capital, making up a large chunk of the Tube network and moving a million Londoners every day.

“This new contract will deliver the minimum amount of closures while delivering the improvements all Londoners are desperate to see.”

LU Managing Director, Mike Brown said: “This is a major step forward in our plan to upgrade the Tube and will mean faster, more frequent and reliable Tube services across 40% of the Tube network. We know that line closures are disruptive to our customers and as a result we have insisted on the delivery of the new signalling system without the need for the kind of closures we have seen on other lines.”

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/14/new-signalling-on-the-tube-to-increase-capacity-on-40-of-network/

FHvwXvFVgRo

Northern line upgrade set to begin this year

Transport for London today announced that the main programme of works to upgrade London’s busiest Tube line – the Northern line – will commence later this year. When complete, the upgrade will deliver faster, more frequent and more reliable train services for customers, increasing capacity by 20% and cutting journey times by around 18%. The upgrade works are due to be completed in 2014.

TfL said lessons ‘have been learned from the upgrade of the Jubilee line’ and a new approach is being taken on the Northern line that will mean ‘significantly fewer weekend closures than originally planned under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) contracts, with no early evening closures’. Under the PPP, Tube Lines had proposed 65 weekend closures on the Northern line, many of which would have closed the whole line, or large parts of it.

Instead there will now be:

- Eight weekends of full line closures for the installation and testing of the new signalling system, spread out so as to cause minimum disruption, with five closures in 2013 and three in 2014.

- Eight additional weekends where shorter sections of the line will be closed, many of which will affect only the High Barnet branch, the most lightly-used section of the line.

- Six closures of parts of the line during the quieter Easter and Christmas holiday periods which will be closed for 4 or 5 days respectively.

- Tube Lines had also planned 18 months of weekday early evening closures affecting the whole line, with last trains due to have left the centre of London by 22:00.

From October, the northern branches of the line will in turn start up slightly late on Sundays to allow for extensive work during Saturday night’s engineering hours to be completed.

This will give greater flexibility to install and test the signalling and will impact on considerably fewer people than either early evening closures of a series of weekend closures. Services on the High Barnet branch will start from 8.30am on Sundays through to November 2012, followed by the Edgware branch through to November 2013.

Overall, this represents a reduction of over 60% in the number of passenger journeys that will be disrupted by the work compared with the number that would have been disrupted under the original PPP plan.

Isabel Dedring, the Mayor of London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “Delivering more reliable journeys for Londoners wherever they are on the transport network is a top priority for the Mayor. The team at the Underground have completely overhauled the Northern Line upgrade programme to ensure that passengers do not have to go through a repeat of the disruption they suffered with the Jubilee Line upgrade.”

In order to achieve this reduced closure programme London Underground will be intensifying the amount of work done during night-time engineering hours, using the hours where the network is closed each night in full to carry out upgrade works, as well as the usual maintenance work.

In addition, much more system testing will be done ‘off site’ using improved simulators, and on an extended and enhanced test track at Highgate, to reduce the time needed for closures and to drive out any problems in the system before it goes live for passengers.

Improvements made for the Jubilee line system (which uses the same hardware and software) will automatically be carried across to the Northern line. Staff who will operate the system on a day to day basis, including train operators, will also have a greater involvement in putting the new system through its paces in simulators to iron out issues off site. These new approaches will together help to ensure that the new system is reliable once it is used in passenger service.

The upgrade will proceed in phases to minimise risk, starting with off-site software development and testing, followed by the new system being applied in the High Barnet area before being rolled out across the rest of the line. Following Transport for London’s acquisition of Tube Lines last summer the Jubilee line upgrade is now on-track for completion at the end of next month.

London Underground Managing Director, Mike Brown, said: “We know how disruptive weekend engineering works can be and we’re determined to learn lessons from the Jubilee line upgrade, the last of the PPP upgrades.

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/13/northern-line-upgrade-set-to-begin-this-year/

FHvwXvFVgRo

Why do people walk on the right in a place where driving and train running is on the left?

The Highway code has 'walk on right' (when going along a road with no pavements), so it's not massively strange.

Perhaps it is done so that the stream of people standing aren't blocking the adverts - given most escalator pairs are travel on the left-hand one. However, I think it's probably dates back to before the tube and something like those going slowly up stairs would use the handrail on their right, whereas those going quickly would use their left hand or no hands to hold the handrail, due to carrying something.

For why we stand on the right on escalators see:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/london_film_festival/article6883065.ece

Why do people walk on the right in a place where driving and train running is on the left?

I don't think those things are related.

F54kLaCsviY

okhLsMFPASM

I don't think those things are related.

I don't know if they are or not but I do believe that which side of the escalator people stand on and which side of the road they drive on are.

I don't know if they are or not but I do believe that which side of the escalator people stand on and which side of the road they drive on are.

The Tube's corridors have defined rules like road traffic, I don't know what criteria they use.

The Highway code has 'walk on right' (when going along a road with no pavements), so it's not massively strange.

