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Originally Posted by nick_taylor
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?
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I haven't had a chance to see how London's transport looked some 10-15 years ago, but judging from some opinions it was a catastrophe...
But thanks for some interesting info here
Just a couple points:
I guess the lack of mobile coverage in the LU helps the bookshops to stay in business
Being serious, I would by no means find this as any sort of advantage. I use my mobile mostly for internet browsing and e-mail rather than talking and being unable to use it in the underground is a huge disadvantage.
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I am quite thankful that London hasn't got a vast car network! Cars are a cancer upon cities.
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That is something I would absolutely disagree with. Alas, to an extent this is a matter of taste I suppose. I admire massive highways crisscrossing the city. That gives the place more urban feel to it not even talking about advantages of being able to get from a to b with a car.
If American cities are not such great examples ("dead" downtowns after office hours) then something like Bangkok made me fall in love with cars and highways. Even if it's not necessarily compulsory to have 4 massive motorways forming a # over the downtown (as in Bangkok), a well developed road and highway network is NOT a "cancer" to any city. A well planned and maintained road network can boost the transportation capabilities tremendously.
Again, Singapore is a good example of what a well developed road network is. It by no means makes it bad or "cancer" to it. In fact, it's one of the most pleasant cities with some of the best public spaces in the world!
