So what happened yesterday - part 2

Whichever bits were reused, they would have been reconditioned before use anyway.

As you always seem to have a problem getting home bustergut, why don't you ask the gateline staff where you start your journey?

I think you just have bad luck. I am sure you will get your journey cost for the DLR refunded by the customer charter.

Was due to a major signal problem in Stratford Market Depot,we couldn't get the trains in for nearly an hour so they were queueing up.

That's probably because that information comes from the same source that they get their own information from. Unless something has kicked off in the last ten seconds and they've heard the radio messages about it, it's unlikely that their current information will be different to that on the status sign.

I don't mean to be offensive, but I really wonder what goes through passengers minds at times. How on Earth would anyone have any more information than that available via the live links?

I get this all the time on the buses, held up in traffic queues for ages at a time, then when alighting some person starts having a go at me for running late. Or in the bus station; "what happened to the half past"... "I AM the half past"... "But you are late"... "Well, when I learn how to fly these things, I'm sure I stand a better chance"

Honestly, there are times when I wonder.....

You've asked the question I ask them all the time when they start ranting/raving/swearing at me. The classic ones are those who start kicking off because their line has been suspended because of a one under: "Do you know how long it will be?"

How long's a piece of string?! I have no confidence in the cerebral activity of the passengers anymore!

A couple of weeks ago I was working when that train lost traction in the section slap bang in the middle of North Greenwich and Canary Wharf*. Trains were blocking back pretty quick (after an earlier handle being pulled down at St. John's Wood – at the passenger refusing to be removed from the train) to the point that all platforms at Stratford and on the EB and WB from there up to Canary Wharf were occupied.

Most people saw sense to go up and get local buses, but there was this one woman who just didn't understand. She wanted to go WB. "Can I get a train to Stratford instead then and connect with the Central Line?" she keeps asking, not being able to comprehend the fact that in order for a train to actually go EB, a train must be leaving Stratford to go WB to free up a platform there for an EB train to terminate. With the stalled train on the approach to Canary, that wasn't going to happen. They couldn't even get trains to go to depot because they were allowing trains to block back so badly that once the stalled train was on the move again, nothing was moving for a good 10-15 minutes on the EB anyway.

I'll agree that the Jubilee has been bad for the past 12 months with various disasters related to signalling, but to be honest with you, 'investing' money in quick-fix schemes like extra DMIs, service information boards or whatever isn't going to fix the signalling problem or getting home. And to think that LU have invested in the marvel that is TBTC (which will only be going wrong as soon as it goes live, like anything else that's new).

As for what kind of service we're running – you can't run a service if there's a monstrosity of a signal failure, obviously. But we don't maintain our signals! Hoorah for the PPP!

*By the time they'd managed to sort out and authorise a push-out with a train that was sat on Platform 1 at North Greenwich, the driver of the stalled train had miraculously managed to get it moving and reversed at Canary to come back EB. I spoke to the driver of the particular train when he brought the train into the middle at North Greenwich. I can't remember what the actual problem was that caused the train to lose traction, but the driver called up the Line Controller and was told by the technician at the other end of the phone to cut out various MCBs. The new ATO equipment that has gone into the cabs 'piggybacks' off wires related to the various MCBs and by certain cutting things out it causes faults to flag up with the ATO – which in essence makes the train say, "No – I'm definitely not moving now." Two technicians turned up later on and they weren't conclusive on the actual problem – I hear that train is still at SMD.