Tube Strikes may be on the way

London Underground staff balloting over gay discrimination

You may have heard that there are three separate Tube strikes. One's about pay and the RMT will ballot for strike action unless there's an "acceptable offer" by August 23rd. Another is about the "blatantly unfair" sacking of driver Raj Nathvani who reportedly over ran a signal. The Jubilee Line driver has eight and a half years experience with no safety breaches. According to RMT Secretary Bob Crow:

"He reported it to his controller and proceeded at caution. Ahead of him were green signals and no points, but he was sacked without mercy because he didn't follow procedure exactly,"


Well that makes him sound like a pussycat in comparison to the water throwing Northern Line Driver whose SPAD led to some wildcat strikes earlier this year.

Canary Wharf station staff will also be balloted after claims of harrassment of union representatives and discrimination against gay workers. Bob Crow said "A female member of staff who was sexually assaulted on the barrier has suffered constant harassment from local management since.

"A gay member of staff has suffered homophobic remarks, and there is a widespread view that gay staff members are routinely discriminated against."

It's no surprise to hear that London Underground are denying this particular allegation and a spokesperson told pinknews:

"London Underground has a strong policy against harassment of any kind and takes such matters extremely seriously.

"In this case, the RMT's claims have already been subject to formal investigation and were not founded. If there are further issues then balloting for strike action as a first step is not the way to resolve any issue."

It will be pretty interesting to see how the latter pans out, particularly as some of Bob Crow's crownies didn't appear to have the most PC of attitudes to female bar staff when they were banned from a pub in January. Good to see the RMT have seen their error of their ways and are now deciding to take a stand against sexual harrassment.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, August 17, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Yesterday's Tube carriage could become Tomorrow's office

Old Jubilee Line trains turned into workspaces

When Tube carriages finally give up the ghost they are normally turned into scrap metal and landfill (that's after trendy designers get hold of the upholstery and make expensive dog coats), however it looks like there may be another use for them.


Old Jubilee Line carriages are going to be made into work spaces for creative start-up businesses in Shoreditch, East London. The project is the brainchild of Village Underground, a new charity which supports new small companies.

Tom Foxcroft, the charity's director said:

"The idea came from my own experience as a designer trying to start a small practice with friends – we just couldn't get a foot on the ladder because of the price of studio and workspace......so I designed my own."

I personally couldn't really see myself spending my entire working day in a Tube carriage though, as I'd feel a bit cramped after a while. Doubtless, I'll make a trip over to Great Eastern Street at some point to see what they look like in-situ. Thanks to Marc for the heads-up on this.

Julie Pottinger from Tube Lines is all for the re-cycling and is keen to hear of other ideas for defunct carriages.

"It's great that we can put these old carriages to good use, benefiting local people and saving the environment a little. We're keen to find more ways of avoiding waste so if other people or organisations have ideas, we'd love to hear from them."

Quite some time ago Metro published a story about former London Underground worker Roger Brown who had an old Tube carriage in his back garden - presumably quite a large back garden - and he seems to use it just to sit around and read papers, like blokes tend to do in allotment sheds.


"Some people think I'm bonkers", he mused "and I probably am. But I love trains and it's great to have one in my own garden".

I'd quite like the idea of seeing old carriages used as mini restaurants or cafes. They'd probably also make a good play area for kids who could bounce up and down on the seats as much as they liked with no scowls from fellow commuters. They could also have a ball swinging round the poles and hanging from the strap hangers and practicing their graffiti skills on the outside.

Do you have any more suggestions for re-cycling Tube carriages? Or do you have room for one in your back garden?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, August 16, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Tube Driver or Air Stewardess

A little politness goes a long way

I don't if my Piccadilly Line Tube driver the other day used to be an air stewardess or cabin crew or whatever they are called at the moment, but she was one of the most cheerful and well spoken drivers I've ever heard.

With each stop she would very politely announce the station names with introductions such as "If you've been waiting patiently for the Bakerloo line, your wait is over as you can change at Piccadilly Circus for the Bakerloo Line".

There are a few more examples here, not recorded brilliantly but you get the general gist of what she's saying:

Announcement one

Announcement two

Announcement three

It took lots of people on the train by surprise, but in a very pleasant way.

