Tube Strike Latest

Farringdon Five (seven) and 12th March London Underground Strike

There, that should satisfy anyone coming to this site from Google and looking for the latest on the impending London Underground industrial action. I've got a sneaking suspicion it will be called off - but don't quote me on that. At the moment it's still on and we'll only know hours before whether or not it will go ahead.

But the squash sickie strike action was suspended. Another one was also called off that was due for the day when we'd all be watching Jonny and the boys coming marching home (marching is another term for swanning through central London in an open top double decker bus to hordes of people - me included).

I can't even remember the last strike we had in actuality (there was one early last year, I think, about safety and that was the only one that seemed to have an ounce of public sympathy behind it), we just seem to get a constant threat of them - then Ken has a chat with Bob Crow and the lads and promises them something and they suspend it until further notice, then The Standard will publish something that discredits the union or what the strike was about in the first place, then it all rears its head again and then on and on and on.

Maybe it's just me, but I now get pretty disinterested and I don't think many daily tube commuters really let it effect their life. Until first thing in the morning of the day of the strike you remember there's sposed to be a strike and turn on the radio to find out whether it's on or not and make alternative arrangements.

Anyway, the best way to learn the latest is Google news which is a feed from hundreds of papers and other news sources and usually has the most up to date info.

If it happens it will start at 6am on Friday 12th March, will affect five lines - the Circle, District, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and East London and will last for 24 hours.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, March 11, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Now the bins don't work

Get thee to a charidee shop, young lady

At lunch time today, I was coming back from a meeting and I saw a woman trying to shove a pair of boots into a sealed up bin at Embankment station, much to the stifled laughter of the bloke sitting next to her.

In an out of town Northern accent she screamed to her female companion a few yards down "The bin doesn't work".

She'd obviously not been down south for some time. Bins have been sealed on the tube for years and years and years now as they made good hiding places for bombs. And that's also why you might see some of those clear plastic bag bins around - mainly on "overground" underground platforms. Although it's hardly likely that someone's going to put a bomb in one of those bags, without putting it in another container first.



But I digress, what Ms Wasteful, was doing trying to throw a perfectly good looking pair of beige suede boots away in the middle of the afternoon, God only knows, the concept of "charity shops" had clearly passed her by.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Animals on the Underground Worldwide

Speaking of T-Shirts

Blimey O'Reilley - those pesky Animals on the Underground get everywhere. It looks like they might be branching out into Seoul in Korea and they also had a nice write up on a Danish newspaper, plus loads of references in blogdex, Bogdex, Popdex, Technorati and any other website popularity site going - good luck to em - bastards

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Booze, Bloggers and Blogging

My night out with The Big Smokers

Last night went out for a drink with fellow London Bloggers, and fellow Bloggie Awards finalists (they're up against me for Best UK British & Irish Blog) and fellow Guardian Award Winners (OK - they won their category - I was only Highly Commended), Rob and Euan from The Big Smoker. Fortunately they assured me that they didn't look like their pictures on their blog, which was a massive relief as I was more than a bit worried about walking into a bar and finding two guys with no faces. (check out their about section)

It's quite funny meeting people in real life that you only originally know virtually, but luckily it turned out to be good fun and as well as talking about blogging for a bit, you end up talking about most stuff Londoners do. As usual everyone has their fair share of stories of uppity tube staff "this bloke muttered that I needed more than a bit of help when I asked him to explain his cryptic tube delays sign" (Euan), - weird coincidences "saw someone reading a book on the tube by the woman that teaches me at college, so I snorted a bit, like you do" (Rob) and other tube tales.

So it still suprises me that there aren't more blogs around about tube commuting or even sites like goingunderground. Jag's bus blog is about the nearest around to mine and other tube ones I've seen tend to fall by the wayside after a while.

As I went home I walked anti clockwise round Piccadilly Circus's station instead of clockwise to get a bag of crisps and ended up walking past the Aladdin's cave chock a block full of London tourist tat.



It may have been the effects of a few bevvies with The Smokers but I'm sure the amount of bric a brac in there defies the laws of physics - a museum's worth of stuff stuffed into the space of kiosk. I can also see why it's empty most of the time, as I imagine they can hardly fit anyone else but a bored shop assistant inside. But - any tourists reading this - it's one of the best places to score tube clothing - and I don't mean the nice tube blue hats and jumpers and checked shirts and trousers that the staff wear.

And no, Ian, as far as I can see, they didn't have the boxer shorts with Arsenal on the back and Shepherd's Bush on the front. Although if anywhere's likely to have them they would.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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More tube telly

Fast Show, probably more like The Go Slow Show

Speaking of tube telly, I've just heard about the following from a researcher on The Discovery Channel who signed my guestbook

"I've been a regular commuter on the tube for six years and much of what appears here rings true. I work for the Discovery Channel who have a new series called Mark Williams on the Rails. It's presented by Mark Williams, from the Fast Show. One of the episodes looks at the history of the tube network...

Episode 9, Sunday 11th April at 1.00pm
Going Underground � Mark gets to grips with the oldest underground train network in the world � London�s Underground. The hazardous building project was an instant success. Mark jumps into the cab of a train to journey through one of the first tunnels built under the Thames. "

Not sure what the "hazardous building project was", but the rest of it sounds fun. I can see Williams now "This week I have been mostly wearing a blue London Underground uniform."

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, March 08, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Today's Metro Momento

Monday Morning Cheerfulness

It's almost a case of tell us something we don't know when you see the screaming front page headline "Meltdown" and a picture of a tube that looks like it's melting.



Yet another report about overcrowding on the tube. Bullet point tube logo roundels to emphasise the points:

Logo

Within ten years Tube will carry 19 extra people in every rush hour carriage

Logo

One third of network will be crowded at peak

Logo

Safety fears will force more stations to close

Yada, yada, yada. Anyone who commutes every day knows this. "Overcrowding on the Underground will be 'unimaginable' and it would 'be difficult to describe how unpleasant' travelling in the capital will be", said Metro quoting from a report compiled for Transport for London which was published "yesterday" (How many reports get published on Sunday? I'm sure Metro are just trying to add to the gloom of a Monday morning.)

Basically London's predicted to have a surge in population by 800,000 by 2016 which means that up 620 million quid more investment in London's transport is needed a year to cope with the extra bodies. So the report is to persuade ministers to invest more cash, although "The Department of Transport said it had already increased Tube funding significantly".

Just to let you know the Tube's definition of "crowded" is "when there are more people standing than sitting". Nice to know that crowded is a word they understand, even though overcrowded still doesn't seem to exist in the Railway dictionary.

Anyone who wants to read the full Metro article can do so, and as The Big Smoker said - Is there ever a report on London transport which isn't damning?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, March 08, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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SPAD Alert

Where Miranda Learned the Meaning of SPAD

Completely by accident I caught the penultimate episode of The Tube TV series which is currently being repeated on Reality TV. ("Delays, cancellations, overcrowding, unbearable temperatures, offensive body odour, aggressive commuters...If you travel via London Underground, then you are bound to have some experience of the above. .......We witness the complexities of running an over-stretched, under-funded and creaking network, and the efforts of staff to make it run smoothly."

