Are We In For More Strikes On Tubes And The Railways?
Sometimes, I think that when I posted Après Bob, Le Déluge and asked this question.
Where else will this worrying new militancy turn up?
That I got things about right.
Transport for London, won the row about the closure of Ticket Offices and now contactless ticketing is used all over London, by virtually every passenger. You see very few orange cardboard tickets.
So the Unions lost that battle and then their friends on the left lost the much more important General Election in May!
This week, there are strikes on First Great Western over the introduction of new Class 800/801 trains and the Underground is being shut down by the strike over the introduction of the Night Tube.
On the First Great Western strike, I have a feeling, that these trains may not be all they’re supposed to be cracked up to me, after a brief conversation with a senior guy at FGW on a train.
I sometimes think that the Tube strike is all about the pay back to TfL on losing the Ticket Office issue and punishing passengers for not voting for Labour in the General Election.
The Night Tube is also a difficult battle to fight, as once it starts, because lots of people will depend on it, I suspect that it will be a very difficult service to stop. Like closure of Ticket Offices, it would be filed under things difficult to reverse like putting toothpaste back in the tube.
I do think though, that this is just the start of an Autumn of rail strikes. Especially, if Jeremy Corbyn is elected to be leader of the Labour Party and he decides to back them.
Although, if JC decided to be pragmatic, he could be the one person, who sorts out the Tube Strike. After all, he has no monetary responsibility, but he is a London MP, who if he becomes leader would be in debt to the Unions. If he got this right, then we could have a very Left Wing Labour Mayor or if he got it wrong, then, if the Tories put up a total nonentity, he or she would be home and hosed.
I do think that things will get a lot nastier and more angry before they get any better.
What Does The Left Know About The Economic Views Of The Man On The Dalston Omnibus?
London’s buses went cashless on the 6th July 2014, as was reported in the Guardian. The system has now expanded so you can use contactless payments on Buses, Underground, Overground, trams and National Rail in Greater London. And recently ApplePay has been allowed!
According to the Left and the Greens, this was going to result in all sorts of problems for passengers. But from what I can tell, the only thing suffering is the Oyster Card, as those on the Dalston Omnibus, would prefer their spare cash sitting in their bank account, rather than on an Oyster card, they will probably mislay.
I have extensive Google Alerts trying to locate problems with the system and I can’t find anything.
So so much for the competence of the economics of the Left Wing of British Politics!
I am surprised that we haven’t seen more special offers with contactless ticketing like Fare Free Friday to promote Mastercard.
Supposing someone like Highland Spring, wanted to promote their water and gave you say twenty pence every time, you used your contactless card on the system. This might appear on your credit or bank card statement as.
Keep hydrated on the Tube with Highland Spring.
It could be coupled with water vending machines all over the place.
I think if the prices and rewards were got right, it could be a winner.
A Wet Morning In Liverpool
Everybody likes to view places in the sun. But it was wet in Liverpool, as I walked around.
Liverpool’s town centre is almost unique, in that the whole area is mainly traffic-free and the new shopping centre of Liverpool One has been designed as an extension to the existing main shopping street. The main centre is also ringed by four railway stations, two bus stations, car parks and a three-lane dual carriageway, which separates the shops from the waterfront. Crossing between the waterfront with its attactions, museums and hotels, and the shops, is not by some dingy urinal-soaked subway, but by one of several light-controlled pedestrian crossings.
What is missing from Liverpool is the Overhead Railway or a modern replacement. This Google Map shows the Waterfront, the Albert Dock, where I stayed and the dual carriageway.
Liverpool Waterfront
Note how the dual carriageway has a wide central reservation. Surely Liverpool could run a tram or perhaps even a tram-train linked to the Northern Line down the Waterfront?
Glasgow Bin Lorry Driver Should Have Been Charged
According to this article on the BBC web site, a former prosecutor has said that the driver of the Glasgow bin lorry, that killed six people should have been charged. The report starts like this.