The reason the highway code has a walk on the right rule on a road with no pavements is because it is much safer, as a pedestrian to walk FACING traffic rather than walking on the left with the traffic behind you.

AElNj4Ui-WA

E6GXr5YLHI8

The reason the highway code has a walk on the right rule on a road with no pavements is because it is much safer, as a pedestrian to walk FACING traffic rather than walking on the left with the traffic behind you.

OK, that makes sense. :)

M7KLZBvxq9E

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http://en.shop.aerosoft.com/eshop.php?action=article_detail&s_supplier_aid=50211&s_design=bahn&shopfilter_category=Train%20Simulation&s_language=english&PHPSESSID=mju68u199fq3mm2mtg22mjv134

The game looks promising, thanks for posting.

^^After watching a few videos, it's quite a good game. You can see they made an effort to look realistic.

London Transport Museum plans 1938 Tube train ride

A 73-year-old train is to be driven along two Tube lines in west London on Sunday to give people the opportunity to travel in its Art Deco carriages. The red vehicle was brought into service on the underground in 1938 and was used by passengers for 50 years.

It will take three separate two-hour journeys from High Street Kensington to Heathrow Airport on the District and Piccadilly Lines during the day.

The train is now owned by the London Transport Museum. Initially it will travel from Northfields at 0910 BST, arriving at Earl's Court on the Piccadilly Line. Then it will cross to the District Line, a manoeuvre which is not usually carried out by services carrying passengers. After this it will head up to High Street Kensington, then back to Acton Town on the District Line.

The final stretch will be from Acton Town to Heathrow Airport and then back to Northfields at approximately 1100 BST. The journey, organised to coincide with Father's Day, will then be repeated twice during Sunday afternoon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13823498

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http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/882/57872012943e9d850409b1.jpg

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/1517/5787213308c468c94718b1.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98587546@N00/5787201294/sizes/l/in/photostream/
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Bermondsey

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/98587546@N00/5787447082/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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6gQsVL_W1Q4

£190m Tube and Crossrail escalator deal up for grabs

Crossrail and Transport for London have teamed up to find a builder for over 100 escalators for the underground transport network in central London. It will be the biggest order ever placed for station escalators and both transport companies hope to make big savings from economies of scale.

The cost of designing, building and maintaining a single escalator is over £1m. About 60 escalators will be required for the Crossrail stations in central London with around 45 escalators required for London Underground’s major escalator replacement programme. The contract is also open to the whole TfL group and could be extended further to meet the future needs of Docklands Light Railway, London Overground as well as Tube maintenance firm Tube Lines.

Andy Mitchell, Crossrail Programme Director, said: “2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the first escalator being installed on the Tube network at Earl’s Court. “During the coming years, Crossrail and London Underground could need over 100 new escalators and this contract is likely to be the UK’s largest single order for station escalators.

A joint procurement process is being undertaken by Crossrail and TfL with the aim of achieving significant cost savings that would not otherwise be realised if separate smaller orders were placed.”

Under this contract, installation of new escalators for the Tube network is due to begin in late 2013 with work underway from 2015 at the Crossrail stations. The invitation to tender will be issued later this year. The closing date for expressions of interest is 13 July 2011.

http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2011/06/20/190m-tube-and-crossrail-escalator-deal-up-for-grabs/

WMMDiq3wIck

Atkins lands major comms contract on London Underground

Atkins has been appointed by VINCI BAM Nuttall JV to design, install, test and commission telecommunications assets at London’s Victoria Underground station, as part of the major programme to the station, which is one of London’s busiest interchanges, used by over 80 million passengers a year.

Atkins will deliver a range of works, including providing the final construction design, design co-ordination, coordinated fabrication drawings, supply of installation labour and delivery of equipment necessary to undertake complete installations of new Station Communication Systems for the Victoria Station Upgrade Project.

Atkins will deliver a complete suite of telecommunications services and Douglas McCormick, Managing Director for Atkins’ Rail business, said Atkins’ capabilities will ensure this contract is delivered to the highest level. “Atkins has a very successful history delivering telecommunication and station redevelopment projects, and this contract will ensure that Victoria tube station is both a leading and user friendly rail station,” said Mr McCormick.

The contract at Victoria Station, which is undergoing a £700m redevelopment , further strengthens the company’s extensive underground portfolio. “Our teams’ diverse background and project personalisation further proves our capabilities, and our ability to deliver in different rail environments,” said Mr McCormick.

Atkins’ role is expected to be completed in June 2016 with the overall London Victoria Underground Station project due for completion by 2018.

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/21/atkins-lands-major-comms-contract-on-london-underground/

Tr5Y3ByjGGM

Major strengthening programme completed on London Underground

As part of a major strengthening programme on the London Underground, an innovative solution was required to provide long term strengthening to over 90 cast iron beams.

Following an extensive design and specification process, the result is the UK’s largest ever application of ultra high modulus composite reinforcement, supplied by global building product manufacturer Sika and national specialist contractor, CRL (Concrete Repairs LTD).

