Hot Tube Cartoons

Amongst the stories in the London papers about how ridiculously hot the London Underground is that moment, a couple of cartoons really stood out. Thelondonpaper were spot on with their microwave Tube carriage:


Ianvisits spotted something similar in The Telegraph


Fortunately next year, some of us might have some relief with the air conditioned Tubes when they are rolled out on the Metropolitan Line. But with deep level lines there's still no hope for cooler Tubes as Boris Johnson says "The difficulty is of course that it will ramp up the public pressure on us to deliver air-conditioning on the deep lines as well."

Each year we hear that TfL are working on cooler Tubes (when Ken Livingstone was mayor he offered a six figure reward for someone who could come up with a solution) and each year we swelter on deep level lines. Maybe one day, we'll see it, but until then it's a case of sweating and bearing it.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Friday, July 03, 2009 Permalink

Tube Photo of the Week

It could be a new advertising campaign. It could be a message from the London Underground. It could be message from Boris. But I loved this photo that Mister Rad took at Bond Street Tube station.


Mister Rad said "This person decided to ignore it ... but an evil plan like this was bound to attract some attention!"

If you happen to see a Dr Evil look-a-like on the Tube hastily putting up posters let us know.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Thursday, July 02, 2009 Permalink

The Outer Limits – Beyond Zone One

It's funny how even Transport for London and the London Transport Museum, see London beyond zone one as the "Outer Limits". But if you think there's more to London than Zone one and have a eye for design you could have the chance of changing this and bagging yourself a thousand pounds too.

"Continuing the tradition of commissioning cutting edge poster design, London Transport Museum and Transport for London (TfL), along with partners London Design Festival and Visit London, have launched an open competition to design a poster that celebrates the discoveries, pleasures and excitements that London has to offer beyond the city centre.


The winning design will become part of London Transport Museum's collection and will be reproduced as a poster for display on TfL's transport network.

Entrants are encouraged to use all variety of media and current technologies to create their take on contemporary poster design to reflect London's position as a leading design capital City. The poster must work within the contemporary display contexts of TfL's busy public environments and should conform to the rules and conventions of public display. It is important to remember any piece of advertising design will only have 3 seconds to attract the attention of a passer by."

Full details and a list of prizes are on TfL's site. I've heard that the competition organisers are particularly interested in receiving designs that feature modern life in the following London boroughs: Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harringay, Harrow, Islington, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth. Maybe these areas are under-represented in the Tube's current posters!

You have until July 27th to enter. Good luck.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Thursday, July 02, 2009 Permalink

Sleepng on the Tube

This morning I think I saw the worst case of a London Underground sleeper ever. There was a guy on the Piccadilly Line who was completely sprawled out with his feet going right across to the people on the other side. Luckily I was able to grab the seat that was next door but one to him, unlike my unlucky fellow commuters.


You can also see from the picture above that he didn't even stir when someone opposite actually rested on his foot. (Although he must have been oblivious to the fact that he was using someone else's foot as a ... err... footstool).

Sleeping guy spent the vast majority of the journey falling asleep on the men on either side of him. They tried to wake him up by giving massive shrugs of their shoulders, but Sleepy was out for the count. He'd sit up for a nano second and then fall asleep on the other guy. To his credit he gave them a bit of respite by occasionally lolling with his head back, so it hit the window a number of times. That didn't wake him up either.

I got off the Tube as normal, but wouldn't be surprised if the poor guy slept until Cockfosters. If ever there was a case for the "Wakemeupat" stickers, this was it. Although I have no idea what kind of shaking it would have taken to have woken him.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Permalink

Want to be a Tube Busker?

Budding young Buskers can get the chance to win a 20 minute on a prime performance pitch on the London Underground. On Saturday 11th July 100 musicians aged between 16 and 25 will take part in an event called "Rhythm of London".


To take part, you need to send a 30 seconds - 1 minute (max) film/video of you or your band playing to Rhythm of London Audition Team. A panel of judges will judge will select the top 100 performers, then the top 10 buskers will go to a public vote. It what will be a "busk off" or "Strictly Come Busking Idol X Factor" final, the overall prizes include a year's licence to busk on the Tube, plus a guitar signed & donated by Sting.

Deadline for entries is noon on the 6th July.

Even though there's still no official sponsors for buskers on the Tube, this competition shows that buskers are still backed by Transport for London.

I'm still surprised that an official sponsor hasn't been found to replace thelondonpaper and Capital.fm who were last behind the buskers. Surely there'd be some music company that could get some benefit from advertising on the spots that millions of people pass each day?

