No Trousers on the Tube Day 2013

Snow predicted this weekend, so get timing for the fourth, annual No Trousers on the Tube Ride which will take place on Sunday 13th January 2013. As part of the Global No Pants Subway Ride, last year over 150 brave travellers made their way around the London Underground sans trousers. This year over 450 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 an allocated spot in China town at 3pm where you will be divided into groups. The aim is to then travel from Leicester Square 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  

Even if you're not brave  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

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 11, 2013 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2013/01/no-trousers-on-tube-day-2013.html

Google Doodle London Underground 150th Birthday

If you're searching from Google in the UK today, take a look in the top left hand corner and you'll see that Google are celebrating the Tube's 150th birthday. Today marks the 150th anniversary of the first journey on the underground railway (although it opened to the public on 10th January 1863).

25 million Google searches in the UK will today be met with a Tube Map inspired Google logo that clicks through to a TfL Tube page! The early pioneers of the London Underground and map designer, Harry Beck would certainly be proud and I think this is one Tube Map mash up, the TfL powers-that-be will be very happy about too.

You might also like
TimeOut Tube Infographic
LU150: London Underground Past, Present & Future
London Underground Stamps for 150th Anniversary Celebrations
Steam Train on the London Underground - Video - Test Run for 150th Birthday Celebrations  

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, January 09, 2013 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2013/01/google-doodle-london-underground-150th.html

TimeOut Tube Infographic

I've already started seeing some interesting archive photographs & posters to celebrate the 150th birthday of the London Underground this week.  However, I really liked TimeOut's Mind the Gap infographic with lots of "vital" stats to help you out with any "Did you know xxxx about the Tube?" questions that may come your way

One page with the fastest lines, number of days the average commuter spends on it each year - surprisingly only 11.5, length of the system measured in Oyster cards, number of mice estimated living in the tunnels, number of miles travelled by each Tube train in a year and lots of well presented stats.

Now if only they'd list the Tube stations at you can pick up your free copy TimeOut at and we'd be sorted!  It's probably just me, but since it went free, I find I actually find it quite hard to get hold of now and only get one on off chance if someone's left it behind on the Tube.

You might also like
LU150: London Underground Past, Present & Future
London Underground Stamps for 150th Anniversary Celebrations
Steam Train on the London Underground - Video - Test Run for 150th Birthday Celebrations 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, January 08, 2013 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2013/01/timeout-tube-infographic.html

LU150: London Underground Past, Present & Future

On 10 January 2013, London underground railway system celebrates its 150th birthday. Throughout this year there will be a number of celebratory events as part of LU150 (the name London Transport Museum have coined to mark the occasion), however only one on the actual anniversary. To mark the occasion, Londonist is teaming up with London Historians to put on a very special event.

Photo by L J Rich

 

From 6.30pm at London Transport Museum an expert panel (and the not so expert me) will discuss the past, present and future of the Tube.

Joining me will be:

• Christian Wolmar – leading transport commentator, with plans to run in the 2016 London Mayoral elections 
• Mark Mason – author of Walk the Lines 
• Gareth Edwards – historian and Editor of transport site London Reconnections 
• The panel will be chaired by Matt Brown, editor of Londonist 

As well as revealing some of our favourite stories from the Tube’s history, we'll also be tested with a short Have I Got News For You-style quiz about the underground, and asked to speculate about the future of the Tube.

There'll be lots of time for Q&A too. Tickets are likely to sell out fast, so get in quick.

London Underground: Past, Present and Future is at London Transport Museum on 10 January, 6.30-8.30pm. Tickets are £10 or £8 for London Historians members - call 0207 565 7298 to get your ticket.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, January 04, 2013 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2013/01/lu150-london-underground-past-present.html

Stop Leaning Alarm Subway App

We've all seen people falling asleep on the London Underground and leaning on the shoulders of fellow commuters.  There's even a clip of a woman who took this one step further and started snuggling up to her neighbouring traveller.  If you don't want that person to be you, Japanese energy drink provider Guronsan have come up with a solution and created the world's first "Stop Leaning Alarm Application"!