A former senior prosecutor has strongly criticised the decision not to charge the driver at the centre of the Glasgow bin lorry tragedy.
Brian McConachie QC said there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Harry Clarke.
He said the Crown Office had “jumped the gun” in not pressing charges.
I feel very strongly about this. After I had my stroke, my eyesight was terrible and I decided that to start driving again would not be a responsible thing to do.
My current GP, who has seen me for three years, feels that if I wanted to, I could get my licence back.
But quite frankly I couldn’t be bothered. And I have a lot of backing from my healthy bank account.
What worries me, is how many other Harry Clarkes are there driving around?
In the last four years, I had lifts from other drivers a few times and quite frankly with two of them my eyesight seemed better.
My eyesight problem incidentally, is that I can’t see moving objects low down on the left. So one nightmare on the street, is meeting a crocodile of young children, say being led by their teachers. Luckily I haven’t done anything I shouldn’t! A few times though, people wheeling cases have pulled in front of me from the left and I’ve bumped into the case. Only once have I ended up on the ground, as usually my balancing skills which are still tip-top have got me out of trouble.
Harry Clarke was extremely irresponsible, in not reporting his failing health problems!
Incidentally, if say I was fifty and had got my eyesight problem, as I live in London, I would get a Freedom Pass, entitling me to free public transport in Greater London. I get one anyway as I’m over the qualifying age.
Dementia Has Stabilised
According to this report on the BBC web site, research from the University of Cambridge has shown that dementia levels are stabilising.
A few years ago, Oxford University proved a link between having low B12 levels at 50 and dementia, if you had dementia in your family.
Could it be, that GPs, who now check out bloods regularly are having an effect?
When first tested at 50, my B12 levels were non-existent. Now at 68, they’re spot on!
And what is one way to help your B12 levels? – Go gluten free!
As other studies at other world-class universities, like Nottingham, have shown that a gluten-free lifestyle lowers your changes of getting cancer, I think that going gluten-free because of my coeliac disease, wasn’t one of the worst lifestyle decisions I made.
Could The Gospel Oak To Barking Line Be Extended To Ealing Broadway?
In their article on the future of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, Railfuture has a section entitled Benefits for passengers and train operations. It says this.
Electric trains have better acceleration and an Overground fleet of 4-car electric trains would be able to carry many more passengers, relieving overcrowding. All-electric extensions of the service at each end of the route, which TfL wants to run, become possible, such as to Barking Riverside in the east and/or to Willesden Junction/Clapham Junction (even Ealing?) to the west. Some other works would be needed, such as new platforms and subways at Gospel Oak on the through lines.
I agree with the point about extensions at either end of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line (GOBlin), but where in the West should the line go?
Railfuture suggests three choices and there are other plans in the pipeline that could decide where the GOBlin could go!
All options except four have a possible problem, in that trains would have to merge at Gospel Oak and share the North London Line to Willesden Junction.
1. Willesden Junction
This is the easy choice, as there is already a bay platform at Willesden Junction station and space for another.
2. Clapham Junction
Extension to Clapham Junction station would mean the trains going down the West London Line.
I think there are two major questions over extending to Clapham Junction.
Clapham Junction is a crowded station, which probably couldn’t cope with more than the four London Overground services each hour without building a new platform.
But it has to be asked, if the longer trains and better interchange at Willesden Junction would make it easier for passengers along the West London Line to get to the North of the City and thus obviate the need to increase services on the West London Line.
Another important question that has to be asked about the West London Line, is would it benefit from more stations, especially one to serve the new housing developments at Earls Court.
3. Ealing Broadway
The theory goes that because of Crossrail, the Central Line will see a decrease in passenger numbers from Ealing Broadway and that one of the Central Line platforms could be taken over by the GOBlin. This diagram from carto.metro.free.fr shows the layout of lines in the area from Ealing Broadway to the West London Line.
Ealing Broadway Station To West London Line
It is certainly possible to drive a train along the route and I suspect freight and Network Rail maintenance trains do it all the time.
