Why is the service on the London Underground generally rubbish?

Question

I am a regular user of the Northern Line and recently the service has been nothing short of appalling - signal failures, broken trains, staff shortages - we've heard the lot!

I have written on numerous occassions to TFL demanding answers but all I get is the usual lame excuses of the lines are old and the signals are worn out etc.

We pay some of the highest ticket prices of any country in the world so why is it that depsite all the publicity of supposed billions being invested, the service is still generally awful.

Thoughts please.

Answer 1

This is not unique to the underground. Service and infrastructure in general in London is appalling. Just look at the ridiculous procedures you need to go through to open a bank account or the heavy traffic in London at any time of the day. The thing is that Londoners has accepted a lot of these problems as normal and don't kick up a stink about making things better. It's only the foreigners who live here who see how bad things are.

Answer 2

Very simple - since the second world war the government has not invested the money needed to keep the system up to the standard that you and I consider to be acceptable. Now they realize that they must spend huge amounts so they go into these stupid public private partnerships that are going to rip the tax payer off big time because they can show the expenditure a different box, not the current account - but we are not that dim are we? It will cost more in the long run and the money should have been spent much earlier, not so we have huge amounts to pay today - and of course, as you are aware, disruptions to our daily lives. Of course - I've opted out and gone to live in a city that works (despite it's problems) BERLIN

Answer 3

We do pay through our noses but apparently there hasn't been good investment in to TFL for years

Now Ken is putting the prices up I hope we will see a difference

I tend to come in to work early and leave work early and that way I miss all the rush and the delays that go with it

If your hours are flexible I would try and travel before 8 and leave London around 5 - its very different compared to coming in at 9 and leaving at 6.

Answer 4

I can only assume it is to do with total inefficacy and mismanagement.

Nearly every other country has a decent working underground which is cheaper than ours.

I heard a great new excuse a while ago, on the circle line - speed restrictions due to the heat...

They have an underground in Madrid and many other cities which run in tempratures far greater than ours...

(why don't they just change the bloody signals, if they break every day)

Answer 5

If you try moving out of London, you'll find that the public transport system is first class compared with many parts of the country. At least you can get anywhere in the centre at any time of day and the fares on the buses are far cheaper with Oyster than anywhere else I've lived!

Answer 6

enable's deal with your factors one with the aid of one. old stations. a number of London Underground dates back a hundred and fifty years so, of path, the stations would be old. in spite of if, in contemporary times very lots of money has been spent on modernising. old trams? The Underground would not run trams, yet trains. there is an ongoing programmes of modernisation with, for occasion, an entire new fleet being presented on the Metropolitan/Circle/District lines. the numerous deep tube lines have already won new inventory and others have such planned. high priced value ticket expenses. each thing is costly, yet schemes are attainable to mitigate cost. Signalling issues. back, it extremely is is partly because of the age of the device, yet as quickly as greater there are programmes in rigidity to mitigate this, such because of the fact the Northern Line resignalling scheme. at the back of schedule trains. Delays will ensue in ANY transport device. have you ever on no account been caught in a site visitors congestion in a automobile or at an airport because of the fact of flight delays. and finally, you are able to no longer blame London Underground for delays led to with the aid of an fool walking on the tracks.

Answer 7

you people are complaining cause the transport you have is giving you trouble. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!!!!!!! Try living in a country with NO SAFE public transport
r but for mini buses which are falling apart and which you cant use any way because you will get mugged or raped or killed or all of the above. the only way to get to work is with your own car which you can hardly afford because it takes up more than half of your monthly sallary to pay yor monthly installment.The rest is gas money. Stop complaining!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

Compared with oveseas the main problem in Lonbdon is the number of junctions - esp on Northern Line

Answer 9

I totally disagree. Tubes are frequent, and if you use Oyster really cheap. If there are delays on one line, you can usually use a different route.
Try living in a town like Plymouth, only buses, if you miss one you wait 20 minutes. Also, transport outside London generally stops about 11.
Count your blessings!!!

Answer 10

Yes it can be bad - but you should have tried travelling on it 15 years ago! Compared to then it is positivley superb. LU still have a long way to go but at least they are heading in the right direction!