Do you ever come across any unusual Tube drivers on your journey - whether unusually cheerful or unusually miserable? Do you think they all should take some happiness lessons like this woman, or should they reflect the general mood of the commuters?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, August 14, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Cryptic Quiz 2

Tube map names in a pickle

Some time ago we made you get on your thinking caps with some cryptic clues to station names, so we thought it was time for another challenge. So give one answer only (more than one will be deleted) to the following:

1. Mr Winton has a fling with Mr Salmon
2. My share is looking healthy
3. Simon tags behind a contrary woman
4. Where birds of a feather nest
5. Sounds like wheat alternative has taken a tumble
6. Where pixies' friends meet Atkinson
7. A stupid boy rotates in this thoroughfare
8. Entomb the soap above sea level
9. Prince looks sick next to soap star
10. Rodney's former brother was traditional
11. Sounds like you should stop going in this direction
12. The truth about the tree
13. I hear the pristine fruit has stopped growing
14. Greek Dawns is all mixed up
15. Heidi's house
16. Othello's leisure garden
17. Diminutive rookie Queen is not all there
18. Cheese is stuck in the mud
19. Heinz' headquarters
20. Two football heros share a dollar

You must give a different answer to the people before you, so get in quickly as the easier ones will go first! One guess only please, plus there's a bonus point for coming up with a cryptic clue to Barkingside!

To enter leave your email address and/or blog/website with your answers in the comments below. Please leave both your answers in one entry and you can only enter once! You have until 23.59 GMT, Sunday 20th August to enter. Everyone with two points will go into the paperclip selection.

Ah, and I forgot to announce the winner to the nifty 1950's quiz. No one got all five answers correct:

1. District
2. 17/11/1957
3. Fulham Broadway (renamed from Walham Green in 1952)
4. South Acton
5. 1956

Number 5 stumped everyone, so everyone with 4 points went into Neil's paperclip selection and the winner was Marc who will be the lucky owner of Ben Apps's 1954 Tube map and a nostalgic fridge magnet!

So the winner of this week's quiz will get a copy of the really fascinating book Underground London by the travel writer Stephen Smith.

He provides an alternative guide and history of London, and takes us on a journey through the passages and tunnels of the city, the bunkers and tunnels, crypts and shadows.

Obviously the Tube features heavily as Smith gets a special guided tour by a London Underground night worker wth a private viewing of the "ghost" station King William Street.

Have fun.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, August 11, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Underground Fashion Victims

Fashion Victims on the Tube

Here's Friday's regular look at our slaves to fashion or following trends on the Tube or people with a particular style that they've made their own. I'm really sorry in that I couldn't find any public transport Californian fashion victims (plenty on the streets mind you - but no one on the trains and street cars I travelled in).

Anyway, Kris will be pleased to hear that the metallic bags seem to be finally dying a death but possibly only to be replaced by.......

Glitter Bags

Sequins, sequins, sequins. As many as possible and make them pink too


The glitter bags seem to be multiplying here.

And if you're not content with pink glittery bags, try some pink glittery shoes


Perhaps a mischevious five year old or a Tube Elf has been running through the Underground with some Copydex glue and several pots of pink glitter. Where have all these pink glittery things come from while I was away?

Magic Eye Sandals & Fishnets

I must apologise to this lady for the angle I took the picture as it looks as though she has a club foot. She didn't have. She was just wearing my bete noir of fishnet net tights (flesh coloured ones at that), with some sandals that made me cross eyed


I took this picture yesterday. It wasn't very cold was it? So why the need for tights? And do fishnet tights keep you warm? The mind boggles, it truly does.

Versace Man

Finally muscular Versace Man


I've seen worse displays of labels, and at least this one showed some imagination with all the letters from Versace scattered across his T-Shirt in various fonts and sizes.

That's it for this week. The previous entry for London Underground fashion victims is here and all of them together can be seen on the following Flickr set.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, August 11, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Northern Line predicted last night's delays

Misery Line come over all Mystic Meg

All right, all right, as so many of you are asking (well two of you), the Northern Line signal failures were actually predicted yesterday, so don't say you weren't warned!

According to AFX news "LU said the system breakdown at Clapham Common forced it to impose a limited service between Stockwell and Morden.

It said maintenance contractor Tube Lines were working on the problem and passengers should avoid Stockwell station and use overground services instead."

But just in case you think their prediction of delays is a sign that they are getting their act together, fear not.

