Anyone work for TFL?
- Thread starter J-FRO
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You elegantly avoid the question of who would foot the bill for the huge, monumentally expensive infrastructure upgrades needed? The fact that public have bailed out railtrack and subsidised the TOCs for years is neither here nor there in this debate. The costs were for maintenance and upkeep of a railway system left to decline by a bloated and archaic British rail system. Modernising is a whole different ballgame.
An automated system would take years to implement at massive cost. Comparable countries also have nationalised rail systems paid for from the public purse. Would you want to return to a nationalised rail system? Is the cost of modernising large sections of rail infrastructure, which would run into billions of pounds, worth it compared to a driver's salary? In the long term possibly but what government in power for a four year term would commit to such a massive undertaking?
Again, how is that different to the poor souls who live on the Jubilee/Metropolitan/DLR/Overground lines? These lines are consistently closed every weekend
Closed for essential maintenance and repairs. Not modernising or upgrading for an automated driver-less system.
Are you sure? The TFL website specifically uses the word "upgrade" in relation to the Jubilee line closures. I haven't checked the other lines...
Just catch the bus, if it takes two hours instead of 45 minutes leave an hour and 15 minutes earlier. If your oyster card is too expensive take it up with Boris, they are cutting the fuel subsidies.
As for pay, it is a reasonable sum for the job, and sacking people for being trade union activists is wrong, so if their union members are standing by them, well thats what unions are for.
Is is only a train service, not the end of the world.
As for pay, it is a reasonable sum for the job, and sacking people for being trade union activists is wrong, so if their union members are standing by them, well thats what unions are for.
Is is only a train service, not the end of the world.
Well the tracks themselves are being replaced there..long overdue too.It will allow the trains to run at an increased line speed. A lot of the infrastructure is now 'life expired' having been installed in the 80s so is being replaced. The question I suppose is whether replacing 30 year old track and interlocking is actually 'upgrading' or not. In my opinion it isn't upgrading that any passenger is likely to notice.
I disagree, an improved interlocking will allow for tighter control over routes, schedules and track side maintenance. All of which will provide a discernible benefit to the passenger in terms of reliability, expandability and speed of service. That's the first step to an automated system. The new interlockings will support automatic train control and as such are a necessary stage to future development when the infrastructure (and funding) will allow it.
The problem with the underground lines in particular is, as you say, that they are so old that a lot of the maintenance work being done is purely from an upkeep point of view rather than improvement. I mean, half the cables and equipment in those tunnels is so old and rodent infested, it probably falls apart if you touch it. When infrastructure improvements were carried out in the past, the old stuff was likely left in there alongside it leading to much confusion today when they try and fix something.
A number of services already run automated to an extent and the the rest will follow.
Maybe it'll be ok then but I'm visually impaired (making it difficult to read displays from a distance) and based on experiences on buses outside London when in unfamiliar areas it isn't something I'd fancy doing at night in case I got off in the 'wrong area' if you know what I mean. The problem I have is that even when you have a map/timetable sometimes buses stop at random places (request stops, due to traffic or whatever) making it much harder to know where you are. Whereas on a train, the only places you can get on/off are on a scheduled stop with big signs saying the name of the station.
The Jubilee line is a special case. Half of the line is really, really old. The other half (from Green Park to Stratford) is really, really new. The trains run autonomously from Green Park to Stratford, but have to be manual the other side. The "upgrade" they are talking about is to upgrade the old part of the line.
That's what they'd like you to believe, but the truth is the modern equipment is no more reliable than the old stuff, will never last as long and is a lot more complicated and fiddly when it comes to fault finding.
For example, where an old point detection circuit would have 1 relay, more modern circuits turn one relay into 4.
I'm all for change, but when you see first hand the junk that is being installed and the problems you have to fix afterwards, you can't help but be cynical about it.
They can't justify it aside from the fact that it's their "right". Read in the Evening Standard this evening that Boris wants Cameron to help get tougher laws in place sooner to curb the influence of trade unions that affect public transport. He want's measures such as a strike only being allowed if 50%+ vote in favour for it etc. Which is not unreasonable to be honest. It's not even like the majority of TFL workers want to disrupt us. Just the few selfish arrogant rear ends who are only thinking of themselves. It just amazes me that effectively we the commuters pay their wage and yet we have so very little influence on any of this. We need their powers curbed it's just ridiculous and this past year with several strikers has proven this.
git.