Covered Ways CW17 and CW20 are on either side of Embankment Station on the District line, built in the 19th Century using ‘cut and cover’ techniques. The covered ways carry the weight of Embankment Gardens situated above the District line tracks.

Although the cast iron beams were assessed and found to be adequate to support the intended loadings and in a good serviceable condition, there was serious concern that the cast iron beams could be overstressed, under unforeseen overloading. London Underground undertook a feasibility study to determine the best all round solution to complete this strengthening. Both economically and logistically the best solution was to strengthen the beams in-situ.

London Underground had to ensure the chosen repair solution would have minimal impact on the tunnel headroom and could be installed during Engineering Hours (overnight when there is no train service) so as to cause no disruption to the District and Circle line services.

With a reinforced steel element deemed too thick to be a viable option, a system that was thin yet extremely tough was required. The solution to the challenge lay with Sika CarboDur UHM and a well planned application procedure. An Ultra High Modulus Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) system, Sika CarboDur UHM is designed for high performance and demanding reinforcement applications.

The plates, measuring 7.3m long, 200mm wide (2no per beam) and maximum 4.7mm thick and offering exceptional reinforcing capability, proved the ideal solution.

With over 1,300mtr of Sika Carbodur UHM plates applied, it has marked the UK’s largest ever project to use ultra high modulus composite. Specialist contractor, Contrete Repairs Limited carried out the skilled application, having been appointed by LU Framework Contractor, Clancy Docwra.

The process began with each beam, measuring 7.5m long and 0.5m wide, cleaned using a powerful grit blasting technique that removed grease, oil, rust and any other contaminants which could reduce adhesion.

Once dried, a coat of SikaCor-EG 1 primer was applied, followed by the application of a resin to prepare the surface. Ensuring secure, reliable attachment of the Sika CarboDur Plates, SikaDur structural epoxy adhesive was then applied to both the underside of the cast iron and the plate itself.

When placing the plate into position, full contact of the adhesive to the two surfaces guaranteed a long-term bond was achieved before a series of temporary supports were put in place whilst the adhesive cured. The excellent performance of the adhesive allowed installation to carry on throughout the winter months when low temperatures and condensation can cause problems for other adhesives.

To minimise service disruption on the District and Circle lines, the entire process had to be completed during Engineering Hours (overnight when there is no train service) and was scheduled to be delivered in a series of shifts between 1am and 5am, over a period of six months. In each shift, the project team had to erect scaffolding, transport the equipment and materials to the desired location and clean and prepare the beams before applying the Sika CarboDur UHM plates and temporary supports.

The supports, scaffolding and equipment was then removed to allow the underground to reopen. “The Sika solution proved the most practical method to strengthen the beams. With severely restricted access, in terms of both space available and the four hour window in which we could work, its ease of application – combined with a carefully managed schedule – enabled the project to be delivered within the allotted timeframe,” said Olu Ogunwale, Contracts Manager at Concrete Repairs.

The bespoke Pre-Preg manufacturing process used to create the UHM plates also ensured maximum efficiency with the creation of homogenous individual plates to the exact design dimensions in terms of length, width and thickness.

At Embankment, this included specifically designed tapers in the end of the plates to reduce peel stresses to absolute minimum, inclusion of a small cut out in the end of the plate for increased tolerance around a downstand in the soffit of the cast iron, and fully applied fire protection to all exposed surfaces of the plate.

By overcoming the extreme time and spatial constraints of the London Underground, the client, contractors and material suppliers demonstrated outstanding workmanship and expertise to complete the project on time and on budget. Delivered over a six month period, the project was successfully finished to the highest standard with the contractors reinforcing an average of two beams per night on-site.

Thanks to a well-organised, detailed process, this length of London Underground was able to remain fully operational throughout, with the service’s passengers entirely unaware of the vital work being undertaken.

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/21/major-strengthening-programme-completed-on-london-underground/

pYp5Hi1KIyE

Oyster card users will soon see London 2012 posters on the Tube

The London Underground transit system will soon be decorated differently, thanks to a London 2012 Olympic poster project.

Famous artists such as Tracey Emin, Howard Hodgkin and Martin Creed will be designing pieces of artwork for Oyster card users and people travelling on the Tube to see.

Twelve artists in total have been selected to take part in the project, having been whittled down from a longlist of 100. They will be able to produce a poster, which will be displayed on the London Underground transit system, in any style they want, as long as it illustrates something associated with the Olympic or Paralympic Games.

"I wanted to do this because it would be fun and London 2012 is something to celebrate," said Turner Prize nominee Emin.

The recent walkouts on the Tube have led to renewed fears strike action could plague the London Olympic Games next year, as it would be the prime opportunity for workers to raise awareness of their cause.

http://www.squidcard.com/corporate/emoneynews/transit/oyster-card-users-will-soon-see-london-2012-posters-on-the-tube940.html

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OeyLMUmHENA

London underground rail strikes called off

London underground drivers have called off a series of strikes due next week after a sacked worker at the centre of a disciplinary row was reinstated by operator London Underground, their union said on Thursday.

