Dickens & The London Underground - Did he ever travel on it?

On this day, two hundred years ago, Charles Dickens was born and there are countless bi-centenial events across the country to celebrate. Dickens died in 1870 only a few years after the first stretch of the London Underground opened in 1863. It's hard to tell whether he ever travelled on the Underground and the majority of his major books were completed before the Metropolitan Line opened. However, he was aware of the massive upheaval the building of the underground was creating and there's a whole chapter on this in Dombey and Son which was initally published in monthly instalments from 1846-1848.


From London Transport Museum
Here's a section which really highlights the mass changes this had to London at the time: "The first shock of a great earthquake had, just at that period, rent the whole neighbourhood to its centre. Traces of its course were visible on every side. Houses were knocked down; streets broken through and stopped; deep pits and trenches dug in the ground; enormous heaps of earth and clay thrown up; buildings that were undermined and shaking, propped by great beams of wood. Here, a chaos of carts, overthrown and jumbled together, lay topsy-turvy at the bottom of a steep unnatural hill; there, confused treasures of iron soaked and rusted in something that had accidentally become a pond.


London Transport Museum - Leinster Gardens photo by failing_angel
Everywhere were bridges that led nowhere; thoroughfares that were wholly impassable; Babel towers of chimneys, wanting half their height; temporary wooden houses and enclosures, in the most unlikely situations; carcases of ragged tenements, and fragments of unfinished walls and arches, and piles of scaffolding, and wildernesses of bricks, and giant forms of cranes, and tripods straddling above nothing......

"In short, the yet unfinished and unopened Railroad was in progress; and, from the very core of all this dire disorder, trailed smoothly away, upon its mighty course of civilisation and improvement."


The chapter referred to a visit being made to Staggs's Garden, an area in Camden Town where the railroad was being built: "Staggs's Gardens was regarded by its population as a sacred grove not to be withered by Railroads; and so confident were they generally of its long outliving any such ridiculous inventions, that the master chimney-sweeper at the corner, who was understood to take the lead in the local politics of the Gardens, had publicly declared that on the occasion of the Railroad opening, if ever it did open, two of his boys should ascend the flues of his dwelling, with instructions to hail the failure with derisive cheers from the chimney-pots."


I'd speculate that from his writing in Dombey and Son,  Dickens wouldn't have been the greatest fan of the London Underground and like many Victorians may have expressed the same levels of dismay on its opening.


But then again, like most Victorians, he would have got used to it and developed the love hate relationship that most Londoners currently have with the Tube.

Update  Thanks to @RehanQayoom for letting us know according to Peter Ackroyd who clearly knows more than a thing or two about Charles Dickens (being one of his main biographers), he did travel on the London Underground on what was known as the Inner Circle Line.

Extract from Peter Ackroyd's Dickens

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, February 07, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/dickens-london-underground.html

Jubilee Line Pictures to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

It's the Queen's Diamond Jubilee today she has clocked up 60 years on throne. Although official celebrations will be in the summer, I wanted to commemorate this auspicious day with a look at the London Underground's Jubilee Line. It was the last major line to be added to the Tube system to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1979. Here's some pictures from the lovely Jubbly line  you may like:


Just in case you haven't guessed from the attire of the ladies delicately tucking into their meals, this picture is from the 1970's. May 1979, in fact one of the many celebrations marking the opening of the Jubilee Line. At Bond Street station passengers were treated to a string quartet and a lovely meal. Ah those were the days.

Jubilee Line drivers' cabs always seem to get VIP's!

Prince Charles stood awkwardly in a driver's cab when the Jubilee Line was opened on 30th April 1979.



The Jubilee Line is one where you're most likely to find Ken Livingstone, as he lives in Cricklewood. You can often see him on the line wearing his trusty raincoat.

Boris also travels on the Jubilee Line, but like Prince Charles was in the train operators cab. If you were travelling on the Jubilee Line around this time last year and thought some of driver's announcements sounded more bumbling than usual, that would have been Boris Johnson's dulcet tones. He said on Twitter "Rode in the driver's cab on the Jubilee this afternoon. It was fab. Amazing in fact. I have seen the future! So much easier for the driver!"

Rihanna took to the Jubilee Line last October to get to her gig at the O2.


The Sun reported "The 23-year-old singer astonished passengers by travelling to London's O2 Arena on the Jubilee underground line using her Oyster travel card.