Apparently 75 percent of Japan's salaried men are so exhausted from work that they end up dozing on the trains and leaning on neighbouring passengers. For them, the train serves as their "Second Bed"

With the Stop Leaning app, all you need to do is turn on the app, slide your mobile into your breast pocket, and it'll use your smartphone gyroscope to alert you right before you tilt over onto your neighbour's shoulder. Just when exhaustion is at its peak, the app kicks in and wakes you.

The app has already had over 200,000 downloads and has other useful tools such as a handy train schedule to alert you before you reach your destination (eliminating the need for those "Wake me up at XXX station" stickers). It also has a "slipping out function" that you can use if you nod off in boring meetings.  The alert would go off once you start dropping off and you can excuse yourself for a reason - saying you have an important crisis to attend to.

The free app's available on iTunes and on Android and you can find out more about it, including a super cheesy promo video for it here.

You might also like
Tube Alarm Clock Android App - Wakes you up earlier when Tube Delayed
Wake me up at.... Subway Sleep Masks
"Wake me up at" branches out 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, January 02, 2013 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2013/01/stop-leaning-alarm-subway-app.html

Bond on the Tube - Skyfall - Tubefall?

Many of you know that scenes from the third highest grossing film of 2012 - Skyfall - were shot on the London Underground.  It was one of the biggest film productions ever to be filmed on the Tube, with over 450 cast and crew filming at the disused part of Charing Cross Tube station over several weeks. I'm not a Bond fan, so haven't seen the film.  Fortunately Tube Challenger Adham Fisher (@directiontravel) went along to see it recently to review how accurately the Tube was featured

"Londoners who have viewed the latest James Bond offering, Skyfall, might have felt there was something not quite right about the depiction of the Underground. 

Bond pursues Silva in the subterranean passages of London. From headquarters, Q tells him that he is near the Tube: “The District Line is closest.” Bond emerges in a single tunnel. A train bears down on him, which he evades. But it appears to be 1996 Stock. 

007 then finds himself in Temple station. Green and yellow lines adorn the platform walls to denote Circle and District service. On board the next departing 1996 Stock train, the carriage number is 96069 and the line diagram grey. The Jubilee Line is incriminated. 

Silva alights at the next stop, Embankment. Bond gives chase again and soon the two of them are back in tunnels. Silva blows a hole in the roof through which a train crashes and returns to Embankment; the entrance can be seen in the background as a police vehicle picks him up. Bond, having survived the wreck, runs beneath the Tube to Westminster, where he emerges from an exit and runs up Whitehall. 

The station progression is correct, but really, anyone who has ever travelled on the District Line should notice the glaring errors. The whole thing just looks wrong. 

District Dave’s passengers note that Bond is required to end up at Westminster in the story. Thus, setting it on the Jubilee Line would have made much more sense; Bond could have been put at Southwark, chased Silva through Waterloo and then gone to Westminster. 

It is a shame that the production team did not appreciate the detail of famous British transport in the iconic franchise of a British secret agent."

Have you seen Skyfall?  Did anything about the Tube's depiction jar with you?  Or were you happy enough to let the film makers have creative licence?

You might also like
James Bond Street
Death Line on the London Underground
Tube "stars" in Clint Eastwood film Hereafter 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, December 28, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/12/bond-on-tube-skyfall-tubefall.html

Boxing Day Tube Strike - Services running December 26th 2012

For the third year in a row members of the train drivers' union Aslef are staging a Boxing Day walkout in a row with London Underground over pay. A statement on Aslef's site aims to simplify the row by saying: "What we are asking for is not complex. We want a volunteer service on Boxing Day with those working getting more than flat time. An enhancement for this day will ensure members will be able to swap duties with someone who wishes to work".

Aslef have blamed LU management for not offering anything constructive to resolve the dispute.  In an acknowledgement of the disruption that will be caused, Aslef ended their statement with "We don’t expect support or gratitude from the public who will be inconvenienced on 26 December. But we hope there will be understanding".   As further strikes are planned on 18th and 25th January 2013, there will probably less understanding as the inconveniece to the travelling public continues into working days.

