Bombardier to retraction LUL 92 Stock

Good news for the Shire!

This from Bombardier...

Press Release - Bombardier Wins Contract to Supply New Propulsion Technology to London Underground

- Bombardier to supply new traction systems for trains on London Underground's Central line

- MITRAC propulsion technology will significantly improve fleet reliability, availability and energy efficiency

The project will be led from Bombardier's Västeras site in Sweden, also leveraging the capabilities of other sites in the Bombardier manufacturing network. 

The installation of the first train, plus associated vehicle integration works and testing will be undertaken at Bombardier's Derby site in the UK.

Very good. Carry on.

LUL has a Lady Bracknell moment?

This from Underground Ernie...

I see that TfL slipped this out on New Years Eve...

London Underground (LU) and Bombardier Transportation today announced that the signalling contract for the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines (Sub Surface lines) will be re-let by LU following discussions between the two companies

To lose one signalling supplier, Mr. Brown, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness.

A stock farewell - Back to the future?

This with thanks to @13MilePost...

Good to see London Underground sending the Metropolitan line A stock off in style today.

Here Howard Collins, LUL's Chief Operating Officer, stands next to the last A60 stock at Harrow on the Hill.

The Cravens built trains entered service on the Met on the 12th June 1961 - over fifty years ago. They have been displaced by Bombardier built S stock. 

Below the Metropolitan line's General Manager (holding the commemorative headboard) stands in front of a set of the new S stock at Amersham.

So 'Back to the future'... ahem... in more ways than one!

Circle line Stations of the Cross

This from the Catholic Herald...

Commuters forced to ponder the inscrutable workings of London Underground’s Circle Line were this week offered a new diversion. An anonymous artist has designed a pamphlet depicting the 14 Stations of the Cross and has arranged them so they sit alongside stations of the Tube line.


The artist created the beautiful paper-cut illustrations having "found idle train trips an amazingly fruitful time for prayer & contemplation".

The non-profit project, dedicated to JM, can be viewed on-line at the Stations of the King’s Cross website.

Good effort.

Circle line boosts T-Cup with kettle - Shocker

This from Eye's Man 'Neath the Streets of London...


Sarah Siddons and Beattie well tank pictured at Baker Street this morning.

LUL gets all 21st Century over upgrades

Good effort.

Pointless signs - D Stock

With a bowler tip to @DriverPotter...


Perhaps a method of PIDD signage that in future may benefit the North?

TfL budget hit by revised listing

Good news for lovers of architectural gems!

This from The Architects Journal...

Charles Holden’s St James’s Park Underground Station and the London Underground Headquarters has had its listed status upgraded from Grade II to Grade I.

Not such good news for TfL though, who would dearly love to realise the value of this prime piece of SW1 real estate.

No doubt fare payers will be happy to make up the resulting budgetary shortfall.

Mediaballs - Evening Standard

Good news from Dick Murray on the Standard!


But what's this?


Oh Dick - flay those subs alive!

'Elf 'n' Safety front ends

This from the Commander...

In regard to the view of the glossy pic adorning RailTalk in this month’s edition of Captain Deltic’s flagship publication showing LUL’s new ‘S’ stock’ red front end, is there a difference I’ve missed in the requirements for National Rail and LUL?

One notices the Overground ELL units with their yellow front ends, and one remembers the SNCF having to adorn their beautiful casse-nez BB 22000s with yellow protuberances in case they ventured into the daylight at Folkestone.

Again, on mixed LUL/NR infrastructure areas, according to LUL Track Awareness, on receiving a warning from a train driver staff should move to a place of safety and then acknowledge, where as the NR PTS requires an acknowledgement before moving to a place of safety, or you’ll fail the exam.

Likewise, do Chiltern units sound the distinctive LUL warning notes on their horns according to their direction of travel where the lines merge north of Harrow?

Sorry to sound a discordant note - perhaps I would be better employed celebrating today's 205th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar!

UPDATE: The Fact Compiler observes...

The absence of a yellow front end on the ICE3 set at St Pancras received much comment on Tuesday.

As most modern trains now have front end lamps than can be seen from deep-space is it perhaps time to review this particular Standard?

O'Toole to Tube Lines?

This from the Pink 'Un...

Tim O'Toole has held preliminary discussions with Tube Lines about the possibility of becoming its chief executive.

Gosh!

Uses for Dead Tree Media #1

Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
In the current extremely cold weather it is vital to maintain body temperature.

You may need additional insulation.

Why not use abandoned copies of dead tree media (pictured).


This public service announcement brought to you by the Tube Lines ambience team, who are obviously resting.

Mystic Wolmar on the ball. Tube Lines not.

Telegrammed by our International Correspondent
Mystic Wolmar's crystal ball is working well these days.

On the 13th December he predicted the demise of Tube Lines, the other half of the dead and rotting PPP Siamese twin, Metrodebt.

Lo and behold today Regulator Bolt obliged, favouring LUL's projected £4 billion to Tube Lines demands for £5.7 Billion, creating a new £1.3 billion funding gap for Tube Lines' lucky owners - Bechtel (no laughing at the back) and Gruppo Ferrovial, or a descoping of the work the PPP delivers or, as is most likely, a windfall for Sue Grabbit & Runne.

Say goodbye to more accessible stations on the JNP network, new trains for the Piccadilly Line. And a big cheery welcome to a lot of empty desks at the glitzy Westferry Circus Tube Lines HQ.

Tube Lines was not happy and Dean Finch, outgoing CEO told financial news agency Bloomberg "A settlement at this level is not conducive to private- sector involvement in the Underground, nor does it reflect the reality of the Underground working environment".

Strong words from a man already leaving the troubled world of PPP for pastures new at errrr.... doomed National Express.

The dangers of Facebook explained

This from the Evening Standard...

I'm an easygoing Jedi, says Tube worker in abuse row

Twisted by the Dark Side, young Morbin has become.

Daily sex Tube map

Telegrammed by Charles Yerkes
So the Thames has vanished from TfL's new Tube map.

Yadder yadder.

The rot set in when they failed to restrict 081 to South of the river.

You want to see a Tube map?

Try the inclusive Dyslexic's guide to the Underground.

Brown bounces back

This from the Gruaniad...

Mike Brown, chief operating officer at Heathrow, will return to LU as managing director a year after he quit as chief operating officer of the organisation to join airports operator BAA, which owns Heathrow.

As one old LU hand put it "better the monster we know..."

Mediaballs #4

Good to see the Telegraph maintaining its hard won reputation as a journal of record.

This from the Torygraph's website about safety concerns on the sub-surface District line.


Illustrated with a nice shot of tube stock at Oxford Circus station.

Mind you, the General Manager of the District line once ran the Bakerloo...

PPP woes bode well for Crossrail

Yet more good news for Londoners!

According to Tube boss Richard Parry, quoted in today's Gruaniad...

"Regrettably, we now harbour grave doubts over Tube Lines and Bechtel's ability to deliver the upgrade of the Jubilee line by the end of December, which they are contracted to do."

Strange.

Surely Transport for London is not calling into question Bechtel's project management skills?

Surely not.

Why only four months ago the TfL Board rubber stamped Crossrail's decision to award the £400m Project Delivery Partner concession to err... Bechtel - based on the US company's supposed ability to deliver complex projects on time and to budget.

Of course every cloud has a silver lining.

With Crossrail looking set to be caped after the next General Election there'll be no risk of the project overrunning.

Cooling the Tube

***Diamond Geezer on the myths of Cooling the Tube, with a bowler tip to Boriswatch***

We are most definitely not amused...

***RMT to disrupt the Vic line Tuesday/Wednesday of this week***