Shocked fans, who the star dubs her "navy", watched as she left a packed Tube train at North Greenwich station."

The story was kind of spoilt when it was also reported that as she left the station, with her security guards she then "jumped into a waiting car which drove her just 100 yards to the backstage area of the huge venue".

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, February 06, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/queens-diamond-jubilee-jubilee-line.html

Tube not prepared for "mega" snow

Right now, I bet Boris & TfL are eating their words about being "ready & prepared for 'mega snow'", as last night the London Underground almost ground to a halt following the first snow in the capital of the year. Hopefully now as the snow is starting to thaw (see the picture from my study) the system will ease back into life.


View of Tube in Snow from my study window - 5th February 2012
On Friday Boris Johnson said: "Across all our roads and rails hundreds of workers are on standby to ensure that, should we receive a mega deposit of snow, we are in a position to keep the capital moving 

"With more than 100,000 tonnes of salt and an army of gritters, de-icers and specially adapted Tube carriages, together we will ensure that coordinated and swift action is taken to keep Londoners on the move."

Unfortunately for Boris the snow had other ideas and by 11.30pm last night the situation on the Tube was as below with every single line (apart from the Northern Line) either suspended or suffering from severe delays.  Ironically the only two lines that are completely underground (Victoria & Waterloo & City Lines) and should have been running normally had scheduled weekend engineering works and were closed. 


Tube comes to halt with first snow of the year by @tariqpanja

Hopefully the lines will get back in action and be running normally when most people return to work on Monday.  Otherwise we can expect TfL's Fail Whale to resurface from the ice.

Transport for London Fail Whale by @Jonin60 Seconds

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Sunday, February 05, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/tube-not-prepared-for-snow.html

Tube & Boris ready & prepared for "mega snow"

London Underground  is prepared (apparently) for a night of snow. As I write this on Saturday night from Kew there's already a good covering snow around. TfL are hoping not to be caught out by an occurance that happens most years in the winter, yet seems to drive the Tube system to a halt.


Snowy view from my study 4th February 2012
London Underground and London Rail have engineers on hand to be mobilised with point heaters in place at key sections of the network, said TfL. Also improvements have been made in outlying areas of the Tube network which suffered last year.

Extra stocks of components and measures to stop wheels slipping on the Central line have been put into place.

Boris Johnson said: "Across all our roads and rails hundreds of workers are on standby to ensure that, should we receive a mega deposit of snow, we are in a position to keep the capital moving."


Transport for London Fail Whale by @Jonin60 Seconds
Let's see if we manage to survive this year's snow without the usual excuses of wrong type of snow or too sticky snow, or snow that's not sticky enough.

Update 11.30pm - looks like we can't


Tube comes to halt with first snow of the year by @tariqpanja
At about 11.30pm the entire Jubilee & Central Lines had just been suspended.  So much for measures to stop wheels sticking on outlying areas of the Central Line - snow must have been way too sticky.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Saturday, February 04, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/tube-boris-ready-for-mega-snow.html

Mind the Gap - Guess Where Tube 15 - Win a Mind the Gap Keyring

On the back of the Channel 4 documentary "Confessions from the Underground", regular reader of the blog shell_uk took a picture of one of the hundreds of Mind the Gap markings on London Underground platforms.  She said "Don't know if this one is a bit too obscure for your Guess Where Tube series?" It's not obscure, just pretty hard, which is why I've decided to include it!


Photo by Shell_uk
For new visitors unfamiliar with the "Guess Where Tube" game it's where I ask you to guess from exactly where on the London Underground, certain pictures from the London Tube Flickr group were taken from.

I don't normally offer prizes, but because this one is very hard I'm going to give a prize


It's a lovely rubbery Mind The Gap Key Ring. You have until UK time 11.59pm on Sunday 12th February 2012 to make guesses. Try not to look at the comments before you when making your guess.

Make your guesses in the comments below and either leave your blog or twitter name or email address so I can get in touch with you if you're the lucky winner. Anyone who just enters as "Guest" with no means of identifying how to contact them, won't be included in the contest. The person who is the most exact will win & if there's more than one person who guesses the same most correct place, I'll put names into a randomizer & select from there.  Good luck.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Saturday, February 04, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/win-mind-gap-keyring-guess-where-tube.html

Time Out London feature my 5 favourite Tube Station Clocks

Forget digital clocks, Time Out London kindly asked me to select my five favourite London Underground station clocks. There are actually quite a lot to choose from.