London Underground had said the worker was dismissed for alleged unacceptable behaviour towards staff but the Rail, Maritime and Transport RMT.L union said he had been fired because of his union links.

He was reinstated by the company after an employment tribunal said he was unfairly fired. The RMT said staff would not go ahead with walkouts scheduled for next Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Millions of commuters would have been affected if the industrial action had gone ahead. Industrial action would also have coincided with the second week of the Wimbledon tennis championships in south-west London.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/24/uk-london-underground-rail-strikes-calle-idUSLNE75N01820110624

Is This the London Tube Train of the Future?

According to Railway Gazette, this could be what the London Underground trains look like in the future.

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/3521/tubefuture1.jpg

Siemens unveiled this concept for consideration for the next generation of tube trains. The current rolling stock is undergoing an upgrade now. And as The Londonist points out, aside from the distinctive circular operators cab, this vision isn’t all that different from the newer cars.

Siemens does point out this concept design would increase capacity by 11 percent, impressive, considering one of the limitations of London’s system are the tight tunnels, which constrict car height, Many of the the system’s eponymous tubes were originally designed and built well over 100 years ago.


http://transportationnation.org/2011/06/24/is-this-the-london-tube-train-of-the-future/

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^^ That's Brilliant. That could easily be an 'Ident' for a TV Channel.

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Nice.

What kind of program You create this video?

Nice.

What kind of program You create this video?

Don't think he created it. If you look at the myriad of video's he posts it looks like he trolls Youtube and elsewhere looking for anything London related and posts. Same too with news stories. Getting a bit annoying actually as nothing else appears to be here and the same thing often gets posted to 2 or 3 threads.

Designer Proposes London Underground Map Redesign

The London Underground map, created by Harry Beck in 1931, was an example of great information design, but is now outdated. So says a British designer who is proposing a more geographically accurate version of the iconic map.

Mark Noad explained that when Beck’s original map was in use, there were only seven lines on the Underground so “the compromises Beck made on geographical accuracy did not matter greatly”. Today, there are more than twice that number of lines in operation, exacerbating the inaccuracies.

“They form the basis for a major criticism of the diagram, that it bears little or no relation to London at street level,” Noad wrote on the project website. This distorts the actual physical locations of some stations, leading to confusion when selecting a route to take, or whether it is quicker to walk between stations.

One major change Noad attempted was to change Beck’s 45-degree angles into 30- and 60-degree ones; it “shortens the extremities of the lines to make it more compact”, Noad explained.

The designer is planning to launch a fully-functional site of the redesigned map, including “loads of info including parks and attractions”, he tweeted. An app version of the redesign is also in the works.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/9176/85981605.png

http://www.designtaxi.com/news/35007/Designer-Proposes-London-Underground-Map-Redesign/?page=1

Quite like that version, but I can't see TfL dumping Beck's version. It's iconic - easily the most recognised transport map in the world.

Let's say this one is closer to reality but I find it more confusing.

Mr. Noad has a valid point about the issue of scale and relative distances between stations, but I don't think he did anything to remedy the fact. The adjustment in scale looks pretty slight and the tangle of lines downtown means he's created a situation not unlike the readability problem encountered in the Financial District and Downtown Brooklyn in New York's subway maps, though less severe.
What's the point in greater geographical accuracy if there's nothing on the map useful for gauging one's position relative to a station, or of one station to the next?

Agreed...

If you're going to do a geographically accurate map just do one, this hybrid is the worst of both worlds... Neither very accurate nor very clear

There's some nice features, but it's too bendy to be of any use.

Don't think he created it. If you look at the myriad of video's he posts it looks like he trolls Youtube and elsewhere looking for anything London related and posts. Same too with news stories.

Including copyright material posted in full, despite Jan's warning not to...

I like Noad's map. It's inherently difficult to balance clarity with accuracy. It think Noad's map strikes a reasonable balance. I think the reason I'm not more enthusiastic is that I'm just used to the derivations of Beck's map.

It is still totally misleading especially on the outer branches. Either do a geographically accurate map or not. This just looks like a mess that isn't accurate. The beauty of Beck is that it is simple to use and elegant. Some of the shortcomings of distance issues with Beck type maps can be overcome with some creativity.

Including copyright material posted in full, despite Jan's warning not to...

So why does he continue I wonder?

Including copyright material posted in full, despite Jan's warning not to...

Well, I'm sorry if I do but if it's a piece of news, plenty of threads in SSC would have to be cleaned, especially in economy sections, etc. :dunno: I think it's only serious if you don't provide a source.

So why does he continue I wonder?

Then go all over SSC to make that complaint because you would have thousands of threads to take care of. ;)

Then go all over SSC to make that complaint because you would have thousands of threads to take care of. ;)

So what your saying is you have nothing original to add to the discussion, instead your happy to flood the thread with endless video's and news stories that many would have seen before and generally don't generate any discussion. What is needed is a PortoNuts thread where you can go and fill your boots posting other peoples video's and copyright new stories and leave the discussion threads such as this so people can discuss things.

