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 Unknown 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 Unknown Saturday, January 21, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/tube-app-for-harry-potter-ifloo.html

CBS Outdoor Tube Ad Campaign - "Urban by Nature" - Animals on the Underground, anyone?

If you travel on the London Underground you can't have failed to see CBS Outdoor's (the guys responsible for placing ads across London Transport) poster campaign to promote the Tube as a great place for advertising. Their positioning is that they offer advertisers the opportunity to connect with urban audiences.


The ads, which take the form of different animals made up of Londony urban landmarks and icons, apparently are "designed to articulate the importance of the urban audience and the fact that CBS Outdoor are best placed to engage with this valuable and hard to reach group of consumers".  Not sure if it's just me but this kind of reminded me of Animals on the Underground - a whole collection of animals that could be "found" by looking in the Tube map!



Anyway look out for some familiar London  icons in CBS's campaign. You'll see the O2, Millenium Wheel, Wembley Stadium, St Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben etc etc


The campaign's only in London at the moment but from January 23rd you'll see it being rolled out to Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Bristol and Liverpool. So there will be icons featuring Old Trafford Centre for Manchester, The Beatles for Liverpool and the Bullring Bull for Birmingham. The others will have region specific landmarks.

If you visit www.facebook.com/cbsoutdooruk you can see all versions of the London posters. As a secondary element to the campaign they're offering people the chance to win city experiences throughout 2012 by liking them on Facebook & filling in a few extra details like age & region!

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, January 20, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/cbs-outdoor-tube-ad-campaign-urban-by.html

TfL & RMT take note - NYC Subway staff run "Rate My Rat" photo contest

If you think we have a lot of mice on the Tube (apparently, an estimated half a million mice live in the London Underground system), spare a thought for our friends across the pond in New York. NYC subway staff angered over what they say is a rat infestation in their workplace are holding a photo contest for the "nastiest" shot of a rodent, with a grand prize of a monthly travel pass.


Mouse at Holborn Tube Station by Annie Mole
Commuters, who frequently see rats on subway platforms and tracks, are asked to upload photos to www.ratfreesubways.com, created by the city's largest transit union, Transport Workers Union Local 100. When visiting the "Rate my Rat" section of the site people can vote on the most repulsive vermin.

"Who the hell wants to work around hundreds of freaking rats?" Jim Gannon, a TWU Local 100 spokesman, said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday.

"The union is calling for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to clean stations more regularly, place more trash cans on subway platforms, and repair holes in walls and floors.

"The MTA defended its efforts, saying it routinely clears platforms and tracks of trash that would otherwise attract rats, deploys rodent-resistant trash cans in stations, baits nonpublic areas with poison, and reminds riders not to litter.

"Even though rats are an age-old problem, more cleaners can only help," Kevin Ortiz, an MTA spokesman, said "We've enlisted WEP workers (job trainees) to clean stations and are working with the TWU to reduce labor costs so we can put more resources to vital work like cleaning stations and reducing the rat population."

The MTA didn't comment on the union's claim that there had been a spike in rat infestations in recent months, saying it was difficult to measure rat populations.

Thanks to Jon Allen for sending me this story.  Although I'm a tad worried that the RMT union might cotton onto this over in London and set up a similar campaign and use as an excuse to strike.  Only thing is that Tube mice are such fast little blighters, it's actually very difficult to get a picture of them.  Also Rate My Mouse doesn't quite have the same ring to it as Rate My Rat.  Unless it was Movie My Mouse & the unions requested videos of mice on the Tube.  We could also try Vote for My Vermin.  Maybe one day.....

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, January 18, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/nyc-subway-rate-my-rat-photo-contest.html

50 MP's visiting Ghost Tube Station

After spending two years building the company that is set to open up London Underground's disused Tube stations, Ajit Chambers of Old London Underground Company, has secured the support of 50 MP's and Ministers who have agreed to attend a site visit into a ‘Ghost Station’ and learn more about the project.