It was quite weird as I'd just finished watching the hysterically un PC film version of TV "comedy" On The Buses, where Stan, Jack and the boys were trying to get rid of the new women drivers by putting spiders in their cabs and laxatives in their tea. And in one of those moments of perfect synchronicity the episode of The Tube was about two women drivers. Most of it was about trainee woman tube driver Jo and her test.

Jo passed and fortunately on passing didn't seem to face blokes like Stan and Jack. She only had the ever so slightly patronising comment of her boss "What I'm going to have to do now is sort you out a train", said with the same tone as sorting out someone a nice scarf to go with their new dress.

The best and bravest part of this was that we learnt about SPAD's or Signal Passed at Danger. This is basically the tube driver's equivalent of going through a red light. When this happens, you'll be pleased to know that the automatic brakes will go on, and this will inevitably lead to delays or a sharp stop and possible injury, depending on how far the tube got before the brakes kicked in.

Miranda Sadgrove, (top name), did a SPAD and like all the drivers that do one had to watch the SPAD safety video, with lots of scary sci fi sounding music and many nasty images of people being thrown around tube carriages.


Sadgrove rightly looked a bit ... well, er, sad, when watching the video, but afterwards philosophically mused "Everyone makes mistakes. I'm not a robot. If I caused a delay so what. It's better than killing people". Yep, you're right there Miranda it certainly is.



I so hope I get to go on this (a second series is currently being filmed, and there's a slim chance I may be on TV - the producers regularly read this blog). I will try for a comment like "Yeah, well, my blog, a lot people read it, occasionally, the odd image gets broken. The speed of download, can be a bit slow. So what. I'm not a robot. At least the bandwidth is maintained and people can surf unharmed and virus free". It'll make cracking TV.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Saturday, March 06, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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b3ta go tube mad

B3ta Tube Totty T Shirt pulls the birds

Just to explain to people who've been living on another planet, b3ta is one of THE most popular email newsletters around. It's mainly a collection of funny animations, photo shop spoof things and all sorts of very clever fun stuff - once you hit b3ta, you have arrived on the net and people originally being touted on here have gone on to be commissioned to make TV commercials (Anchor butter and Switch/Maestro are the lastest big brands to spot the talent there) Needless to say b3ta have ignored my blog and website for years, but it was fun to see this story hitting its headlines today:

"I was sat on the tube today proudly sporting my new b3ta threads and a girl opposite me started mouthing 'woo' and then 'yay' to me. It took me ages to work out what she was saying and I felt really self-conscious. When I realised, she got off the tube.

"She looked a bit like a Britney. So, yeah, she was hot. It only lasted for two stops on the Central Line but I'd love for her to get in touch."

Reminds me of the "Did she just shake her tic tacs at me" TV ad shot in a tube carriage, and incidentally I know the guy who sits next to the speaking actor. See how I mix with the famous.

Escalator sliding captured on film

Then there's a brilliant film of people sliding down escalators on the tube

"Recently me and my mates attended a posh dinner thing at the Tower of London," writes Elliott Ingram, "It ended early so we were up for a bit of pissing around on the Tube. I filmed it all on my phone." Wow. These guys slide down the central bit of a really long escalator. Er... and then they fall off. Woo.



It's a very long download (even on broadband), because such is the popularity of the newsletter, and the idea of seeing the above, there's shedloads of people trying to look at it now and the site may take ages to load. Keep trying, I've just seen it and it's VERY, VERY funny and you do find yourself saying "ouch" in sympathy when he falls off.

The idea is brill and it's probably something we've all thought about doing, although my colleague has just said he'd be worried about his bollox getting hit on the little "stand on the right" triangular signs. Probably more a case of permanently changing which side you "dress on".

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, March 05, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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The next Ringo

Tube tub thumping

I would have loved to see this busker get on the tube. It's the first time I have ever seen somebody busk with a drum kit.

He was trying to do lots of clever juggling with his sticks which he almost carried off although I managed to catch him ....well not catching.



Still good luck to him though, he had a little collection of CD's which he was selling at seven quid a pop.

About the only interesting tube thing in yesterday's The Londoner (with the exception of what might had led to the derailment in Camden - "The Camden Town derailment was the result of a very rare combination of factors, including a design weakness in the set of points at which it happened, according to a London Underground report.") was a feature on our new licensed buskers. The impression the article gives is that the licensed buskers are probably all on nice little earners and doing lots of weddings and family functions:

"Angelina Kalahari is one of more than 400 licensed buskers. Classically trained, she sings arias and classical songs three times a week in two-hour slots.
'I started busking as soon as it became legal, and this is how I make my living, ' she says. 'People are always taking my business cards because I also do parties, weddings and corporate functions.' "

Well, maybe the opera singing ones are, but I don't think tub thumping matey boy this evening will be doing too many weddings.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, March 04, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Another subway map doing the rounds

Sort of Medium

Thanks to both Chris from www.qwghlm.co.uk and Tom from www.freeatlast.co.uk who both sent me the current subway map thing that's going round



"It's a neat little page comparing different tube networks from around the world in terms of size - we're sort-of medium, but dwarfed by Moscow and New York..." say Chris from www.qwghlm.co.uk

Come on now, can someone meet the challenge of the guy who created the maps (it's obviously a guy) who says "What, there are more than thirteen subways in the world? By all means, send me a city map that covers the full extent of the subway. Mardid (sic) is in the works. "

Off the top of my head he's missing Toronto and Lisbon already. And all of the other world subway maps are here.

Enjoy

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, March 04, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Brightened my day

Annie the Size???

Regular readers will remember me going through a spate of showing uber complementary or just weird descriptions of my blog and site, mainly as a result of almost winning a Guardian Blog Award

Today, I came across the following from an Italian blog, which Google ably translates as:

"Going Underground' s Blog" is weblog of Annie the Size, the diamond editor of Going Underground's Net, extraordinary situated on the metropolitan of London. Difficult to describe of what draft, it must be annoying to you, following the map articulated in a labyrinth of "lines" intersecting themselves continuously just like that one of The Tube. Maps, books, ghosts, food, news, attitudes and unexpected norms of behavior, encounter, strange places, losing to us in a travel for and equipped picked, amazing London of fantastic observation spirit and sense of humour."

If you want to read the Italian and check out an excellent London Underground photo, check out RadioAndorra's entry for the 3rd March.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, March 03, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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I'll have a B please Bob

Bryson and Brick Lane

Last autumn it felt like most people I saw on the tube were reading Middlesex. This year or even at Xmas I haven't noticed a trend at all, but the two readers below caught my eye this evening.