In a figures which came out last week, "Northern Line Tube passengers suffered an average of 15 delays every day in the year to May 2006, double almost every other line on the network. In the TfL report we learn that:

The 'misery line' recorded more than 5,000 delays between May 2005 and May 2006, confirming its status as the worst-performing line for the 100,000 passengers who use the service daily."


Looking on the bright side a cheery spokeswoman from Tube Lines spun "Whilst we acknowledge the need to improve performance faster on the Northern line, year-on-year service reliability has improved by 30 per cent and the number of incidents has dropped by 16 per cent since 2003 when Tube Lines took over,"

"The Northern Line is the most heavily loaded line on the Underground in terms of passenger numbers and has some of the oldest assets but performance is getting better and we are committed to improving the performance of the line to the standards we have achieved on the Piccadilly and Jubilee lines."

Mmm try telling that to some people who had three hours of delays last night.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, August 09, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Not on the London Underground

More fuel for the Tube's solicitors

I think London Underground's solictors ought to get their passports at the ready to track down this collection of London Underground roundels, not seen on the London Underground. From Albuquerque to Vancouver, you've been sending in pictures from around the world.

Ian was collecting roundels in Germany while he was over for the World Cup (although his much nicer World Cup pictures can be found here). My favourite I don't think would have TfL's legal bods chomping on the bit too much with a rather cartoonish version of the logo from Munster.


However they would probably have more of a case with this one


I almost expected it to say Oldie English Music. But Penny Lane as far as I know is in Liverpool - well at least the Penny Lane in the song is. Unless there's another Penny Lane in Dortmund.

The logo is a great inspiration for ratty looking clothing shops as Ian's final picture illustrates


From Germany we go much further afield to Asheville in North Carolina, where Geoff spotted a "Grill & Pub" called Charlotte Street


Ross Younger who's currently working in Vancouver spotted "the so called Carestation" from a bus. I know how difficult pictures when you're moving, as I spotted on while I was on a train in California, but couldn't get my camera out in time.


Not sure how wild I'd feel about going to a walk-in-clinic with the Tube logo on it!

Finally, I think the furthest away from London, is Tina Threadgill's "Bombay Grill" Indian Restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico.


One can only imagine that the owners were from London.

Many, many thanks to you all for sending these in. If anyone else has ones to add to the ever growing collection please email me.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, August 09, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Waterloo, finally facing my Waterloo....

And City Line

Look up there in the sky - it's not a bird, or a plane but a refurbed 92TS


Well it looks like the end is almost in sight. Eagle eyed version-3-point-one spotted the refurbished trains being carried from their make-over in Doncaster back to their rightful homes in London. So does this look as though the Waterloo & City Line will be on time for its re-opening in early September.


Version-3-point-one says "The work will be continuing next weekend, so if you want to catch some flying trains, make sure you don't miss them. Take the Jubilee Line exit out of Waterloo station and turn right out - Lower Marsh is signposted." The rest of her set of pictures can be seen here.

And that shot just above is the closest I want to get to seeing the underside or "belly of the beast" as she so nicely puts it.

Does anyone want to place bets on when it will actually open though? TfL are still hedging their bets with "early September". Metronet were being superbly optimistic by saying 1st September. whereas Wikipedia have plumped for the 4th September. Which will it be?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, August 08, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Underground Fashion

The Ultimate Tube Fashion Victim

Back in London and looks like the heatwave is still on after a break in the temperatures while I was away. Many thanks to Ian for spotting a story about "conceptual artist" Liam Yeates late last week. He said "About a year ago I was getting fed up with travelling on the Tube and being hemmed in with someone's armpit in my face. I developed a suit to keep people away and get round the problems of travelling on the Tube."

There's an electric fan disguised as a briefcase to keep cool, but also other "Inspector Gadget" like items include some novel "seat savers" designed to ensure other passenger stay or at least don't use the seat next to him. These include the charming fake turd and a spoon dripping with plastic 'yoghurt'.

Mr Yeates claims to have received some positive reaction tot he suit after appearing on the DLR and the District Line last week. However a puzzled passer by said "Is he meant to be a superhero? Or has John Major influenced him? He used to wear grey pants over his trousers."

Yeates believes his suit is conceptual art, yet he's actually sponsored by Mobizines who carried out a survey to try to find ten commuter commandments (they produce magazines that can be downloaded onto mobile devices presumably a way to deal with a boring commute). One of the commandements definitely seem to echo Yeates' wish to keep well away from fellow Tube passengers - "Thou shalt never speak to fellow commuters unless completely necessary".