I see this one every day as our office recently moved to Bethnal Green. There are quite a number of clocks on the Tube with roundels instead of numbers. As far as I know the one at Bethnal Green is the only one where the roundels are gold. Dated from around the 1940′s it was restored in 2009 and you can find it on the Eastbound and Westbound platforms.

Check out TimeOut's post for my four other favourites.

Let me know your favourite Tube station clocks as there are number of lovely ones to choose from.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, February 03, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/time-out-tube-station-clocks-annie-mole.html

Tube Accessibility one of "10 Key Passenger Priorities" from London TravelWatch ahead of Mayoral elections

London TravelWatch, the watchdog for transport users, published 10 key policies yesterday including one on accessibility, which it believes will improve the passenger experience for London's public transport users.


Produced ahead of the forthcoming Mayoral elections, the 10 key points are published in a series of C6 postcards. The watchdog has met  prospective mayoral candidates from the major parties in advance of finalising their manifestos, and the aim of these postcards is to help to focus us, when we will be undoubtably getting visits from representatives to our homes. We can use them to grill reps on where they stand on important transport issues.


Key policies in the postcards & publication include ensuring frequent and comprehensive public transport such as providing longer trains more often, improved information, especially at times of disruption; a fair deal for customers; making it easier for passengers to join up their journeys and ensuring transport services have suitable access for the elderly, disabled, people tranporting buggies and from the looks of the picture above, those struggling to get luggage on the London Underground.

Sharon Grant, Chair of London TravelWatch said: “The 10 policies that we are urging mayoral candidates to consider will help to make public transport in London more customer-focused. They reflect the challenges experienced by the travelling public who are all too often faced with unclear and inconsistent information, when they deserve a joined up service. Londoners also want frequent and comprehensive public transport which is attractively priced.”


Accessiblity on the London Underground will be a strong one. Obviously it's essential for the elderly, disabled & people with kids in buggies (although I can't say I sympathise hugely with the large luggage approach as I use Piccadlilly line trains coming from Heathrow a lot & huge suitcases take up so much space in the rush hour, it's a pain in the butt).


We need more lookup tables by Nick Ludlam
I also like their points on fair deals for fares & Oyster card over charges "Oyster has revolutionised the journey experience. However, where its complexities mean passengers lose money by not ‘touching in or out’, they should be able to resolve the problem quickly via a free phone number. It is unacceptable that passengers are overcharged and then asked to ring a high-priced phone line to get redress."


Corrupted Oysters by Martin Deutsch
Their point on providing reliable & timely information is also a priority in my opinion. "Technology must be harnessed to deliver up-tothe- minute travel information at all journey stages. Internet and text messaging initiatives are welcome, but provide limited help for passengers at bus stops."


"Passengers are most in need of information during times of disruption. All transport providers must work together at times of disruption to minimise the impact on passengers, and the Mayor should take the lead in facilitating this".

What do you think of the policies (available here on pdf) and which are the most important for you?

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, February 02, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/tube-accessibility-london-travelwatch.html

VIDEO - Victoria Line Closed all Weekend

This weekend (4th -5th February 2012) signalling work is taking place on the Victoria line, meaning no journeys can be made on that London Underground Line for a full 48 hours. TfL have released a video attempting to illustrate how the old signals are slowing down speed on Tube trains on the Victoria Line and the new signals will increase speed resulting in shorter journey times.


A Transport for London (TfL) spokeswoman said that work was progressing well.

“All of the state-of-the-art equipment has now been installed and engineers have been moving south unplugging the old system and plugging in the new one.

“Engineers will be making the most of the full closure with 2,500 man hours being put in on worksites across the line with a particular focus on the Euston to Green Park area. Once all the work is done trains will be able to run faster and closer together increasing capacity on the line by 20 percent.”


Faster Journeys by Bluey-Birdy
More details about the Victoria Line upgrade plan can be found on TfL's site.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, February 02, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/video-victoria-line-closed-all-weekend.html

Tube Invaded by Alien Mutants - Tube Photo of The Week

Say alien mutants invade London. After all the inevitable fighting & power struggle, they integrate into our society. Despite their mutant changes, they're not intelligent enough to devise a better way of travelling around London. What would commuting on the London Underground look like? Possibly something like this


biennale by Roberto Trm
Love this photo taken by Roberto Trm from the last La Biennale art exhibiton in Venice and added to the Flickr London Tube pool. I have no idea who the artist is and what it was supposed to represent but think the sculpture rocks.

