Transport in London is shit

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It's not just the depth, but the extent at depth (no where else has nearly as much deep line as london) and the lack of ventilation anyway. Most lines were built with the idea that the only necessary vents would be the stations and the tunenel portals, and this is insufficient in the moderen age (if it ever was sufficient). You air condition the trains and you dump the heat in the tunnels and stations, you have to get it out some how, theough exttra ventilation (nearly impossible in central London) or through some kind of heat pump, (costly and wasteful).

New York's subway is stifling hot and the only deep lines are the river tunnels and the washington heights lines. Most lines have regular street vents and the A/C trains still cook the tunnels and stations (don't forget the heat from people and traction motors etc.)

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 08:26 (twenty years ago)

New York's subway is stifling hot

but the air con on the newer 6 trains is great tho.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 10:25 (twenty years ago)

Inside the trains, especially the latest ones (2,3,6,L) is icy cold. All that heat gets dumped in the tunnel though.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 10:28 (twenty years ago)

they should store the heat for heating in winter.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:09 (twenty years ago)

In Madrid I pay 50 euros and I can go anywhere from anywhere

wait isn't that like £35? seems a lot for a single ticket.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:11 (twenty years ago)

Are the underground tunnels in London deep enough for the heat of the earth's crust to contribute, or is it all just radiated energy from lights, engines, people etc?

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:13 (twenty years ago)

In Madrid I pay 50 euros and I can go anywhere from anywhere

wait isn't that like £35? seems a lot for a single ticket.

It seems to have got him to London so I'd say it's a bit of a bargain.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:13 (twenty years ago)

Are the underground tunnels in London deep enough for the heat of the earth's crust to contribute, or is it all just radiated energy from lights, engines, people etc?

Radiated, convected and conducted. Geothermal heat is minimal.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:15 (twenty years ago)

they should have those little rivers running through the tracks like in glasgow underground. the water should cool everything down

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:24 (twenty years ago)

or have a heat sink on every train, that gets dropped into a big pool at the end of the line and replaced with previously cooled ones

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:27 (twenty years ago)

Oh god, I used to get regular ear infections from the NYC subway - going from extreme heat of the stations to the extreme cold of the subway cars was just not good for my head.

― I'm Not Afraid Of Electricity (kate), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:36 (twenty years ago)

He's right about the strike.

50 euros a month, innit.

I read yesterday that some tube lines are going to be closed for refurbishment. An olympian task.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 11:38 (twenty years ago)

Fair enough, I never use Olympia tube station anyway.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 12:03 (twenty years ago)

six months pass...

Certainly was today...The details are too boring to go into- but suffice to say that I had to give up travelling on two different lines (Victoria and Northern Line) that had "severe delays". The Victoria Line was actually suspended in both directions.

That's about the third weekend in a row I've had really shit travel experiences in London.

It's a great city, but badly let down by its transport infrastructure.

"We suggest that you continue your journey at street level"

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Saturday, 9 September 2006 19:33 (nineteen years ago)

Nothing West from Liverpool St.
Piccadilly suspended b/w Kings Cross and Seven Sisters.
Victoria line fucked also.

"Try the Northern Line"??????!?!?!
I'm going to Finsbury fucking Park!!!

― uptoeleven (uptoeleven), Saturday, 9 September 2006 21:22 (nineteen years ago)

The Northern line is suspended between Camden & High Barnet almost every weekend for the forseeable future due to engineering works. Also ran into closures on the Victoria line the other weekend when I tried to use that instead, guess they're doing the same there. Pain in the arse, I usually just get the bus now.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Saturday, 9 September 2006 21:40 (nineteen years ago)

This went beyond the planned engineering works.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Saturday, 9 September 2006 22:03 (nineteen years ago)

fpark is 8 mins from moorgate on the train

― -- (688), Sunday, 10 September 2006 03:09 (nineteen years ago)

....but not at weekends.

LT appears to have this warped idea that no-one actually uses the tube at weekends, so it's alright to close half the system down in one go every Saturday and Sunday. As if this was some kind of 50s throwback where no shops were open, people wandered over to visit their family who lived round the corner and everyone piled into church on a Sunday.

― darren (darren), Sunday, 10 September 2006 16:03 (nineteen years ago)

which would be sort of okay if islington council wasn't intent on digging up every major road running through the borough...

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Monday, 11 September 2006 07:47 (nineteen years ago)

We went to London, to Rise festival, a couple of months back. Left early, went for a drink in the early evening in Camden, decided to go for a curry in Brick Lane and then a quick pint. Got to Kings Cross to go home - it's closed! Not just the trains aren't running - the whole thign is closed. On a Saturday, at 12:00am. We sat in the cold for 4 hours before my girlfriends' angelic parents came and picked her up.
What kind of country do we live in where congestion is causing a major problem to our air and roads; where we are told public transport is a must; and where we're expected to go exploring the UK's riches (particularly in London) when it costs £20 to travel on a stinking, crowded train that's normally late and you can't even get home afterwards! No wonder I have a problem leaving Hitchin - it's only a few miles out of London, but oh no.

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Monday, 11 September 2006 07:55 (nineteen years ago)

> LT appears to have this warped idea that no-one actually uses the tube at weekends

no, i just think it knows (for sure) that LESS people use it at weekends.

i've started getting emails about weekend closures, somehow.

― Koogy Yonderboy (koogs), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:08 (nineteen years ago)

FEWER people. Naughty naughty Koogs!