However, Yeates in convinced his suit is more than just a commercial gimick to remind people about commuter crush (as if we need reminding) "People who get p***ed off with conceptual art feel that because they don't understand it or they aren't involved in it. Most people don't understand conceptual art but it is still valid."

But is it really art or just a commercial gimmick? Would you engage Mr Yeates on the Tube with a conversation about how Hell is other people, or do you just think he's a bit of a nutter who raided a joke shop? If his suits seems a bit over the top, do you have any other personal tips on keeping your own bit of personal space on the Tube? Share them, please, as it looks like being another hot week.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, August 07, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Cockney Rhyming Slang Quiz results

And the winners are......

Sorry to a be a bit tardy with the results of this quiz where Tube station names can form the basis of Cockney Rhyming Slang. There were some great new ones of your own but I managed to stump you with how I devised "I don't give a Pinner".

More on that later. But inventiveness prizes to:

Michael Reeves "He's only gone and thrown 'is Theydons out of the pram!" (Theydon Bois - Toys)

I also liked Alan P's seasonal "My advice for this hot weather is to put a few beers in your Upminster Bridge (fridge) and sit in the garden until you are nice and Acton Town (brown)."

However no one managed to get the full maximum point score so all eligible names went into Neil's paperclip selector and the winner is the aptly named yaay!

So yaay wins Fimb's prize of the Cycle London bag and Alan P and Michael get something from my Tube goody bag.


Oh and "I don't give a Pinner" - it's obviously from "I don't give a toss" or rather "I don't give a moss" - Moss Lane - Moss Lane is a street in Pinner where incidentally Faye Tozer (which also sounds a bit like toss) is from. I'm amazed that none of you got it!

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, August 07, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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TV Style ads on the Tube

Archibold Montgomery Lowe's dream comes true

In 1914 Professor Archibold Montgomery Lowe, writing for Trains, Omninbuses and Trams predicted the following for the Tube. "In 1999 every station will have comfortable waiting rooms, and with all the trains, the news of the moment and perhaps a picture of the moment thrown on artistically illuminated screens" Well he's not there with the comfortable waiting rooms, but his prediction the illuminated poster screens is looking like becoming a reality.


TfL reported yesterday that Oxford Circus, Bond Street, Victoria, Kings Cross, Piccadilly Circus and Tottenham Court Road Tube stations are likely to be among the first on the network to be installed with new digital advertising screens.

"The new technology is part of an investment programme by Viacom Outdoor and will involve more than 31,000 non-digital ad sites being replaced with new slim-line poster frames.

New Cross-Track Projection technology will see moving ads featured at 24 stations. Designed to create a gallery of advertising at ticket halls, passageways and station platforms, the screens will transform passenger journeys with fast-moving TV-style advertising."

There was a segment on the "You and Yours" programme on Radio 4 a few weeks ago about advertising on the Tube. They talked about the LCD screens that you've may have seen on the Tottenham Court Road escaltors (which actually make me feel a bit dizzy) and apparently those trials have been successful.

A regular commenter had kindly recorded a snippet of this and downloaded into an MP3 which can be found here.

As much as I like ads, I'm personally not sure I want to see TV ads on Tube and it's interesting that the guy from Viacom thinks these are a great because they "talk to you and entice the user to look and stay and watch". I don't think I would find any ad so compelling that I would want to stay around and miss my train to watch it. However he also says that the ad spaces can be used to provide news items or film updates from the Tube themselves. I'm assuming there will be no sound on these ads as you'd be driven mad otherwise.

What do you think? Will you find them more compelling? Do you think that advertisers are going to be flocking to spend money on them? What sort of ads do you think could work well on them - if any?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, August 02, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Automated voices on the Underground

Does Sonya get on yer nerves?

A reporter from the Washington Post got in touch with me to say that the Metro in Washington appointed Randi Miller "record peppier messages warning customers to stand clear of doors or move to the center of trains". However, Miller is worried there will be a backlash to her continually repeated messages. Initially, she thought it would only be used when someone was blocking the door and she had no idea that the message would be continually repeated and thinks it is a bit excessive.