Inside Brompton Road Tube - photos by Annie Mole

Chambers says "The Mayor of London, Ministry of Defence  and Transport Commissioner - Peter Hendy, have all been hugely helpful during the build of this project over the past two years and are now enabling MP’s and media teams access to visit one of the sites. TfL's Health and Safety Licensing have already facilitated access to Clapham South, Mayfair, Down Street and consideration to Brompton Road for previous visits by my project teams."


It's encouraging to see that MPs have just as much interest as a huge amount of Londoners in seeing the mysteries of these hidden stations and the visits should give them a first hand opportunity to see what is needed to re-open the stations & drive new income into the tourist industry.

The multi-million pound public and private partnership is set to overhaul and adapt London’s disused Tube stations for a variety of cultural and leisure opportunities. It's hoped that this will create new employment across the city and quench the thirst for exploring hidden London for the rest of us.


Disused passageway with vintage 1959 posters, Notting Hill Gate Tube station © London Underground
Ajit's project has already attracted interest from global news organisations including the BBC, Huffington Post, Bloomberg and most recently a Russian TV organisation with 120 million viewers has secured a site visit.


Last year Chambers, received this pledge from the Mayor of London – Boris Johnson.  "My pledge to you, is that we will do it if it doesn’t cost a penny of public money".


The MPs site visit is a major step forward in getting Chambers the political backing he needs & help to secure even more private investment for the project.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/50-mps-visiting-ghost-tube-station.html

Noise, confusion & epileptic fits - The FT meets The Tube

Late last week FT columnist Matthew Engel took a look at the London Underground as one of his irregular series of British Institution features. He wasn't too delighted with what he experienced:


Central Line 235/365 by Blue Square Thing
Firstly the "terrifying" noise at the Bank / Monument interchange "There are three sets of conflicting instructions: from the blokes on the platform herding the cattle-passengers; from the live station announcer over the loudspeakers; and from the computerised message-system blurting out its eternal stream of drivel.......


Central line by Martin Deutsch
Had I stayed any longer, I doubtless would have been told that unattended luggage may be destroyed, that skateboarding is prohibited and possibly, that God is Love and The End is Nigh. Hasn’t London Underground ever heard of the wisdom of crowds? Don’t they know that humans are remarkably adept at sorting out difficult situations if officials just stop yelling instructions?"

Secondly, the "mess" at Paddington on the the Hammersmith & City Line. "The Hammersmith & City station still has direct trains, but it is a diabolical place. There is only one proper ticket machine, which had a long queue when I arrived: my Oyster card, naturally, had chosen this moment to run out. I asked a station man where the ticket office was. “Downstairs,” he said. This was not quite what Shakespeare called “the lie direct” but it was what he called “the lie circumstantial”. The office is indeed downstairs but also several hundred yards away, at the other station.

“You know this station is a disgrace,” I said to one of his colleagues as I finally stomped down the steps to the platform.

“Don’t tell me, mate. You tell the bosses.”

“Well, funnily enough,” I said. “I might just do that...... Because the very next morning I had an appointment with Howard Collins, chief operating officer of London Underground."


Anti-clockwise only owing to staff shortage by dannybirchall
Introducing Collins he said "I still don’t think the Underground is ever entitled to say “there is a good service operating on all lines” when the Circle is never any good. But Collins is a beguiling, soothing interviewee, and a great enthusiast. He is an Underground lifer who joined as a trainee 35 years ago and has done just about every job on the system, including toilet cleaning.”

We've all encountered those "passenger incidents" and "an ambulance is in attendance at whatever station" announcements.  Collins revealed an interesting statistic "A single passenger feeling ill can threaten the city as surely as King Kong. As Collins explains: “Four or five people will have epileptic fits on the Tube every day.” Not because they are on the Tube – it’s just a statistical average. “We have to react very quickly to ensure that the good intentions of other passengers and the ambulance crew – lie still, stay on the train – do not overwhelm us. We have to say ‘No, get them off as safely as possible’. And we do all we can to get them on the platform. Otherwise, the capital seizes up.”