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:13 (nineteen years ago)

FEWER

xpost

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:13 (nineteen years ago)

I get the e-mails about weekend closures as well, which make it doubly irritating when the part of the network that is supposed to be running is suspended.

What really bugs me is that fairly outrageous, but fairly commonplace, situations - such as dog latin's above, or several hundred commuters being stuck underground for an hour before being led to safety - are just shrugged off.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Monday, 11 September 2006 10:18 (nineteen years ago)

how much of this endless north london weekend tube shit is due to the new arsenal stadium?

― dave q (listerine), Monday, 11 September 2006 10:43 (nineteen years ago)

ARSENAL'S new stadium SYSTEM is messing up with our tube SYSTEM. etc.

i was running a bit late to work so cunningly thought it a great idea to go to work by tube cos it's quicker right? HELL NO i was stuck at a station for 20 minutes (time it takes for the bus to get to work), and what's the worst is the way the next train display thing LIES and tell me 6 mins when i get there and doesn't ever change.

everytime i use the tube it seems to let me down (but i am one of those lesser people who only really ever use the tube at weekends). Thameslink, on the other hand, is amazing.

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 11 September 2006 12:48 (nineteen years ago)

northern line is rarely faster than bus imo!

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Monday, 11 September 2006 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

holloway road to warren st can be about 10 mins quicker by tube on a good day. just.. not today.

i guess i'm better off by bike. (or i was better off by bike, until some fucker stole it)

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 11 September 2006 12:51 (nineteen years ago)

I almost never use the tube (living in Streatham, you see, there is no tube but you can get buses to anywhere).

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 11 September 2006 12:52 (nineteen years ago)

I find the lying signs very annoying too, Ken. There could be a good excuse for the delays, but not for the obfuscation.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 11 September 2006 13:15 (nineteen years ago)

What you have to remember is five Circle/Northern Line minutes = 20 Earth minutes.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 11 September 2006 13:19 (nineteen years ago)

The problem, I guess, is when a train is stuck at a station six minutes away and isn't moving; the system can't cope with indeterminate delays. At least the National Rail system (Trust, I think it's called) will switch from an estimated delay time to just showing a vague "Delayed" in those circumstances.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 11 September 2006 13:19 (nineteen years ago)

The bus stop LCD readouts aren't much better. Many are the times when a 417 comes up to being 2 MINS due and then abruptly vanishes from the board, with no actual 417 on the horizon.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 11 September 2006 13:22 (nineteen years ago)

The bus stop LCD readouts aren't much better.

Those things may as well just display the entire written works of L. Ron Hubbard, such is their relation to actual reality.

― Venga (Venga), Monday, 11 September 2006 13:30 (nineteen years ago)

>> LT appears to have this warped idea that no-one actually uses the tube at weekends
>no, i just think it knows (for sure) that LESS people use it at weekends.

But my point was that enough people do use it at weekends to make a mockery of the skeleton service that seems to operate every single Saturday and Sunday on the tube. I can barely recall a time when there was a regular Circle/H & C service at weekends!

If I were in charge, I would do exactly what the fuckers say they are anxious to avoid doing: close entire sections of line for, say, three or four weeks and get the bloody job done. Those Metronet numpties will never get anything done while they're ambling about on overtime at weekends and having 'late finishes' on Monday morning. It would be a pain in the arse if you live in say, East Finchley, but at least you knew it'd be over soon and you could actually plan your life around it.

― darren (darren), Monday, 11 September 2006 13:36 (nineteen years ago)

Where can I place a bet that the 2012 Olympics is going to have massive transport problems and go down in history as one of the worst fiascos in Olympic history?

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Monday, 11 September 2006 14:01 (nineteen years ago)

i doubt the athletes will be travelling by tube much.

― a rapper singing about hos and bitches and money (Enrique), Monday, 11 September 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

Apparently Livingstone expects all the athletes to travel to the Lea Valley on foot or by bike, including from abroad, seeing how he doesn't like aeroplanes 'cos they're Tory oppression etc.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 11 September 2006 14:05 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

no one noticed anything today then?

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:17 (nineteen years ago)

colleagues said the tube was widespread fuxored. i myself had to walk halfway down Hackney Rd because stupid roadworks + lorries were causing gridlock round there.

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:23 (nineteen years ago)

Had complete nightmare this morning, but coming home it was OK. My wife gave up on getting into work and went back home!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:55 (nineteen years ago)

someone at work said there is also a bus strike?

― emsk ( emsk), Monday, 20 November 2006 18:57 (nineteen years ago)

Uh yeah, that was the problem.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Monday, 20 November 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

actually quicker trip home than usual this evening.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 20 November 2006 20:52 (nineteen years ago)

Compare NY and London subways:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/page/dft_localtrans_504022.hcsp

― stet (stet), Monday, 20 November 2006 20:55 (nineteen years ago)

nine months pass...

Jesus, simply trying to find out how much a travelcard to London costs becomes a lunatic gambit when trying to tackle the FCC website.

― the next grozart, Monday, 10 September 2007 02:02 (eighteen years ago)

you're all spoiled

― roxymuzak, Monday, 10 September 2007 03:31 (eighteen years ago)

A ridiculous thread, this. Londoners!

― admrl, Monday, 10 September 2007 03:48 (eighteen years ago)

how's that strike goin'?

― hstencil, Monday, 10 September 2007 03:49 (eighteen years ago)

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