If you were planning on using the Tube on Wednesday, you'd be very, very wise to find alternative arrangements. London Overground doesn't run on Boxing Day anyway, so that's not going to be an alternative. However, buses, the DLR, Tramlink and some River services will all run.  Additionally TfL have put out a PDF of services they expect to run.

Howard Collins, London Underground's Chief Operating Officer,  called the action of Aslef members "scandalous" and said: 'Train drivers are paid a salary that reflects some Bank holiday working, but the ASLEF leadership is demanding to be paid twice for the same work and has rejected our attempts to resolve the matter.

'The scandalous actions of the ASLEF leadership are an attempt to hold Londoners to ransom, and demonstrate a wholesale disregard for our customers - making life harder for shoppers, sports fans, retail workers and businesses amongst others at an important time. They also show a disregard for the thousands of transport staff who will be working hard to help people get around the Capital."

As usual with all strikes it's always best to check TfL's website and local TV and radio news for up-to-date travel information before you travel.

Related posts
Tube Drivers may strike on Boxing Day 2012
Boxing Day Tube Strike Going Ahead - December 26th 2011 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, December 24, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/12/boxing-day-tube-strike-services-running.html

Kim Wilde serenades train commuters

Tis the season to have drunken carriage singers! We've all been on the London Underground when either buskers or party revellers decide to belt out songs to everyone on board. Usually we're not treated to celebrities doing this though. Katherine Eames was on a First Capital Connect train heading towards Potters Bar and did a double take when she saw 80's singer Kim Wilde with a pair of antlers belting out a medley of her songs.

She said: "After a truly rubbish day, I got on the train home and couldn't get a seat, a man pulled out his guitar "Oh here we go!" I thought. Then a drunken woman starts singing. Hang on a minute, I know that voice?! It really was KIM WILDE! This totally made my day. Thank you. She is an absolute legend! Merry Christmas everyone."


I love this.  I love how she makes an effort to get everyone else to join in. I love that she's certainly not doing the "I'm a celebrity, look at me using public transport".  She seemed genuinely surprised at the reaction after this was uploaded to YouTube.  As far as she's concerned it was just her and her brother Ricky just having a sing a long. The video received over 800,000 views and she Tweeted "truly, i am overwhelmed and confused at such a huge reaction to my night out on the tiles. Making me giggle a LOT: )".

If only we could get her to pair up with Roland Gift who I spotted on the Tube last year, perhaps we could get an 1980's "Here & Now" style Tube sing-a-long crawl / ride going!

You might also like
September's Celebrity Tube Spot / Stalk
Underground Orchestra Preview
Tube Orchestra Challenge 
Rihanna on the Tube
The Sun says Rihanna's becoming "greasy haired trainspotting Anorak" & obsessed with the Tube

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Sunday, December 16, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/12/kim-wilde-serenades-train-commuters.html

Old Posters from "Ghost Station" Euston at new Exhibition

An amazing display of posters from the 1960's discovered at Euston Underground Station opens at The Red Gallery on 12th December and runs through until 28th February 2013. Photographer Andrew Stanney, who is in-house photographer of The Old London Underground Company, started taking photographs in 2009 and became fascinated with "ghost" or abandoned Tube stations.

He said: “I saw a programme about people exploring underground tunnels beneath London and after doing a bit of research on the internet I found out that when Euston Station was refurbished in the 1960s, part of it had just been blocked off. You can still see the old entrance on Drummond Street.”

Stanney's passion turned to persuasion.  He managed to get Hasselbad to lend him a £30,000 camera in return for use of some of the pictures and also got TfL to take him down to view the lost ads.

He echoed the feeling that I myself had when being on a Tube platform that few other people have stepped on in recent years (I was lucky enough to have a tour of Old Brompton Tube station): “There was a real eeriness to it. You are above the new tunnel and you can hear the trains and feel the vibrations. When the station was refurbished, they just shut the tunnel off and it hasn’t been touched since. Everything is as it was, which is great for me as an artist."

