Minority vote for Tube strike, yet Crow says down tools

RMT union leaders have called for Northern line drivers at the Morden depot to strike for 24 hours from Friday 17 December until Saturday 18 December 2010, in a row over staff dismissals. However, the ballots which took place earlier this week showed Northern line staff rejected the strike call.

Of the 192 staff balloted over the dispute, only 80 voted, with less than 20 per cent voting for strike action - 38 people. The driver in question has not even been dismissed.


A similar low ballot turnout occurred over the dismissal of a Bakerloo Line driver. Just 42 people voted for strike action out of a total of 119 balloted - that's a third of the total members.

Howard Collins, LU's chief operating officer, said: 'The RMT leadership has utterly failed in its attempt to gain support from staff on the Northern line for a driver being dealt with over allegations of totally unacceptable and abusive behaviour towards colleagues.

"It is also utterly outrageous for the RMT to threaten strike action in support of someone dismissed for a serious breach of safety rules on the Bakerloo line.

'The facts speak for themselves. Yet again, the RMT leadership shows utter contempt for Londoners and the integrity of their own strike ballot process.

'They should end these pointless strike threats and get on with working with us to deliver an upgraded Tube system for London.'

Bakerloo Line London Underground tube drivers based at Elephant & Castle and Queens Park, have also been asked by the union to stop working at the same time.

Bob Crow makes no mention of the low turnout and the low numbers of people voting for strike action and says "Instead of harassing our members and activists on trumped up charges the London Underground management should be directing their energies into reaching a settlement to the on-going disputes over tube safety and safe staffing levels."

Instead of striking when the majority of people who voted clearly didn't want to strike, I'd suggest the RMT leaders should be directing their energies into proving exactly what safety issues are at stake in the wider Tube strikes.

On a practical level, I'd imagine these calls to "down tools" will have little impact on the Northern & Bakerloo Lines. London Underground (& I'm guessing all the people who didn't vote to strike) fully intends to run services on these and all other lines. But check the Tube's website before you leave for the latest information.

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Update 17th December 2010 - According to Harrow Observer Bakerloo line services will be suspended between Harrow and Wealdstone and Queens Park stations on 18th December due to the above action.

Members of the RMT union will walk out at 9pm 17th December for 24 hours and while tonight London Underground (LU) said the service will be 'largely unaffected', tomorrow only a partial service will be in operation south from Queens Park south to Elephant and Castle.

christina aguilera leaked photos

Here we go again. Christina Aguilera is the latest star to leak fall victim to hackers releasing n**e photos of her.

Aguilera’s camp confirms that the photos are real and explains how they were illegally obtained.

Christina, who has been pretty desperate for attention lately, apparently sent these racy photos to her stylist and a "hacker" got in and leaked them online.

"The photos of Christina Aguilera being leaked to the press were illegally obtained by a hacker who tapped into Christina's personal stylist's account," according to a statement from the singer's rep.

A rep for the singer also added:

“The photos were taken in the privacy of Ms. Aguilera’s home and were used only in a personal exchange between the star and her stylist.”

“We find the actions of the hackers and the press who purchased and/or obtained these photos to be irresponsible and actionable. We are attempting to determine the identity of the hackers and will pursue them aggressively. Their conduct is reprehensible.”

A rep tells that legal action will be taken.

The question is,why the hell are you taking half naked photos and sending them to your stylist? And secondly, how messed up does she look in the photos?


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Signs of Christmas on the Tube

A giant Santa balloon floating above heads at Hammersmith London Underground.


It's been there for a few days now - wonder how long it will take to come down?

If you spot any other Xmassy Tube sights (it's just coming up to office party season) send them my way and I'll feature the best here.

If you're looking for TfL's plans for Christmas & New Year opening hours on the Tube - visit their site.

London Transport Museum visit Delhi's Metro

A guest post from Jane Findlay & Michelle Brown - Community Curators from London Transport Museum on their recent visit to Delhi and a fascinating look at the underground system there.


"Space to sit down, spotless carriages and air conditioning. We could definitely get used to this. Delhi Metro is not all like this of course; being female we’re privileged to get a space in the quieter ladies carriage…but it’s not far off. Like any Tube train at rush hour, things can get pretty packed in the general cars, but with sleek and shiny new trains and regular service you can see why Delhi Metro has become a popular way for Delhiites to traverse their city.



Delhi Metro is one of the world’s newest underground systems and is expanding rapidly. Run by the private company Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, it has the ambitious goal of building a Metro station within 500 metres of every home by 2021. The Metro received a real boost by the Commonwealth Games, which saw more people using it through giving travel tickets away with admission to the Games, and just this month ridership crossed the 1.6 million mark. It's soon to open high-speed airport connection which will no doubt add to its appeal, providing a fast and efficient way to enter the city.