Emma Clark who is the voice of the Victoria, Bakerloo and Central Line also gets a bit tired of hearing her voice but being Miss Mind the Gap had it's moments. In an brilliant interview with b3ta she said: "You should have heard the multiplicity of ways they made me say 'Marylebone.' Mahree-lee-bone. M'ree-labbon. Mary Lob-on. It was bleeding hilarious." She also admitted that there were some spoof recordings to pass the time "Me and the producer did record some spoof announcements after the LU suits had left the session, purely for our own amusement. Stuff like: 'The man in the green coat is sitting in tramp's piss.' And 'Passengers are reminded that reading 'Captain Corelli's f**king Mandolin' is strictly prohibited.' "

I know that a number of drivers on the District Line turn off Sonya's repetitive messages announcing the next station or the current station, mainly because it lives up to the name and Gets on yer nerves. But should they really be doing this? What about poor old tourists who don't know where they are going?

The reporter had also asked me whether I thought that voices should reflect the lines, which is an idea I loved. I think a Victor Meldrew sounding voice would be perfect for the Northern Line. I believe that the London Underground once considered having celebrity voices as they do in the lifts at Covent Garden (as you probably know) they use Loyd Grossman whose loose mid-Atlantic vowels tell you to "Turn roight out of Covent Garden for my Favooooorite Museum - The London Transport Museum". I believe that Hugh Grant was also considered. Probably for Notting Hill - although that could be an urban myth! Aren't Joanna Lumley's dulcet tones also used somewhere on the Tube?

It's weird that we seem to have lost The Shouty Man though - who doom laden "Big Brother" voice used to bellow "Mind The Gap". There still is a particularly terrifying and echoey "Mind the Gap" at Bank though - presumably because the gap is so big and perhaps a woman's voice wouldn't convey the seriousness of the consequences if you ignored their warning.

What do you think of automated voices? Who's your favourite, or do you hate them all? Would you like to vote for them like the commuters in Washington? Do you think that the drivers or station assistants should make all announcements, as at least that keeps you reassured that the system is being operated by a real people?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, August 01, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Underground Fashion Victims

Fashion Victims on the Tube

Here's Friday's regular look at our slaves to fashion on the Tube or people with their own unique style spotted on the underground.

So far a good number of people in California have been asking me about asking me about London's heatwave - I'm surprised it's newsworthy over here. But they then sigh and smile slightly to themselves as it's hardly a heatwave by Californian standards. The following two guys, I snapped earlier in the week, were both coping with the heat by displaying a fair amount of flesh.

Man Bags

I'm not sure how well the tight vests go with Man Bags.


Although "Crusty Bint" spotted the photo as I put it up in Flickr and said - "It's a gentleman's sponge bag.... how very dare you ;)"

Tube Fans

I was also being particularly thick or slow or unobservant as it took me a little while to realise what the red item was in the guy on the left's hand. However, when they had both finished reading The Standard Lite, it became all too clear


Actually I'm surprised I haven't seen more people carrying fans on the Tube this summer. Mostly people have been using newspapers as fans, but nothing beats the efficiency of a real fan.

I think London Underground ought to hire these guys as model summer commuters. They're carrying a bottle of water, they've got a fan, they're not wearing many clothes, they're reading the Standard. It's all very, very Metrosexual and they'd be perfect for a staying cool in the heat ad!

That's it for this week. The previous entry for London Underground fashion victims is here and all of them together can be seen on the following Flickr set.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, July 28, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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1950's London Underground Quiz

It's a nifty fifites quiz

Fortunately Ben Apps kindly wrote and supplied the prize for this Friday's quiz, as I was wondering what to do from the States.

Please answer the following questions (please don't give any links proving that you know the right answers as that just helps everyone else!!!) and there is a bonus two points if you are the first person to answer your question correctly.

1. What Underground line was the first to have unpainted aluminium trains in 1953?

2. On what date in the 1950s did the last timetabled steam train run from Epping To Ongar?

3. Which existing Underground station was given its current name in the 1950s, and what was it called before being renamed?

4. Which station was last served by London Underground in the 1950s?

5. In what year was the following picture taken



To enter leave your email address and/or blog/website with your answers in the comments below. Please leave all your answers in one entry and you can only enter once! You have until 23.59 GMT, Sunday 6th August to enter.

Neil will do his paperclip selection from the people with the most points.

The prize is a 1954 tube map donated by Ben


And I'll also throw in a London Underground fridge magnet based on one of Fougasses cartoons.


Have fun!

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Friday, July 28, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Bollox to all this - I'm off to San Francisco

Time Out plug blog

Any blogging over the next week and a bit will be from sunny California. I last went to San Francisco in November and sadly didn't get a chance to see very much of it at all. This time I hope to take BART and do a little more travelling outside of Silicon Valley. Any suggestions of must see's would be appreciated!


