please empty your brain below
The biggest fault is with Bombardier (train manufacturer) for not having the new trains ready in time. But tfl are not covering themselves in glory here....

In Scotland, new trains (class 385, Hitachi) Due this summer were delivered late, so Scotrail hired in other electric trains on short term lease (of which there are plenty at the moment, sitting in depots, unused) to cover the shortfall. But tfl have refused to consider this.... I'm sure there were logistical complications with what Scotrail did, but they solved them, and quickly. Cannot understand why this is beyond tfl capability...

IslandDweller | 17.11.18 - 8:22 a.m. | #

Presumably there is a cost implication of a short term lease. But late delivery under the contract with Bombardier should have consequences - liquidated damages perhaps, or the temporary hire should be an obvious consequential loss from a breach of contract - so TfL should be passing on the cost.

Andrew | 17.11.18 - 9:46 a.m. | #

The problem was more easily solved in Scotland because compatible trains were available. There are, I understand, no spare trains with the onboard cameras necessary for one person operation, and no suitably trained staff available to act as guards.

timbo again | Homepage | 17.11.18 - 10:26 a.m. | #

So, theoretically, if the new delivery gets later and later, I assume that the LO service would eventually reduce to zero trains!

I see that TfL status for the LO (now) lists the trains that will not run over the weekend. Today (Sat) 22 from Gospel Oak and 23 from Barking are cancelled

Rogmi | 17.11.18 - 10:40 a.m. | #

So past penny-pinching in getting rid of guards has now caused TFL huge reputational damage? Was it worth it?

JohnC | 17.11.18 - 10:45 a.m. | #

The new ferry looks very smart.

A shame they could not have managed to keep the service going during the changeover. But that would have cost more...

Malcolm | 17.11.18 - 10:56 a.m. | #

As a person with a mobility problem I am looking forward to Maryland Station getting its lifts. Station staff tell me that it should be within weeks.

joan | 17.11.18 - 10:58 a.m. | #

It's sad to read that the new ferry is diesel powered. They could easily have gone electric. We are doing it in Norway on longer connections than this.

Dubidubnp | 17.11.18 - 11:51 a.m. | #

@Malcolm
The gangways to the ferries have to be rebuilt to make them compatible with the new ferries, so the option of keeping it open wasn't available. The same thing happened in the 60s when they last replaced the ferries

Mikey C | 17.11.18 - 4:08 p.m. | #

The lease for the diesel trains runs out on December 31st. The whole new fleet definitely won’t be ready by then, and it’s quite likely *none* of the electric trains will be ready. Buses it is!

Graham | 17.11.18 - 5:53 p.m. | #

Nothing wrong with buses. Route D8 only exits because of DLR early failings, and public desire to trundle along the road, although the Goblin line is a bugger to run a road service on.

dg writes: The Goblin line is a bugger to run a road service on so, in this case, plenty wrong with buses.

scrumpy | 18.11.18 - 12:32 a.m. | #

It wouldn't be *quite* so bad if the two 172s *had* gone to the West Midlands. Apparently they are sat in Ilford depot going nowhere. It's unclear if they are being overhauled prior to transfer. It will be a real kick in the teeth if all 8 end up in Ilford on 1 Jan 2019 while the line has no trains at all.

@ Scrumpy - re the D8. The old D8 did indeed parallel the DLR but not anymore as it goes down the A12. The 108 now wiggles its way through Bow and Poplar to parallel the DLR. It doesn't though continue to the Isle of Dogs so TfL have broken the link forcing people to change at All Saints to other routes.

Also worth saying that the DLR wasn't completely shut due to no trains. It did at least run most of the time. We've already had endless blockades and closures on the GOBLIN for the upgrade. At least the works on the DLR were delivered with greater competence than we've seen with the GOBLIN works.

PC | 18.11.18 - 12:48 p.m. | #

I saw the 172's on Friday the one's I saw 172001/3/4 and 8 so I assume 2,5,6 or 7 have gone

James Balchin | 18.11.18 - 5:13 p.m. | #

The naming of the ferry for Ben Woollacott is a touching and rather beautiful gesture.

drD | 18.11.18 - 6:44 p.m. | #

Nice to see the new ferries have the dark blue lower sides similar to the tube, trams and Overground. Strange to think the old ferries once carried TfL Streets grey roundels before switching to TfL River blue ones.

| 18.11.18 - 9:29 p.m. | #

For the Goblin... if some information is correct, that's what you get for trying to use software to solve human problems. I am glad to have visited there before NR / Bombardier / DfT / TfL ruined everything.

Patrickov | 19.11.18 - 5:34 a.m. | #

Abellio London are providing a supplementary bus service (approx 2 per hour) over the Goblin route.The advice is if you are travelling one stop is to use the bus replacement.

Kevin Lucioni | 20.11.18 - 3:43 p.m. | #











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