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Monday, June 29, 2009 Permalink

London Underground in Bloom

Imagine if the Tube really looked like the image below:


TfL have released a set of digitally transformed pictures which show stations turned into dramatic and tropicial looking urban vistas to launch Underground in Bloom a Tube gardening competition.

"Underground in Bloom is a competition which recognises London Underground (LU) staff who have added to their station by growing flowers and plants and in some cases even fruit and vegetables within a completely urban landscape. This helps to improve the local environment, encourages flora and fauna and makes travelling more pleasant for passengers."


Apparently this year's is the biggest ever competition with almost a quarter of stations, train depots and service control rooms across the system entering. It's not just the suburban stations entering, so look out for a colourful display of flowers at Oxford Circus, Sloane Square, South Kensington and Victoria too.

There are eight categories in the competition - Best Newcomer, Cultivated Garden, Hanging Baskets – the John Knight award, Trains and Service Control, Tubs, the Dennis Sanger special award, Best Overall Garden and Gardens in Bloom an art category.

London Underground's COO Howard Collins, said: "The Underground in Bloom competition shows that there is a lot more to London Underground than tracks, trains and tunnels.

"The work of staff, beyond the call of duty, helps to create a more colourful and pleasant station environment, which can benefit passengers while protecting and maintaining the variety of wildlife and plants on the Tube for the benefit of London as a whole."

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Friday, June 26, 2009 Permalink

Michael Jackson Tube Thriller

I only heard about Michael Jackson's death on the radio this morning, which was a massive shock, specially as I didn't hear it in a news item and was half asleep. He was a big part of my childhood and this video of a group of dancers on the London Underground last year is small tribute.


It was to mark the 25th anniversary of his Thriller album. RIP Michael, you'll be missed.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Friday, June 26, 2009 Permalink

Tube Drivers' philosophical announcements

For years, I've been collecting overheard unofficial announcements made by London Underground drivers, well now it appears that we'll hear something a little more thoughtful than Mind the Gap. Transport for London have asked artist Jeremy Deller to come up with a list of quotations to put into drivers' communications with passengers.


It appears to be like the Thoughts of the Day on the whiteboards we've seen on some Tube stations. Satre, Gandhi and Einstein are some of the great thinkers you'll be hearing on your journey. The quotes include "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory" and "A stumble may prevent a fall" to the more philosophical "The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected".


I wonder what bought about this change of heart? What do you think of the announcements and have you heard any yourself yet? The lady at the end of the BBC piece about the announcements, thinks they're a good idea but says that she'd be driven mad by them if there was a quote at every stop on a daily commute.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Thursday, June 25, 2009 Permalink

Wired goes Underground

Wired magazine brought out a UK version of the popular US publication a couple of months ago, and they appear to have an inner Tube geek. They sent a reporter to Euston station to see what happens to the London Underground overnight. Thanks to John W for sending me the link.


He felt the delivery of the piece was a bit patronising. I know what he means. For Wired I was expecting something a bit more hard-hitting or at least with a more curious bent or maybe even something that delved into some unusual technological discovery or secret that no one knew about.

I suppose the problem with filming anything when you're invited in at a time when no one else is around, is that you'd have to get Tube Lines to clear the film & "in the current climate" anything hidden or secret would need to be kept exactly that. I know from personal experience that you more or less have to give Tube Lines your blood group, mother's maiden name & a lot of other personal details to get underground out of hours!

Still if you'd like to see a short piece about some of the engineering & cleaning work that goes on in the small hours, it's does the job! Let us know what you think.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Thursday, June 25, 2009 Permalink

Air Conditioned Tubes trialled

Trials of the new air conditioned London Underground carriages are taking place up in Leicestershire today. The BBC reporter is filmed showing temperatures on board at around 17 degrees centigrade, so that will be a relief for many commuters when they are rolled out on the Metropolitan Line in September 2010.


The trials are expected to finished by the end of this year. Then, all going well with the Metropolitan launch, the new stock will then be released on the District, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines.


Not only will the new S stock be cooler, the trains will be larger and longer with capacity increased by nearly 20%. Roll on the launch, although cooling deep level lines like the Northern and Victoria will still be challenge.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Permalink

Dogs riding the subway

You've probably seen pigeons using the London Underground & there's a number of theories around as to whether they are travelling with intent. Thanks to Jon Justice, I found that in on the subway in Moscow there are a number of stay dogs who are so smart that they get the Moscow Metro into the centre of the city in order to secure better food. And then ride it back out to the suburbs at night.


English Russia website said "Moscow ecologists think that dogs started acquiring this habits in 1990s, when the Soviet union collapsed and Moscow fell into the hands of new class of Russian capitalists." The homes that they used to shelter in were removed to the outskirts "so the dogs had to move together with their houses, so they had to learn how to travel Moscow subway - first to get to the centre in the morning then back home in the evening, just as us people."