^^ Oh god guys before PortoNuts posted here this place was stone cold dead.

Anyway, tomorrow is the last day of 67TS running on the Victoria line.

^^ Oh god guys before PortoNuts posted here this place was stone cold dead.

Anyway, tomorrow is the last day of 67TS running on the Victoria line.

It kinda still is, just with countless links to videos and news articles that are posted in several locations and generate very little discussion. Hardly a positive contribution to a discussion board, moreso if the mods have already hard a word about posting copyright material.

Transport for London plans to cool the Tube network

With warm summer weather now hitting the Capital and millions of Tube passengers experiencing hot journeys on the Underground, Transport for London has set out the work it continues to carry out to try and cool the Tube network.

On the sub-surface lines the roll-out of new air-conditioned S-stock Tube trains continues and this summer Metropolitan line passengers are able to use them on routes into central London for the first time.

By 2016, 40% of the Tube network will use the new air-conditioned trains as, once roll out is complete on the Metropolitan line, they will be introduced on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines from 2012 and the District line from 2013. However the challenge of cooling the deep-level Tube lines is one that TfL continues to work on.

The Tube is the oldest metro system in the world and its basic tunnel infrastructure has changed little since it was constructed more than 145 years ago. On the deep-level lines, which are unique to London, the heat generated by trains has been passing into the tunnels and the clay surrounding them for many years, meaning the tunnels retain heat.

They were also built with only enough room for trains and with very little space for air-conditioning on the trains, inside or outside. TfL’s acquisition of Tube Lines has created the opportunity for a joint approach to upgrades of the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines including a common design for trains.

London Underground, working with the train industry, is looking to develop a train that would be lighter and more energy efficient, which would mean the possibility of it being able to carry air conditioning equipment.

Using regenerative braking, which returns power back to the rails, could in turn power the air conditioning while not adding to the heat that would be generated powering it. The current plan is that a prototype will be delivered to London Underground by 2015.

...

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/28/transport-for-london-plans-to-cool-the-tube-network/

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Farewell 67 Stock!

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It kinda still is, just with countless links to videos and news articles that are posted in several locations and generate very little discussion. Hardly a positive contribution to a discussion board, moreso if the mods have already hard a word about posting copyright material.

Where else are the articles posted? I haven't seen them elsewhere. I always read them, too.

Farewell 67 Stock!


Where else are the articles posted? I haven't seen them elsewhere. I always read them, too.

Many of the articles get posted to the two London threads. Oh one other thing, unlike your post of the 67 stock farewell, none of the bloody videos he posts has titles to even know what they are, again despite being asked to include a title, Just lazy posting to build post numbers up!

Lay off Porto... I commend his enthusiasm and what he posts is entirely relevant

This thread would be languishing on the 2nd or 3rd page were it not for him

^^
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Lay off Porto... I commend his enthusiasm and what he posts is entirely relevant

This thread would be languishing on the 2nd or 3rd page were it not for him

Well how about he puts some titles on his video's and complies with the mods apparent request to not post copyright info.

Though as I said very little of what is posted actually generates any discussion, so maybe the thread needs to be on the 2nd or 3rd page. It is a discussion board isn't it rather than a news board?

London Underground extends District line timetable consultation

London Underground (LU) is asking District line passengers to respond to a consultation about proposed improvements to the timetable which would reduce delays on the line, saving more than 850,000 passenger hours per year.

It would also provide capacity for 4,000 more passengers on the Wimbledon branch every weekday morning.

As part of work to reduce delays for passengers on the line, LU is proposing changes to address problems with a service bottleneck in the Earl’s Court area, which is the source of many of the hold ups passengers experience on the line.

London Underground proposes to remove weekday services to Kensington (Olympia), which carry less than 1% of District line passengers. By doing so, services for an additional 4,000 passengers every weekday morning can be added to the busy Wimbledon branch, which carries nearly 30% of District line passengers.

There will also be extra capacity for more than 800 additional people on services Ealing Broadway every weekday evening peak.

...

http://www.rail.co/2011/06/29/london-underground-extends-district-line-timetable-consultation/

Well how about he puts some titles on his video's and complies with the mods apparent request to not post copyright info.

Though as I said very little of what is posted actually generates any discussion, so maybe the thread needs to be on the 2nd or 3rd page. It is a discussion board isn't it rather than a news board?