But is it worth doing?
There is a discussion on District Dave’s web site, which kicks the extension to Ealing Broadway around, that probably comes to the conclusion it might cause all sort of operational problems for the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail.
4. Transport for London’s 2050 Plan
Transport for London’s 2050 Plan envisages some trains from the GOBlin linking via the Carlton Road junction to reach the Midland Main Line and Thameslink. I talked about this in Electrification of the GOBlin.
Doing this has two main advantages; GOBlin trains would not have to travel on the North London Line and there are plenty of places, that could be destinations.
As Gospel Oak’s sole terminal platform would now not be so important, as trains went around the station on existing lines to the South, Gospel Oak station could probably be redesigned and converted into a comprehensive high-capacity step-free interchange between the two Overground lines. This map from our French friends shows the layout of lines in the area.
Gospel Oak Lines
Note that in the top right of this map stations at Junction Road and Tufnell Park are shown, which could be joined together in the future.
5. Old Oak Common
The development of an interchange at Old Oak Common will be a big game changer, as it will line so many lines in the area.
So it is a possibility for a destination of GOBlin trains, but if there was a good interchange at Gospel Oak would it just be putting another service into the mix at Old Oak Common for the convenience of a few passengers.
So what would I do?
It is obvious, that electrification of the GOBlin, Crossrail and the developments at Old Oak Common would prompt a sort out of the various lines and services in the West of London.
I would possibly do some station improvements to improve connectivity for a start.
- Willesden Junction is not an easy interchange and could be rebuilt to be much better.
- Gospel Oak is not a proper interchange and if the GOBlin starts to use the Carlton Road junction, then it will need to be rebuilt.
- There have been plans to connect the North London Line to the Central Line at North Acton.
- Central Line platforms could be built at Park Royal station.
There are also questions to be answered.
- Where does the Dudding Hill Line fit in all this?
- Will Crossrail make the western end of the Ealing Broadway branch of the Central Line less important.
- Could the Piccadily Line and the Central Line be simplified?
There are so many possibilities.
Conclusion
I doubt that the GOBlin will ever go to Ealing Broadway, although going along the Dudding Hill Line is a serious possibility.
Zopa Lobbies For Peer-to-Peer Loans To Go In Pension Pots
My Google Alert for Zopa picked up this article from Yahoo, who got it from the Telegraph.
The title of this post and the Yahoo article says it all.
If pension pots end up in Zopa and the other sound peer-to-peer lenders, just what is this going to do for banks, as it will probably mean that all the decent personal loan business in their hands will go to the peer-to-peer lenders.
I wouldn’t think bank shares look to be a good long term investment.
The growth of Zopa might have an interesting side effect. Imagine a group of friends having a quiet drink in a pub and one of their number turns up in a shiny new car. On discussing the purchase, the buyer reveals they bought it with a Zopa loan, that they got at a good rate, because they have a good credit rating. So will their jealous friends, decide to do something about their dodgy finance, so they too, can have a decent set of wheels.
Peer pressure can work in mysterious ways.
If it does encourage people to clean up their finances, Zopa will have achieved something, that financial commentators and politicians have been trying to do for years!
I think too, that Zopa, which has just lent its billionth pound, is now getting too big for politicians to stop or even nationalise. Which probably means that money in Zopa is even more secure.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
To put it mildly Ipswich have had some rubbish on loan from various Premier League clubs in the past.
But Ainsley Maitland-Niles is in a different class.
He has all the skills and he has that added factor that so many youngsters don’t seem to possess – Keenness to get on with the game. And not in a selfish way!
For Ipswich’s first goal yesterday against Burnley, he brought the ball forward to the edge of the penalty area. Most players would have shot from distance, but he saw that Brett Pitman was free on his right and he was able to put the ball across goal for Freddie Sears to slot in.
But don’t take my word for the quality of his performance! These two paragraphs from the report in the East Anglian Daily Times describe his part in the two goals.
