Clean, simple, stylish, uncluttered, straightforward - # 108
.....those charged with re-newing London's ancient transport infrastructure whilst keeping "the Centre of the Universe" moving 24 hours a day without a hitch might say "Yeah, tell me about it!". Government created a Public+Private Partnership company to bring investors' capital and the world's finest engineering and management expertise into this massive and difficult task. The latest progress report from Transport for London says that poor performance "completely undermines....our confidence in Metronet's management". This is a company made up of the finest names in North American, German, French, and British engineering. The problems are such that these powerful and respected companies now face significant damage to their names and reputation.
For me there's a lesson..........when things go wrong, be circumspect and humble before you jump into eager criticism. Transport and political economy freaks can start their search here: http://www.metronetrail.com/default.asp?sID=1077628467890
Nice photo! I like trains when they are not crowded :)
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not but this is almost identical with a station in Japan that I have a photo of. Take off the black orante iron work and it would be close to the one there. I like this photo.
ReplyDeleteHave your ever seen the top of two Hondas?
I like the perspective of this.
ReplyDeleteNYC's subway system just celebrated it's 100th anniversary so you can imagine how much work it needs to just keep the system running.
ReplyDeleteWhat the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority, a quasi-government organization run by mayoral and gubernatorial nominees, ie. major financial contributors to their election campaign) does is shut down some stations in one direction for repairs during the weekends.
So if the station you are trying to get to is shut down, you will have to take the express train to the next stop further down and switch to a local train and come back. Basically, you do a U-turn.
Personally, it is a necessary inconvenience in order to have the track work repaired or maintained.
Unfortunately for Richmond, District line is maintained by Metronet. Tube Lines seems to be better company.
ReplyDeleteThese are such important topics, and merit thought-out comments, but unfortunately this is not one of them. Yet, I feel that I should write in to indicate that I'm glad you highlight these issues.
ReplyDeleteZ in Villigen CH, mass-transport fan.