The designer bags carrried by the mutant turtle & wasp is a lovely touch.  

If anyone knows anything about the artist, please let me know in the comments. Or if you have your own interpretation of what the artist was trying to say, I'd love to hear.

Update - The artist is Allesandro Gallo & there's a whole Tube carriage of them on the Northern Line More photos here.  Thanks Roberto & Pirripozz for that info - I'm still none the wiser as to what they're sposed to represent though!

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, February 01, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/02/tube-invaded-by-alien-mutants-tube.html

Tube Union RMT reject Olympics Pay Offer as Mayor Launches Get Ahead of the Games Campaign

The RMT has rejected the latest Olympics pay offer from London Underground and are now stepping up the pressure for what they believe to be a fair deal for all staff rewarding the additional work load their members will need to do throughout the London Olympics and Paralympics 2012 Games.


Not best timing for Get Ahead of The Games - New TfL Campaign launches today
The "slightly improved" offer  from London Underground  was rejected because it didn't address most of the union’s reasons for rejecting the earlier offer. RMT stated the money on the table was not enough, they weren't happy with the shift payment increases and believe the offer doesn't reward staff for their work during the run-up to the Games.


Pole vault at Westminster Tube - mock up by Jon Justice
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: "RMT is rejecting this latest Olympics and Paralympics pay offer from LUL and we will be meeting with the company again to press our case for a flat rate, across the board payment which recognises the contribution of all staff throughout the high pressure extended Olympics and Paralympics period and which is free from a whole barrage of strings and caveats.

“Other employers, notably London Overground, Network Rail and most recently DLR, have come up with serious offers and agreements and we expect London Underground to do the same.

“It is well documented that transport will be the biggest logistical challenge throughout the Olympics period with massive pressure on staff and services from moving millions of extra passenger journeys around Greater London and the South East.

“All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are on-going.”

This news is pretty bad timing for London Underground as TfL have just launched a campaign called ‘Get Ahead of the Games’ to ensure that tourists, Londoners & commuters can effectively plan their journeys during the Olympic Games.

Sharon Grant, Chair, London TravelWatch who support the campaign said: ‘The Games will inevitably place a huge strain on the transport system and we all want to minimise the impact on ordinary Londoners so that they can avoid unnecessary disruption and enjoy the entertainment that is taking place on their doorstep. At certain times and in certain locations, London and the UK’s road and rail networks will be much busier than usual and the new website will help people to plan their journeys accordingly.’

Let's hope a potential Tube strike is one of the things taken into account in helping people plan their journeys.
 
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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, January 30, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/tube-union-rmt-reject-olympics-pay.html

Channel 4 - Confessions from the Underground - New Tube Documentary

This Thursday 2nd February 2012 at 10pm, Channel 4 are airing a new documentary of inside stories from London Underground staff - Confesssions from the Underground.


I'm really looking forward to seeing this as I was (kind of) involved in its development. Back in March last year I received an email from the producers of the documentary, Rare Day, part of it said:

"I am working on a drama-documentary for Channel 4 which is looking to investigate the stresses and strains on the transport sector, in particular, the London Underground and the capital's railways. I was very interested to read your blog Going Underground and, in particular the correspondence you have with some Tube drivers themselves.

Our initial focus will be on case studies of the workers themselves, and I would appreciate any help you can give me in locating such individuals who can speak about their experiences working on the Underground. All conversations will be completely confidential and just for background research at the moment."

Photo by Mags H

I was asked not to blog about this at the time, so fired off some emails to some Tube staff I know and asked if they could help. I also pointed the production company in the direction of some forums and other Tube blogs who may have been able to help.

The documentary gives the inside story about parts of the Tube network we don't see. "workers reveal the dilemmas and pressures that they must reconcile to keep this hugely complex and strained system running.


Mark Benton from Tube film Three and Out about suicides on the Tube
Actors voice the precise words of the workers: train drivers, maintenance workers, station staff and controllers. They negotiate the difficulties of storing dead bodies after suicides and the hazards of fixing signal failures within an ageing infrastructure.