Plus a belated thanks to Time Out Magazine who made this blog their London Website of the Week last week. Amongst other things, they said "On some mornings it can feel like the only reason to be grateful that the Tube exists". Was good to see they highlighted the Friday Tube Fashion Victims and of the Friday quiz said if you're really lucky you can win a Mind the Gap tie.

Now I have to live up to the challenge of finding more London Underground merchandise! Thanks guys.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Thursday, July 27, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Tube Improvements mean fewer seats

Save our Seats Campaign

With the new Victoria Line stock that I blogged about last week it was interesting to see that there would be "more standing room" as though this was a bonus. The Metropolitan Line seems to be going the same way with new S stock and the local residents are none too pleased about the 30% reduction in seating due from 2009.


Over on Speakers Corner Blog - Russell says

"30% is quite a high figure, and they claim it is all down to meeting new disability legislation. This doesn't make sense at all, that is to be honest an over reaction, a serious over reaction. You might expect to lose maybe 15% at most, but what they are proposing is just mind-numbingly stupid.

To top it off, they are also proposing to have a single carriage instead of 8 separate ones. This stock will also be narrower, which for anyone who travels a large part of the Met line will tell you, that can't be a good thing.

This hasn't been thought out at all well, and I am pleased that papers like Harrow Observer, Pinner Observer, Harrow Leader, etc are trying to get something done. At least someone is thinking with their heads."

The local papers that Russell mentions have a Save our Seats campaign on their front covers and apparently there's a petition at Harrow-on-the-Hill station for passengers to sign. "For those who travel through this station and don't want up to be in a situation where you are even more packed in like cattle in a truck, then sign up." he urges.

Whether you travel on the Metropolitan Line or not I'd be interested in your opinion as there does seem to be a worrying trend towards fewer (and in my eyes, smaller) seats with the new Tube stock. Is fewer seats the way to go to cope with increased numbers of passengers or wounldn't increased frequency of trains be a better option?

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, July 26, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Third PPP Annual Review

"On time and on budget"....... yet

Must do better. That was the general opinion which came out of the third review of the Tube's maintenance firms yesterday. From a BBC report we learn that Metronet said they had "made progress" and Tube Lines claimed "robust improvement programmes are being moved forward", yet both firms were criticised. Metronet's failure to prepare for the heat resulted in a number of speed restrictions causing unneccessary delays and with the heat. Additionally the company's station renewal programme was way behind schedule "with only 14 out of a scheduled 35 projects delivered - all of which were late."

Tube Lines didn't escape criticism with the Northern Line still unsurprisingly under performing.

Tim O'Toole from the London Underground was far from happy. "Metronet and Tube Lines continue to disappoint in many respects and failed to meet the two key challenges I laid down in last year's report. All parties involved in the renewal of the Tube must commit to delivering improvement at a faster rate than we have seen so far."

Trying the make the best of a bad report a spokeswoman at Tube Lines spoke of the Misery Line as though it were a wayward child: "The Northern line continues to be a challenge and... we too are disappointed and frustrated by the slow progress being made with its reliability".

Perhaps they need one of those Nannies or child psychologists that seem to be invading TV at the moment to come in and sort out the Northern Line. I can just see the reality programme treatment.

"Dr Tanya in Tiny Tube Line Tearaways has more challenging & complicated problems to tackle with little Angel and Colin Dale. In this series she'll tackle not only the problems of laziness, tantrums and breakdowns which so many loving commuters experience, but will also be looking at selective delays, coping with communication failure in a family dynamic, and what to do if you suspect your Tube Line might have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder."

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, July 25, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Misery Line Quiz

And the winners are......

Thanks again to Dmitri for supplying the prize for the quiz where we wanted you to sell the Northern Line - that's sell as in promote or advertise. (Goodness knows how anyone could really sell the Northern Line as who would be mad enough to buy it).

There was a clear winner in this case but Dmitri and myself also wanted to give some runner up prizes

So John B gets a prize for suggesting that Infernos night-club at Clapham Common is his favourite place to visit on the Northern Line. I've had the misfortune of visiting Infernos on a couple of occasions and I would say it's name is very appropriate as to me it was like a "hell hole". But John manages to see the positive side: "It's like the 1970s crossed with a Student Union nightclub, but good. This is an amazing feat." Coupled with this he managed to find a quote on the TfL website that said the Northern Line was "one of London Underground's most reliable lines". Admittedly this was in 2003!

