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 Jun 27, 7:59 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:


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.

Do you do this independantly of operational managers who also
investigate incidents? Or do you work with/from what they find? Just
curious.


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.

Fair point, I think to put it slightly more clearly, you are more
focussed on making sure things get fixed, whilst I am more focussed on
how to run the railway as best we can round whatever bit of it happens
to be broken at the moment. Just so you know where I'm coming from
here, I am a Service (Line) Controller on the Northern.

Hannah
--
Paul C

Admits to working for London Underground!

On Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:04:47 -0700, wrote:

On Jun 27, 7:59 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:


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.

Do you do this independantly of operational managers who also
investigate incidents? Or do you work with/from what they find? Just
curious.

We will use a wide range of information but a lot of it comes from DMTs
via EIRFs / F&Ds etc. If it is a very complex incident that is worth a
lot of money then obviously there can be more challenge from TLL so we
work to make sure we know exactly what went on. This can involve talking
to lots of people and collating a lot of extra information over and
above the basic sources.

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.

Fair point, I think to put it slightly more clearly, you are more
focussed on making sure things get fixed, whilst I am more focussed on
how to run the railway as best we can round whatever bit of it happens
to be broken at the moment. Just so you know where I'm coming from
here, I am a Service (Line) Controller on the Northern.

An inhabitant of Coburg St - you are lucky ;-)
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Jun 27, 8:22 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:


We will use a wide range of information but a lot of it comes from DMTs
via EIRFs / F&Ds etc. If it is a very complex incident that is worth a
lot of money then obviously there can be more challenge from TLL so we
work to make sure we know exactly what went on. This can involve talking
to lots of people and collating a lot of extra information over and
above the basic sources.

Controllers write F&Ds! You'll be able to spot my items because my
writing is actually legible

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.

Fair point, I think to put it slightly more clearly, you are more
focussed on making sure things get fixed, whilst I am more focussed on
how to run the railway as best we can round whatever bit of it happens
to be broken at the moment. Just so you know where I'm coming from
here, I am a Service (Line) Controller on the Northern.

An inhabitant of Coburg St - you are lucky ;-)

There's lots of worse places to work than Cobourg St

Hannah

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.