It is also a place to share infos and material... many threads of the main sections are made of pics and videos, and often the 'discussion' is something like "wow, amazing, nice pic"

You're right about quoting the authors of the videos (even if often on youtube the ones who load the videos are not the ones who materially create 'em; but generally they are the ones 'stolen' from movies or tv programs, and that's not the case); but to embed youtube videos on SSC is obviously allowed, and obviously you can't embed only a part of a video, as to edit a video means reload it edited on a hosting site, you can't just cut the embedded video.
Anyway, if youtube didn't want to allow SSC to embed videos they just have to enable the site to use their embedding. And if a youtube member doesn't want his videos to be embedded he just enables the embedding for his videos previously (and there are videos which do not work embedded, for this reason)
In any case youtube earns money from the embedding as they put advertises popping up while the videos play.
More, sometimes even videos authors earn money by the visualizations. And the ones who don't could in the future as you can access the 'collaboration' with youtube if your (original) videos have many many visualizations; what could happen by embedding 'em on popular forums (and assuming that this is not spam)

That said, the authors and the site could in any times to ask for videos remouval, anyway. The only way not to front this risk is not to embed 'em.
But without videos and pics SSC would be a very sad forum I think.

Sorry for this OT
:cheers:

The issue I have with the youtube videos is a lack of a title. All I see is a square box with a play button. However after playing 1 video I then see a static picture on other videos. No doubt a security setting in my browser, but a good one at that. So how about a title like iampuking did with his video post a few pages back?

Lay off Porto... I commend his enthusiasm and what he posts is entirely relevant

This thread would be languishing on the 2nd or 3rd page were it not for him

IMO more people would check this thread regularly for information had it not been turned into an TfL youtube channel. I do watch some of the videos, but it's just too much to sort through if you want to find out what's going on.

IMO more people would check this thread regularly for information had it not been turned into an TfL youtube channel. I do watch some of the videos, but it's just too much to sort through if you want to find out what's going on.

Exactly, a little bit goes a long way, but same shit everyday is getting tedious and not generating discussion on the subject.

There is a title on every YouTube video, ajw373. If you have some adblocker or security feature enabled, which blocks that information, then it's entirely your own fault.

by looper23's on Flickr.

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/5729/58092107521239c35072b1.jpg

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4133/5623983948d0f37793b3b1.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98587546@N00/5809210752/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98587546@N00/5623983948/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Gotta love the underground. :horse:

TfL helps passengers avoid the stairs at Tube stations

A new Tube guide has been added to the TfL website which shows customers how to avoid stations with stairs.

London Underground, which started in 1863, is the oldest metro system in the world and many of its stations were built in Victorian and Edwardian times ‘when passengers who had mobility problems were not a priority’.

Putting lifts into existing Tube stations is often ‘extremely difficult and expensive’ but Transport for London has invested hundreds of millions of pounds in doing this, as well as building new Tube, London Overground and DLR stations which are all step-free. TfL has increased the number of Tube stations which are step-free to 62 and this will rise to 65 when lifts are installed at Green Park, Blackfriars and Farringdon before the 2012 Games.

The Tube Upgrade Plan will continue redeveloping key stations and installing lifts.

In the meantime London Underground has issued a new ‘Avoiding Stairs Tube guide’, which will be useful for anyone who may have difficulty using stairs but can manage escalators. This will include older people, customers with heavy luggage, parents with pushchairs and people with physical disabilities who do not use a wheelchair.

The map highlights stations where customers can reach the platforms or change trains via escalators, lifts or ramps, or where the platforms are already at street level. Stations where this access is not possible are greyed out on the map.

The map differs to the ‘Step-Free Tube map’ which shows step-free stations suitable for wheelchair users, which have lifts from street to platform level or ramps; and includes more detailed information including the size of steps and gaps between train and platform.

Wayne Trevor, London Underground’s Accessibility & Inclusion Manager said: “With the funding we have we are installing lifts to make as many Tube stations free of steps as we can, currently 62 increasing to 65 by next year.

“However, we know that many people have difficulties in walking up and down long flights of stairs, but can manage escalators and have produced the ‘Avoiding Stairs Tube Guide’ to reflect these needs. These are very different to the difficulties faced by wheelchair users and so we wanted to provide a map that more accurately reflected these needs.”

On the website there is also an Audio Tube map, Tube toilet map, a large print Tube map and the Step-Free Tube map.

http://www.rail.co/2011/07/04/tfl-helps-passengers-avoid-the-stairs-at-tube-stations/

^^ Funnily enough just a few days ago I was at Highbury & Islington station and saw some tourists carrying lots of luggage from the NB Victoria line, when they reached the stairs I heard them all swearing as soon as they saw the massive flight of stairs they had to climb. Maybe if they had one of these guides they'd have been okay.

^^ Funnily enough just a few days ago I was at Highbury & Islington station and saw some tourists carrying lots of luggage from the NB Victoria line, when they reached the stairs I heard them all swearing as soon as they saw the massive flight of stairs they had to climb. Maybe if they had one of these guides they'd have been okay.

With the massive number of train stations in your country, it would take a lot of time for all 100% of train stations to have escalators and/or elevators. It will get there eventually. The question is more of how long.