They confront aggressive passengers and emergency incidents and try to make sense of a bewildering array of procedures and targets."

I'd like to thank the Tube staff that helped out. You know who you are. It was interesting that Rare Day & Channel 4 chose this approach of using actors to voice the thoughts rather than real staff themselves. I also got a few responses back to my initial email where I really had to reassure the staff that their real names would not be used.


I'm intrigued as to what we will discover. Looks like there will also be an answer to that age old question "Ever wondered why you've heard a 'good service' announcement over the tannoy even when you've been stuck on a train for the past 10 minutes?"

Update: 1st February - TfL's press office have been in touch with me and have said that they will be watching with interest as the producers seem to have taken a highly selective and partisan approach. They say that the film-makers and Channel 4 were given numerous opportunities to put their claims to London Underground’s Managing Director Mike Brown directly, including an interview on camera but flatly declined, "preferring to base their programme on claims that they were either unwilling or simply unable to substantiate."

Update - 2nd February 9am - One of the first national dailies to review tonight's show is The Daily Telegraph who did give TfL the opportunity to respond. They focus on the dead bodies stored in cupboards story.  "One male member of the Tube’s Emergency Response Unit said leaving bodies in cupboards was very disrespectful. He told Channel 4’s Confessions from the Underground: “As far as I understand it, London Ambulance services have limited resources and a few years back they stopped taking anybody who’s deceased into their ambulances back to hospitals".

A spokesman for London Underground explained workers were offered support and counselling should they need it and said: “Following agreed procedures, a body may be moved to a secure room within the station to await collection by undertakers. We believe our staff do a fantastic job in responding to such difficult circumstances and they are offered counselling support, if necessary.”

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, January 30, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/channel-4-confessions-from-underground.html

Dogs on Trains - Find of the Week

Dogs on the London Underground. I'm a big fan of dogs and love how they travel on the Tube, they're curious but usually quite calm. The polar opposite of how a cat would be when travelling by train. So I was delighted to discover a new Tumblr blog simply called Dogs on Trains. The premise is simple, if you've seen a dog, whilst on a train, take a photo, send it to Ellen Munro or Tweet her the link at @dogsontrains & she'll put it on her site with a suitable caption.

I tweeted a her a couple of pictures of dogs I'd recently seen on my travels & after a wait in the queue (she's getting tons of submissions so it could take a few days before you see your picture), the following appeared on the site


Worried pug. Do you think it’s those shoes that are bothering him? Seen by @Anniemole on the London Underground - December 2011

I loved this little creature though and couldn't stop giggling at its expression. The pug looked up at me as if to say "Why are you laughing at my face?"

This one was not on the  Tube but  huge husky type dog I saw on the London Overground.


A lot of huskies out there enjoy train travel, who’d want to pull a sled?! Seen by @Anniemole on the London Overground - November 2011

Here's a couple of others I liked


Och ay the noo! Scottie dog seen by @KyiBoomer on the Hammersmith and City line, London - January 2012


Ready for this one? A DOG IN A PRAM. No, really. Seen by Ann-Marie James on the Victoria Line, London.

The whole site is strangely compelling & if you like dogs (and trains I spose) Dogs on Trains is a lovely place to visit.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Saturday, January 28, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/dogs-on-trains-find-of-week.html

Cheer up the Tube stickers in the Wild

Make sure you're polite on the London Underground otherwise the Tube mice will getya. So says a sticker spotted by @Chipwood09 on the Circle Line yesterday:


He asked if there were any more like this. I thought there were. Certainly reminded me of some stickers I saw in "Look Mum No Hands" and a quick(ish) Google search revealed they do indeed have them.

As well as "Danger! Rudeness attracts Tube Mice", there's also Cheer Up Tube stickers for "Frowning on a Friday - Strictly Forbidden", "Fixed Penalty, All Sweeties must be shared & Chocolate" and "Loud music prohibited - Unless you sing along too".


Cheer up The Tube Stickers from Look Mum No Hands

For £2 for a pack of five they're a bobby bargain!

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, January 27, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/cheer-up-tube-stickers-in-wild.html

"Your New Met" Tube Poster from London Transport Museum

Not exactly an infographic but interesting historical new poster of the 1960's Metropolitan Line extension from London Transport Museum.


It's a reproduction of a 1960's poster that introduced the newly modernised Metropolitan Line 50 years ago, with the "new" extension.  It's £9.95 and available online here.