Now his exhibition records the "secret museum" of the lost ads.  Red Gallery dramatically describe the display. "Here are the remnants of communication, silent, their voices irreparably changed, occupying depopulated spaces. They are function mutated with age. Silent witnesses to the millions of that once past, they haunt their subterranean world, glaring patiently from the walls. As posters, they insist they should be taken as reality, but are too damaged to make a cohesive statement."

Whatever statement they might be making, the exhibition "In Passing" will appeal to anyone with an interest in advertising, uncovering the past and the lost wonders of the London Underground.  The exhibition takes place in new space which is a part of the Red Gallery project the 'Bird & Ballard' gallery cafe, at 84-86 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3JL

You might also like:
What are the Oldest Ads on the London Underground?
More Old Posters found at Richmond Station
Old Posters found at Richmond Station  
Old Tube stations could be Re-Opened
Photos of Ghost Tube Station Brompton Road Tour  
 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, December 11, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/12/posters-ghost-station-euston-exhibition.html

New Year's Eve Free Tube Travel Poster - Signs of Xmas on the Tube

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas on the London Underground.  One of the biggest signs of Xmas on the Tube is the arrival of the posters for  free New Year's Eve Travel.



Once again, booze company Diageo are sponsors of this year's free New Year's Eve travel on buses, Tube, Tram and DLR services from 23.45 - 04.30 and on the London Overground until last train times.

This is the second year of a three year deal with TfL to sponsor free travel on New Year’s Eve. I saw my first ad this morning and the ads will run into the New Year.  For the first time this year Diageo will be sponsoring free travel in Edinburgh for Hogmany celebrations.

Look out for special Oyster card holders that will handed out at Central London stations re-inforcing the message of "responsible drinking". They'll feature top tips from Drinkaware for a great night out in the run-up to Christmas so you don't end up with the ambulance ride or "booze bus" journey as shown in the poster.

Andrew Cowan, country director for Diageo GB,said: “This is a time for great celebrations, especially after what has been a tremendous year for Great Britain. As always we want to remind everyone that the best celebrations are those that are enjoyed responsibly. Getting home safely is the conclusion to a great night out, and we hope our campaign this year will encourage everyone, on New Year’s Eve and throughout the festive period, not to let good times go bad by drinking too much.”


Be Careful After Drinking by bixentro
TfL are also running their own posters about watching what you drink when travelling on the Tube, in an attempt to reduce the amount of alcohol related injuries.
 

You might also like

Wake me up at.... Subway Sleep Masks
Drunks on Trains
Pissed on / Pissed off
Tube drunks highlighted in first episode of BBC2 series - The Tube
Tube Sick 

 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, December 10, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/12/diageo-sponsor-free-nye-transport.html

Northern Line Extension & Battersea Tube Financially backed by Osborne

Finally, George Osborne has given the financial  backing to ensure that the Northern Line will be extended to Battersea.  In today's Autumn Statement the chancellor said “I today confirm a billion pound loan and a guarantee to extend the Northern Line to Battersea Power Station and support a new development on a similar scale to the Olympic Park".

Approval to build two new London Underground stations on the Northern Line as part of a £5.5bn revamp of Battersea power station was backed by the mayor, in 2010

From Stefen Cz's post on Albert Square and Saint Stephen's Association blog

It's part of a multi-billion-pound programme of funding  designed to "get Britain's economy moving". Along with the Tube stations will come a redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, which will include shops, office space and leisure facilities. The Treasury will provide a guarantee that allows the Greater London Authority (GLA) to borrow up to £1 billion from the Public Works Loan Board, at a preferential rate, to finance the construction of the extension of the London Underground line.




Boris Johnson was delighted and said "after months of intensive discussions and hard work we have got the go-ahead from Government on financing an extension to the Northern Line. It will be an incredible confidence boost for developers preparing to invest there and it will also be a considerable boost for local people who will benefit from the new Tube link."




The pictures above are from a walking tour of Battersea Power Station I did back in July 2008 when the plans were only just being formulated.