Photo by pav.
There's much other interesting stuff in the article with Engel's views on Tube fares & Boris & Ken "both are intent on using their high profile to ensure the Underground is never neglected again";  his meeting with  a train driver (sorry), operator on the automated Jubilee line "mostly he sits there, arms folded on his lap, looking sagacious. “These are much better trains,” he insisted (a press officer was listening). “Having said that, I do like it when we have to drive them manually.” and visits Roding Valley the quietest station on the London Underground used by 200,000 passengers a year – as many as use Victoria each day.

The FT article's not all doom and gloom, just about 90% of it, much like the Tube itself really.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, January 16, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/noise-confusion-epileptic-fits-ft-meets.html

First Corporate names on Tube Map?

Is the Emirates Line for the cable car over the river the first time that stops on the Tube map have been named after a company?


I was quite surprised to see these on the map and must admit that I only noticed it when @Jemimah_Knight and myself where sitting in a mock up of the cable car at London Transport Museum last weekend.  The northernmost of the three steel pylons that will hold up the cables has already been completed. Once completed the cable car will move 2,500 people per hour (according to TfL figures) between North Greenwich and Royal Victoria. Or rather Emirates Greenwich Pennisula and Emirates Royal Docks.

A lot of stations around the Docklands area have corporate names added to them, but this is more of a use to show which station to use for the arenas & exhibition centres around there. It's not as if Custom House (for ExCel) is called ExCel Custom House. However, as this is the first time (I think) a part of London's Transport infrastructure itself has been sponsored, it makes sense for the stops to be called after the sponsor.

Or does it? How much money would a company need to pour into corporate sponsorship of station to get the station name changed, even if only temporarily?


Last June, TfL were in discussions with a wine brand, Oxford Landing, who wanted to re-name Oxford Circus Tube and run "takeover" advertising throughout the station. The wine brand offered TfL a rather large amount of money in order to do this for a three month period over the summer but, TfL knocked back the idea.

Perhaps the branded London Underground Map shouldn't be just a collection of puns of station names that sound like brands. Maybe in the future there could be a case for brands naming stations in return for a huge investment.


What do you think? Main line railway stations seem to get away with it. On South West Trains I often go through stations that have "The home of rich estate agent" or "The home of large insurance company" on platform signs.   Should we have the same for the Tube?

Would you welcome branded stations if the additional investment meant that fares weren't increased every year or there was an improvement to the service?

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Saturday, January 14, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-corporate-name-on-tube-map.html

Mind the Mohican - Guess Where Tube 14 - Win a Mirror Polished Pocket Tube Map

Bumped into Greg who as far as I know is the only London Underground staff member with a Mohican and what a fine Mohican it is too. So thought I would make him the topic of my first "Guess Where Tube" of  2012.


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, these pictures in the London Tube Flickr group were taken from.


I have covered Greg on the blog before. But that was before I knew his name. Yesterday, I had a tiny chat with him before getting on the train that you see in the picture. He's still happy to have photos taken and amazingly London Underground still let him get away with this haircut. "At least it's kind of in corporate colours", I joked.

Previously Greg had explained his thoughts on having a Mohican on the Tube and said "London underground do have a Uniform Standard and for hair it states that it must be clean and tidy.

I try to do my job well and to the best of my abilities, which may be why the management have not made any remarks about my hair. I get loads of comments from customers who love the haircut and kids are fascinated by it , best comment I heard from a child was "Mummy why was does that man look like a chicken" only problem was at the time I was assisting a mobility impaired cutomer and we were both desparately trying not to fall down laughing.

It's nice to be an individual to be slighty different from the rest of the crowd especially when you have to wear a uniform. Next time you see me come say hello I don't bite." I did and he doesn't!

As there were no winners on the last Guess Where Tube (where I was offering a prize), I have decided to give a prize for correctly guessing this one:


It's a mirror polished pocket Tube Map, so you can always check the look of your hair while travelling. As I think it's actually quite easy to get this right I'm only giving you until UK time 11.59pm on Monday 16th January 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.