Firstly, the woman below pulled a book out of her rucksack with a really nicely designed spine. Then I noticed the exotic looking cover with its gorgeous shades of reds and orange, and thought "Crikey I wonder what that is?" and it turned out to be the paperback version of Brick Lane. The first time I had seen the paperback and for the first time I actually felt like reading it. (Strangest reader review in amazon - "One dimensional characters; boring story; but very readable")



Then the guy opposite me pulled out Bill Bryson's Down Under. I've never felt compelled to read much Bryson, although I spose Notes from a Small Island might be interesting particularly in light of the "tube map confusing tourists" story he tells (along the lines of it's faster to walk to certain stations than slavishly follow the tube map and travel five or six stops taking twenty minutes or so to emerge a few hundred yards down the road from where you started)



I actually had a very sharp picture of Down Under, but quite liked the accidental butterfly effect of shot.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, March 03, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Apathy or Unpopular

Only 89 people vote for strike action

I know us Brits can be apathetic when it comes to voting - wet election days lead to lower turn outs - but only 89 people voted in favour of the next Friday's walk out on some tube lines, and that was enough to be the majority of those who voted.

Only around a quarter of tube workers voted in the first place - 121 out of 441 - so what happened with the 320 people who didn't even vote? Could they not be bothered, or weren't they behind the Farringdon Five (or seven according to the Standard)?

In the Evening Standard, Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT said: "There has been a ballot and everybody had an opportunity to vote. In the RMT members abide by the democratic outcome of the ballot."

I'm so not behind The Standard putting the picture of one of the sacked tube workers on their front page with the ridiculous headline "Blame This Man" for the strike. It looks as though the Standard spoke to an un-named "friend" of said man, to get most of the quotes for "his" front page story. Well with friends like his, who needs enemies?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, March 03, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Spooky, spooky, spooky

In which I remember I like short stories

Last night I finally got round to reading tube journey from hell story - Confidence Trick by John Wyndham and spookily enough Nick Cooper - who let me know about the story in the first place - has just made a comment about my Sherlock Holmes post.

Confidence Trick is a brill short story by the guy who wrote Day of The Triffids and tons of other English sci fi. Confidence Trick works as a bit of history on commuting (it was written in 1954 when you could still smoke on the tube - nightmare in itself), also great feeling of the ordinary commute:

" 'Never again', Henry Baider said to himself, once he had been condensed enough for the doors to close, 'never again will I allow myself to be caught up in this'."

Great opening line which will have most commuters nodding in sympathy. Lots more on the feelings of claustrophobia and getting stuck in tunnels between stops, that we still experience now fifty years later.



It's surprising there aren't more horror or sci fi stories about the tube as it's perfect fodder for hysteria, suspicion, claustrophobia, paranoia, frustration, panic, the discomfort of strangers and loss of control that sci fi dreams of.

Check out Confidence Trick if you can - I got my "out of print copy" of Jizzle (the collection it is part of) for 75p plus a couple of quid postage and the other stories might be worth a shot too.

If you like Confidence Trick you might want a shot of Ken Follett's A Midnight Train to Nowhere about a woman falls asleep on the tube, misses her stop (sounds familar) and ends up......well, that would be telling. Part of the brilliant Murder on the Railways collection (edited by Peter Haining) with six underground short stories and many other overground ones.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, March 02, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Mobiles going underground

Good move

This morning was a morning when I could have really done with mobiles working on the tube, as I was frantically trying to find out whether our office had been closed because of last night's murder (see below) and I had to make lots of calls to mobiles and have those familiar yet annoying half conversations with people as they were saying "just going into a tunnel" or rather "jst, g-ing ooh ell".

It appears that we might have mobile phones working underground by the end of the year. "BBC London has learned that London Underground (LU) has been in negotiation with the four main mobile phone companies."



In a magnanimous comment the tube's Richard Squire said: "So many people have got mobile phones, we feel from a customer services point of view we're going to have to do this." Nice of them to be so thoughtful particularly if there's a nice little earner in it for them too. "The system could also make money for LU because Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone would have to rent the space the equipment occupies."

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, March 02, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Working at home

Scary stuff

A woman was stabbed and killed in the street where I work last night. I managed to hear about this on the news before leaving this morning so I heard that our street and surrounding streets had been closed off.

This is on the day when the police announce that there will be more police on the streets in London than ever before. Certainly didn't help that poor girl.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, March 02, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Winding my way down to Baker Street

Trust London's most famous detective to be a druggie

Had to travel up to north London today, and as it was lunchtime and for once I was running early, I took a couple of snaps at Baker Street, home of Sherlock Holmes. Anyone going through Baker Street tube at the Bakerloo and Jubilee line platform level, knows that there are tons of murals featuring Sherlock the Smackhead. So it was quite sweet to see a nodding reference to his substance abuse with a little drawing of a marijuana leaf coming out of his pipe (wrong drug, right sentiment)



Someone will correct me but I'm pretty sure that none of the murals feature Holmes' only case on the London Underground - The Bruce Partington Plans (loads of e-books of the whole short story, or watch the DVD). As Holmes only lived a stone's throw away from the tube, I'm surprised the london underground didn't feature more heavily in his stories.

Holmes was clearly suffering the after effects of some coke when he made the following comment:

"This is really very singular. According to my experience, it is not possible to reach the platform of a metropolitan train without exhibiting one's ticket. Presumably, then, the young man had one. Was it taken from him in order to conceal the station from which he came, or did he drop it in the carriage?"

However this was before the days of the Oystercard and jumping the barriers so perhaps we can't blame him for his naivety.

I'm sure he'd be freaked out to see the tile mosaics of his profile, made up of hundreds of tiny images of his silhouette. I think that would put me onto coke pretty damn quick.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, March 01, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Happy Mondays

Strike for sacked tube workers & Alfie Moon for Mayor

Well, there will be a strike currently planned for March 12th, for the tube workers known as the Farringdon Five who were "unfairly dismissed" after over 100 beer cans were found in their messy mess room.

According to The Scotsman (the only place where I can find the story on the net at the moment): "Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union employed by Metronet have backed a campaign of industrial action by five to one, raising the prospect of the biggest walkout on the Tube for more than 18 months."

Good-oh, now if Alfie Moon from EastEnders were mayor he'd be"aving nun of this". (Moon is apparently Londoners' third choice for mayor after Richard Branson, then Ken Livingstone - goodness knows which Londoners were asked this question) It would be a case of a clip round the ear and being told to get upstairs and stop being such an idiot. Or he'd have a little lock in with Bob Crow, leader of the RMT and drunkenly agree to call the whole thing off over a game of poker.

For more on the strike including times and lines that may be effected, check out The Evening Standard.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, March 01, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Large luggage

Burberry, bags and boogaloo

Went out to Piccadilly Circus yesterday evening to visit some out of towner friends - I always really hate going to town at weekends. The minute I step out of Piccadilly Circus I can't help feeling like Worzel Gummidge and having "me work ed on". So all of the drummers around the station exit and loads of people taking pictures, and standing in the way and walking around with their heads in the air staring at the massive ads, is just a pain in the arse, particularly when you're running late.

On the way into Piccadilly Circus came across a ginormous mock Burberry suitcase with two other pieces of luggage. I never saw its owner, so can just assume it wheeled itself up the stairs, trundled through the barrier section for large luggage and boarded the tube by itself



Coming home, leaving enough time to not get the very last tube (when is the tube going to open all night at weekends?), and there was that massive Saturday night paaaaartey, atmosphere at Piccadilly Circus. Couples snogging on escalators, a busker blowing away at his saxaphone with pound signs in his eyes, people doing my daily stock in trade and taking snaps of each other on the tube - you know the score.