They certainly seem at home on the subway and if you look at the video at the end of the post, some of them seem, well..... a little too much at home.

Fortunately I don't think there are enough stray dogs around London to see them using the Tube by themselves. I could imagine that cats would be sneaky enough to give it a try, but as they're not as social as dogs, I think we can rest assured that our feline friends won't be cat napping on the Tube with us.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Permalink

Tube Photo of the Week

I love seeing images of the London Underground, which are less corporate than normal and show that there's people behind the system and not just a bunch of robots. So thanks to Col who sent me a picture of Kennington station with a thought for the day:


Any more pictures like this are more than welcome to add to the cheerful ones at Warwick Avenue.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Monday, June 22, 2009 Permalink

Talks to avert another Tube strike

Later today union leaders are going to meet London Underground for talks to stop another round of Tube strikes. The dispute is over job losses, pay and disciplinary issues. There was some argument as to whether a pay deal was actually reached last time, with both sides accusing each other of pulling out of the deal at the last minute.

RMT leader, Bob Crow or BoCro accused London mayor Boris Johnson or BoJo of "playing politics" with the Tube by deliberately intervening to scupper a last-minute deal. BoJo retaliated by saying that allegation was "completely untrue".


Earlier this week Crow also threw some issues of safety into the mix. He said that London Underground planned a £60million cut in spend on maintenance. "Only last week, Tube bosses were telling us during our strike that they could slash budgets and axe jobs without hitting services

"This latest package of £60million cuts nails those claims as a bare-faced lie. Londoners need to wake up to what's going on with the financial crisis on the Underground."

London Underground's interim managing director, Richard Parry, countered this and said "There is absolutely no truth in the RMT leadership's claims that we have reduced safety standards on former Metronet lines.

"London Underground has an excellent and improving safety record. The safety of our passengers and staff is our top priority."

While the arguments and counter arguments, claims and counter claims go on, let's hope that something gets resolved this time.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Friday, June 19, 2009 Permalink

Goodwill vouchers for Tube Strike

If you were hit by last week's London Underground strike you can apply for a "goodwill" payment voucher from Transport for London. You can only get one if you were holding a seven-day or longer period travelcard on Oyster at the time of the strike.


This is the first time I can remember something called a "goodwill" voucher being offered, so make the most of it and spread the word. Your journey had to be "severely disrupted" and you don't have to wait until your ticket has expired before applying for it.

Full details and the online application form are here.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Thursday, June 18, 2009 Permalink

Tube Exits or Mind the App

I used the swear by the Way Out Tube Map (swear by in a good way that is). It was a map that showed you where to get on to get off, or rather which carriage to get onto if you wanted to be nearest the exit when you left your London Underground journey. I've actually lost my well worn copy now and for new users it was fairly complicated.


Today there's a brand new app - Tube Exits - launched for the iPhone which takes the principles in the Way Out Tube map and made it a whole lot easier.

Tube Exits' creator Lance Stewart said "I found it frustrating arriving at a station and being at the wrong end of the platform behind the crowds, but loved it when the train would arrive perfectly adjacent to the exit I was looking for. I thought this doesn't need to be put down to chance any longer so created Tube Exits to help solve this problem. And yes, I did go to every station, most in-fact twice!"

Before you ask it does work underground, so you can plan your journey without an Internet connection, and work things out on the escalator or while waiting for the train on the platform.

The promo video has music from Ben Phaze using underground sounds.

You can also save your favourite journeys and also access your reverse journeys with one touch. Although with regular journeys you'll probably remember which carriage to use after a while, and I found the map or apps like this, more useful for new journey. Every station on the London Underground (Zones 1-9) is covered and there are already plans for more versions of the App covering different cities around the world.


Tube Exits is available for iPhone and iPod touch on the iPhone App Store. There's an introductory price of £1.79 (40% off £2.99 normal price) so it's about the cost of a single zone 1 Tube journey.

If you give it a try, I'd love to know what you think.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Tuesday, June 16, 2009 Permalink

See a Wartime Tube

If you want to see what the London Underground looked like in the second world war, it's worth popping over to Colindale station this weekend - 20th - 21st June.


"The entire station will be placed on World War II footing with staff in period costume and the station dressed in full 1940s regalia with sandbags, watch tower and a display showing how London Underground kept the capital moving during the war." Handy if last week's Tube strike gave you that "let's all pull together, spirit of the blitz feeling".

