London Underground

I hate the tube. I hate slithering underground each day, twice a day, to squeeze inside the foetid air, and duck under the radar of the shifty looks of not looking at people. I hate the scramble for seats and the looks of triumph people give when they beat you to the prickly cushioned thrones of privilige. I hate getting stuck in the clanking darkness underground. I don't mind the nutters, the weirdos, the chanters, the dreamers. (And I like to sneak looks at what people are reading, watch the concentration as three people play snake on their mobiles.) It's the stale-sweating suits that piss me off, the ones who never notice the people who really need a seat. It's the open-mouthed gum-chewers and the burger-scoffers that scatter their detritus across the stained floors.

In recent mornings the trains have been speckled with mother-and-daughter tourists. The elegant mother, with a neatly tucked yellow wool scarf, adjusting her cuffs and then flicking anxiously through the guidebook while her daughter stared up at the ceiling with teenage ennui. The most beautiful girl, cramped tight with awkwardness, rubbing her brown-booted feet together and shoving her hands deeper and deeper into the pouch pocket of her fuzzy pale blue fleece. Her face so smooth, and sparkling with energy, despite the arias of bored sighing that accompanied each sideways glance at her mother's comments.

The tube is my favourite zoo. I turn the pages of my book with careful regularity and eavesdrop with delight. I watch people in the ricocheted reflections, and try to store away the scraps of their lives that I can catch. the leather trousered stickboy explaining marxist history to his grandmother, who tutted him and told him he was a tory at heart. The gold-earringed girl giggling into her hands as she whispered the name of her secret crush to her schoolpal (twisting the strap of her book bag into spirals). The woolly-jumpered old man reminiscing about his long dead wife, pausing, and the exhaling so fondly, "by god, that woman could snore!"

The tube stank of rotting flowers, old piss and stale beer. A double assault--two dozing tramps, one at either end of the carriage, each with their heads falling forwards in the heaviness of boozeclouds, but their fingers gripped with tight urgency around the unnerving gold of the Special Brew cans. (The beer that dissolves the mind and smells like old death when sweated through layers of all winter long clothes.) White hogbristle beard growth breaking through the paintpink flush of face. The bare ankles corned beef toned with failing circulation above unpaired shoes. A sudden stumble lurch as he aims for the closing door, escapes, and stunned, stock still on the platform, watches the vanishing train with amazement.

And at the next stop, this one is replaced with a more jovial drunk. the small space between his pulled down green hat and the voluminous black birdsnest beard is alight with amusement as he gawks showily at the tired and bleary commuters. Holding up his can in a toast to all those who meet his eye, you can see him measuring the fear and shrinking embarrassment around him. Leaning forward, he started to regale the woman opposite with some tale (sadly, out of earshot) and, amazingly, she listened. And she laughed. This is one of the rarest moments on the tube--a chance conversation that provokes a smile between strangers rather than a shrinking back or a hostile glare, or a wall of invisibility.

So often you can overhear that chanting thought-voice from all around you, "no, not me. Don't come and talk to me. Don't notice me. Don't tell me god will save me. Don't tell me your children are lost. Don't ask me for money. Don't sing 'Hey, Jude'. Don't look at me. Don't talk to me. Pretend I'm not here. I'm not here. I'm not here. I wish I wasn't here."

Those closed off mornings when it seems every passerby crashes against your shoulder in the tunnels, and everyone stands too close against the door, and if you dare to sit down, squeezed between outstretched thighs, your face is too close to a forest of besuited crotches, and you focus very hard on your knees. and everyone is staring into nowhere and wishing everyone was somewhere else.

I wish I could walk to work.

The London Underground Map is often cited as one of the easiest maps for people to navigate their way around. Even those who do not understand English can usually find their way to their destination by using the distinct colour coding of the map and many Londoners, myself included, use the simple layout of this cartographical masterpiece as a mental image of the shape of London.