As London Transport Museum’s Community Curators we’ve been busy exploring how New Delhi’s new Metro network is affecting people’s journeys, experiences and understandings of this bustling and ever-changing city. The project was funded by a British Council Connections through Culture programme and London Museums Hub 2012 Cultural Olympiad project, Stories of the World: London (SOTW) a major focus of which is engaging with young people.

With congestion choking the roads and causing heavy pollution, the Metro is a boon to the people of Delhi, who are really starting to embrace this new mode of transport. Craving not only the increased comfort and speed, the key to its success is its reliability. Interviews with commuters exploring the impact on the city highlighted that knowing you will reach your destination in 40 minutes as opposed to relying on traffic conditions on the roads is a huge advantage to passengers.

Delhiites are rightly very proud of their new transport system. The Metro’s ‘Delhi Metro Citizens Forum’, a 500 strong group of volunteers trained to guide and assist passengers in travel ettiquette, are proof of the public’s dedication to the system.

Linking up with Delhi Metro during our recent trip to Delhi we were fortunate to join some of the forum members out and about on the network as they went about their day, ensuring people gave up their seats for the elderly and helping people use the map to navigate.

Across the world people use diverse means to travel throughout their cities, however a common thread of all major cities is the influence of public transport on a city’s growth, in both a physical and a social sense. London Underground is the world’s oldest underground system, nearing 150 years old – now a London icon, it has played a major role in shaping the Capital’s identity. The project undertaken in New Delhi provided a fascinating insight into how one of the world’s newest rail networks is impacting on the city. London Transport Museum looks forward to strengthening the partnerships that were created during the project and will continue to keep watch on how New Delhi develops in response to its new transport links.

Thanks to Jane & Michelle for a great post and you can see more pictures from their visit here.

Subway Bingo iPhone App

Someone needs to build one of these for the London Underground & call it Tubingo. You've probably played "Lingo Bingo" in meetings at work, marking off buzzwords each time they're mentioned. Now there's a free subway app based on ticking off the people you see on a Metro commute in New York.


The designers describe the app: "Have fun riding the subway while finding and checking off all of the characters that subway commuters know and love. When you get five in a row, BINGO!

Created by New Yorkers, this game features beautiful artwork and an insider's attention to detail. Subway BINGO is a totally fun way to pass the time on the train or subway platform....Dozens and dozens of real-life characters, moving subway doors, and more!


It would need to be Tubecized / anglicized  to cover London but I reckon it would be popular.

In fact it reminded me of the spoof video of teenagers playing "Tube Poker" - supposedly "an illegal gambling craze played on the London Underground".


Hat tip to S N Barnes for the link!

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Swipe Kate & Wills with Royal Wedding Oyster card

TfL look set to cash in on the Royal Wedding by producing a special edition Oyster card. In what I hope is just a mock up (because it looks awful), the Evening Standard have a design on their website.



TfL commissioner Peter Hendy wanted to follow the Hong Kong example of selling limited edition cards, some of which are apparently worth a fortune. He said "We will do one for the royal wedding and it will be extremely tasteful. It will be the first-ever one we have put on general release."

The card doesn't come with any royal privileges and acts like a normal Oyster.  But it  may come with a specially embossed card-holder. Mike Brown, London Underground's MD helpfully said: “You can use it forever, you can use it for a day, or you can never use it at all.”

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor’s transport adviser, added "It’s early days but it's an exciting opportunity. We want to help celebrate the fantastic occasion that will be the royal wedding. It's a good way to bring a level of excitement and ingenuity to something we rely on every day."

Can't you feel the excitement of swiping Kate and Prince William on your daily commute? I can hardly wait!

Update - Jon Justice has sent in a mock up for the card that could be more interesting!



Perhaps TfL can get some ideas from it!

Update - 29th March 2011 - TfL have unveiled the official Limited Edition Royal Wedding Oyster Card

Snow on the Tube

Amazingly the London Underground is holding up in the snow. Apart from the severe delays on the District, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. And the severe delays on the DLR. And the minor delays on the the Jubilee and reports of rain inside carriages on the Northern Line (Thanks antiquote - that's a new one).


Here's one of the few District Line trains that were running between Richmond & Turnham Green this morning. Seriously, I suppose things could have been worse, at least the London Underground was running - unlike Southeastern trains.


Also looks like fewer people were risking coming in on Boris Bikes as the docks around the corner from my work were much fuller than normal.

Good luck getting home!

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