And me, still with "me work ed on" dying to get to the relative peace and quiet on the District Line. I still found enough peace and quiet with the help of my MP3 player to have a snooze and wake up at Baron's Court with a guy sitting opposite me, laughing with the woman sitting next to me.

I can only imagine I was snoring or drooling or both, as he joyfully said to me "Missed your stop?". "No", I replied haughtily, as though I never missed my stop, "Don't need to get off till Turnham Green". Back of my mind, I was thinking "Mind your own business, you nosy git", then thought in light of what I do most days, that was a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Sunday, February 29, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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This is the News

Horses infesting the London Underground

News! London Underground say they may have to close the underground system due to an infestation of horses. A report described the conditions in the equine plague as "like an abattoir in a power cut". Ted Maul reports.



Cut to reporter Ted Maul - "For years, the system of tunnels and shafts has supported a small population of wild horses without bothering the commuters. The only pest control necessary was performed by the teams of 'fluffers', who to this day still remove clots of hair from the tracks. Then in 1970 came the 'crackers', special staff who had to patrol the darkened tunnels every day and kill the horses with hammers. Now, say officials, the horses have become a menace."

"STATION ANNOUNCER: Due to a large pile of horses blocking the track at Marble Arch, all services have been cancelled."

For more read on - I love UK Gold and its repeats of old news.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 27, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Thank God it's Friday

Friday foto fest

Not too much in the way of commentary on these pix as I'm a little bit wassed, after having a few bevvies or four after work. One of my colleagues realised that last night when he got the tube home he was standing side on while waiting for the train and realised that my blog was getting to him. Hoorah!!!

On the way home, I managed to bump into some man eating barriers, a la Doctor Who style daleks



Saw a pretty lame "Mind the Gap" advert for insurance, should have been more interested in the cherubic mural at Charing Cross beneath:



Then a strange camcorder style movie ad at Waterloo for Carling, reminded me that I was indeed bursting for the loo. Thank God the better South West British Snail trains have loos, they rocked.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 27, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Busking all over the World

Can you really live by busking?

Just heard about full time buskers Welshman, Nigel Ashcroft and American, Ashley Abbott who are going to start a challenge today to see how far they can travel round the world on busking alone. Their first hurdle is going to be to get on the tube without a ticket. Good luck, as that part alone sounds like a Hurculean challenge.

The BBC said "They will turn up at Leicester Square station on Friday, without a penny, to raise enough to get them started on the first leg of their trip.

"The first test is getting into London Underground without paying for a ticket, but I'm sure that will be fine," Mr Ashcroft told BBC News Online.

They will first go to Paris, then travel through France and Spain to Morocco and hope to have raised enough for an air fare by the time they reach Casablanca."

Overall they need about two and half grand for their trip as they are hoping to get as far as the Far East.



So if you see them at Leceister Square both today and tomorrow you might want to give them a bit to get them going. They're filming their progress for a documentary and will try to raise money for a homeless charidee.

I just hope they've looked at the Eurobuskers website as there was a little survey there which showed which country in Europe is the most generous to buskers. The Swiss won, followed by Ireland and amazingly the UK was third.

Just hope they're better than the hideous REM Losing My Religion busker as he sucks.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 27, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/busking-all-over-world.html

Chocolate Salty Balls

Or Small Fish Balls?

Coming through Baron's Court on the way home last night and I saw an empty packet of Small Fish Balls on the floor near the Mind The Gap sign. Do fish have balls? If so they would be absolutely tiny. Well depending on the size of the fish - whale balls would be large, but then whales are mammals, not fish.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 27, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/chocolate-salty-balls.html

Interviews and speeches

Price of fame?

Very weird thing happened yesterday, I got invited to speak at the Ealing Branch of the Rotary Club. It made me feel a bit like Barbarba Good, out of the seventies TV series The Good Life or someone from The Women's Institute. I'm still not sure if it's a wind up or not, or even if it isn't whether I will do it or not. But the email said:

"I saw your site and found it very amusing and
informative. Well done.

"I am a member of Ealing Rotary and we are always
looking for potential speakers at our meetings.
I was wondering whether you would be interested
in visiting us and giving a 20-30 minute
talk on an alternative view of the Underground."

Then there was some information about how often they meet and stuff. Well Ealing's not that far from me on the other branch of the District Line so I may well do it.

Also yesterday Joe Newman from the blog First-n-Main, published 5 Minutes with Annie Mole. My own Metro style 60 second interview. Thanks for that Joe.

Expect to see me on Parky or David Letterman next year.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, February 26, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/interviews-and-speeches.html

Today's Metro Momento

Miss Alicia Match Silverstone - my next celeb tube spot?

She's right - you know I probably wouldn't recognise her on the tube, as I wouldn't believe she'd use it. But in Metro's 60 Second Interview Alicia Silverstone says "I've been taking the Underground everywhere and it brings back fond memories"

"Do people not recognise you?" Asks Metro

"I think people are so shocked that an actor would take the Tube that they just think you're a lookalike"

BTW Miss Match (TV drama that she's in) is actually pretty good and I've watched a couple of episodes on Living TV, so I do know what she looks like.

I'll keep my eyes peeled and maybe she'll get added to my "vast" array of tube celeb spots - Rob Brydon, Gita out of EastEnders, Matthew Kelly, Rageh Omaar, Dr Who (Peter Davison), John Hannah.......the list is endless.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/todays-metro-momento_25.html

Signs of a Londoner

You know you've been in London too long when....

I can't remember when I originally saw this list, but thanks to German blog London Leben for reminding me about it and it's amazing how a lot of the points include Tube ones or at least thoughts you have when travelling on the London Underground.

You step over people who collapse on the Tube.
(a similar story was reported by ex station assistant cum philosopher Christopher Ross in his book Tunnel Visions)

You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression.

The UK west of Heathrow is still theoretical to you.

You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you.

Your day is ruined if you don't get a copy of Metro on the way to work.

Your idea of personal space is no one actually physically standing on you.



All sadly so true - check out the rest plus some thoughts in German here.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/signs-of-londoner.html

Murder on the tube

Thank God for CCTV

The Evening Standard's headlines were rightly screaming about the guy who pushed another person under the tube and pictures were captured on CCTV. I was in two minds about reporting this, but it ought to be reported, just in case people are thinking the Tube is a quaint and funny place in London. It ain't. There are psychos around, like there are anywhere and this poor person was unfortunate enough to be standing in front of a psycho who pushed him under a tube



My ex husband knows someone who was pushed into a moving train. He wasn't killed, but incredibly shocked and bady bruised, but these things happen and whereever there are lots of people there are bound to be disturbed people. Ex also grabbed a person who decided to walk onto the tracks. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have never, ever witnessed anything as horrible as someone leaping or being pushed under a tube, although I have seen some really stupid people running on the tracks.