Two new stations at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station will be opened. Earlier estimates were that the first phases of  work to develop Battersea would be completed by 2016.

Related Posts
Northern Line Extension to Battersea - Have Your Say
New Tube stations planned with new Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station Tour & Tube Plans

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, December 05, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/12/battersea-tube-backed-by-osborne.html

London Underground Stamps for 150th Anniversary Celebrations

What do London Underground, Jane Austen and Doctor Who have in common?  Next year they're all going to have commemorative Royal Mail Stamps.  As part of the 150th anniversary celebrations for the Tube in January 2013, Royal Mail will be issuing eight new stamps.  The Tube was last featured on postage stamps in 2009, when Royal Mail highlighted the Tube map as a British Design Classic.  The first six stamps feature the system from 1863 to 1999 and the remaining four cover a selection of London Underground posters through the years.


The six historical stamps, designed by Hat-Trick Design, show a timeline of the development of the London Underground from the early Metropolitan Line service with its steam driven trains to the most modern Jubilee Line Station, Canary Wharf, designed by Sir Norman Foster.

The poster stamps each show three posters including work from Tom Eckersley, Edward McKnight-Kauffer and Abram Games.  Interestingly enough Abram Games was also a stamp designer himself.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: “The London Underground has a unique status as the oldest and one of the busiest underground railway networks in the world.

“For this first stamp issue of 2013 we have tried to capture the incredible history behind ‘the Tube’, which for millions of people is an integral element of their daily lives and an iconic part of London’s identity.

“Both London Underground and Royal Mail share a rich and extraordinary design heritage, so it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate a dozen classic Underground posters, featuring several artists who also designed posters for the GPO.”   Check out Stamp Magazine to see all of the stamps.

Other "everyday" items in production to help celebrate the London Underground's 150th birthday are a special Oyster card (available from the middle of this month) and also a £2 coin (available from mid/late January 2013).  I've already seen some of the commemorative stamps available on eBay for those eager beavers who can't wait to get hold of them.

Related posts
Tube Map on new Postage Stamps
"Your New Met" Tube Poster from London Transport Museum
Mail Rail Open Day - Post Office London Underground Railway
Steam Train on the London Underground - Video - Test Run for 150th Birthday Celebrations 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, December 05, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/12/london-underground-stamps-150th.html

Mapping the new London Overground Extension

From 9th December 2012 London will have another Circle Line (kind of). From around 7am you'll be able to travel on the new London Overground extension from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction, which will be completing the long awaited outer orbital railway. Will this look like a large irregular circle on the map?

TfL has built a new 1.3km of track just south west of Surrey Quays station which links the East London line section of London Overground with existing track just north-east of Queens Rd Peckham. The route will run south of Surrey Quays station following a disused railway viaduct, past Millwall Football Club rising over Surrey Canal Road and along the edge of Bridgehouse Meadows before joining the existing National Rail lines at Old Kent Road (between South Bermondsey and Queen’s Road Peckham stations).

The diagram above shows how £75 million link will join Clapham in this huge circle.   Although you won’t be able to travel the full route on one train though – you’ll need to change at both Highbury & Islington and Clapham Junction, and often Willesden Junction, to complete the circuit.

The Department for Transport has committed £40 million towards the £75 million cost. Boris and TfL have contributed £15 million. The remaining £20m has been paid by Network Rail. The new connection has led to the hire of 48 new drivers and five extra train support employees. Six four-car trains will be required to run the 4 trains an hour service. It's estimated that 12.3m passengers will use the service each year. There's more facts and figures about the extension on TfL's site.

There is a new Tube map coming out next week, which will doubtless show the extension.  However,  particularly liked a new "fantasy" Tube map by Oliver O'Brien that puts all of the circles in perspective.

He said "My starting principles for the diagram were concentric circles for the orbital sections of the Circle Line and the Overground network, and straight lines for the Central and Piccadilly Lines, with the latter two converging in the centre of the circles. I then squeezed everything else in. I realised that the Northern Line’s Bank branch passed the Circle Line three times so was going to need something special, so I added a sine wave for this section, and extended this north and south as much as possible."

