LONDON | DLR, Underground, Tramlink

[trainrover]

TfL agrees with you, for their journey planner shows a five-minute saving using both the Metropolitan and Central lines instead of just the Jubilee from Baker St Stn.

[PortoNuts]

London Underground recruits 300 Tube station staff

London Underground (LU) is recruiting 300 Tube station staff in a move union bosses claim has been caused by a 2010 policy of cutting 800 jobs.

LU announced plans to cut the jobs in 2010 as part of cost saving measures. But the RMT's Bob Crow said LU had "been forced into recruiting 300 new staff to try and plug the gaps" and called the policy a "massive blunder".

LU responded by saying: "We are just filling vacancies left by people leaving or being promoted."

It added: "There are no new posts or new jobs."

Transport for London's (TfL) 2010 plans led to a series of 24-hour strikes on the network. But it said its number of station staff would remain at around 5,200, despite the new vacancies.

'Promotion opportunities'

An internal bulletin from LU on the new jobs reads: "It has been over three years since our last recruitment campaign, and we are now in a position to fill a number of vacancies in our station operations.

"These vacancies are as a result of a number of promotion opportunities that have been offered to existing staff who have moved on to be train operators (as lines run more services), station supervisors or work in other roles across the business."

RMT union leader Bob Crow said: "Having dumped 800 safety-critical station staff as part of Mayor Boris Johnson's cuts programme, TfL are now admitting they have made a massive blunder and have been forced into recruiting 300 new staff to try and plug the gaps.

...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16906917

[nr23Derek]

Regarding which is the best route to the summer games, the Jubilee or Central lines

Originally Posted by iranair777

On the jubilee line all your doing is going over the thames and back 4 times.

Ah, but the view from up there is wonderful...

Sorry, couldn't resist. The Central line might be the shorter route for the games, but it goes through the city and is pretty well rammed most of the time. I'm guessing there's more spare capacity on the Jubilee.

Derek

[sotonsi]

Depends on what time of day and what direction you are travelling in - the Central line heading from Bank to Stratford in the morning peak would be rather empty, but in the evening peak would be horrendous (and vice-versa for the return journey).

Jubilee's peak flows head in both directions, due to Canary Wharf. Certainly the morning peak heading from Canada Water to Canary Wharf is massively rammed and heading the other way is pretty bad.

[PortoNuts]

London Underground entrance at Farringdon reopens

The London Underground entrance to Farringdon station has reopened after an eight week closure to ‘restore and expand’ the station.

As part of the Thameslink Programme, Network Rail and London Underground have installed new ticket gates, machines and ticket offices along with new staircases.

Network Rail’s project director for Farringdon, Richard Walker, said: “From 2018 the revamped north – south Thameslink route will meet the new east – west Crossrail service, linking with existing Tube connections.

“With up to 24 trains an hour running in each direction on Thameslink and Crossrail, plus the Tube, Farringdon will be served by over 140 trains an hour.”

Farringdon will provide links to three of London’s major airports, Heathrow, Gatwick, and Luton, plus St Pancras International for Eurostar services.

http://www.rail.co/2012/02/07/london...ngdon-reopens/

[PortoNuts]

The latest plan to cut Tube delays... engineers get flashing blue lights

Tube engineers will be able to travel to problems in emergency "blue light" vehicles in a bid to cut delays on the Underground. For the first time Transport for London emergency responders will be able to cut through heavy central London traffic just like 999 services.

Tube bosses said the move will transform the network and "restore services more swiftly" for commuters. Under the trial launched today, three new response vehicles will be driven by British Transport Police to escort a TfL engineer to the site of a failure.

The team will respond to incidents where public safety is at risk as well as suicides and recovery situations under the same conditions used by police, ambulance and fire services.

Mike Brown, managing director for London Underground, said: "Having the capability to travel with blue lights and sirens will mean that the specialist engineers of our Emergency Response Unit can cut through heavy traffic and respond more quickly."

Alan Pacey, Assistant Chief Constable for British Transport police, said: "Passenger safety will be improved by using 'blue lights'. "Stuck trains will be freed from tunnels more quickly, enhancing passenger safety. There will also be fewer crowd safety issues in stations."

The vehicles will also serve the Overground, Docklands Light Railway and London Tramlink networks. The trial aims to halve the time taken to respond to problems, and to cut disruption and delays before the 2012 Games.

Jon Lamonte, the TfL director responsible for the team, said: "Our specialist unit could be described as London's unknown emergency service. These new arrangements will enable us to carry out our work more effectively.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...blue-lights.do

[PortoNuts]

2012 Cable Car going at a fast pace.

by meharris75.

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]

London Underground's top engineer David Waboso

With the Olympics rapidly approaching, David Waboso is making sure London Underground is ready to roll.