That's just not a practical solution and nor is leaving over an hour earlier. I've got exams coming up which very much determine my future career. I want to get to them calmly without any worry about missing them and being adequately rested. I don't pay almost 9k to do my course to have is screwed up by a few public transport people having a hissy feet about their friend getting the sack. Even to leave earlier by bus would be ridiculous. Having to be at the location of my exams by 8:30am should not mean I have to leave my house at half 6 in the morning. It's just stupid.
I see the stuff that's being installed first hand
What are you referring to? Relay interlockings to new replacement relay interlockings?
I'm talking about the stuff that is replacing SSI. Stuff that's been in operation in the continent for a good while! I don't use the term 'new' because, as always the UK railway is a generation behind.
Associate
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Like this?:
Crossrail
Exactly what you describe, but also horrendously expensive - which is unavoidable in London unfortunately due to a combination of massive land value and the enormous amount of subterranean construction already in situ -new tunnels have to be threaded above and below what is already there whilst avoiding it collapsing, as well as not disrupting all the archaelogical sites present.
Incorrect.
The TBTC system is currently running from Stratford to Dollis Hill (if i remember correctly). The final stretch is still being tested and trialed. Well it was in March/April time.
The closures on Jubilee and Met lines have mainly been to do with the upgrade of the signalling. ExRayTed has posted some good info, but as I've mentioned the closures have mainly been for the signalling upgrade. Maintenance and other works can only be carried out if the testing of the signalling is only occuring on certain parts of the line, if the whole line is being used then you can't do any works
Also, you can;t compare the Underground to other Metros around the world. Having the first system has been our biggest downfall in terms of dragging it into the 21st century. The whole layout and space down there in the deep lines mean it is extremely hard to do the maintenance, let alone upgrade to a whole new type of moving block signalling. People really don't realise how hard a job it is for the companies to try and keep the system going, let alone upgrade it!
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Agreed with the OP. RMT are scum, TFL are scum. I hope with this further wave of strikes Cameron finally sorts out the ballot rules. As it stands it doesnt matter how many members take part on a strike ballot, as long as there's a majority decision. You can have 3 people take part in the ballot.. as long as 2 vote for the strike then wahey let's shut down London
Who would turn down a guaranteed 4% payrise this year, followed by 0.25% above inflation for the next 4 years? With inflation at 5.5% that's a payrise of 5.75% in the following year. Why, RMT of coursehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13193620
I would expect that their problem is not about next year but the fact that a 4% this year is essentially a 1.5% paycut, isn't it? Why would they accept a paycut?
Also, I understand that by taking this multiyear agreement they would have to forfeit any further negotiations next year with the Olympics, and if there is one golden opportunity for the unions is exactly that.
Don't forget, the job of the trade union is to achieve the best for its members, that's why the members pay them. Would you like to have an agent that gets you contracts where you end up out of pocket? Or would you enjoy being a consultant that offers quotes under cost?
+1,
What makes it so hard is not so much the technical aspect of it, but the fact that the engineers and workers have something like 3 hours every night to do maintenance and upgrade work. Which of course makes the whole plan impossible. Therefore they are squeezed into weekend closures to do the works and by the time they get the equipment down there they have to get out. TFL under the previous Managing Director has consistently refused to even consider long blockades to get the job done.
I suppose it depends on whether you'd prefer to have 50 weekend closures (Victoria line anyone?) or a 2-week shutdown (numbers are out of thin air and just for illustration purposes) of a line to get it shorted and done with. Not an easy decision for anyone to make I guess.
They'll strike like crazy if they get introduced.
Typical Luddite behavior tbh.. ticket offices aren't required as much thanks to Oyster cards. Hopefully one day we we'll be able to automate the system even further.
If we gave into the these sorts of people then the industrial revolution would never have gotten off the ground, computers wouldn't exist and we'd still require a large portion of the population to work in agriculture.
I work for TfL in HR and I sleep just fine.Do you really think anyone here would admit to working for TFL?
Do you guys really think TfL enjoys it when the unions decide to strike?
The Train Operator roles were being advertised for £38k p.a. last time they were up. They get 52 days a year annual leave, but have to work all the bank holidays. They haven't recruited any new station staff or train drivers for a couple years now though.
I get a free travel pass for myself and a nominee. Giving away free travel doesn't really cost the company anything other than admin costs.
I don't know what department Business Intelligence is, I probably know a lot of people who work for us though. Everyone comes through my department
Cycle, I can get from one side of london to the other in no more than an hour
Soldato
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I'd have a google if I were you... Information Management is a very big thing, and there's a decent amount of money in it.