Anyways, it looks like I won't be affected:
-Paddington (if we stay at the Hilton hotel beside the train station and when we take the train going to Cardiff, Wales)
-King Cross/St. Pancras (when we take the train to Scotland)
-London Bridge Station (in case we choose to stay at Shangrila Hotel @ Shard London Bridge Tower)
-Train stations in Canary Wharf (because I heard that Mariott Hotel there is awesome)

Hehe :)

I used to complain this LU all the time like its too crowd, hot, dirty and slow etc but now i completely changed my mind after i experienced Paris Metro lol (sorry if you get offended) which i found no iconic, no modern, too hot, and their stations are not properly maintained, as a result a lot of stations seem quite dirty and smells like piss :ohno: They also don't have many CCTV cameras and enough staffs like in LU stations. However, i think Madrid Metro beats both of them :laugh: which i found very efficient, modern, and their stock carriages have a/c. Anyway, London Underground rocks for being oldest/world's first underground railway and it's also the world's second biggest by total length of tracks, plus it's logo/sign and colour is just so iconic lol

I have never ever seen as much staff as on London Underground.

^^ Funnily enough just a few days ago I was at Highbury & Islington station and saw some tourists carrying lots of luggage from the NB Victoria line, when they reached the stairs I heard them all swearing as soon as they saw the massive flight of stairs they had to climb. Maybe if they had one of these guides they'd have been okay.

Aren't there signs in some stations referring the number of steps?

I used to complain this LU all the time like its too crowd, hot, dirty and slow etc but now i completely changed my mind after i experienced Paris Metro lol (sorry if you get offended) which i found no iconic, no modern, too hot, and their stations are not properly maintained, as a result a lot of stations seem quite dirty and smells like piss :ohno: They also don't have many CCTV cameras and enough staffs like in LU stations. However, i think Madrid Metro beats both of them :laugh: which i found very efficient, modern, and their stock carriages have a/c. Anyway, London Underground rocks for being oldest/world's first underground railway and it's also the world's second biggest by total length of tracks, plus it's logo/sign and colour is just so iconic lol

A lot of money has been spent in the last decade or so to improve the Underground.

It is much cleaner now; many stations have been refurbished; new trains, track and signalling; there's a long way to go, but in the next decade or two, the whole system should have been upgraded to take more frequent, faster and more modern trains.

Also the system continues to expand, with newly opened sections on the DLR and Overground, plus Crossrail which is a huge new express line now being built. Not bad for a system so old!

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Aren't there signs in some stations referring the number of steps?
Only at stations that have lifts and so there is an alternative (emergency) stair case. Essentially they are saying: there are a lot of stairs are you sure you want to walk up instead of taking the lift?!

^^Thanks. I knew it was only in 'extreme' stations with warnings like 'there are 300 steps' or something like this.

One week left to push for extra district line trains in rush hour, residents warned

Hard-pressed commuters in Putney and Southfields who want extra rush hour trains on the District Line only have one week left to persuade tube bosses they are vitally needed. Earlier this year London Underground chiefs unveiled proposals to provide an extra five morning rush hour trains on the Wimbledon Line.

The plan is to discontinue the poorly used weekday services to Olympia. But since then residents and businesses near Olympia have been campaigning against the changes and are said to be on the brink of forcing a rethink.

The public consultation concludes next Friday - July 15 - and people who want to see the changes implemented are being advised to act now. Wandsworth's transport spokesman Councillor Russell King says residents who want the extra trains have only one week left to speak out if they want to make sure their views are not overlooked.

He said: "Time is running out for people living in Putney and Southfields who want to see these service improvements delivered. The campaign by residents and businesses in Olympia is on the verge of overturning London Underground's original intentions so it is absolutely vital that passengers who want these extra trains speak out now."

People who want to take part in the consultation can email enquiry.tube@tfl.gov.uk marking it 'Olympia District line consultation' or call Transport for London's customer services hotline on 0845 330 9880 between 8am and 8pm seven days a week. Comments can also be left on the TfL website at www.tfl.gov.uk/districtlineconsultation or in writing to LU's Customer Service Centre, 55 Broadway, London SW1H 0BD.

Commuters can also sign an online petition set up by the council backing the extra trains. To do so visit http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/extra-trains-on-the-district-line-wimbledon-branch.html Coun King added: "People living south of the river need to inundate London Underground with as many messages of support for the changes as possible."

The District Line service to Olympia is used by less than 2,500 people a day, but causes delays to all other services through Earl's Court.

Introducing the proposed changes would provide capacity for an additional 4,000 people on the Wimbledon line in the morning peak and an extra 800 people to Ealing Broadway in the evening.

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/topstories/9131524.One_week_left_to_push_for_extra_district_line_trains_in_rush_hour__residents_warned/

As we're in a democracy my opinion on things like this is, the option that helps the most people should be the option that is used. And if we look at the patronage of stations on the Olympia branch vs the Wimbledon branch...

Kensington Olympia

2010 1.290 million

Vs...

West Brompton

2009 3.715 million

Fulham Broadway

2010 9.300 million

Parsons Green

2009 5.450 million

Putney Bridge

2009 5.648 million

and so on...

IMO this is long overdue. The Olympia branch has ridiculously low usage for a station in Zone 2 and should be removed for the sake of the rest of the line.

