This morning I left Palmers Green and went to Highbury and Islington for
about 8 to get the Victoria Line.

The Victoria line had signal problems so we were advised to use
alternative routes. So I got back on the rail line to Moorgate to get
the Northern Line.

The Northern line train at Moorgate didn't go anywhere because of signal
problems near Stockwell.

Can you see a pattern emerging ?

So I got on the circle line to Kings Cross to connect with (well any
sodding thing still moving south).

I tried to change lines at Kings Cross but got turfed out onto the
street as they were closing Kings Cross because it was too busy......
try the Angel they said.

So I walked to the Angel............. nothing at all going south.

At this stage I would be forgiven for just sitting in a corner and
having a good hissy fit :-)

But I then walked to Highbury & Islington, where I'd been an hour before
and after a long wait got a Victoria Line train, and arrived at work
some 1 and a half hours late !!

So I'm thinking, why am I paying £33.20 a week to put up with this crap,
and why people keep voting for Ken, the guy who promised to transform
the Tube !!

--
Edward Cowling "Must Go - The Revolution Starts At 9"

On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:24:18 +0100, Edward Cowling London UK
wrote:

This morning I left Palmers Green and went to Highbury and Islington for
about 8 to get the Victoria Line.

The Victoria line had signal problems so we were advised to use
alternative routes. So I got back on the rail line to Moorgate to get
the Northern Line.

The Northern line train at Moorgate didn't go anywhere because of signal
problems near Stockwell.

Can you see a pattern emerging ?

I could try to explain but I don't think that would help. It was a
particularly awful morning in terms of big signal problems so I'll say
sorry instead given that I work for LU.

I agree that it is unacceptable that you and others encounter delays
like you did today.

You probably won't like my next suggestion and I would agree that you
shouldn't have to plan like this. I make sure I have a number of
alternative routes already worked out to get me to where I want to get
to. This applies for home to work and the reverse journey in particular
but it can also help at other times. This typically involves using the
bus network in order to keep moving - it's when everything stops that
the frustration really builds.

I have only got stuck once in a number of years when trying to use my
alternative routes and it is much less stressful to be able to take a
firm decision to go to the stop to catch bus x to get to y. By being
able to decide quickly you can generally get ahead of the crowd of
people who may then be forced to head for the buses and then everything
gets very busy indeed.

I don't know where you were headed but from Moorgate you have several
good bus options to head south of the river - 76, 141, 133, 100, 43.

So I'm thinking, why am I paying £33.20 a week to put up with this crap,
and why people keep voting for Ken, the guy who promised to transform
the Tube !!

I think I can guess how you will be voting.

Once again - sorry for being mucked around this morning.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

I could try to explain but I don't think that would help. It was a
particularly awful morning in terms of big signal problems so I'll say
sorry instead given that I work for LU.

Ah yes but signal failures would be down to the (privatised)
infracos!!!! I'm not sure about the Victoria line, but on the
Northern that's the second time in just over a week that there has
been a points failure at Kennington when I was on duty. I blame
Tubelines - and underinvestment in general.


Admits to working for London Underground!
So do I! And it wasn't my fault!!!

On Jun 26, 7:54 pm, wrote:
I could try to explain but I don't think that would help. It was a
particularly awful morning in terms of big signal problems so I'll say
sorry instead given that I work for LU.

Ah yes but signal failures would be down to the (privatised)
infracos!!!! I'm not sure about the Victoria line, but on the
Northern that's the second time in just over a week that there has
been a points failure at Kennington when I was on duty. I blame
Tubelines - and underinvestment in general.



Admits to working for London Underground!

So do I! And it wasn't my fault!!!


You are spot on there Hannah,having said that at least money is being
spent and things are said to improve under the PPP Line Upgrades
(whith equipment that wont last anywhere near as long as the current
assets)

Tubelines are crap too, but dont but anywhere near as much stick as
Metromess, but then Tubelines must make an awful lot more money -
through Transplant, Emergency Response Unit and Refuse & Distribution
Services

Also Kings Cross was closed earlier because of concrete coming through
the tunnel roof on the Piccadilly line. Very Odd that!

On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:54:55 -0700, wrote:

I could try to explain but I don't think that would help. It was a
particularly awful morning in terms of big signal problems so I'll say
sorry instead given that I work for LU.

Ah yes but signal failures would be down to the (privatised)
infracos!!!! I'm not sure about the Victoria line, but on the
Northern that's the second time in just over a week that there has
been a points failure at Kennington when I was on duty. I blame
Tubelines - and underinvestment in general.

I know a great deal about Tube Lines and the Northern Line as I am
involved in managing the contract with them. We have to deal with the
payment and attribution process so we know what happens with all of
these incidents and how much they cost.

To be strictly fair to Tube Lines (they'll never believe I said that!)
they have brought forward an awful lot of money from later in the
contract to repair Northern Line track and they are expending huge
efforts in trying to get the train reliability back where it should be.
They have spent an awful lot of money to do this and they are pressing
ahead with the signalling upgrade. In addition they have lost a great
deal of money in terms of contractual abatements on the Northern Line
which they are desperate to get out from under. This is why other
spending has been brought forward to repair worn out assets. There are
a lot of issues here and a hell of a lot of effort from people in LU and
Tube Lines to make the Northern Line work. To be strictly fair as well
not every incident or delay on the railway is down to Tube Lines or
Metronet. There is plenty that LU does not get right and LU is taking
the steps to improve its performance too. While I understand why
people wish to target a particular party for blame we must remember that
it is a system and people have to work together to make it all work no
matter we might think about PPP, money, the trade unions or
privatisation.