In reality, the actual layout of the stations is heavily topologically distorted to make the planning of one's route as easy as possible. When deciding upon an itinerary, it is easier to make reference to a clear and linear map even though its distances and angles may be distorted. When underground, the only thing to which one can refer in order to determine how far one has travelled is the number of stations passed. By having the map laid out with the stations for the most part equally spaced, the distance on the map corresponds precisely to one's perception of distance travelled when underground.

Connections are also important to the traveller attempting to chart their way from one station to another. Most people will choose the route requiring the fewest stops unless they have other information about delays on a particular line. Therefore, it is important that any map of the underground emphasises the connections between stations as an integral part of its efficacy.

Since the Underground Map covers a very large area, it is important that the information it contains is easily accessible. Most of its traffic passes through the very popular Zone One stations of Central London and so it is important that these are highlighted in the map. This is done not only by placing them at the centre of the map but also by shrinking the distances between outlying stations to minimise the effect that they have on the map as a whole.

Funding the London Underground

For the past few years there has been a bitter ongoing dispute about the future of the London Underground with regards to how it should be financed, given its urgent need for improvements.

The New Labour government has proposed a PPP (Public Private Partnership) scheme, under which three private companies will maintain the track, signals and stations, while the publicly owned London Underground will be responsible for the staffing of the stations and trains. Currently, the government is pressing ahead with these plans, despite the fact that the PPP is deeply unpopular. The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, as well as large sections of the press, a number of experts, and the majority of the population do not want the tube to be funded in this way, especially given the sorry state of the national train system (see: Railtrack) following control being put into private hands. Livingstone, backed by Commissioner for Transport Bob Kiley has an alternative plan, to finance the tube with bonds, keeping it in public hands. They say this will be safer and less costly than allowing private companies to run it.

One thing all sides agree on is that the Underground is in terrible condition at present, and badly needs investment. The system is notoriously overcrowded, with passengers packed in trains like sardines during the rush hour, and stations frequently having to be closed due to dangerous congestion. In addition, there are often delays due to signalling problems and stations closed for repair.

The PPP

A good definition of what a PPP is is given on the Irish government website (http://www.ppp.gov.ie):

A Public Private Partnership (PPP) is a partnership between the public and private sector for the purpose of delivering a project or service traditionally provided by the public sector. Public Private Partnership recognises that both the public sector and the private sector have certain advantages relative to the other in the performance of specific tasks. By allowing each sector to do what it does best, public services and infrastructure can be provided in the most economically efficient manner.

In the case of the London Underground, the government's PPP plan works like this: The publicly owned LUL (London Underground Limited) will have three contracts with private companies, each lasting 30 years. They will be divided up in terms of tube lines - one company will manage the Bakerloo, Central, Victoria, and Waterloo & City lines. Another will run the Circle, District, East London, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines. And another company will run the deepest lines - Jubilee, Northern, and Piccadilly.

Ken Livingstone claims that these companies may be making a profit margin as high as 30%, unlike London's bus companies which only make 8%. A number of commentators have also made a comparison between this break-up of the lines and the one that occurred with the national rail network, although the government maintains that it is completely different. They point out that the tube will still be controlled by the public, and contractors will be accountable to the public, whereas the railways that were privatised by the Tories were fully privatised. Despite this, the PPP has been dubbed by many as 'Railtrack Underground'.

Fighting the government's plan

There are two main reasons why Ken Livingstone was elected mayor, both of which are largely about what he is against rather than what he is for. The first reason is the undemocratic way the government tried to stop Livingtone from standing. The second is that he was against the partial privatisation of the tube. And it is only the government that maintain the PPP plan isn't partial privatisation.

The mayor has had the upper hand in the argument from the beginning. He appointed Bob Kiley, an American who is credited with turning around the New York subway and other underground systems, to head Transport for London (TfL). Kiley is hardly a left-wing radical or natural ally of Livingstone's (he used to be a CIA man and union basher), yet he said the government's plan was destined to failure. TfL went to court to challenge the government's right to overrule the mayor, but lost. It had been decided when London was given a mayor that the government would handle reform of the tube and then pass it over.

The two sides have also fought the issue with reports from external accountants. TfL commissioned a report from Deloitte & Touche, which sided with TfL against the PPP. The government tried, in court, to prevent Kiley from making the report public, saying it was rushed and inaccurate compared to the PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young reports they had commissioned, which sided with them.