It's another "Curvy Tube" map which it would be amazing if TfL decided to adopt one day.  You may remember Max Roberts' curvy London Underground map which has a big following (online anway) and it pretty pleasing on the eye.


He originally produced this in 2007 when the East London Line was only a tiny stalk in the East and not part of the current extension. So it's interesting to see Oliver's take of the state of play as from next week.



There was also another attempt to map out the full circle a couple of years ago.  It's less curvy and shows how the line run as a complete circle, but again, highly unlikely to be used!

For those who'd like to see a preview of the 40-minute Dalston Junction – Clapham Junction journey in real time, Ian Visits went along to last week's preview ride and has a driver's eye view.

If you want to be one of the first people using the trains when they start the complete loop, the first train southbound will leave Highbury and Islington at 7.11am.   Or if you want to take the nothern route get to Clapham Junction for 7.20am.

Related Posts
London Underground Map for 2015 and 2019
London's Biggest Circle Line
Curvy Tube Map Re-visited
Alternative Tube Maps on Display
Has the London Underground Map Lost its way?

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, December 03, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/12/mapping-london-overground-extension.html

What are the Oldest Ads on the London Underground?

What are some of the oldest ads you have seen on the Tube?  By this  I don't mean advertising that has been uncovered from the 1970's and 1980's (interesting though these old ads at Richmond station are).  I mean ads that CBS outdoor (the people responsible for ads on the London Underground) appear to have forgotten about.

We know that times are tough and that it might be hard to sell all the positions available on the network, but does that mean we have to glance at ads that are well past their sell by date.

Luckily Christmas adverts do seem to get taken down fairly quickly after the festive season, but there's a number of ads on the Tube for films, shows  and events that took place months - and in some cases - years ago.

London City Nights spotted this poster for 2009 film Nine only last week at Swiss Cottage! Even without going online to see when the film first came out, there's a huge amount of dust and dirt on this ad that automatically dates it.  Take a look around the next time you're on the London Underground, particularly in stations that are outside of zone one and see how many out of date ads you can spot.

Hopefully none of them date back as long as this, but you chances are you'll see ones for the Ideal Home Exhibition (from April) still up.  I used to see some awful ones around Holborn with some shouting city gent, advertising horse racing, that were also up for months after the event had finished.

I wonder just what proportion are expired.  10%? 25%? Maybe even more. And what's the deal here?  Even if there's not enough demand to fill all the spaces, why not give the space to charitable campaigns or even to TfL for their own in-house or public service ads?

Does anyone check or have a system in place for taking down old ads if there's no new PAID ads to put in their place?  Are CBS happy for some advertisers to be given months more free exposure than they've paid for?  Perhaps I'm the only person that this bothers.  Perhaps it's an experiment by CBS and the powers that be to see if anyone notices or cares.

If you see any old ones, tell us where and when.  Then we can track to see how long it is before they're taken down.

You may also like
More Old Posters found at Richmond Station
Old Posters found at Richmond Station  

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, November 26, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/11/oldest-ads-london-underground.html

Tube Strike by Engineers on Northern, Piccadilly & Jubilee Lines this Friday

From 6am on Friday 23rd November 2012, Tube engineers are going on a 24 hour strike in a row over pensions.  It's going to be carried out by engineers on the Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines.  If all the trains are running well, the services won't be affected, but any breakdowns that take place over the strike period will take longer to repair.

The RMT union said after months of discussion between management and the union over pensions and benefits a "satisfactory conclusion" had not been reached. Industrial action at the weekend also  led to cancellation of major works on the Northern Line which RMT said had "serious and widespread impact across the system."

The ongoing pensions dispute concerns hundreds of staff working for Tube Lines. Union bosses say the pension and benefits are not as good as  enjoyed by other TfL staff.

Jon Lamonte, chief executive of Tube Lines, believes this is incorrect and said:  "Further industrial action on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines on this issue is completely unnecessary. Since becoming part of TfL all Tube Lines employees have kept their existing terms and conditions of employment."