Words fail me. They really do. Just be careful, try to stand side on. Be aware of people who look a bit disturbed. London is a big , big, city and unfortunately, like it or not there are very, very disturbed people around. Everyone buying The Evening Standard saw the picture and the headline, and yet we still travel on the tube. There are bomb threats, security alerts, and yet life still goes on - it's got to. Just try to be aware of the people around you. My sincere condolences go out to the faimly of the man that was killed at Mile End.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/murder-on-tube.html

Get London Laughing, Travel by Tube

London Underground Cartoon Competition

In a fit of mutual cross referencing The Big Smoker brought to my attention, after referring to my post below, the following

"London Underground has launched its London 'Toon competition, a cartoon competition designed to "get London laughing.

"Draw a cartoon that illustrates a humorous view of life in London," urges the LU website (which needs a good proofread), "the winners will then have the privilege of seeing their cartoons turned into posters and displayed across the whole of the capital as part of the London Comedy Festival and will also be invited to a fabulous awards ceremony in central London where they will be presented with a framed poster of their winning cartoon."

Wow!

Can we suggest that Smoker readers combine to the news stories of the day and draw a 'hilarious' depiction of someone slowly suffocating in a tube carriage?"

Nice one guys, I will contact my friend Ralf, The Cartoonist and see if he's up for some of these. Deadline is 23rd March, so all you budding cartoonists get scribbling.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, February 24, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/get-london-laughing-travel-by-tube.html

Tube Rage caused by lack of oxygen

or A Breath of Fresh Air Underground

Many thanks to Simon for sending me information about a new report which suggests that the poor ventilation and lack of oxygen on crowded (I'm being politically correct, by saying crowded, not overcrowded) Tubes leads to Tube Rage and they call for immediate improvements in ventilation.

When talking about the report (A Breath of Fresh Air Underground), Mike Fisher, director of the British Association of Anger Management, says lack of oxygen leads to "increasing feelings of panic.

"If, on top of this, you have the physical distress and discomfort of overcrowding, an individual can experience reactions such as anxiety, aggression, impatience and feelings of sickness."

Well, putting aside the fact that overcrowding does not exist, that's sort of stating the obvious, in that I think it's more the feelings of being packed in an enclosed space with hundreds of people that leads to "anxiety, aggression, impatience and feelings of sickness".

I've also just literally heard on Capital Radio that this bad air quality on the tube could also cost us the Olympics apparently (as if we give two flying fooks - Mystic Meg cross eyes on - It will go to Paris, It will go to Paris).

Course, in an act of spinning that Alastair Campbell would be proud of, the London Underground refute this all as bollox, and by sexing down the report say it "was based on old research and what appears to be supposition", but even they had to acknowledge that they : "...are continuing work to look at viable solutions to improve tunnel ventilation."

Expect more reports like this from the BBC and Capital Radio's and Virgin Radio (sorry for forgetting you guys) throughout the day.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, February 24, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/tube-rage-caused-by-lack-of-oxygen.html

Today's Metro Momento

Another top Metro prize

I wish someone would up the budgets for the prizes on offer in Metro's Tube competitions. First, we had a hot date at the London Transport Museum, then they got better with a bunch of flowers, now you can win a Penguin Classic paperback. I can't wait, so I need help in trying to guess where part of this "epic extract" written in the style of a commuter comes from (I'm guessing Homer's Odyssey, but it seems a bit too easy - however we are talking Monday morning Metro here).

"I had been told that the truest way to reach my destination would be to enter that place where the sun reaches not, and so I prepared to descend to the bowels of the Earth........

"I entered the land of the shadows

"But alas I had forgotten to touch in with the card of the oyster, and I would yet be facing a grievous curse.

"Unaware of this, my fate, I continued down, descending without moving; my legs on the entranced steps, past the multitude of souls, until I could go no further........

"After journeying through black tunnels that no mortal should see, I quickly made for the light, and once again reached the dank Halls from which I might depart the place of darkness.

"But as I tried to leave, my card of the oyster would not let me through, until I had paid in kind a guardian of the gates. As I made my way from that joyless place far form the sun, I passed a Siren singing her bewitching voice the high clear song of Shania Twain, but I blocked my ears and passed by unharmed."

If they'd thrown in a few harpies as opposed to guardians of the gates. Hecate, goddess of the Underworld should have also made an appearance.

Anyone who wants to enter, email commuter@ukmetro.co.uk and you'll be in with a chance of winning that paperback that's worth about ten quid.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, February 23, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/todays-metro-momento_23.html

Mad people around

Dogville & Disturbing sights on the Tube

Just got back from seeing the three hour film fest of Dogville, (can't remember when I last left a cinema where so many people left in stunned exhausted silence - also it was so involving it didn't at all feel like three hours). The film ended with David Bowie blasting out the joyously ironic anthem Young Americans to disturbing stills of poverty and violence in the States from the Depression to the present day. On the way to see the film I saw a pretty disturbing drunk who was drinking his daily poison with a straw, then offering people around him on the carriage, a read of any paper he managed to lay his red hands on.



Then coming home I saw a sticker put up by another person with a disturbed mind



You might not be able to read it, but from memory I think it said:

"Hi any A/B's out here. I am wearing a nappy, pink frilly plastic pants. Yes I do wet them. I also love wearing school knickers"

and I'm not going into the rest as I don't fancy any saddos from people who're into that, coming here from Google searches. Christ only knows what A/B's are - I don't think they were referring to socio demographics used by advertising agencies. Mad thing was, there was no phone number on it either. So the point was......????? Shock value? Someone having a drunken laugh? Nowt as queer as folk, but at least it momentarily took my mind off Dogville.

But it certainly made me want to answer no to the Casino 88 ad taken through the window in Glamoursmith/Hammersmith's waiting room

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Sunday, February 22, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/mad-people-around.html

Could this sell on the Tube?

It's Jack's Subway Tush

It's Will and Grace weekend on Living TV, so I'm having a festival of New Yoick madness. I've just seen the re-run of My Best Friend's Tush, where Will's camp friend Jack McFarland invents a cushion to be used when you're riding the New York subway.

He has a cute little song that goes with it:

Hey, mon fr�re,
if your derriere
could use a little cush,
no need to pout,
the word is out.
It's Jack's Subway Tush!



It rox (see the clip with Jack singing) and considering the sort of shite you may be sitting on on the Tube, it may well be worth the ride. Don't you think so? (Oops coming on a bit Joan Collins there, who's also in this episode as a Brit who always ends sentences by asking a question)

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Sunday, February 22, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/could-this-sell-on-tube.html

Just another Freaky Friday

Save the Gorillas

So sang Adam Ant when he raised money in the Dian Fossey Gorilla Run and remixed his classic hit Stand and Deliver. Well, he could have been in the gorilla suit busking this evening at Piccadilly Circus. A woman was standing quietly behind our simian friend with a placard saying "Help Save the Gorillas", whereas the performing gorilla was prancing around with his guitar and a variety of messages on giant yellow Post-It notes in his guitar case.