After Maitland-Niles’ pass into the channel, Pitman steered a low cross towards the back post and Sears only had to provide the slightest of touches inside the six yard box to help the ball on its way into the bottom corner.
One-nil became 2-0 five minutes later in the most simple of fashions; McGoldrick barely having to jump to head home Maitland-Niles’ corner from around eight yards out.
And this is Mick McCarthy’s view in an article on the BBC web site.
Read it all!
We’ve not seen a youngster of this class, wearing the blue of Ipswich since Kieron Dyer.
ollybars At The Reilly Rocket
The Reilly Rocket is a cafe on my walking route home from Dalston Junction station and the Kingsland High Road, that I occasionally use for a small refreshment.
Today I popped in and found they were promoting ollybars on the counter.
So I ate one with my pot of English breakfast tea and took another home for later.
At two quid they may be more expensive than say EatNakd bars, but they are very good.
Too many gluten-free snacks are either bland or have the texture of sawdust.
ollybars are not guilty of either fault.
Congratulations to Olly!
The Easiest Way To Get To Ipswich For Tuesday Night Football
Tuesday night football at Ipswich, and probably Colchester, is a difficult and overly expensive journey, when you have to trouble out for a kick-off at 19:45 using the crowded trains of the rush hour, which charge you more for your pleasure.
Normally if I want to go to Ipswich on a Saturday, it costs me £26.25 for an Off Peak Return from Liverpool Street with a Senior Railcard. But last night, on a Tuesday it would have cost me £50.65.
But Crossrail has come into play with the takeover of the Shenfield Metro by TfL Rail, which means I can use my Freedom Pass to Shenfield for nothing. Younger people, using Oyster or contactless cards have seen a reduction in cost, which some publicity claims is 40%.
So last night, as I had to stop off at Forest Gate on the way, I took TfL Rail to Shenfield in the rush hour.
I then exited the station, had a coffee in one of several nice independent cafes around the station and then re-entered after buying a return ticket from Shenfield to Ipswich, which got me to the ground at a convenient time for the match.
It was all very civilised and for most of the way, I had a seat and was able to sit comfortably and read the paper, as most of the other passengers had departed by Witham.
And for this I paid the princely sum of £16.75, which is approximately a third of the regular price. Here’s the proof.
London To Ipswich For £16.75
I shall be going this way again, especially as I have friends in Shenfield, with whom I could share a drink.
This is a substantial benefit to anybody living in London with a Freedom Pass, who needs to go to anywhere in the South Eastern portion of East Anglia.
You’ve always been able to buy tickets from the Zone 6 Boundary, but the trouble with that is Harold Wood, which isn’t as well connected as Shenfield. You also have difficulty buying these tickets on-line and usually have to go to a booking office.
If you don’t have a Freedom Pass, using contactless cards to Shenfield on TfL Rail and then using an onward ticket from Shenfield may well be cheaper for the whole journey.
Of course, if you bought your onward ticket from Shenfield before you travelled, all you would do is get off one train at Shenfield and get on another to your ultimate destination.
The only drawback is that the journey via Shenfield is slower.
Currently, Ipswich is about 70 minutes from Liverpool Street, but when the Norwich in Ninety improvements are completed, I think we could see this time reduced to 60 minutes or even less. New trains with sliding doors would help too!
Shenfield is 43 minutes from Liverpool Street at the moment, but Crossrail will reduce this by a couple of minutes. Ipswich is probably an hour past Shenfield, but Norwich in Ninety must reduce this.
The biggest change could come when Crossrail opens and there is a new East Anglian rail franchise. If I was bidding for the new franchise, I would stop a proportion of the fast London-Colchester-Ipswich-Norwich trains at Stratford, Romford or Shenfield to interface with Crossrail, so that the journeys for passengers were optimised to get as many on board as possible., to maximise my company’s profits and hopefully my bonus.
Norwich in Ninety plus Crossrail can only mean that house prices in East Anglia will continue to rise.
The Anonymous Widower 