Andrew also gets a prize for a slogan selling the Northern Line "Tranquility of Mornington Crescent may go up as well as down. London Underground is not responsible if you go mentally insane whilst at Camden Town trying to work out which platform to use." I suppsed it's more like the reams of small print you get on those financial services ads.

Jon Allen's slogan wasn't exactly a slogan more like an ode to the Misery Line - but sung to the tune, "Morning has Broken" it certainly deserved a prize:

"Morden has broken,
Like the first morning
Sonja has spoken ,
Like the first announcer
Praise for the Tube lines,
Praise for the Tube trains,
Praise for them running,
Fresh from the depot.

Sweet the leaves new fall, sunlit from heaven,
Like the first leaf-fall, on the first Tube tracks
Praise for the sweetness of the Tube drivers,
Sprung in full comfort in their train cabs

Mine is the Northern Line,
Mine is the morning
Born of Victorians, Yerkes saw play
Praise with elation, Praise every morning
Ken's recreation of a new age."

But the overall winner as a good all-rounder was Pete. As a favourite picture he highlighted the Archer at the top of East Fincley Station.

His favourite place is "The ArtsDepot - a lovely arts centre, gallery and performance space at Tally Ho Corner in North Finchley - I went to a Make Poverty History gig there, where the "Camden Cowboys" (half of Madness) performed."

And the simplicity of slogan - "The Northern Line, Gateway to Barnet" stood out.

So Pete wins The Northern Line book - very kindly donated by Dmitri and I will raid my Tube booty bottom drawer to come up with some surprise prizes for Jon, John B & Andrew.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Tuesday, July 25, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Frank Sinatra on the London Underground

Old Blue Eyes on the Tube

You may have seen a lot of these posters on escalators advertising the musical Sinatra.


His copy of the Daily Telegraph is mocked up and I'd imagine the rest of it probably is to as even if Ol' Blue Eyes was on the Tube, I don't think the London Underground would have had in-carriage displays back then. It looks like a fairly youthful picture of Sinatra.

However, apparently Frank Sinatra did have an interest in public transport to some extent. I was on a London Walk a few weeks ago and we stopped outside one of those little green black cab driver "houses". Our brill tour guide regaled us with the following urban myth. Frank Sinatra was staying in a fairly swanky hotel in London and saw a little green hut outside and wondered what it was.

When he heard that it was where cabbies had a rest and a cuppa, he demanded to be shown inside. The cabbies were fairly nonchalant when he walked in, and carried on reading papers as though Frank Sinatra visited them every day.

One of them asked what he did and Frank Sinatra said, "Well I sing a bit". "Hmm" said the cabbie, "Give us a song then". Frank proceded to belt out one of his tunes and the cabbie reportedly said "If I were you, I wouldn't take it up professionally". I imagine the taxi drivers lived off that story for some time, as it was a good one to add to their "I had that xxxxx celebrity in the back of my cab last week" stories.

I suppose it's quite fortunate that Tube drivers don't really get a chance to see the passengers they carry. Not that you would get that many instances of celebrities boarding the Tube and being asked to sing, or act, or do an impression.

However, this might happen if they travelled on the Jubilee Line. The infamous tube driver Richie seems to get a lot of fun watching the passengers and announcing what they're carrying on board. He invited passengers to have a bit of a sing-a-long in car number 4 as he saw someone with a guitar. Also car number five had a person with an ironing board and Richie saw this as an opportunity for people to get their ironing done.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, July 24, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Not on the London Underground

More Tube roundels in strange places

It's great to see you spotting the Tube's famous logo in some unlikely places. Thanks to Geoff's Mum - Tina for sending an 'Underground' sign in Napier, New Zealand when she was there earlier this year.


She said "It didn't seem to lead anywhere, was just in a side-street at the back of a shop. Might be a secret entrance to night-club perhaps!"

Chris McKenna has just come back from the Channel Islands where he visited Jersey.


He snapped a rather err... classy looking sport shop in St Helier "with a logo that is obviously derived from the LU roundel - although from the picture you can see it isn't identical, the intention is clear enough."

Thanks to both Chris and Tina and if you spot any roundels on your travels please send them in and I'll blog and add to the growing set.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Monday, July 24, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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