"Smile it's Friday" was on display as I walked by.



Then onto the tube and sat opposite a person who was obviously travelling back to Heathrow Airport to his job as an air traffic controller.



Must have been the largest set of headphones I have ever seen on the tube, and that, to quote Bananarama, (keeping with the monkey theme), was "Really Saying Something".

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 20, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/just-another-freaky-friday.html

Funniest thing

Close encounters of the absurd kind

Yesterday morning I had to get into town much earlier than normal, so I got the British Snail to Waterloo. I stood on a completely packed train all the way to Waterloo from Richmond and was so close to the guy standing in front of me that in about nine months time I think I'll be writing to him for maintenance.

However, through this blog I came across this blog and the following brilliant entry which (short of most of the stuff I read on green fairy) made me laugh out loud.

Please read this story of a midget on the train, I know you're going to think me politically incorrect to use the words "midget" and "laugh out loud" in two consecutive sentences, but it is very, very funny and I'm just loving the way Angel never said anything about the occurance - although thinking about it, what on earth could you say?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 20, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/funniest-thing.html

Metrosexual

Z goes to Barcelona

The ever wonderful Zbornak went to Barcelona at the weekend to celebrate his birthday on Valentine's Day. Because he says: "this Saturday is MY BIRTHDAY, and nothing to do with some shitty old saint, the Zbornak family is off to Barcelona to spend some time pretending we're in a moody-but-fun/fabulous Spanish film."

I haven't had a chance to read his full report yet, but he kindly sent me a link to his studies of Barcelona's metro subway system with the piccie below and lots of other stuff about "diagonal" tubes, and lifts at street level taking you down to the bowels of the underground. (Note to self, must, must, must go to Barcelona at some stage soon) It rox.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, February 19, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/metrosexual.html

A Meg Ryan sort of day

In which, I remember I am separated

Well I can't say I ever forget I am separated, but there were simply too many reminders of it yesterday on the way home.

Firstly, I saw some junk mail that my ex-husband used to produce. We always used to joke about how he and his agency were repsonsible of half the litter on the tube and he was always freaked out when he saw people studying his catalogues. Quite a few of them were strewn about the Piccadilly Line last night after having fallen from broadsheets and The Times.

Then at Baron's Court I was suddenly aware of a poem above the seat opposite me from the Poems on The Underground series. I didn't come over all Meg Ryan-ish (Meg Ryan's character in the film In The Cut, quietly reads subway poems to herself - see my Halloween blog entry), but it did seem kind of significant.



Particularly as I took the picture above at Glamoursmith (Hammersmith), station which ex-hubby still uses each day and was the place where I last bumped into him.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, February 19, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/meg-ryan-sort-of-day.html

A Zonked sort of day

Knackered but good

Today was a day when I was followed around by Pharmaton adverts "clinically proven to relieve daily fatigue" showing people falling asleep in various underground situations.

The almost real scenario of a bloke leaning and sleeping on another disgruntled bloke was in this morning's Metro



Then after half a day at an exhibition and much dashing about to and from work, it was nice to go to cinema with my friend from work, watch Colin Firth looking long haired and moody and Scarlett Johannson looking breathy and pouty in Girl With a Pearl Earring. Then caught the tube home and saw another Pharmaton ad, of a guy falling asleep while buying his train fare

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, February 17, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/zonked-sort-of-day.html

Safety on the London Underground

Privatisation and tube safety

I've been neglecting certain aspects of the tube, being caught up with celeb spotting and tube ad spotting, and mad map spotting and general moaning. I know it's my blog and I can say what I like, but there had been damage to some trains on the 12th Feb and I didn't mention it. Mainly I suppose I had forgotten and also, fortunately, no one was hurt.

But last autumn, safety was a big concern (two derailments in two days) and regular visitors may remember my little campaign to Lynne Featherstone - Chair of the London Assembly Transport Policy Committee. Many of you commented and added strength to the arguments (thanks again for that).

Well, I had a reminder of this only a few days ago. Buried deep in a post I originally made on the 28th October 2003 - I had a reply on 13th Feb 2004 from a London Underground Driver who also happens to be a health and safety rep for LU. As many of you are probably not going back as far as my October posts and campaign (but thanks to Oshea, the driver who clearly did), I thought I'd highlight oshea's comments to a thread about safety on the tube as there are some very interesting points.

As an Underground Driver I can assure Bradley that most of the money spent by London Underground on legal fees is not spent on fighting the unions, but is instead spent on fighting the infrastructure (INFRACO) companies i.e. Metronet and Tubelines. Because of the nature of the PPP contracts every delay has to be paid for by either the INFRACO or LUL, as you can imagine there is not always agreement on who is to blame for the delay so the lawyers get involved, 372 cases since PPP began with an estimated �5million on legal fees alone, and all this just to apportion blame for delays !!!

The unions and particularly the RMT were and are totally opposed to PPP and are still fighting it.

Perhaps Bradley is not aware that since privatisation on the tube there have been FIVE serious derailments on the tube YES FIVE, namely

1. Loughton
2. Chancery Lane
3. Chiswick Park
4. Hammersmith
5. Camden

The INFRACO companies' main objective is to gain money for their shareholders and is not and never has been the safety and wellbeing of their passengers or staff.
Not only am I a Driver on LUL, I am also a Health and Safety Rep. and believe me the things I see and hear of on a daily basis around the Underground would put most people off ever using it again.

Should anyone want any more info please reply to this post and I will provide.

So there we are, an open invitation to speak to a tube driver and a Health and Safety Rep. Thanks for speaking out OShea.

This invitation is particularly pertinent to people who still think London's tube is great and better than systems overseas and also to the many people who refuse to travel on the tube as last year's derailments scared the shit out of them and to anyone who travels on the tube every day. We were very, very lucky there were no fatalities on any of those derailments.

Safety is still a very real issue on the tube and I still think it's amazing that the government and LU bosses can spend so much money apportioning blame for delays, and trying to justify PPP, when our cranky, old system is desparately underfunded and this crankiness and oldness can lead to accidents on a system that carries 3 million people every day.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, February 17, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/safety-on-london-underground.html

Animals on the Underground

Why oh why have I not seen this before

Big thanks to Ross Sleight who sent me a link to a top concept of a person who looks at the tube map and sees animals:



There are quite a few of these on the site and not only that, Nick Thomas (genius!) has got together with London Transport Museum and is selling them as T Shirts. I think you can also send in other animals you've "seen" on the tube, so get cracking and you might find your drunken magic eye/magic mushroom induced staring coming back to you as a T Shirt. Sheer genius.

Cheers Ross. (Ross has also written a top article on the power of blogging which has gained me many brownie points at work - "I only blog for research and commerical reasons" - it's a great excuse!)

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, February 16, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/animals-on-underground.html

Foot in mouth

How romantic - Part 2

Just listening to Heart FM before going to work (Capital's Chris Tarrant's on holiday and I can't take Neil Fox) and the DJ Jono Coleman has been asking people for stories of when people have put their foot in their mouth. A lady came on with the following story.

