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Post by malcolmffc on Dec 5, 2017 7:16:49 GMT
Nobody in their right mind would interchange at Holborn to go one stop east on the Central Line. From Chancery Lane station entrance by Staple Inn to the corner of Red Lion St is about 350 yards level walk taking about 5 minutes. I used to work in the tubeless area around Theobalds Rd, a lot of which is accessible from Russell Square. A Proctor St entrance would be useful for that, but at what cost? A better and cheaper expedient might be to travelate the Tram Tunnel to the end of Theobalds Rd. Much of the Holborn problem stems from it being an awkward late interchange spatchcocked into an extant Picc station and a Central Line tunnel some 30 years after the opening of the CLR. The absurdly narrow pedestrian stairs from the Central WB are an example of this. So LU should minimise the incentives to use the station! So are you suggesting LU do nothing about Holborn Stn? I've not used it in a long while but I did use it in the AM peak a few years back and it was horrific. I suspect, being generous, the station is on the border of being compliant with fire regulation evacuation times in the peaks due to the excessive crowding and slow movement through corridors. The current situation is not sustainable if there is any more growth. The planned upgrade of the Picc Line, if it happens, will bring in many more people. Even if Crossrail provides relief to the Central Line we know the eventual trend is that the Central will fill back up again. Given Crossrail has no stn in the vicinity of Holborn it is reasonable to assume that people may change at TCR and then continue on to Holborn on the Central but we'll have to see if that pans out. Trying to "force" people to use other stations is not very popular - especially if people so no eventual gain or improvement. It's been tolerated at TCR and to some extent Bond St with Holborn and Ox Circus taking the brunt of diverted passengers with all the ensuing delays and congestion. I can't see people being willing to use Chancery Lane just because TfL say "Holborn's too busy and btw we're not doing anything to make it better". To be honest, given TfL's financial pressures, I'm surprised TfL are progressing capacity works at Holborn. London Reconnections has pointed out that the Piccadilly line upgrade would be unviable with the Holborn as it currently is given the large increase in passengers.
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Post by malcolmffc on Nov 22, 2017 12:57:16 GMT
The ancient trains on the Piccadilly prevent the additional capacity the line so desperately needs from being provided. They need replacing ASAP.
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Post by malcolmffc on Nov 18, 2017 9:19:48 GMT
TfL are quite rightly discouraging use of paper tickets. Tell me. How is it more convenient or cheaper to buy a return to a London Terminal then use Oyster all over the place when a lot of the time it is simpler to get a travelcard (and often cheaper when making multiple trips through London). Contact less is not everywhere Well, if you’re starting your journey outside the TfL area then obviously TfL won’t be selling the ticket so not sure what your point is. Though some TOCs have smartcards now which will one day be compatible with Oyster. If you’re starting inside the zones then just use Oyster or contactless and the cap will ensure you don’t pay more than a paper Travelcard
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Post by malcolmffc on Nov 18, 2017 9:17:13 GMT
You also need to be aware that Contactless is by no means universal. Apparently few American cards are contactless, and even with cards that are contactless, in many cases the cards are not recognised abroad. Americans can still use ApplePay/ Android Pay etc. Or just buy an Oyster card at Heathrow. If you’re staying within the London zones then there’s really no need to buy a paper ticket.
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Post by malcolmffc on Nov 18, 2017 3:53:45 GMT
Huh? The vast majority of underground users fall into one of those categories. And contactless is brilliant for tourists as they can just tap their card without needing to decipher a ticket machine in a foreign language. TfL are quite rightly discouraging use of paper tickets.
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Post by malcolmffc on Nov 2, 2017 8:50:10 GMT
That confirms what TfL told the last Budget and Performance Cttee meeting held by the London Assembly. Interesting that it has been formalised in a Mayoral Decision. Here is the actual Mayoral Decision www.london.gov.uk/decisions/md2170-metropolitan-line-extension-mlx-tfl-fundingThe linked pdf decision document at the bottom of the above webpage is well worth a read as it provides some additional background and current status info including spend to date. From the doc “At the point of transfer the benefit: cost ratio (BCR) for the MLX (calculated in accordance with webTAG guidance) over a 30 year assessment period was 0.4:1 against a cost of £284.4m. The subsequent cost increases further weaken the BCR. ” Dead as a dodo
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Post by malcolmffc on Jul 7, 2017 20:46:10 GMT
Looks like work on the platforms has started - finally.
But no idea when it'll be finished. The latest investment programme report claimed end of June which is clearly wrong. I doubt it'll be finished before Xmas.
The project as a whole must be running well over a year late.
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Post by malcolmffc on Jul 7, 2017 16:23:05 GMT
Looks like the Chelsea station has been dropped from the route. I sense an air of desperation from TfL to get the government to pay for the scheme - dropping the one station that was a new build from the project should save a few £bn
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Pimlico
Jul 7, 2017 7:28:28 GMT
via mobile
Post by malcolmffc on Jul 7, 2017 7:28:28 GMT
Having commuted on the Victoria line for many years it's very noticeable how much quieter Pimlico is compared to other stations on the line (and almost all other Z1 stations for that matter.). If the Victoria line were being built today it's hard to see how a station would be justified there. Was there some anticipated future demand at the time the line was built that failed to transpire?
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Post by malcolmffc on May 22, 2017 6:04:17 GMT
No sign of a tube map update - perhaps they're waiting for the step free works at Bond Street to also be finished (due by end of June I believe)?
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Post by malcolmffc on Apr 24, 2017 17:59:09 GMT
How an earth can a train built in the mid-2010s not have enough memory for more designation codes?
