please empty your brain below
Fascinating. But why don't they capitalise on the low weekend demand to get extra maintenance done on more of the fleet?

And perhaps "sensitive" (fragile, temperamental) parts with 5mm tolerances are not ideal for doors that get regularly bashed by passengers and their luggage?

Andrew | 22.09.13 - 8:31 a.m. | #

I hit my head every time I get off a Jubilee line train anyway. Dunno why, I don't on any of the other tube trains.

Kirk | 22.09.13 - 8:59 a.m. | #

Many years ago (about ten I reckon) I was on a Piccadilly Line train, scooting towards Central London. Then at one stop - South Ken or something - this engineer leapt on.

The train moved off and he asked everyone on a bank of seats to stand up. He then proceeded to whip the seats up and start banging at things with a spanner until promptly finishing by the next stop and leaping off.

Maintenance on the trains clearly isn't always done in the depot!

Andrew Bowden | Homepage | 22.09.13 - 11:25 a.m. | #

The older stock was much simpler to maintain. It was always reckoned that the fitter carried three items - oil can, hammer and a condom. If it kept sticking, they oiled it. If it didn't move, they hit it. If neither worked, then ....!

Rogmi | 22.09.13 - 1:44 p.m. | #

There is a missed opportunity. I realise that public visits of this sort are very disruptive to the depot working and take a lot of advance planning, let alone the H&S nightmare, but there is so much goodwill, good publicity and good customer relations to be gained by these sort of things.

Whilst many anoraks will jump at a chance to visit a depot, there are also many other people who would willing go if they were able to.

Another option is to have roadshows at different places now and again, perhaps with a theme, explaining what is involved with running the railway. Perhaps giving examples of why all the signal failures occur or, as in the depot visit, showing how trains are delayed etc.

There are plenty of busy stations where there is suitable space that can be used for this. However, it's unlikely to happen as everything will be looked at on a cost basis. Unlike the past, these days everything is effectively privatised (as with the Northern line stock maintenance) or run by individual departments each with its own budget and trying to charge other departments as much as they can.

There are lost opportunities where there is plenty of space, though. Anybody remember the car that was on show on the (wide) SB platform at Angel?

Rogmi | 22.09.13 - 1:57 p.m. | #

`Educating the public' can be done in many ways. Over the last year there have been two series on BBC -- one about the tube network and one on the bus network. Both were very good PR, giving an entertaining view of how the staff keep the networks running despite technical problems and the occasional stupidity of a small number of passengers.

jack hopkins | 22.09.13 - 5:13 p.m. | #

Very interesting. All that electrical gear under the seats no wonder the trains get so warm. No London Open House for me this year as I have returned to Spain to escape the UK winter. I did get to the Hawker Aircraft exhibition at the Heritage events in Kingston last weekend. Kingston has Open weekend, Heritage weekend, a week early, seems to think it is not a London Borough.

John | 22.09.13 - 5:32 p.m. | #

Im guessing, but id imagine the majority of problems on the tube are caused by tourists. Leaning on doors, loitering at the top/bottom of escalators, gathering around the entrance to a platform, trying to board trains before passengers get off.

Until TfL fundamentally grasp at a strategic level that better visual signage is desperately required to fix this, they can make as many spoken announcements as they like, but these people will continue to do what they do, simply because its human instinct to look and not listen.

For your safety and sanity, cctv will not be used on this comment.

| 22.09.13 - 11:33 p.m. | #

Earlier this year (or maybe it was last year) the station supervisor at Manor House put on an excellent Open Day at the station, including a behind-the-scenes tour. It seems these things can still be done.

Anonymous | 22.09.13 - 11:41 p.m. | #

For those of us not able to attend Open House in person it's always a delight trying to guess where DG will visit. A tube depot may have been an obvious first St but I'm sure he's got a few surprises lined up for us to read about in the next few days.

whiff | 23.09.13 - 4:27 a.m. | #

Hats off to TfL for a great Open House weekend. I had the opportunity of visiting Stratford Market depot on Saturday and then 55 Broadway on Sunday. The goody bag at Stratford was a nice touch, but I then had to carry it around for the rest of the day.

Having read previous Open House write-ups about 55 Broadway I was aware that photography was not going to be allowed, but this year it was positively encouraged throughout the building. Their explanation was that as they have had the estate agents in taking pictures then there was no reason why we shouldn't be allowed to either.

Neil | 23.09.13 - 12:38 p.m. | #

OK - so when I posted last Friday that I'd be visiting Stratford Market Depot and then Canary Wharf tower, I had no idea that DG would be following an exacting path ...!

Glad you enjoyed it too, DG. The Depot was a joy to wander round, with some very interested folk leading the way and willing to answer all the questions put to them!

Jordan D | 23.09.13 - 4:05 p.m. | #

It was Heritage Open Days last weekend - different but similar - http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ - presuambly Kingston were doing that instead, for some reason.

As I understand it, Harrow organised their own parallel event this weekend!

Andrew | 23.09.13 - 5:49 p.m. | #

Nothing from the London Borough of Bromley unfortunately. I guess the council thinks local people are only interested in shopping and fake tans, not architecture and culture.

| 24.09.13 - 8:48 a.m. | #

What tour were you on?

Audrey | 24.09.13 - 1:47 p.m. | #











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