Have fun and thanks again to Greg for standing out from the crowd on the Tube.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, January 13, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/mind-mohican-tube-14-win-mirror.html

Why do Engineering Tube Trains have Girls' Names?

I rarely get excited about pictures of London Underground trains. Well unless they're full of pink upholstery. That's because I'm a girl and girls aren't really supposed to like trainspotting or want to drive trains when they grow up. Admittedly a number of the women reading this blog probably are Tube drivers or want to drive one. However, I did get snap happy seeing this yellow engineering train coming through Barons Court Tube station yesterday.


I seriously have no idea what it does or why there were lots of little white steering wheels at intervals throughout the cars.


I managed to see that they were called TransPlant, but that still left me none the wiser as to what that meant. I assume it's nothing to do with gardening or surgery.


But I did note that it was named "Clementine", which was kind of sweet yet slightly puzzling. It got me thinking about why trains are often given women's names. Even fairly ugly yellow engineering trains which should probably have names like "DustBuster" or "Transplanter" or "Burt" or "Brad" or something equally butch, are still given pretty names like "Clementine".

As the train left I could see the car on the back was called "Denise" so I reckon that each car was given its own female name.

Anyone know why trains are often named after women? Also if you do know what this TransPlant thing actually does I'd love to hear.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Thursday, January 12, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/engineering-tube-trains-with-girls.html

£2.5 million to show Tube Staff Olympic Park

30,000 London Underground staff are having site visits of the Olympic Park over the next six months in a bid to familiarise them with the games. Heart.fm have reported that this will cost £2.5 million pounds and transport critics are already doubting the value.

Image by Jon Justice

One does wonder what sort of a tour they are getting that will cost two and half million quid. Will Seb Coe be personally leading the guided tour? Is Chris Hoy showing them the best way to carry Brompton bikes onto the Tube? The mind boggles.

Update - TfL's press office have emailed me with some more information about the visits:

"London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy said: "This is a big year for London and TfL, with the Diamond Jubilee, 2012 Games and a huge programme of investment, while also continuing to improve the journeys of millions of customers every day. Every member of our 30,000 staff will play an important role in achieving the significant and unique challenges ahead. It is vital that we train all of our staff and explain what is expected of them in 2012, and beyond, to deliver the best possible service to our customers."

Additional information:

- All 30,000 TfL employees will attend

- The entire programme cost is £2.5m, of which TfL is funding £1m. The ODA (Olympic Development Authority) is contributing the remainder of the cost. This works out to £33 per head of TfL money.

- The six month programme, which will be complete by the end of March, includes a 60 minute tour of the Olympic Park to see first hand the scale of the Games and the transport challenges it raises, followed by presentations from senior management and films from our customers and Olympic athletes on what they expect from us

- More than half of the cost is towards the hire and running of the venue for six months – 3 sessions a day to enable TfL to reach all 30,000 members of staff.

A number of staff who read my blog have already said their dates have been allocated and some have promised to report back to me on what the visits are like. I'll be most interested to see.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, January 11, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/millions-spent-to-show-tube-staff.html

Central Line's Pink Branded Tube for the Digital Switchover

From 9th January 2012 a pink seated London Underground train will be travelling for 3 months on the Central Line to promote London's impending switchover to digital TV.


Tube Stock at Debden by bowroaduk
The Tube train (1992 stock for those who care - train 91063+91055 to be even more specific) entered service, with the switchover message on every door and features windows that form TV screens. All seats on the train have been given pink "moquette" to further support the initiative.


Digital TV livery on the Central Line by Julian Gajewski


Photo by @iandeeley
Deborah Bain, London manager for Digital UK, said: "There are now less than three months to prepare for switchover. This is an exciting change affecting millions of viewers and we're doing everything we can to avoid people facing a blank screen."


Photo by @njb's cousin!
Some of the seats even had little soft toys on them with the Digital switchover mascot.


Digital TV Tube at Debden by bowroaduk
London Underground rarely have branding where the whole train is taken over.  There was some on the Piccadilly Line to promote Platform for Art in 2007.  However, the most eyecatching was for 2004's promotion to "Back The Bid" for the 2012 Olympics.


