How long does it take to change a light bulb?

I suspect that it was something a bit more complicated than changing a lightbulb!

I've just looked at the real time map on the TfL site, and Paddington is highlighted - but only the H&C portion - with comment "Bakerloo Line trains are not stopping due to faulty platform equiptment".

*cough splutter* *clears throat*

AHEM!!
It wasn't Phil - but me!! ;D ;D ;D

Sorry, ... I didn't mean to suggest that it was a question of incompetence, I'll try not to start threads with humourous sarcastic titles in future... I certainly wouldn't want to travel on any sort of railway that didn't put safety first any more than you guys would want to work on one...

Perhaps it's easier to do safety with a smile when you've only an hourly service to run and beautiful Sussex countryside to look at while you're working

AND i suggest you read throuygh the whole thread and take the answers in context. The original post, although was asking a question, was making a mockery of LUL, especially the thread name.

If you want an answer to a question, taking the pi$$ wont get it.

In reagrds to your comment about staff taking the pi$$ out of the underground, its done in context. This wasnt.

So on this occasion I give Colin full backing

The problem was caused by the overnight cessation of power for Operation Bismarck. This is when power is turned off to simulate a power cut and back on to see what systems are affected.

Paddington was one of many sites that had problems, there were many tracks down in the City on the Met/C&H lines and loads of stations had no OPO equipment so staftion staff had to man the platforms. Where I work, a monitor isnt showing full screen and a console button is brighter and warmer thank usual and it shouldnt even be on.

All these faults are then passed to the Infracos or Group Facilities to be resolved.

Before any one says antything about not bothering to fix things, there were many extra staff on in the Fault Reporting Centres and Infraco staff were on site at "key locations".

I just hope i'm not on nights next year for it

Further to add that the problem at Paddington was actually with the OPO equipment and contractors were not able to fix it until Engineering Hours because ladders would be needed.

What's interesting to me, as an 'outsider', i.e. someone who works in another industry which is also on public display, and therefore subject to criticism or 'taking the pi$$' as
Metapprentice eloquently puts it, is this very defensive feeling that Mandgc mentions the moment anything vaguely critical is implied by non-LU staff. I have actually looked very carefully at all the answers on this thread and in the body of his original letter, Innocentabroad didn't implicate anybody in any incompetence, neither was he 'putting LUL down at the first opportunity' as claimed by Colin. He just asked why it took so long for the Power to be restored at a major Underground station.
We're not the Evening Standard: we all read this site because of a genuine informed interest in London Underground and I don't see why we can't ask these questions without someone jumping down our throats for daring to make a joke.
In actual fact, this question has thrown up some very interesting points and I hope the supreme irony was not lost in the very informative (and attitude-free) reply that C5 gave: that a simulation exercise to check the effects of a Power Cut resulted in at least one major underground station being out of commission all the next day. Interesting name they chose for the exercise, too. Wasn't the Bismarck the German battleship that was sunk during World War 2 with a loss of 3600 lives?

So it's back once again to the old adage: it doesn't matter how big the holdup/problem is, the punters are quite happy PROVIDED someone tells them what's happening.

As soon as C5 told us what had actually happened, and why, this thread changed tone completely.

Now, if C5 had been in charge of the notice boards at stations, innocentabroad would have not posted in the way he did (and seeing Metronet's performance recently it COULD have been another of their screw-ups) and others would not have had to leap to the defence of LU.

To all the Senior LU staff who we know read this forum: PLEASE get proper information relayed to the public as soon as it's available.

Absolutely.

And once again may I apologise for any offence given by the thread title... and for the record I most definitely am not an Evening Standard reader - perish the thought

You all know that the EVENING STANDARD gobbled up the rival EVENING NEWS years ago though they did have a go at re-launching it again. However, does anyone remember whether the 'News was 'tube partisan' as well? I used to prefer it to the 'Standard when I used to commute on my beloved Piccadilly Line 1973-81.

I hope you all don't think i'm defending Metromess.

There were this morning about 50 stations without OPO equipment because Initial (the sub-contractors) have run out, so LUL station staf were still out on the platforms despatching trains.

Back to why Paddington Bakerloo platforms were closed, as one of our computers was broken (due to Bismarck) I don't know what it was put out as; power failure, defective safety equipment, or lighting?

I don't really want to go into the "politics" of delays and naming closures that go out to the public on the forum, I'll save that for the meet.

The simple answer to that is I don't know.
I was a bit vague in my "key locations" and was mainly refering to line control centres and signalling equipment, critical communications equipment.

Yes, Paddington is a key interchange, and would be prioritised accordingly, however only only the Bakerloo Line platforms were closed and this was because to fix the problem involved using ladders and scaffolding which would not be possible until Engineering Hours on Sunday night.

The purpose of this annual excerise is to find out what the problems are (though they seem to vary each year ) and work to resolve the issues, so that if there is an unexpected power interuption between the National Grid and LULs Bulk Supply Points and we are working from the Emergency Power Station, what systems have problems functioning.

Sorry if i'm being like Blair and dodged your question

"One Station out for a day"

Perhaps they should concentrate on an alternative feed for stations like Paddington ( "it was ONLY Kings X, Victoria that was closed for the day") and shut down Mornington Crescent or Covent Garden if neccesary to achieve this !.

Would it not have been possible to suspend and elecrically isolate the line between say Baker Street and Queen's Park (or wherever suitable reversing points are)? While this would have resulted in more stations not being served, in theory at least a full service could have resumed sooner?