And for those who are old enough, you might remember the iconic Metropolitan line trains with their high back seats and commodious luggage racks. London Transport Museum have rescued a limited number of these original 1960's luggage racks from decommissioned Metropolitan Line trains. You can buy them online from £150 or at the Museum’s Covent Garden shop from March 2012.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, January 26, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-met-tube-poster-london-transport.html

Miniature Tube Commuters - Tube Photos of the Week

During Michal Dziera's visit to London Transport Museum last Friday at the Sense The City Photo exhibition he spent some time photographing the fascinating world of miniature London Underground stations and tiny commuters.

He said: "It all looks rather eerily empty and Alien-like, although if my commute every day was that comfortable, I really wouldn’t mind."





I really like these shots and you can see the full gallery of the mini commuters at bus stops & other parts of the Tube over on Michal's blog

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, January 25, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/miniature-tube-commuters-tube-photos-of.html

Jubilee Line not the cause of Big Ben's Lean

You might have read a number of reports about the "Leaning Tower of Big Ben" after MPs became concerned that the landmark clock tower is tilting. The 96-metre tall clock tower, which houses the bell,  nicknamed Big Ben, leans about 46 cm to the left of its peak.


Obviously it's not leaning this badly - Photo by IainBuchanan
Professor John Burland of Imperial College London said work on the London Underground Jubilee train line in the 1990s had not caused dramatic movement, while a spokesman for The House of Commons commission said the tilt could have existed since its construction in 1859.

The lean is just about visible to the naked eye and as John Burland told Radio 4 Today show yesterday, had "been there for years".

Burland said "When I first started work on the car park it was obvious that it was leaning. It was probably developed at a very early stage because there's no cracking in the cladding and we think it probably leant while they were building it and before they put the cladding on.

"There's no such thing as an old building that isn't cracked. In fact they're beneficial because the building moves thermally more than is caused by the Jubilee Line and the movements concentrated around the cracks and, if they didn't, there'd be cracking elsewhere.

"So these have been there for years and they're certainly not caused by the Jubilee Line or the car park."


Ianvisits has a great blog post from a number of years back about the Jubilee Line tunnels under Big Ben's clock tower.

He wrote "As a Jubilee Line tunnel was tunnelled by the tunnel boring machines (TBM), despite the best efforts of the workers, there is always a slight gap between the tunnel wall and the soil outside, leading to some subsidence at ground level. The gap is only a few millimetres, but when amplified around the entire tunnel diameter, that actually adds up to quite a bit of missing soil, and can cause significant problems. Before work starts on any tunnel now, ground surveys and measurements are taken to calculate the subsidence risks and effects on buildings."

"The big risk, which was gleefully latched onto by the news media was that the tower would start to lean sideways towards the tunnel work and may even start to develop cracks or damage. As the TBM worked its way through Westminster, electronic monitors on the tower checked how far it was starting to topple, and then pumped grouting into the soil to basically push the tower back upright again."

His post has more pictures of the compensation grouting work ( from a talk on tunnelling by the Royal Society) which was only carried out at night.  He concludes "Without compensation grouting, it is expected that the tower would have tilted by some 10cm at the top – which would have been obviously unacceptable."

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/jubilee-line-not-cause-of-big-bens-lean.html

Downing Street Lord asks Mayor to Replace Tube Escalators with Slides

No this isn't a spoof. Lord Toby Harris believes that Boris Johnson should consider a rejected e-petition made to the Government to "improve “the flow of passengers through busy London Underground stations” by installing slides in place of escalators."

Lord Harris (@LordTobySays), who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Policing and is Treasurer of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee said "The e-petition has been rejected because this is a matter for a devolved authority – in this case the Mayor of London – and therefore it is for the Mayor of London to consider this proposal."

A prototype has already been tried out in Berlin and proved popular with more people choosing the slides than the escalators or stairs.


Also commuters in Holland can take the newly installed "transfer accelerator" to quickly descend the station stairs at Overvecht Station and access platforms.


"At night the slide is said to play music from Bach". That's amazing!

Lord Harris notes the e-petition for the slides in London states that 

“Small prizes should be available for those reaching the bottom in the fastest time. These would be paid for out of the savings of not having to maintain and operate down escalators.”

Come on Boris, what are you waiting for?

