Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonas
I guess my 'problem' is that due to my extensive interest in Asia I have had a chance to try some of the best public transportation systems in the world (that's Hong Kong and Singapore) which made London public transport look decrepit in my eyes. 
Another perspective I see things from is the 'balance' of public transport v private road transport (i.e. road network and cars).
In America most cities have insufficient public transport but have indeed massive and convenient road/freeway system which compensates that. You can get anywhere in a car in a short period of time (apart from heavy rush hours). In London car is something you have to forget unless ready to spend hours maneuvering through chaotic network of narrow streets i.e. no highways in central part of the city and even supposed 'loops' (North and South circular) are insufficient.
Given that road network in a city is totally insufficient (as it is in London), public transport should be state-of-the-art and cheap. Again, it is neither in London. People are being forced out of their cars but the alternative they have is far from perfect.
I don't believe London could ever improve its roads which is why public transport should be made top-notch. It would take loads of cash but it's possible.
Those improvements we see are good but that looks more like maintenance rather than significant upgrades (exceptions being Crossrail which we'll hopefuly have built some day, and East London line).
And yet, I still cannot understand what is the reason why buses (not to mention tube trains) have no air-conditioning. I can't understand how elderly and other less physically capable people are able to bear that and not die in hotter summer days! |
Don't get me wrong, as someone born in Singapore, I acknowledge that Singapore, and other Asian cities are developing impressive transport networks.
I honestly doubt that London could ever afford to maintain the 600+ station and 1,200+ route km (and continually growing) network to the clinical look that say Singapore achieves without a far larger population. It is afterall far easier to look after a system which has fewer interchanges than the pre-expansion East London Line which had a length of 7.4km.
And to address your points:
- Air-conditioing is being rolled out across the network on the sub-surface rolling stock from next year. On the deep-level trains, air conditioning systems don't work (i, the tunnel would retain the heat generated by the air con unit and ii, they haven't been minaturised enough), so a new technology akin to a giant ice-gel pack will probably be created that cools the train, which will also be more environmentally friendly. Stations are being upgraded with new ventilation systems to help rectify this situation. I would stress that while it does get hot sometimes, air con isn't as much of a requirement as it is in tropical climates like Singapore or Hong Kong;
- Walk-through trains will be launching next year (the same rolling stock as seen in Shanghai and Shenzhen), but would not be possible on the deep-level trains due to technological limitations;
- Delays are becoming rarer as more advanced signalling systems are brought in (eg on the Jubilee), lines become completely driverless and the rail infrastructure is upgraded. Service levels aren't that far off new systems such as in Hong Kong which is a real achievement;
- Orange the mobile phone operator is bringing in a system that would allow people to use their mobiles in the deep parts of the network. Personally I'm not a fan of this as the Tube is one of the few places in Central London to get away from the annoyance of ring tones and people talking loud.
- Work on Crossrail won't start until 2010 because of work on the ELLE and Thameslink and main works (ie the interchanges) would collide with the hosting of the 2012 Olympics. Working like this allows for the same workforce to be moved over, eg: i) Jubilee Line Extension > HSR1 > Thameslink > Crossrail 2, ii) East London Line Extension & DLR > Crossrail > Crossrail 3, etc....
- There are indeed stations that get extremely overcrowded (where doesn't?), but that is what redevelopment works at the major choke points are for, eg the complete re-build of the termini of St Pancras and King's Cross and the underground complex they both share, then you have planned re-builds of entire termini such as at Victoria, London Bridge, Blackfriars, Euston and Waterloo.
If the present network is a disaster/mess, then what was it previously?
I am quite thankful that London hasn't got a vast car network! Cars are a cancer upon cities.