As the director for capital programmes at London Underground (LU), David Waboso is the teacher-turned-engineer who oversees the delivery of everything contained within the network provider’s investment plan, which includes trains, track, signals, stations, power supplies, control systems and all other related works. He handles £1bn of capital investment and a workforce of 2,500 engineers and project managers, in addition to a further 15,000-20,000 people in the supply chain.

In his wood-panelled office, where countless fellowships hang proudly in rectangular frames, the Imperial College civil-engineering graduate explained that rising passenger numbers and a deeptube network are the two biggest factors he is constantly battling with.

The Tube transports more than a billion passengers a year – which is equivalent to the entire population of India. It is one of the busiest metros in the world and, despite a creaking Victorian infrastructure, it is doing its best to meet the expectations of Londoners and tourists alike through its Upgrade Plan.

’We are expecting a 20 per cent increase in passenger numbers by the end of the decade, which will take us up to five million passengers a day. This is due to the growth of London and the growth of suburbia,’ said Waboso, who tries to dedicate a quarter of his time to being out on site, often riding in the cab with the drivers to hear their views on new trains, stations and signalling systems.

The Tube network is primarily made up of six deep tube lines (Bakerloo, Northern, Victoria, Piccadilly, Central and Waterloo and City) and four sub-surface cut-and-cover lines (District, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City).

Many stations have both deep tube lines and sub-surface lines passing through them and, as connections have improved, so too has the number of passengers going through the ticket barriers.

’A lot of our stations are at or beyond capacity. If we increase the number of passengers in the deep tube sections we have to make sure we can get them in and out of the stations,’ said Waboso.

To meet the demands of rising passenger numbers, there are several colossal projects taking place across the network. These include nine major station regeneration projects at what Waboso described as some of the biggest interchange stations. They include (from west to east): Paddington, Victoria, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Kings Cross, Farringdon, Blackfriars, Cannon Street and Whitechapel.

...

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-dept...011495.article

[PortoNuts]

[trainrover]

Funny how the progress of time reveals the superbly classy look (design) to that stock.

[PortoNuts]

Boris Johnson unveils new Farringdon station entrance

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and Islington resident, was one of the first to tag in at the newly opened entrance to Farringdon underground station.

The gates reopened after being closed for eight weeks while the Grade II sites station was restored and expanded.

The refurbishment, which is part of the £6 billion Thameslink programme, includes 36 new ticket gates, 20 new staircases nine new ticket machines and two new entrances, each with a ticket office.

Speaking at the opening on February 3, Mayor Johnson said: “Farringdon Station has already undergone a massive transformation, with a brand new ticket hall up and running, renovations to the entrances and many more improvements still to come. We are making vast essential upgrades to the transport infrastructure in the capital.

“By the time of the Olympics, this station will also be fully accessible with five new lifts, and before too long Crossrail will interchange here too, making millions of journeys easier for passengers.”

http://www.london24.com/news/transpo...ance_1_1209415

[PortoNuts]

Tube incident response ‘Blue Light’ trial

The Tube’s Emergency Response Unit is carrying out a trial with the British Transport Police in an attempt to reach emergencies faster. The trial aims to halve response times and means that Transport for London’s ERU vehicles will travel under the same ‘Blue Light’ conditions used by police, ambulance and fire services.

The ERU is a team operated by Tube Lines on behalf of TfL and ‘will respond to incidents where public safety is at risk such as obstructions blocking the track, broken down trains, ‘person under a train’ incidents and other emergency response and recovery situations’.

The trial involves a new fleet of three response vehicles with new British Transport Police livery driven by a BTP officer under blue light conditions when appropriate.

Mike Brown, Managing Director for London Underground and London Rail, said:

“Having the capability to travel with blue lights and sirens will mean that the specialist engineers of our Emergency Response Unit can cut through heavy traffic and respond to incidents more quickly and so restore services more swiftly for our customers.”

http://www.rail.co/2012/02/16/tube-i...e-light-trial/

[PortoNuts]

Oxford Circus and Green Park Tube platforms cooled

Platforms at two major central London Underground stations are to be cooled, Transport for London (TfL) has said. Cold water from a borehole will be piped into units which will reduce the temperature at Green Park.

And at Oxford Circus, chiller units are being installed to blow out cool air. TfL has made cooling of the Tube one of its priorities and it is hoped the work at the two stations will be completed in the summer.

Air-conditioned trains

In August, the first air-conditioned Tube trains went into service in the Metropolitan Line and TfL said it plans to roll the trains out across 40% of the network by 2015.

And a cooling system similar to the one being implemented at Green Park using underground water, is being used at Victoria station. But last year, TfL was criticised after new trains on the Victoria Line emitted heat raising temperatures on platforms but that fault has now been corrected.

A heat map that monitored the London Underground on 28 July 2008 - one of the hottest days of that year - found the Central Line was the hottest, with temperatures of up to 32C (90F).