Back the Bid Tube train photo by hithro
This was when London was only a candidate city, so quite a bit of expense to try to prove we were a city worth giving the Olympics to.  Looks like it worked though, even though experience on the Tube during the 2012 Olympics certainly won't be worth an award.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/central-line-pink-tube-for-digital.html

Photos & Video - No Trousers on the Tube Ride 2012

Yesterday over 150 people travelled on the London Underground baring their legs as part of the 2012 Global No Pants Subway Ride, which almost 60 cities now compete in. This was the third time No Trousers on the Tube had taken place in London & reactions were as Londony as normal - ie indifference, sly looks, a few raised eyebrows & thankfully some laughter!


Photo by Pete Maclaine
Alfie was in one the teams taking part & said "A very nice turnout for London. I’d guess around 150-200? Anyway, I was on the Marylebone team, which was the smallest. Had a lot of laughter but then all seriousness as the half empty rear two cars pulled in..and we pulled off. A lot of people stifling laughter and taking pictures and one cynic even going 'It’s students. It’s a sociological experiment. It’s students.' Although most took the typical commuter attitude was that of ‘I didn’t see it but I still want to peek.’

Once we got to Paddington we decided the best thing to do would be go all the way down to Elephant & Castle then back to Charing Cross trouserless. Of course, Elephant & Castle being the terminus of the Bakerloo Line, there were about 5 fully clothed people in the car. One got very close to taking his trousers off too".

Funnily enough I bumped into one of the organisers of No Trousers on the Tube Ride 2012, Rammi at King's Cross Station on her way to the event. She tweeted "Finally met @Anniemole, out of every other Londoner, outside King's Cross. She's very good at names and faces! I should buy a lottery ticket!"

Pete Maclaine has a great set of photos of part of the ride on Flickr where the trouserless ones are trying to look as casual as possible while riding the Tube.


Photo by Pete Maclaine
Also Felix Goncalez from You and I Films has already shot and edited a great video of Sunday's event.

 
No Trousers Tube Ride 2012 (No Pants Subway Ride): London from You and I Films.
Doubtless more photos and reports will appear on the net over the next few days and the best place to watch out for them is over on the Facebook page for the event.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, January 09, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/photos-no-trousers-on-tube-ride-2012.html

30 minute wait for Tube trains during 2012 Olympics

So it begins or rather continues. The news about the logisitics of the London Olympics. The Press Association have just echoed TfL's warnings about avoiding travelling on public transport in central London unless you really have to. Both they and Evening Standard report that passengers will have to wait longer than 30 minutes to get on trains at the busiest moments.


Max Roberts' 2012 Fictional Tube Map Cover - click to see in full

This predicted wait is in spite of the plan the Olympic Delivery Authority announced in 2007 to cope with the extra passengers on London's transport. It said:

"The implementation of the Transport Plan will ensure that increased demand for transport services during the Games has a minimal impact on existing transport networks and commuters’ regular journeys within London. It will also ensure that spectators can easily get to and from London from across the UK, and to competition venues that are located outside of London, such as the venues for the Football competition."

"As part of the transport strategy, an Olympic Transport Operations Centre (OTOC) will be established to manage all modes of transport for the Games Family, spectators, workforce, and for all those travelling for reasons unconnected with the Games. This will help Transport for London, other transport operators, the police, local authorities and those running the Games to keep London and the UK moving."

Transport for London released a round-up of the probable Olympic effects on some 30 stations, including King's Cross, London Bridge,  Baker Street, Oxford Circus and Waterloo (the busiest station in the UK). 35 per cent of London Underground stations are affected. At Bond Street, TfL predicts a wait of 30 minutes or more for a train between 5pm and 7.30pm for the duration of the Games. There's a similar outlook at  Bank, where you'll be waiting 30 minutes or more for a train between 5pm and 8.30pm.

Docklands Light Railway station Pudding Mill Lane, which is the next stop to the Olympic venue of Stratford, will be shut during the Olympics.