She was getting on the tube with her parents and they sat on those seats in groups of four for two people on each side. When they sat down a guy was there sitting with his legs wide apart "As they do", the woman said. She recognised him as an ex-boyfriend and said. "Do you mind closing your legs, as I've been there and you're really not that big".

Her mother gave her a withering look and ex-boyfriend rapidly closed his legs. Class.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, February 16, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/foot-in-mouth.html

Happy Valentine's Day

How romantic

I was going to tell a story of how my eyes locked with a tall dark handsome stranger on the District Line, who I got chatting with and who had noticed my camera and said, "Why, aren't you Annie Mole, from London Underground Blog? " and I said, "Why yes, how observant of you, wanna come back to my place?", then I would announce our engagement (after divorcing the ex Mr Mole of course) and we would both live happily every after and I'd invite you all to our wedding and make you all godparents to our children. Yeah right.

Instead, this little story from Rob in Essex who signed my guestbook, is more what Valentine's Day on the tube is really like:

"As I closed the door button a young lad holding a bunch of flowers for his sweetheart on Valentine's Day started to panic as he wanted to board the train. Too late! The flowers got stuck in the doors - before I could re-open them he pulled out the flowers minus the blooms. He threw the stalks on the platform in temper and stormed off."

Hope everyone who celebrated the most genuinely commercial day in the world had a fab time. Does anyone actually know who St Valentine was, without looking it up on Google?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Sunday, February 15, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/happy-valentines-day.html

Welcome Australians

Going Underground Mentioned in Sydney Morning Herald

Good-day mates - welcome if you've found my site from a mention in the Sydney Morning Herald in Column 8 - if you're looking for the London Underground train drivers announcements, this is the link you need on my main site - going underground.

But if you want to stick around here, there's lots of other tube stuff. Funnily enough (or not), there's been a bit of an Oz theme to my tube diary lately - I reported on the story about the Australian guy who had pork chops for shoes and the legal stuff surrounding him, as that's now made it as a funny london underground advert (apologies in advance for my Aussie accent).

Also there's a comparison of Aussie subway rules & etiquette with London's unofficial tube rules.

Many thanks to the person who told me the reference was from Column 8 in the Sydney Morning Herald. And it's great that most of you seem to have got here through Google from that little reference - I did wonder why I was getting so many visits from down under. Cheers and have fun.

Oh and I promise I hardly mention rugby.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 13, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/welcome-australians.html

Celeb Spot

Rob Brydon out of Marion & Geoff spot

I know it's Friday the 13th and not wanting to tempt fate, but today I was sort of lucky with my tube celeb spot. I actually got a British Snail SWT train from Richmond as the "fast" train to Waterloo was supposedly on time. Just ahead of me was a bloke who looked remarkably like the brill comic actor Rob Brydon who was carrying a copy of WORD magazine. Omigod, top actor and writer (Cruise of the Gods was sheer genius), carrying top mag (read it WORD online free for one month only - you'll be hooked). But Rob Brydon is one of those people who looks like anyone. The sort of person that you may think is the bloke that lives a few doors down the road from you or is someone you see on the tube each day, and you're thinking that's why I know you. But he also looked like the bloke out of Marion and Geoff.

Anyway I sat as near as possible to him, which is difficult on a packed South West Trains carriage, but I was too near to take a picture without breaking my back, as he was behind me. So I thought, I need some evidence that it's really him. Nothing he said to his female companion helped, he was engrossed in WORD. But the first page he turned to in WORD was an article about comedian Harry Hill. Not necessarily enough evidence by itself.

Then his mobile phone went. Brill, he's bound to say something actorly. So I turned down my mp3 headphones. "You're what's known as a fad" he said to whoever was on the other end of the line. That's sort of actorly. Then not much else, asking about the person's band - sort of celebby. Then "Oh I'm not up to much today, doing a few voiceovers" - Bingo, who else would say something like that?

So we got to Waterloo station and him and female partner hung behind, clearly not in a rush like the rest of us. Was I sad enough to wait around to see where he got off and possibly blag a picture. No, I decided I wasn't.

Anyway, at Waterloo Underground station I was standing on the Bakerloo line platform heading for Piccadilly Circus. Who should turn up a few people down from me, still with his copy of WORD magazine - Rob Bloody Brydon. As Harry Hill himself would say "What are the chances of that happening?".

My camera was now at the ready. I took a really blurry picture of him on the platform and he stepped right back - Damn he knows who I am, he knows he has a mad Avid Merrion tube celebrity spotting stalker.

We got onto a fairly empty carriage. I sort of had a chance to sit opposite him. Again, too close, too obvious for a photo opportunity. So I sat diagonally behind and managed to get some shots of the side of his head reading WORD.


He got off at Piccadilly Circus, so what more proof did I need - Piccadilly Circus, home of theatre luvvies, also where my Dr Who Peter Davison celeb spot departed and Golden Square, just round the corner, is home of loads of people who make TV and radio commercials, where he may have been heading for his voiceover. Indeed at work, we've walked past Kevin Spacey making mobile phone calls in our office stairwell - our "studios" at Archer Street are the home to lots of little arty/meedja/production/webby/pilates/architect type outfits.

He chose the stairs to leave the platform level. Stalking ended at that point - nothing but broken escalators will make me face the ricketty, vertigo inducing, head spinning, spiral staircase at Piccadilly Circus, particularly not on Friday 13th.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 13, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/celeb-spot.html

Penang or Angel - the choice is yours

The tube might spoil the view

The thing I like about some London Underground ads, is they're based on the common knowledge that every Londoner knows the transport systems is ......well, let's say not perfect. Rubbish, in fact. I still find it quite funny that people from overseas read this blog or goingunderground.net and think - "what the hell are they moaning about, London's transport system is fantastic and a lot better than ours". I'm sure it's a case of the grass is always greener on the other side.

Anyway, here's a tropical view from the other side and a public announcement tube type apology to go with it:

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, February 12, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/penang-or-angel-choice-is-yours.html

Top Station Assistant Announcement

King's Cross Overcrowding (sorry, crowding)

My colleague has just told me about his journey on the way in to work this morning. He was waiting as usual on the Westbound Piccadilly line platform at King's Cross along with several hundred other people, and heard the following, from the station assistant:

"Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. I am sorry to announce that London Underground is not running a competition to see how many people we can get into the front carriage of a tube. So please move right along the platform to allow others to board the train quickly and more comfortably".

Update - Metro Momento

Headline on the letters page of today's Metro about overcrowding, when I thought it might apply to yesterday's pukey story below:

"Please ease our queasy squeeze"

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2004/02/top-station-assistant-announcement.html

Speaking of Station Assistants

Who is this ego maniac?

I don't know why more people don't stare at this picture in the camera/passport picture/film shop in Piccadilly Circus station, as I caught a woman doing this morning:



Who is this guy? Why are there so many pictures of him? Does he not get freaked out by seeing all these mini me's staring back at him each day?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Charing Cross platform to be avoided

Tube sickness

I was sitting opposite a woman on the Bakerloo line this morning, who was asleep and then woke up looking a bit - well all over the place. When we came to Charing Cross she suddenly shot from the tube as though she had missed her stop previously or was about to miss this one. She then sat down on a platform bench, which I thought was a bit funny as there is no interchange at Charing Cross, so she couldn't be going anywhere, perhaps she was waiting for a friend.