The Metropolitan Line recorded temperatures of up to 27C (81F). The Jubilee Line was significantly cooler with most stations recording temperatures of 25C (77F).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17074704

[PortoNuts]

Blackfriars Tube Station reopens following three-year upgrade project

Blackfriars underground station is back open for business following the successful completion of a large-scale, three-year redevelopment project.

The station has been completely rebuilt as part of a £5.5bn Thameslink development programme after being closed for improvements in March 2009. London Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'The rebirth of this central London station will improve the journeys of thousands of passengers every single day.'

The stunning redevelopment, which has created 13,000 jobs over the last three years, will provide a better interchange between national rail and London Underground services.

The front of the building has also been completely overhauled and modernised with glass panelling. Improvements also include refurbished escalators and platforms, step-free access and a new ticket hall.

The station will now be able to accommodate over 60% more passengers every day. The redevelopment of Blackfriars main line station is also continuing as part of the proposed Bedford to Brighton Thameslink rail project.

It is now the first railway station to span the Thames, with two entrances at the north and south of the river, making London's South Bank and Bankside areas more accessible to passengers.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/890833-b...pgrade-project

New Bankside link to tube as Blackfriars Underground Station reopens

District and Circle line trains are now once again stopping at Blackfriars Underground Station after a two-year closure - and now passengers starting their tube journeys on the South Bank or Bankside have an easier route.

Tube passengers with a travelcard or Oyster pay-as-you-go can pass freely through the National Rail Station at Blackfriars which, since December, has spanned the Thames with entrances on the north and south banks.

An Oyster pay-as-you-go passenger entering the station from Bankside must touch their Oyster card on all three sets of barriers before boarding a tube train, as well as at the end of their Underground journey. If they do this, their card balance will automatically be adjusted so they are not charged for passing through Blackfriars mainline station.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson visited the station on Monday to see the new-look interchange for himself.

"With its magnificent ticket hall, brand new lifts and escalators, and more than double the previous capacity, the rebirth of this central London station will improve the journeys of thousands of passengers every single day," said Mr Johnson.

"An incredible amount of hard work and expertise has been invested in these improvements, and Blackfriars is now set to become a truly world-class station."

Laurence Whitbourn, Network Rail's senior programme manager for Blackfriars, said: "Rebuilding Blackfriars Underground station was a hugely complex engineering challenge; we excavated, demolished and rebuilt the whole station while Underground trains continued to run beneath our feet, and Thameslink services ran overhead.

"The new Underground station brings our plan for the whole of Blackfriars one step closer to completion. Both tube and rail passengers at Blackfriars stand to benefit from a modern, accessible station; longer, more frequent Thameslink trains; and convenient connections between services."

Some of the hoardings have now been removed from the south entrance at Blackfriars, giving the passenger a clearer impression of what the station will be like when work is completed this summer.

For the last month the Thames Path on the south side of the river at Blackfriars has been shut overnight to allow construction work on the station to continue. A series of weekend closures of the Thames Path have also been announced. The next is this coming weekend (25/26 February).

When the path is closed, pedestrians are diverted via Hopton Street.

Train operator First Capital Connect recently confirmed that weekday late-night and weekend train services on the central London section of the Thameslink route will resume from May this year after athree-and-a-half years of engineering work. The resumption of daily through train services will provide new weekend journey opportunities for Bankside and South Bank residents and easier 7-day links to both Luton and Gatwick Airports.

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5841

[Davodavo]

Originally Posted by PortoNuts

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17074704

BBC could have done better with that, explaining further the reasons for this high temperatures, why there is so much difference between the different lines, and so on, but the article is very interesting, however.

[trainrover]

Originally Posted by PortoNuts

Oxford Circus and Green Park Tube platforms cooled

...

Cold water from a borehole will be piped into units...

Much leaky tunnelling has never cooled Montreal's metro. If anything, Montreal's leakiness probably creates higher feels-like temperatures due to the humidity factors increased all the further, i.e., add another 8 to 12ºC to the following 21-July-2011 :

Originally Posted by trainrover

temperatures in Centrigrade

Either August or September is worse than July...

clickable...

24 Aug 2009 :

clickable...

I'm curious as to how come the Jubilee Line appears cooler

[GENIUS LOCI]

The new stretch of Jubilee (Eastbound starting by Westminster) was built in last '90s, with modern standards of ventilation, with many ventilation ducts along the tunnels; that keeps the temperature cooler even in the older stretch

Infact the reason of the (famous) high temperature of London's tube during summer is due to the lack of ventilation. Because of their age (substantially they were the first metro deep tunnels built in the world) construction methods didn't forecast nowadays ventilation standards.
So along the old narrow (just a bit wider than trains) tube tunnels the only vents are the stations themselves.
That way air exchange is too slow and temperature increases, expecially during summer, due above all to the heat generated by the trains which directly reaches the stations.

A vent on the Jubilee Line

[PortoNuts]

Set of pics of the redeveloped Blackfriars Station.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompage...station/page2/