What has happened in recent years is the opening of stations on the West London Line at West Brompton and Shepherd's Bush. So even with the closure of the Olympia stub, people using that station would still have single-change options for travelling into the city. It would be harder for them to travel West, but the all round improvements for other commuters if the stub to Olympia is closed are pretty clear.

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London underground Oyster card revolution?

Welcome news for London commuters could see Oyster card ‘overcharging’ cut for tube journeys.

Around £60 million swelled the coffers of transport bosses in 2010, raised by levying the maximum fare of £6 on commuters who failed to tap out when a journey was finished. This year £7.20 is the new maximum fare.

But now changes may be on the cards, though Transport for London is staying tight-lipped at present. One scheme under consideration called ‘automatic journey complete’ can complete a regular journey made by the user who fails to tap out. It is similar to a system already in use for when large crowds pass through turnstiles.

How often this would happen or if there will be a limit is undecided at present. The figure of £60m claimed by critics as the cost of the problem is disputed by TfL. It claims that £14m was raised by levying the maximum fare on incomplete journeys, adding that the number of incomplete journeys is falling.

“We are developing the technology,” a TfL spokeswoman told London24."We are working on a technological solution which we hope to introduce later this year to tackle the issue of incomplete journeys, which affect just 2 per cent of the 7.5 million weekly Oyster pay as you go journeys on the TfL network.”But the spokeswoman denied the £60m raised last year was a result of an ‘overcharging’ error.

Failure by Tube travellers to use properly their Oyster cards comprised most of the £60m, she insisted. The issue of alleged overcharging of Tube users has been pursued by the Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly.

“The current level of overcharging is totally unacceptable. There is something very seriously wrong when each and every week of the year Londoners are ripped off by more than £1 million,” said Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, who chairs the transport committee. It is vital that TfL and the Mayor find a solution to stop so many passengers being ripped off.”

http://www.london24.com/news/transport/london_underground_oyster_card_revolution_1_959011

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London Underground raises Tube staff pay offer

London Underground (LU) has increased its pay offer for workers to a 4.75% rise this year, which compares with 4.5% in its last offer.

The five-year deal would see workers receiving pay rises of inflation plus 0.25% for each of the subsequent years. LU said the offer, which would run through next year's Olympic Games was "very fair and affordable".

Union sources said the latest offer would be considered before any response was given. LU also gave a further guarantee that should deflation occur, staff would be guaranteed a minimum 0.25% pay increase each year.

It said it had also sought to meet some of the unions' suggestions by making the system for allocating shifts on Bank Holidays more responsive to local need and by making it easier for qualified drivers on career breaks to return to work.

LU's chief operating officer Howard Collins said: "We met with the unions today and have made what we believe is a very fair and affordable multi-year pay offer to the trade unions that will enable our employees' salaries to keep pace with the cost of living and guarantees an increase in real terms over the life of the deal.

"At the same time it is realistic given the current economic situation and the pressure on Transport for London's finances."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14145009

Parts of Circle and District lines to be suspended for 4 weeks

Upgrade works to improve the reliability of service, renew old infrastructure, and prepare for new trains are set to take place on one of the oldest sections of the Tube.

It will mean that the District and Circle lines will be suspended between High Street Kensington and Edgware Road from 23 July to 23 August. Throughout the closure, various transport options will be available for passengers wishing to access the area.

Bayswater station is within easy walking distance of Queensway on the Central line, which will remain open throughout. In addition to local buses, passengers for High Street Kensington will still be able to access the station via District line trains from Earl’s Court or Circle line trains from Gloucester Road. Passengers for Notting Hill Gate will be able to access the station via the Central line.

Passengers for Paddington and Edgware Road will be able to use the Bakerloo line, and passengers for Baker Street will be able to use the Bakerloo and Jubilee lines.

The works will include track and drainage renewal and enabling works to accommodate the new longer air-conditioned trains (from six carriages to seven – with room for an additional 143 passengers per train), which will start operating on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines from the end of 2012.

They will also include power upgrade works to support the new trains coming into service.Signal and track failures make up around 70% of the delays between Notting Hill Gate and Paddington as the poor condition of drainage means that excess water results in track circuits failing and therefore leads to signal failures.

The block closure means that the work can be carried out during a quieter period on the network, when around 25,000 fewer passengers a day use the District and Circle lines between High Street Kensington and Edgware Road.

Completing the work using weekend track closures only would mean at least 20 weekend closures spread across six months or more.

...

http://www.rail.co/2011/07/14/parts-of-circle-and-district-lines-to-be-suspended-for-4-weeks/

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Can anyone point me at the plans for what Farringdon Underground/Thameslink station will be like when they've finished?
I only remember seeing stuff about the Farringdon Crossrail.
Will the Cowcross street remain entrance only at peak time like it is now for ever? What will the new facade on Turnmill Street look like?

^^Farringdon will have everything: Tube, National Rail, Thameslink and Crossrail.

Maybe I'm being thick - what National Rail will it have apart from Thameslink?