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, January 23, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/mayor-asked-to-replace-tube-escalators.html

TfL say on track for Tube Wi-Fi to be enabled for Olympics

Mobile Marketing recently had a conversation with  TfL's director of strategy and service development, Gareth Powell, who said that London Underground is on track to deliver wi-fi services at up to 120 stations before the 2012 London Olympics.


Photo by Alexander Boden
“We are in the final stages of the tender process,” Powell told Mobile Marketing. “London Underground is continuing with preparations to install the necessary infrastructure and is on schedule to complete the project as planned. An announcement of the chosen service provider will be made in early Spring, leaving plenty of time for this to be delivered to customers in time for the 2012 Games.”

Wi-fi will be available on platforms, ticket offices and escalators, but not on Tube trains. As yet the cost of the service hasn't been set and will depend on which operator wins the contract to provide the service.

According to the FT, Virgin has also bid for the contracts to provide WiFi services. Last month, it lost out to O2 in an auction to provide WiFi to Westminster council, but it is still participating in the contract to cover the London Underground.

"The news that smartphone users will have access to wi-fi on the Tube is all the more welcome as there will be no mobile coverage on the underground in time for the Games. Last April, the Daily Telegraph carried a report saying that the UK’s four mobile operators had shelved plans to provide mobile coverage in time for the Games, because it was impossible to get it ready in time." said Mobile Marketing

Cellular News said that there had been unconfirmed reports that China's Huawei would offer to build the network infrastructure for mobile coverage on the London Underground free as a "gift" from the former Olympic nation to the next. Apparently £50m worth of technology was offered, representing one third of the estimated £150m cost of the project.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, January 23, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/tfl-say-tube-wi-fi-enabled-for-olympics.html

Next-Gen London Underground on-platform display - Tells how crowded next Tube is

Genius new idea for a platform display on the Tube. We've all had those times when we've waited 15 or 20 minutes for a train. Then when the train eventually pulls in, the carriage right in front of you is packed & you have to squeeze yourself in, or wait for the next train, which could be just as full.


Well Dan Taylor @fabricoffolly has designed a mock up of his fantasy Tube platform indicator "which would not only show you exactly where incoming trains were on the line (and update their progress in real time), but also which carriages were more or less crowded (achieved by sensing passenger body heat or possibly carriage weight, to account for all those suitcases). That way, you could increase your chances of boarding and the platform announcers wouldn't have to keep telling new arrivals to move along the platform."

As Dan says "Go on TfL/CBS Outdoor - you've already got the screens..."

Originally seen at World Report

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Sunday, January 22, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/next-gen-london-underground-on-platform.html

Sense the City Photo Competition pictures now on display at London Transport Museum

Taking inspiration from London Transport Museum's Sense and the City exhibition, Londonist & the museum challenged Londoners to stop a while and "sense the city". They asked for snapshots of a 'smart, connected and on the move' London: a city buzzing with activity 24 hours a day. Over 650 images were submitted and fifty were shortlisted to go on display at London Transport Museum until March 18th.


Tube Story by Danielle Houghton : Larking About
On Friday 20th January, three photographs were selected for special commendation by the competition's advisers: Clive Birch, Visiting Tutor on the Royal College of Art's Vehicle Design Programme and Johanna Empson, Talks and Events Programmer at the Photographers' Gallery. The great picture above by Danielle Houghton of Tube chatterers was one of the three commended.

Of the fifty, the Tube is featured quite strongly and I particularly like the image below


vanishing point by db telford
The fifty photographs will be on display in at London Transport Museum between 21 January - 18 March 2012. You can also see them on Londonist's website.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Sunday, January 22, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/sense-city-photo-competion-pictures-now.html

Tube App for Harry Potter's iPhone - iFloo

Someone's imagined what Harry Potter iPhone screen might look like and good to see that the sorcerer has an App that bears more than a passing resemblance to the London Underground Apps on the market. See the roundel in the bottom right hand corner.


It's for the iFloo network.  Geddit.  Thanks to @Jemimah_Knight for alerting me to this on 9Gag's website - it's by or was at least found by the user tonypboy516.

Harry probably has an Oyster card magic wand to wave at any Floo Networks to pay for his travels.  With a flourish and a cry of Undergroundio he'd be zipping around in no time.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Saturday, January 21, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/tube-app-for-harry-potter-ifloo.html