While you're there, you can visit the nearby RAF Museum to get into the full war time swing of things. "The Hendon Pageant takes the theme of Summer of 44 -The Flight Path to Liberty. There will be a chance to meet re-enactors and view military vehicles, fire engines and ambulances from the period. Special tours, talks and interactive workshops will also be taking place. Learn First Aid 1940s style courtesy of St. John Ambulance, enjoy rousing music and swinging beats with our 1940s concerts, meet the Land Girls, Air Raid Wardens and members of the Service and learn what a normal day was like for these individuals in 1944."


Thanks to Ianvisits for the heads up on this. There's more details on the following page, but please note that tickets for the 1938 tube ride are now sold out. Although you'll still be able to see the trains making the journey from Edgware via the Kennington Loop to Colindale station.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Monday, June 15, 2009 Permalink

Tube Strike continues - but service not at standstill

As negotiations continue with both the RMT and London Underground blaming each other for the break down in talks, it's good to know that seven of the eleven Tube lines have some service. Bear in mind that although the strike officially ends at 7pm tonight, you can expect disruption to the service until tomorrow morning.

However, the good thing is that many Aslef drivers turned up for work and some of RMT's own members broke the strike and reported in for duty. Aslef, which represents 2,000 tube drivers, said that the strike action was inappropriate when progress was being made in negotiations. Aslef's general secretary Keith Norman said "Our members are not involved in this dispute. We believe it can be solved through negotiation. The fact that so many Aslef drivers have turned up for work is highly significant. In the past they would have refused to cross picket lines".


In the meantime people have been using the net in various ways to cope with the strike. There's a Punch Bob Crow page if you want to give the RMT leader a thick ear or a black eye.

More positively, Paul Clarke was ferrying Londoners about the city for free rides on his motorbike. He set up something called Tweetbike on Twitter and was taking requests for riders across the city, as they tweeted him for rides using the hashtage #tweetbike. Lisa Deveney described her ride to the BBC.

The good thing was that London wasn't bought to a standstill and commuters and many staff did their best to get into work and get people moving. Good luck on your journey today and I'd like to thank all of the staff who crossed picket lines to get things moving yesterday and today. Hopefully once BoJo and BoCro stop blaming each other for talks failing, stop talking about talking and sign some deal, we'll get back to normal.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Thursday, June 11, 2009 Permalink

Tube Strike over sacked drivers

So just when most of us thought the current London Underground strike was all about pay, it appears that the latest pay deal which TfL offered was accepted but at the last minute RMT union leaders demanded the re-instatement of two sacked drivers.

One driver was sacked over opening the doors on the wrong side of a Victoria Line train & then lying about carrying out safety checks and the other was sacked for theft. Peter Hendy, Transport Commissioner said "We believed we were making progress until last night (Monday night) when the RMT said 'We'll strike unless you reinstate our sacked members'. That the RMT should cause chaos for no good reason is outrageous. We want to go forward, not back, and striking isn't the way to do that".


At time of writing, there is nothing on the RMT's site about the reinstatement of the drivers or about TfL meeting them with a pay deal they were happy with. Like the commenters on yesterday's post I wonder how many RMT members would have gone on strike purely because of the two sacked drivers?

Was this even one of the questions tabled as part of the ballot? Have RMT senior members stretched the "yes" vote to include this new element? 10,000 staff were eligible to vote, 2,810 supported strike action with 488 against. The remainder did not vote, reported The Evening Standard. How would this strike had gone if all factors were on the table?

I guess we'll really never know.


Some workers may decide to cross picket lines and carry on working as normal, so there may be a chance your line or station is operating. For now, as the notice at my station last night said, keep a close eye on the TfL website and listen to local news to see how you'll be able to get into work today.


The Northern Line and Jubilee lines seem to be offering the best service (with a few stations closed on them), but the Bakerloo, Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Waterloo & City Lines are completely suspended. Other lines are running a partial service with some stations on those lines completely closed. The situation is changing all the time and TfL are aiming to get more stations open, so check before you leave home.

On a lighter note - The only funny thing I'ce seen to come out of the Tube Strike so far is a fun Tube Strike drinking game based on headlines we may see today in the press, or hear on TV. My favourites are:

"Bob Crow complains about 'bullying', demonstrating slight lack of self-awareness. (A Watney's Party 7)

Commuter gets fined for trying to use Oyster pre-pay on mainline rail, despite TfL pledge that it’ll be allowed. (three fingers of Bacardi)

33,796 England fans sing 'Bob Crow, is a wanker, is a wanker' live on ITV1 (case of Stella, followed by 18, 453 and 53 buses home)

London news media properly investigate why industrial relations on Tube are so bad. (a shot of… hang on, that’s just taking the piss)"

London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Permalink