I'll now be called a TfL Spin Doctor for having written the above
comments!

Admits to working for London Underground!
So do I! And it wasn't my fault!!!

In one sense it wasn't mine in that I didn't go and cause the failures.
I am a senior manager and people who post here are our customers /
passengers (delete as applicable). If Tim O'Toole is prepared to say
sorry and I'm sure he would then there's nothing wrong in me doing it.
Whether people believe I am sincere in what I say is their own
judgement.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:51:33 +0100, Paul Corfield
wrote:

I am a senior manager and people who post here are our
passengers (delete as applicable).

:-)

On Jun 26, 9:51 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:
There are
a lot of issues here and a hell of a lot of effort from people in LU and
Tube Lines to make the Northern Line work.

I know! I'm one of them! Operational staff also get frustrated by
trying to do a good job and being perpetually hampered by the
delapidated infrastructure we have to work with. Well I know I do. I
know that our job is to provide the best possible train service to the
travelling public, and on the Northern line a lot of the time it seems
we are operating on a wing and a prayer. I'm sure you have quite a
different perspective on it to me as I am more involved in day-to-day
keeping the railway running as best we can no matter what goes wrong,
while you (by the sounds of it) are more looking at how the Northern
line can be improved in the longer term.

Hannah

On Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:06:33 -0700, wrote:

On Jun 26, 9:51 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:
There are
a lot of issues here and a hell of a lot of effort from people in LU and
Tube Lines to make the Northern Line work.

I know! I'm one of them! Operational staff also get frustrated by
trying to do a good job and being perpetually hampered by the
delapidated infrastructure we have to work with. Well I know I do.

Yes I know but the point is that money is being spent to put this right.
The scale of the work means that it's a long job. This is better than it
was in the old days when the only thing we did was work out to cut our
investment budgets every year - BTDTGTTS.

I
know that our job is to provide the best possible train service to the
travelling public, and on the Northern line a lot of the time it seems
we are operating on a wing and a prayer. I'm sure you have quite a
different perspective on it to me as I am more involved in day-to-day
keeping the railway running as best we can no matter what goes wrong,
while you (by the sounds of it) are more looking at how the Northern
line can be improved in the longer term.

My team do their fair share of the day to day trouble shooting of faults
with the FRC and TLL engineers. We do a daily review of faults and
incidents and investigate what has gone wrong and why.

A lot of the contractual stuff is also day to day with people on the
trains team doing cab rides for speed restrictions or visiting site
after serious disruptions as well as operating all the data collection
and contractual processes that we have to do.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On 27 Jun, 19:06, wrote:
On Jun 26, 9:51 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:

There are
a lot of issues here and a hell of a lot of effort from people in LU and
Tube Lines to make the Northern Line work.

I know! I'm one of them! Operational staff also get frustrated by
trying to do a good job and being perpetually hampered by the
delapidated infrastructure we have to work with. Well I know I do. I
know that our job is to provide the best possible train service to the
travelling public, and on the Northern line a lot of the time it seems
we are operating on a wing and a prayer. I'm sure you have quite a
different perspective on it to me as I am more involved in day-to-day
keeping the railway running as best we can no matter what goes wrong,
while you (by the sounds of it) are more looking at how the Northern
line can be improved in the longer term.

Hannah

How many times does it come down to apparant sheer incompetance from
the line controllers as happened on Sunday Evening on the Northern at
Finchley central?
Mill Hill East trains delayed by the fact that the 38TS was on a rail
tour
Scenario
Arrive 18.45 ish
No trains to Mill Hill
38 allegedly in public service for this stretch cause it would cause
unacceptable delays
38ts does not stop
reemerges from Mill Hill 15 odd mins later does not stop
Train to Mill HIll sits in siding south of Station for at least
another 10 minutes
This was now close to 19.30 by the time it came
Result pax for MIll Hill delayed for at least 30 if not 40 minutes

This has nothing to do with infrastructure

Great Idea put a special in service so it does not inconvienence your
customers
Shame if you are not capable of implementing it.

On Jun 26, 7:54 pm, wrote:
I could try to explain but I don't think that would help. It was a
particularly awful morning in terms of big signal problems so I'll say
sorry instead given that I work for LU.

Ah yes but signal failures would be down to the (privatised)
infracos!!!! I'm not sure about the Victoria line, but on the
Northern that's the second time in just over a week that there has
been a points failure at Kennington when I was on duty. I blame
Tubelines - and underinvestment in general.



Admits to working for London Underground!

So do I! And it wasn't my fault!!!

So why are there signal failures on the less than 10 years old Jubilee
Line extenstion or the less than 30 year old Jubilee Line or the less
than 50 years old Victoria Line. I thought it was all due to the aging
Victorian infrastructure. It doesn't seem reasonable to blame Metronet/
Tubelines for the **** that they inherited, even if they should have
known what they were letting themselves in for.

Kevin