The Evening Standard said on Friday "In the evening, TfL suggests that you stay in Central London enjoying the attractions of the South Bank or 'having a beer with a colleague'. If everyone takes this advice, you should only face a 30-minute wait for a Tube between 5pm and 7pm. With a £1,200 bonus for working during the Games, at least you can be sure that the Tube drivers will be showing up"


Paul Collins has written a book An Olympic Summer : Transport for London in 1948, based around some fascinating historical photographs. It records the British transport scene during that summer of 1948 when the world travelled to England and the immediate post-war road and rail networks were put to the test.

I wonder how the network will actually cope this year with the anticipated 5.3 million visitors during the Olympic games?  Current signs are remarkably unoptimistic.

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London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Sunday, January 08, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/tube-wait-during-2012-olympics-30.html

Mayor Pledges to Support Disused Tube Station Re-openings

Are we a step nearer to seeing abandoned London Underground stations getting re-opened?  A number of meetings are taking place very soon, that could certainly help to move the project along.  As I have mentioned in the past, I'm voluntarily doing some social media consultancy for the Old London Underground Company who are on a mission to try to re-open a number of disused stations for tours & tourist attractions.


Next week, the company's founder Ajit Chambers is meeting the Mayor's Office to progress dicussions. Above is a video of some of the pledges that Boris has made in support of the project.


Sam Mullins the Director of London Transport Museum who have run a number of very successful tours of the dis-used Aldwych Tube station, is also meeting Ajit in the near future.



Finally, following a phone call with Downing Street, a couple of MPs are going on a site visit to see the potential & scope of what would be needed to open some of the stations.


Filmed by Steve from Art Of The State
Good luck to the team for upcoming meetings & tours and in the meantime here's Part One of some raw video footage of a private tour of Brompton Road Tube station which was uploaded to the Old London Underground Company's blog just before Christmas.

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Inside Disused Tube Station: Brompton Road - pictures
Aldwych Tube Station - Blitz Tour
South Kentish Town Tube and John Betjeman
Shoreditch Underground Station up for sale 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Saturday, January 07, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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No Trousers on the Tube Day 2012

UPDATE - Photos & a video from Sunday's No Trousers on the Tube Ride 2012 are here.

Early January. It's cold but make a date for the third, annual No Trousers on the Tube Ride which will take place on Sunday 8th January 2012. As part of the Global No Pants Subway Ride, last year over 100 brave travellers made their way around the London Underground sans trousers (three times the amount that took part in 2010). This year over 350 people are already signed up to take part.


No Trousers on the Underground 2011 by Idil Sukan
The requirements are simple:

1) Willingness to take trousers off on the Tube
2) Ablility to keep a straight face about it

Full details are on the Facebook page but in a nutshell the plan is to turn up at Trafalgar Square at 3pm where you will be divided into groups. The aim is to then travel from Charing Cross Tube and go around another seven zone one stops as nonchalantly & casually as possible with no trousers on.

As Rammi one of the organisers says "You can wear fun underwear if you like, but nothing that screams out, “I wore this because I’m doing a silly stunt.” Wear two pairs of underwear if it makes you feel more comfortable. Don’t wear a thong or anything else that might offend people. Our aim is to make people laugh, not piss them off

We want this event to be fun and safe for everyone, so anybody found to be removing more than their trousers will be kicked off the train and reported to the British Transport Police and station authorities. ."


No Trousers on the Underground 2011 by Idil Sukan
The video of last year's event by you and i films shows commuters' reactions.  Londoners as usual have stock reactions to  unusual Tube encounters - either complete indifference, rolled eyes, sly looks or laughter.

 No Trousers Underground/Tube Ride (No Pants Subway Ride) 2011: London.
Here's another video of 2011's event with an interview from Rammi, one of the organisers & other participants


Even if you're not brave (or stupid) enough to take part, the organisers are welcoming people who want to take pictures or blog about the event.  If that's you, contact Rammi or any of the organisers listed at TheStiffUpperLipSociety

It's now certain that the No Trousers on the Tube Ride is a permanent fixture of the Global No Pants Subway Ride.  There are over 50 cities taking part including Manchester, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris,  New York (where it all began), Toronto, Sydney so don't feel left out if you're not in London.