At the time of writing, Transport Minister Stephen Byers has announced that the government's plan is going ahead (this is after a few days of suspense when it looked like the government might back down). This is despite the fact that the Commons Transport Select Committee is against it. The 45 out of 50 Labour MPs that are against the plan refer to those in favour as the 'Taliban', it was revealed on Newsnight. The plan is still subject to approval by the Health and Safety Executive Ã,Â- while the government claims this test will be stringent, Livingtone claimed on Newsnight that Gordon Brown told him it wouldn't be a serious test. Livingstone says that he is still seeing what he can do to prevent the scheme from happening.

The story of the debate over tube funding is a lengthy and complex one. Please point out any errors and omissions in this writeup. Listed below are some headlines from the Evening Standard, taken from their website. I chose to reproduce them as I think it gives an interesting look at what the conflict over the tube has been like. Also try some of the URLs given at the end of this writeup for further information.

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Key headlines, in chronological order, from the Evening Standard
As listed at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/campaign/top_tube_story.html?in_review_id=414716&in_review_text_id=363820

'PPP to cost £1bn more for Tube';     Kiley and the PPP's 'fatal flaw';     PPP 'would bankrupt some lines';     Mayor wins right to challenge PPP;     PPP will shut lines 'at same time';     Mayor consults lawyers on PPP;     PPP choices a 'stab in back' ;     London voters reject Tube PPP;     Huge blow for PPP;     Think tank questions PPP;     Kiley declares all-out war on PPP;     Labour rigs MPs' backing for PPP;     Experts say Tube PPP won't work;     Blair warns Mayor over PPP;     Kiley accused of influencing LU report;     Kiley alarm as report slams safety;     Blair sacks Kiley from LT;     Sacked Kiley roasts Blair;     LT wins gagging order on Kiley;     Tube sued for Jubilee chaos;     GLA Labour leader slams Kiley;     Tube protesters to picket court;     And now they want to export it;     Legal showdown on PPP;     PPP protest as court battle starts;     Kiley - the people's champion;     Livingstone in court over PPP;     Act 'has no provision for PPP';     Anger as Ken loses PPP battle;     PPP faces new court challenge;     Battle for control of Tube is over'    

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For more information, see:
www.thetube.com - London Underground Ltd's site, and the government's views
www.londontransport.co.uk - London Transport / Transport for London, against the PPP
www.ippr.org.uk - The Institute for Public Policy Research, a 'centre left thinktank'
www.thisislondon.co.uk - the Evening Standard, contains a lot of information about the tube
www.guardian.co.uk - The Guardian, another newspaper, again with lots of info

Somehow I manage to resist the pleading urge to toss a coin into the ragged hat that sits upon the urine-soaked floor. I move onwards, still watching from the corner of my eye as the man finds a new target. I am vaguely aware of my compatriots - businessmen, sightseers, the occasional member of staff - all battling their own way through the gauntlet of beggars, all as reluctant to spare change as I am. I approach the stairs and immediately begin my descent, gratefully escaping the beggars. Somehow, this doesn't bother me as much as it should.

I take a look at my surroundings properly for the first time and am amazed by the myriad of features unique to this place alone (in this station, at least). Stale water follows me down the iron stairs making a horrid, metallic drip, resonating around me.

Drip. Drip.

Always the same sound. The brickwork surrounding me shows the effect this has upon it : with every drip more calcium was deposited, a network of encrustations growing across the walls in a spider-like manner. Their tendrils spread in an attempt to corrupt the entire room, like a disease infesting the bricks. I tear myself away from this sight to complete my descent, banishing everything back into the heavy recesses of my memory.

Despite all its faults - the ancient trains, the woefully optimistic timetables, to name but two - I still like the Tube. Every time I use it, another thing fascinates me (Quite why eludes me to this day). On this particular journey, it was those same decaying trains. Some were old, some were new, but they all held one thing in common: each was packed far, far past capacity like some sardine can of commuters.