I suddenly realised she was indeed waiting for her friends, Ralph and Huey, as she blurted out a massive technicolour yawn and threw up. Poor thing. Bearing in mind this was at about 9.30 in the morning, she must have been feeling hugely sick.

And, before you ask, no I didn't get a picture. I do have some standards.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, February 10, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Today's Metro Momento - a prediction

Kerry Wins

Yes, every English newspaper, including Metro, will have something it in about Kerry's landslide victory. Anyone from The States reading this shouldn't think that the whole of the UK has developed a sudden interest in Senator John Kerry and the Presidential elections.

No this Kerry is far, far more important. It's little ex Atomic Kitten, wife of some bloke out of Westlife, and sometimes TV presenter, Kerry McFadden ne� Katona from "I'm a celebrity (and we use the term celebrity very, very loosely), Get me out of Here!", who has been crowned Queen of the Jungle. Best election report I've read of Kerry's mudslide victory is in the Indie

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, February 10, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Today's Metro Momentos

It's Hallmark Day on Saturday

Just in case you haven't noticed, on Saturday, it's the patron saint of Hallmark, Clinton, Thorntons, Interflora, lastminute.com, supriseyourwoman.com, surpriseyourman.com, (Rich you owe me), and any other company which celebrates the day when long time married men rush into petrol stations and railway stations to grab a bouquet of limp flowers.

True to form, Metro follow up their "Love on the Commute" feature and try to get people who have "spotted some totty on the train", to make the first move.

Being "innudated with messages", Metro publish eleven of them, but the chances of anyone recognising themselves are slim. But who knows, one of them could be you.....

"At 5.36pm, Liverpool Street to Gidea Park. third carriage. Tony? What's on your iPod? Loving the new haircut!"

"Mr tall, slim, with the most charismatic smile, in your twenties with your companion, the heavy duty wheely case, I wouldn't mind signing to you again on the opposite platform."

"You have jet black hair, wear signature black gloves, a long coat and carry a tan briefcase. I catch your eye on the 8.20/8.30am train from Pinner going into the City."

My favourite is this one:

"I don't see you often enough, either because you don't get up early in the morning or miss your train frequently.....You are half asleep most of the time, so I would like to say "Open your eyes or you'll never know what you're missing". From a wondrous thunderbolt who gets on at Baker Street and wants to brighten your life"

Check out Isawyoutoday.com for a website that's been trying to cosy up commuters for a few years now. Don't forget to invite me to the wedding if you get hitched. Love can happen.

Update

Bradley kindly spotted a Valentine's campaign on the tube website, were the London Underground are desperate to find some story or figures about people meeting on the tube - if you can stand the bright red on their site, fill out their Valentine's survey. Igoring the questions about sex and marital status - I predict the answers will be yes, no, no.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, February 09, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Metro Momento 2

Your train is crowded, not overcrowded

More spinned against than spinning, The Rail Safety and Standards Board has banned the term "overcrowding", saying that crowding is a healthy sign of the popularity of the railway system. The piece in Metro says that "While a journey in a confined, unventilated space may be uncomfortable, it is not dangerous, the watchdog has concluded". Cathy Gilleece of said watchdogs said: "Our project is about crowding and that's what we are calling it".

Now just don't think this rigid use of terminology is a 21st century spin thing. It reminded me of a statement from 1955, when the then Chairman of London Transport, Sir John Eliot, helpfully responded to reports of passenger discomfort, with: "They are not crammed in. They cram themselves in".

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, February 09, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Tell me why, I don't like Mondays

Tell me why, I don't like Mondays

It's the worst day of the week and the day the Evening Standard decides that everyone else will be thinking "I'm an employee, Get me out of here".

The ad below is not encouraging people to work on the London Underground, even though you might think that at first



(PS I'm too scared to make any more postings like "I would rather stick needles in my eyes than work for the tube" as I almost got strung up last time.....well no more posts like that this month....er week).

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, February 09, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Another top tube ad campaign

Greedy? Genius? Well, which one are you?

I'm sure you couldn't have failed to see the massive tube ad campaign around at the moment. The teaser campaign has single words like Greedy? and Genius? with no clue as to what it might be about



Then there's others at platform level where you are asked "Do you trust the person standing next to you?" Which unless you knew the person all Londoners would automatically answer with a resounding "NO".

Then there are the in-carriage ones with the word Genius and an arrow pointing at some unfortunate soul beneath:



I'm pleased I finally managed to get a reasonable picture of the "Genius" one yesterday. The advertisements I've seen on the District Line, don't work as well, as the arrow isn't close enough to the person's head. On this picture our "Genius" is clearly pondering life, the universe and everything and the paper protects his anonymity to quietly get on and be a genius in his own time, without some idiot woman taking his picture and unmasking him to the "world".

Oh, just in case you're interested, the campaign is for an online gaming company, 888.com.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Saturday, February 07, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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News from the Mayor of London

Too many jokes

As Chandler from Friends would say.

I got my copy of The Londoner through my letterbox yesterday and haven't had to time to read the whole thing yet, but it's a laugh a minute as far as the tube and London Transport is concerned:

Front page story: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress Alyson Hannigan praised London Transport as she helped to promote Totally London's theatre ticket offers"

Page 3 story - Transport system will rise to the Olympic challenge. The short feature ends "Customer services on the Underground will employ bi- and multi-lingual staff to help spectators from overseas". Cool, having two languages will make all the difference, unless they are the usual ones of "Gibberish and Mumbling" that many staff on the underground use.

Page 7 - "Do you ever glance at the driver of the Victoria Line service as it pulls into the platform and suspect that he or she is not actually driving the train? If so you are right".

This is not an attempt at surrealism or celebrating the fact that most tube drivers that I see, seem to be reading the paper or having a cup of tea when they're "driving" the train. It's a full page article on Automatic Train Operation, way too trainspottery for me to go into on this blog, but basically you'll be reassured to hear it's all done by computers and coded pulses. "Your driver has no control over speed or braking."

Page 8 - full page on the joys of the Oystercard. Too much of an easy target, I'm not even going to go there.

Double page centre spread - What Londoners think about London - The Annual London Survey carried out by MORI for the Greater London Authority provides a snapshot of day to day life in the capital.

"Almost one in four (23 per cent) of Londoners now mention transport as one of the best things about living in London. This is a significant rise since last year. And 74 per cent of people say that London is a city that is easy to get around.

However improving transport remains a priority for Londoners. Top of the list is reducing traffic congestion followed by more reliable buses and Tubes, more investment in the Tube, cheaper fares and improved personal safety on public transport"

Nicely followed by:

Page 15 - "Horror thriller Creep about a woman being stalked through a warren of secret tunnels, is being partly shot on the Tube".

Read The Londoner yourself here. It rox.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 06, 2004 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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