You might also like
Photos & Video - No Trousers on the Tube Ride 2012
No Trousers on the Tube 2011
No Trousers on the Underground 2011
No Trousers on the Underground 2010
No Pants Subway Ride Grows   

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, January 06, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Making Sense of Tube Statistics - London Transport Museum Infographic Posters

Some wonderful posters go on display at London Transport Museum from Friday 6th January 2012 as part of their Sense & The City exhibition. In a display called Painting by Numbers it's interesting to see how "infographics" were used in the 1920's and 1930's as "propaganda to tell the public about the excellence of the public transport services being provided". Perhaps something that TfL could currently learn from, as we face New Year's fare increases.


The poster above "What It Takes to Move the Passengers - Problems of the Underground" by Irene Fawkes, reminded passengers about the resources needed to make their journey.

London Transport Musuem said "Often thought of as a 21st century phenomenon, data visualisation – the presentation of information abstracted into a visual form – has been in use since the 2nd century when Egyptian people used tables to organise astronomical information. It was not until the 1920s that the importance and power of data visualisation for examining and making sense of data and information became more widely used".


20 posters will be on display including work by Hans Schleger, Misha Black & David Langdon, Theyre Lee-Elliott, and James Fitton.  You can also buy reproductions of some of the posters online.  I really love the one above by Charles Shepard.  


Passengers in 1938 were just as concerned by fare increases as we are today and "What happens to every £1 of your fares, by Zero (Hans Schleger)", was an attempt to justify those increases.

The poster display complements the Museum’s current temporary exhibition Sense and the City: smart, connected and on the move which explores how emerging technologies are transforming the way we live, work and play in our cities. "As well as looking at modern day and future data visualisation, it poses questions about mobility, society and work in the Capital over the next decade, and compares this with past visions of the future. The exhibition closes on 18 March 2012".

I'll be popping along the Museum over the weekend to see the rest of the posters of this new "Painting by Numbers" collection as I'm intrigued to see which others are included.

Tickets for London Transport Museum are Adults £13:50; Concessions £10 give you  unlimited admission to the museum for a 12 month period from date of purchase (probably worth the ticket price alone to see the Sinclair C5 in the flesh too).

Update - I went along on Sunday 8th January and it was good to see the posters in the flesh. Of the ones that haven't been published online, I really liked this section of a 1920's poster of two characters called Zip & Pep who were also trying to explain why fares were increased.


John Citizen is also fairly exasperated on other parts of this poster as Zip & Pep "helpfullly" point out why the fares are good value for money.

You might also like
Sense and the City: Dan Dare on the Tube
Guided Tours of Tube Poster Artists at Museum Depot Acton
London Underground Poster Diary 2012
Old Posters found at Richmond Station
More Old Posters found at Richmond Station    
New Year's Fare Increases - UK Commuters pay almost 10 times more for trains than other Europeans 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Thursday, January 05, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Slow Tube Ticket Machine Upgrades & why we Love Queuing

Frustrated reader Julie S sent me a picture referring to the ticket machines waiting to be upgraded at Piccadilly Circus London Underground. She said "There were long queues at the machines that were working, though bizarrely no queue for the ticket window served by an actual person. Any idea why this will take almost TWO weeks to upgrade 13 ticket machines? Are they building them from scratch?"


I agree and since TfL have known about the price increases for months, why is it so hard to program the new prices in from the start?

Also it's a bit weird how we've become so used (or trained) to using machines rather than going to a window with real people.


Are we just getting used to the fact that there will soon be so few ticket office staff, that we're getting into practise for the day that happens?

Is it the British fascination or love of queuing that means when we see a queue we feel duty bound to join it, even though there may be faster options around a corner?