RMT leader Bob Crow, countered this and said: "This dispute is about fairness and equality, nothing else. Tube Lines is now a wholly owned subsidiary of TfL and there is simply no excuse for refusing equal pension and (travel) pass rights."

Keep an eye on TfL's website before travelling on Friday morning if you use any of the lines that may be affected.

UPDATE - 22nd November 2012 - This strike has now been called off - see more on BBC

Related post
Tube Drivers may strike on Boxing Day 2012

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, November 19, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/11/tube-strike-northern-piccadilly-jubilee.html

Train Related Deaths tackled by Melbourne Metro Video

Melbourne Metro are trying the curb the number of train related deaths with a cute / odd video and an annoyingly catchy song.  This isn't exactly something I could see TfL or any rail company in the UK doing, but it's a novel approach to advertising ways to stop people getting hit by trains.  "Dumb Ways to Die" features a number of weird ways to get yourself killed. It ends with a number of train related ones including standing too close to platform edges, forcing open train doors, walking across tracks and skating or roller blading  around platforms.

“We’ve got people eating superglue, sticking forks in toasters and selling both their kidneys. But truth is indeed stranger than fiction, and we still couldn’t come up with dumber ways to die than driving around boomgates and all the other things people do to put themselves in harm’s way around trains. The aim of this campaign is to engage an audience that really doesn’t want to hear any kind of safety message" said McCann Melbourne, the agency behind the campaign.


Chloe Alsop, marketing manager of Metro Trains, said: “The safety of our customers is our single most important consideration. So it’s terribly sad to see so many preventable accidents or near misses on our train system.”

“This campaign is designed to draw people to the safety message, rather than frighten them away. Especially in our younger segments. We want to create a lasting understanding that you shouldn’t take risks around trains, that the prospect of death or serious injury is ever-present and that we as a community need to be aware of what constitutes both safe and dumb behaviour.”

In additon to the video, the song's also available to download on iTunes and radio ads and posters in Metro stations will also help to drum the message home.  Thanks to Jon Justice for sending this my way.

Rail safety's quite a tough subject to tackle as the consequences of taking risks around high speed trains are obviously pretty deadly.  Constant signs saying "Danger of Death" have the danger of being ignored and even London Underground have taken a cartoony approach to safety with their Mad Men inspired campaigns

 

Perhaps something lighter is the way to go and Melbourne's approach of humour as an attempt to tackle a deathly subject may have cut through with a lot of teenagers. 

It's worth saying that the wording of some safety signs may need to be looked at carefully too.  Not sure if the above is a warning or an invitation! 

You may also like

Mad Men Inspired Tube Ad

No Tube Skiing

Dangerous Door on the London Underground 

Do Not try to Smoke on the Tube 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Saturday, November 17, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/11/train-related-deaths-melbourne-video.html

Commuting times rise for Women

Did you know that it's Commute Smart Week? Me neither until today.  I also didn't know that apparently us women are seeing an increase in commuting times.  On average in London men spend 77.2 minutes on a daily commute to and from work, which is a slight reduction from 2006.  In the same time frame, women have seen average commuting times rise from 69.8 minutes a day to 72.8 minutes.

The TUC who collated the survey put this down to the recession with an increase of men in part time job: "Recent trends suggest there is a link between long commute times and longer hours in the office, with the growing number of men in part-time work having shorter journeys to work. This trend is concerning if it means part-time workers and those needing to balance work with caring responsibilities are being excluded from certain types of jobs."


I certainly agree on the points about long commute times and longer hours in the office. I was in the office until quite late last night and strangely enough on the Tube coming home, there were a whole row of women sitting opposite me, looking like they were also coming back from work and playing out the long commute research to the letter.

Even though London commuting times have fallen, we still have the highest commuting times in the country. The national average is 52.8 minutes, whereas the average London commute is 75 minutes.  The Welsh have the shortest average commuting time of 41.4 minutes.

“The average commuter spends the equivalent of more than five weeks a year just to get to work and back. With rising transport costs far outstripping pay rises, reducing the number of peak-time commutes would save both time and money for hard-pressed workers." said TUC secretary Brendan Barber.

