http://www.wired.co.uk/videos/wired-places/2009-04/29/underground-uncovered.aspx Worth 5 mins of your time. I'm very appreciative as I use the Northern Line daily
^^ My dad worked as a civil engineer on the underground for about 6 months back in the 70s, some of the stories of how much they do in such a short window are amazing...
Worked as a Sparks' mate for 2 years on the underground. I did Elephant & Castle (got on TV in that one, admittedly all dressed up in Tyvek suit, mask and Goggles, but I was there!) West Ruislip, and Ruislip manor. Good Stuff, hard work, but great fun.
That's pretty interesting, certainly a tight time schedule! I'm surprised there aren't more people on the maintenance crew (you'd think the tubes earn enough money!)
I'd wager that the tube in London is one of the best train services in the country. Mostly owing to the redundancy in the system, and apparently, the fact that so much goes on overnight. It's surprising how much goes into maintaining a railway, actually. I'd never have thought (Based on Network Rails appearance around me) that much happens, because (again, around here) everything always seems broken, or delayed.
The tube is a fascinating system tbh, whenever I use it I'm impressed at how efficient it is (even if it's miserable at rush hour). It certainly seems better organised and better maintained than the normal rail network anyway.
What always amazes me is that you are x meter underground zipping underneath everything that and whenever i use it, its not rush hour or packed so it seems a really good idea, on time and very efficient. Prices however are a little steep.
That was really interesting, I use the underground most of the time for work and although it can be a nightmare it's still really cool.
It's a load cheaper with an Oyster card - I've got one even though I only get to London on rare occasions.
It's an impressive system for sure - but that doesn't mean it's not annoying when you get stuck underground in a rush hour carriage in the middle of summer . Some of the new trains are apparently getting aircon, but the deep level tubes can't because of heating problems. And it's even cheaper if you study in London and get a student Oyster card - you get a 33% discount on travelcards, so it comes to less than 20 quid a week for unlimited bus/Tube travel.
I've watched a show about the underground before, but it didn't get into the modern aspects very much at all. It was more about the history of it. I know you said for those who ride it daily, but I wanted to watch it anyway. It took about 20 minutes to download (have cable broadband), but it was worth it. It seems like it filled in a gap of what I had seen before quite well.
for those interested the next big engineering project for the underground will be envrionmental systems. They need to bring the average temperature across the system to below 25C, as officially they have to close stations if the temp reaches 30C for more than 30 minutes. But they also need to make sure it's environmentally sustainable ie: they can't just pump the heat outside. We had an interesting lecture about it all and the trials they're running
Interesting! I think your view of the Underground really depends on what lines you use and how frequently you use it... The district, circle, hammersmith & city lines are terrible - infrequent trains and they go so slow! They are nicer to use though as the trains are more spacious, have less curvature in the roof (more head room near the doors!) and are generally cooler (not as deep + more open air) The central line on the other hand is brilliant. It's rare that I have to wait more than 1 minute for a train in the morning, and a wait for 3 minutes occurs no more than once a month or so. The problem however is the low ceiling, if you get stuck by a door it's impossible to stand straight unless you're a midgit! Plus, when it's busy, it gets bloody hot!