Related posts
New Year's Fare Increases - UK Commuters pay almost 10 times more for trains than other Europeans
Tube ticket office hours reduced
Tube Ticket Office Closure Document Leaked

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, January 04, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/slowest-tube-ticket-machine-upgrade.html

New Year Fares Rise leads to Mayoral Leafleting

New Year, New Fares, New leafleting campaign from Ken Livingstone.


Joel Taylor took the above picture and said "Ken Livingstone's people out leafleting today, taking advantage of commuters' dismay at fare rises".

At least Ken's quick off the mark. Expect to see more leafleting wars this year when the mayoral election campaign begins in earnest.

Related posts
New Year's Fare Increases - UK Commuters pay almost 10 times more for trains than other Europeans
Look who I was just sitting opposite on the Tube 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, January 03, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-year-fares-rise-leads-to-mayoral.html

Going Underground's Most Visited Posts in 2011

I've been blogging for nine years. 2012 sees this blog going into its tenth year, which surprises me as much as anyone else. So, here's my second year of looking at which blog posts received the most views.

Yet again posts on Max Roberts' great curvy Tube map from previous years made it into the top 10 - his original post from June 2007 and a post where he revisited the map in February 2008.


If I take those posts out, here are the most visited posts, written in 2011, in reverse order.

10. Guess Where Tube 13 - Tube Mouse - Win a copy of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere

With big thanks to Neil Gaiman for Tweeting & ReTweeting about this, my end of year "Guess Where Tube" post, where I asked people to guess where the picture of this Tube mouse was taken, got into the top 10 (which isn't bad for something I only wrote in December - shows the power of a celebrity Tweet & ReTweet - Neil has over 1.6 million followers on Twitter). Amazingly, after all the traffic and guesses, no one got the answer right. It was Holborn!


9. Bob, Angel Tube Cat, gets Book Deal

It's my favourite Tube story of last year and got a lot of publicity from sites like Catster sort of like Facebook for cats. His book is published in March this year, look out for some posts on that.

8. Old Tube Stations could be re-opened


My interview with Ajit Chambers about his plans to re-open disused London Underground Stations.  It was one of the first longer interviews with Ajit about his plans. Lots of people Tweeted about it and consequently it got publicity in the wider press, becoming a hugely popular topic which the vast majority of people would like to see realised. Look out for more on Ajit's meetings with TfL and the Mayor this coming year.

7. Old Street Tube in Whiteboard Message Wars

Old Street Tube enter the "battle" between Tube stations to  see who has the best messages on white boards.  Old Street gave up pretty quickly, so Angel Tube, Caledonian Road, Warwick Avenue, Oval & Shoreditch London Overground can carry on knowing that it was probably just a bit too popularist for a hip station like Old Street to continue.

6. Do Not try to Smoke on the Tube

A cautionary & grisly tale about someone who was smoking on the Tube.  A London Undergrond passenger was decapitated when he fell while standing between two carriages trying to have a cigarette.

5. London Underground Map for 2015 and 2019

TfL do some star gazing and attempt to show us London's Tube & Rail Network Map for 2015 and 2019.

4. Limited edition Royal Wedding Oyster cards


As much as we would have liked the Royal Wedding Oyster card to have looked like the above mock up, it didn't.

3. Next planned Tube Strike - June 2011

Sadly Tube Strikes or the threat of them dominate my top three - largely due to a shedload of people searching for news of them. My post on a late June Tube strike was third most visited.

2. Tube Strikes Dates Announced for May and June

My post announcing the May & June Tube strikes


1. Tube Strike Dates Announced for June and July

After all of the air time & strike action in June, the strikes for July were called off.

That's it. Thanks to all the comments, tweets, follows & ReTweets over the year. Thanks to everyone who keeps visiting the blog and has been doing so for the last nine years. And a special thanks to all those who send me fun (and not so fun) London Underground stories, pictures, mash-ups, app news and videos. Please keep them coming. Here's hoping that 2012 will bring as many varied Tube stories. I imagine that posts on the Tube related to the Olympics and the Mayoral elections will feature strongly in the coming year.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, January 02, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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