I actually thought my commute was particularly long, but it appears that I'm average at 75 minutes.  Not that it makes me feel a lot better, but it does explain why so many people do look really knackered on the London Underground and that falling asleep too and from work is a common occurance (if you're lucky enough to get a seat).  I certainly think that the daily grind of a long commute means there's a case for employers to be more flexible on where and when people work.

Work Wise UK Chief Executive Phil Flaxton said "Commute Smart week provides a real opportunity to revise tired working practises, how and where people work and set about adopting flexible approaches to people management as a key component of effective change."

How does your commuting time compare with the averages given above?

You  might also like
Extreme Tube Sleeping
Sleeping on the Circle Line 
"Wake me up at" badges branch out 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, November 14, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/11/commuting-times-rise-for-women.html

Tube Drivers may strike on Boxing Day 2012

We may face Boxing Day disruption on the London Underground for the third year in a row as Tube drivers union Aslef may be balloting members for strike action again this year.


Photo by Tom Roper
Aslef has been demanding triple pay and a day off in lieu for working on bank holidays however TfL stress that there is already a long-standing agreement for working on bank holidays, including Boxing Day.

Apparently talks between TfL and Aslef are already under way, but  Mick Whelan, the union's  general secretary  said: "We have not seen any positive response, but we are hoping it will be resolved. The company has only recently agreed to sit around the table with us."


 Howard Collins, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: "It would be quite wrong for the Aslef leadership to ballot for industrial action while we remain engaged in discussions to resolve this issue. We have had a series of positive discussions with Aslef representatives and there is a proposal on the table.

"LU has a long-standing agreement with all trade unions which cover working arrangements on bank holidays, including Boxing Day. However, we have shown good faith and have further reviewed Boxing Day service arrangements."

It's obviously early days and there is opportunity for a positive result.  However for the past two years TfL failed in legal challenges to get the strikes called off. Even though the RMT union are not involved in this dispute, they may compound the issue by refusing to cross picket lines should a strike take place. 

Related posts
Boxing Day Tube Strike Going Ahead - December 26th 2011
Boxing Day Tube Strike Planned
ASLEF vote for Boxing Day Strike 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, November 07, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/11/tube-drivers-may-strike-boxing-day-2012.html

Star Trek Look-a-likes on the Tube

If you were on the Central Line at Oxford Circus today, you may have spotted Picard, Worf & Data on your journey.  As you can tell by the creases in the costumes, they're not the actors that played the characters but look-a-likes.  Although it appears the budget ran out when they came to Worf & Data, but the Picard look-a-like is pretty good.

Photo by David Parry / PA

Why the Tube was chosen for the promotion of launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation in high-definition, is beyond me.  As far as I know Picard and crew never travelled on the London Underground, although on the Star Trek Tube Tour (a fun tour of the Tube with tenuous links to Star Trek characters), Oxford Circus is the first stop!  Perhaps the time has come for a proper Tube Map mash up linked to Star Trek characters. If it's good enough for Doctor Who, it's certainly good enough for Star Trek.

Hat tip to Andrew for alerting me to the picture from The Evening Standard

You might also like
Star Trek Tube Tour
The Doctor Who Tube Map
Tardis or Tube? Alex Kingston spotted on the London Underground 

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, November 05, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/11/star-trek-look-likes-tube.html

Halloween on the Tube

Tonight's the night on the London Underground to look out for people with colour drained from their faces, walking zombies and those who've lost the will to live (and no, I'm not referring to the people stuck on the Central Line this morning).  It's Halloween.


I spotted these very well kitted out Halloween party goers on Saturday afternoon, clearly getting into the spirit of things quite early. I liked how the guy on the right looked slightly like an old school ticket inspector, checking to see if the undead had still paid the right fares.

Look out for ghosts, ghouls and other Shaun of the Dead extras on your journey tonight and also for people studiously trying to ignore them.

You might also like
Scary Tube Books for All Hallow's Read
Tube Thriller Video

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, October 31, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
Tweet http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-on-tube.html