Central Line Severe Delays

GetAheadofTheGames warns that our "world class" tube system is experiencing problems:

"REMINDER: Central line is still operating with severe delays." 

No surprises there then!

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Olympics Greedfest Bus Strike

Warming up for the Olympics greedfest, thousands of London bus workers have taken a leaf out of the tube workers' book and have gone on strike today.

For why?

They want a £500 bonus for working during the Olympics.

Transport for London (TfL) said more than a third of bus routes were running but "many routes were disrupted".

It's going to be a long and tedious summer in the capital!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Threat of Water

Aside form all the issues that are already threatening the "smooth" running of the Olympics (eg lousy transport system, poor weather, greed and terrorism) it seems that water has to be added to the list.

Congratulations Thames Water for giving London a "wet" run re what might happen again in the future, eg during the Olympics, wrt the Central Line flood yesterday!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Head For The Pub!

Unsurprisingly, it appears that London's Tube system will (even if the staff are not on strike) not be able to cope during the excess demand expected during the Olympics.

Peter Hendy, London’s transport commissioner, came up with the most sensible advice earlier this year when he told people to avoid delays by heading down to the pub until the problems cleared.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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RMT Backs Driverless Trains

Last month I wrote:

"It appears that the RMT are in favour of driverless trains and, having rejected the £500 bribe offered to drivers to do their normal job during the London Olympics, will be balloting their members about strike action."

Well, the RMT continue to vote for driverless trains; the RMT has rejected an £850 bonus for London Underground (LU) employees to work during the Olympics.

Driverless trains here we come!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Tube Workers Vote For Driverless Trains

In January I wrote the following:

"It seems that our downtrodden and hard working Tube drivers feel a tad hard done by wrt the offer made by London Underground of a £500 bonus for shift working during the Olympics.

The RMT has rejected the £500 bonus, saying that the money was not an adequate reward for being on duty during the event.
RMT general secretary comrade Bob Crow is quoted by the BBC:

" It is well-documented that transport will be the biggest logistical challenge throughout the Olympics period.

All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing."

Given that the Tube drivers do not feel up to the job of doing what they are paid to do, the solution to this problem is simple; install driverless trains and remove the drivers altogether.

Problem solved!"

It appears that the RMT are in favour of driverless trains and, having rejected the £500 bribe offered to drivers to do their normal job during the London Olympics, will be balloting their members about strike action.

Boris Johnson is already promising driverless trains, as a means of finally putting paid to comrade Bob Crowe, the bete noir of the travelling public.

Comrade Crow is quoted in the Telegraph:

“RMT reiterates our stance that all grades of transport employees are entitled to a decent financial reward for their efforts transporting huge numbers of passengers during the Olympics and are entitled to take leave during the summer.


Working conditions and important agreements should not and need not be attacked in order to facilitate Olympic running.”

Driverless trains here we come!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Boris Says "Go By Tube"

I am amused to read that Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, is urging Olympic chiefs to take the Tube during London 2012

Quote:

"To all members of the International Olympic Committee, I urge them to do the right thing - get on the Jubilee Line because they'll love it."

There is even a new website showing hotspots on London's underground system.

Great!

One small problem, has Boris not heard that Comrade Crow has rejected the £500 bribe offered to Tube workers for doing their normal job?

 Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Tube Workers Reject £500 - The Olympics Gravytrain

It seems that our downtrodden and hard working Tube drivers feel a tad hard done by wrt the offer made by London Underground of a £500 bonus for shift working during the Olympics.

The RMT has rejected the £500 bonus, saying that the money was not an adequate reward for being on duty during the event.

RMT general secretary comrade Bob Crow is quoted by the BBC:

"It is well-documented that transport will be the biggest logistical challenge throughout the Olympics period.

All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing."

Given that the Tube drivers do not feel up to the job of doing what they are paid to do, the solution to this problem is simple; install driverless trains and remove the drivers altogether.

Problem solved!


Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Meter's Ticking Guv!

In order that they are not left out of the Olympics' rip off bonanza next year, London cabbies are demanding that they be allowed to raise their fares by 20%.

The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association has suggested that without the increase there may be "mass walkouts" of cabbies during the Games.

Seemingly members are "concerned" about the  increase in traffic restrictions etc during the Games.

I dare say that the Tube drivers' recent £1200 Olympics bonus settlement may well have had a bearing on this issue!

The Olympics are not about sport, but are about money.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Commuters Told To Get Pissed

According to the Telegraph the latest suggestion from those in charge of organising next year's London Olympics is that hapless commuters who are facing crushed tube lines, buses and trains should have a drink after work in order to avoid the congestion!

ROFLOL!

Precisely how many pints will one need to consume before the Olympic crush "melts" away?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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An Olympic Pain in The Arse

The London 2012 Olympics are going to cause quite a degree of annoyance to those of us who have to drive/commute in and around London during the games.