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Post by malcolmffc on Apr 21, 2017 18:32:28 GMT
Had to bow out at Tower Hill WB as I have other plans later. Nearly shed a tear as the D pulled away. They aren't a classic, but they were the trains that started off many a day out when I was young, and of course the weekly Friday evening trip to my grandparents. Farewell D stock, my old friend. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but now with the passing of the D stock, am I correct in thinking that the Circle, District and Met now have all the same stock? Yes. which is no accident of course.
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Post by malcolmffc on Apr 5, 2017 6:05:03 GMT
To my eyes that video is shocking - clapped out old stock and stations falling to bits. Far from "the good old days" it shows a system on its last legs and starved of investment.
Thankfully we live in more enlightened times now- having brighter, cleaner stations that don't look like a war zone encourages people to travel more on the Underground and has been a big factor in the success of the last 20 years. The tube should never be allowed to return to the state shown in that video.
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Post by malcolmffc on Mar 25, 2017 18:22:26 GMT
I expect that given the interaction between the District and the Met line that the Piccadilly has, it will end up using the same system eventually
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Post by malcolmffc on Mar 16, 2017 22:05:35 GMT
What is the "NCT" issue and what is its impact?
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Post by malcolmffc on Mar 12, 2017 16:41:44 GMT
OK, so the lift at Vauxhall is finally in service, albeit almost a year late.
But what about the platforms? They were stripped back to the brickwork about 18 months ago, and haven't changed since? Surely they are going to be retiled?
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Post by malcolmffc on Mar 12, 2017 9:57:21 GMT
It is worth remembering that certainly the last "in service" date is not certain. Due to the behaviour of certain "enthusiasts" when the A Stock was being decommissioned it is quite possible that what you read on the internet to be the last service train will end up being an S Stock! As for the tour, it's probably worth waiting until it's formally announced by LU/LT Museum before you book any travel tickets or days off work! What happened on the A stock tour?
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Post by malcolmffc on Mar 3, 2017 19:44:44 GMT
Not sure what the Vivarail contract specifies. What is meant by operational condition? Motors all work etc? Why would Vivarail care about the motors given they are converting the units to diesel? I can see why they would require the bogies/car shell etc. to be in good condition.
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Post by malcolmffc on Mar 3, 2017 12:39:39 GMT
S7 & S8 DVAs are better IMHO. Considering that the S stock CIS (Customer Information System) dates from the late 2000s and the '96 stock DVA (Digital Voice Announcer) dates from the early 1990s, I'm not sure why this is any surprise... Surely it's just a case of recording a few voice samples and replacing the audio files that are already there with new ones. Yes, the technology is old but the 1990s weren't exactly the stone age.
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Post by malcolmffc on Mar 2, 2017 6:48:09 GMT
Must be time for more withdrawals soon?
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Post by malcolmffc on Feb 27, 2017 6:56:09 GMT
Surprised and disappointed they haven't made any changes to the DVA.
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Post by malcolmffc on Feb 21, 2017 17:36:43 GMT
Now that the new Victoria ticket hall is open, does anyone know if the lifts to the Victoria line will be brought into service anytime soon? Or will we need to wait until the whole upgrade is finished next year?
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Post by malcolmffc on Feb 21, 2017 13:57:22 GMT
Was the Parliamentary Approval for the Deep-Level District given a completion date, or is it still in force? Ha, that would be amusing if TfL just turned up one day and started digging on the basis that the 1908 approval allowed them to. I suspect it's unlikely. These do things do happen sometimes though. In the US the 27th Amendment was ratified in 1992 despite having first been proposed in 1789 and lain dormant for over 200 years...
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Post by malcolmffc on Feb 21, 2017 13:51:41 GMT
TfL doesn't seem to show lines "under construction" on the tube map any more. For most of the time the ELL was being rebuilt there was nothing on the map other than one issue right at the beginning of the closure which was quickly withdrawn. And there's been nothing on the map for the Northern Line extension (or the Met Line extension, if that is still actually under construction )
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Post by malcolmffc on Feb 13, 2017 14:48:00 GMT
Do the plans for the Waterloo Intl rebuild include a lift /level access to the LUL level below? If so, that would sort out step free access to the W&C line (though the steep ramp down to the departures platform may not officially count as suitable for wheelchairs).
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Post by malcolmffc on Feb 12, 2017 11:35:08 GMT
What I find odd is that there are seemingly no plans to add SFA at major hubs like Waterloo, Liverpool St and Euston (perhaps the latter will get it as part of XR2/HS2)
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Post by malcolmffc on Feb 9, 2017 15:31:10 GMT
As of this morning, the lifts are now in service and the station is step-free.
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Post by malcolmffc on Jan 18, 2017 7:30:08 GMT
I see that like the new entrance at TCR there are no spaces for advertising on the escalators or anywhere else in the entrance. Is it a TfL policy not to have these in new developments? It definitely looks more aesthetically pleasing but I'm surprised they can afford to forgo the advertising income.
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Post by malcolmffc on Jan 16, 2017 15:14:54 GMT
Would have thought the ultimate station was just as useful.... As on the southbound.... I suspect the number of people going to Walthamstow (or anywhere north of Kings X for that matter) from Victoria is minimal compared to those going to Euston, KX or Oxford Circus. When I take the Victoria line to work in the morning from Vauxhall it is near empty by Euston. Southbound has the advantage that there are only 3 stops, and the sign has room for all of them!
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Post by malcolmffc on Jan 6, 2017 19:25:14 GMT
Saw a sign in TCR today saying "We are working as hard as we can to deliver step free access at TCR by early 2017". Sounds ominously similar to the signs at Vauxhall which was delivered a year late!
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