It has been estimated by Transport for London (TfL) that journey times on some of London's roads could more than double during the Olympics.

There will be an extra 5.3 million visitors in London during the games.

The "good" news is that the Tube drivers have a secured a pay deal worth £50K a year to them, so no danger at all of the Tube drivers going on strike then!;)

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Tube Workers Bribed

The Olympic organisers, ever keen to present the world with the impression that London is capable of hosting the 2012 Olympics, has come up with a terrific wheeze to ensure that comrade Bob Crow and his lackeys don't spoil the party by refusing to run the Tube beyond its normal closing time of around midnight-1:00AM.

The solution?

Simple, bribe the staff!

Drivers will receive a payment of at least £500 for working during the event next year. Additionally, shifts that finish after 1.30AM will attract extra payments (totalling approximately £1800).

About 3,500 Tube drivers are covered by the agreement. LU plans to run Tubes about an hour later than normal during the Games, on all lines, with last trains leaving central London between 1.30AM and 2AM.

This is doubtless all very "jolly". However, the key issue that has been neatly swept under the carpet is this:

Why that fuck doesn't London (a major capital city) have a Tube system that runs 24/7?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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London's Obsolete Transport System

In 2004 the IOC very accurately described London's transport system as "obsolete".

In theory, London 2012 is meant to be the "public transport games".

There is of course a wide gap between aspirations and reality. London's transport infrastructure suffers from a lack of investment and capacity. Hence the services are inadequate and overcrowded.

Transport for London (TfL) are aware of many of the problems, eg they have warned that it may take an hour to get on a train at St Pancras station (where the Javelin train will depart for Stratford).

TfL's solution?

They are mounting a campaign to ask people to commute less (they need a 30% fall in commuter numbers)!

Sadly it seems that the word "obsolete" applies not only to the infrastructure and capital equipment, but also to the thinking within TfL.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Train and Tube Service Improved For Games

The Evening Standard claims that London's tube and train services will be improved to cope with the extra demand during next year's Olympics.

Allegedly, according to the Olympics hype, more than 2,000 extra services will run during the Games in late July and early August 2012, and more than 1,500 extra services will be laid on during the Paralympics in late August and early September.

There will be train departures from London as late as 1.30am, whilst some tube services will leave central London as late as 2am.

Network Rail has suspended all disruptive engineering work on rail routes serving Olympic venues from the end of June to early September 2012. There will also be no weekend closures on London Underground.

All very nice, if this actually happens.

However, given that the transport system could do with improvements such as this irrespective of the Olympics, why are these improvements not made permanent?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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The Olympic Bribe

In spite of, or probably because of, the Rail Maritime and Transport union's looming six walkouts that will cripple London's Tube system in the coming weeks; it seems that the government is set to bribe the RMT not to strike during the Olympics next year.

Media reports indicate that the government is preparing to offer Tube workers pay rises, designed to be large enough to "persuade" the RMT not to strike during the games.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Change Your Habits!

It seems that the organisers of the London 2012 Olympics are fearful that London's Victorian transport system is not going to be up to the job of coping with the vast increase in passengers that the Olympics is expect to bring.

The solution?

Simple, the London Assembly transport committee want a third of commuters to change their habits.

Simples!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Mobiles Nixed On Tube

Britain's four mobile companies (O2, Vodafone, 3 and Everything Everywhere) have nixed the £150M project to allow mobile phones to be used on the London Tube (in time for the Olympics).

Technologically speaking this leaves the London tube firmly in the third world.

However, the abandonment of the scheme (which would have allowed commuters to make calls, text and browse the internet on the Tube) is a blessed relief to the long suffering passengers of the overcrowded and unpleasant Tube system; as it at least saves them from further annoyance from noisy mobiles and their owners.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Contrarian

To coincide with the activation of the 500 day countdown clock and the opening of the tickets sales shop for the London 2012 Olympics, the Economist is running a contrarian advertising campaign under the headline:

"Hosting the Olympics is a waste of money"

Posters for the campaign will appear in tube stations across the capitol until the end of March.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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24 Hour Tube Service

A working party has been set up to look into the possibilities of running the Tube 24 hours a day during the 2012 London Olympics.

Suffice to say, Bob Crow the RMT spokesman has put his boot into the idea by noting that there is no union agreement over hours, pay etc.

Irrespective of the Olympics and union dinosaurs, why is that London does not have a 24 hour tube service anyway?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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Third World Transport

Transport for London have told commuters to stay away from Victoria tube station (one of London's busiest) for at least a year, whilst a £700M refurbishment takes place.

Work starts on the three escalators at Victoria today.

Transport for London claim, if they are to be believed, that the work "should" be completed before the 2012 Olympics.

Well, they have to say it will be finished by then don't they?

Does anyone seriously believe that this will run to schedule?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

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