I board the train, quickly leaping into what very well could be the sole remaining seat left on the vehicle. The last space in the can. Despite this, I am not the last to board. Soon I am followed by a gaggle of others all vying for the nonexistant places. Like mosquitoes 'round a lamp after dark. Some, frustrated, leave the collective prison. Others, unafraid of standing, grab hold and prepare for the ride.

With a jolt the train starts, and begins its journey. Elsewhere along the line, this process is beginning again. With this thought we leave the station, leaving my thoughts behind.

The total length of route covered by the Underground is 259 miles, comprising of 146 miles above ground, 93 miles in tube tunnelling and 20 in "cut and cover" tunnel. Only about 10% of London's surface area is covered by highways, in comparason to to about 25% of a typical American city, making the city particularly dependent on its railway system; every day approximately 2.8 million journeys are made on the Underground system.

The Lines

• Bakerloo Line
  represented by brown on the Underground
• Central Line
  represented by red on Underground
• Circle Line
  represented by yellow on the Underground
• Croydon Tramlink
  non "tube" represented by black lines
• District Line
  represented by green on the Underground
• Docklands Light Railway
  non "tube" represented by black lines
• East London Line
  represented by orange on the Underground
• Hammersmith and City Line
  represented by yellow on the Underground (running with the Circle line)
• Jubilee Line
  represented by grey on the Underground
• Metropolitan Line
  represented by purple/burgandy on the Underground
• Northern Line
  represented by black on the Underground
• Piccadilly Line
  represented by dark blue on the Underground
• Victoria Line
  represented by light blue on the Underground
• Waterloo and City Line
  represented by green on the Underground running with the District line)

History

(please also see metalangel's excellent writeup The History of the London Underground)

Before the trains

Between 1825 and 1843, Sir Marc Brunel constructed the world's first bored tunnel crossing of a river with a 400m long structure between Wapping and Rotherhithe. The Thames Tunnel was opened in 1843 and was designed for foot and horse traffic it was sold to a railway company in 1865 and now forms part of the London Undergroud's East London line.

The beginning - 1863 - 1900

10th Jan 1863 - Metropolitan railway opens its route from Bishop's Road, Paddington to Farringdon Street, a distance of 3.75 miles. Most of the line was built using the "cut and cover" method (digging down into earth, laying the tracks (and building stations) and then covering the tracks - most of the tracks were built along existing roads in order to minimise disturbance to local buildings).

After two months, the steam operated line was carrying 2.75 million passengers a year for every mile of track; 26,500 people a day used the line in the first six months. Specially designed locomotives were purchased by the Metropolitan for working in the tunnels, built by Beyer Peacock of Manchester, they were fitted with a system which condensed the exhaust steam in order to reduce the steam and smoke in the tunnels.

By 1876 the line had been extended to reach Aldgate and by 1882 a further extension to Tower of London (now Tower Hill) was reached. A westward projection was started from a junction at Praed Street between the stations at Paddington and Edgware Road. This line passed through a new Paddington station built especially for the Metropolitan (now the Circle/District station) and proceeded south, reaching South Kensington by 1868.

A second company come onto the scene in 1868. The Metropolitan District Railway (usually referred to as the District) built the southern section of what is now the Circle Line between South Kensington and Mansion House, opening it in stages between 1868 and 1871. The final part of the circle was opened in 1884 when the joint construction by the Metropolitan and the District companies of the link between Mansion house and the Tower was completed - the project included an extension to Whitechapel and a triangular junction with the present-day Circle line between Liverpool Street, Aldgate East and the Tower.

Both companies became involved with the construction or operation of extensions radiating from the Circle line. Working jointly with the Great Western Railway, the Metropolitan operated a branch to Hammersmith which was opened in 1864. The District had reached Hammersmith in 1874 and then built a small extension to a junction with the London & South Western Railway at Studland Road (near Ravenscourt Park station), this gave the District the opportunity to run trains to Richmond in 1877 and by 1879 the company had opened an extension from Turnham Green to Ealing Broadway. In the following year the branch to West Brompton (opened in 1869) was extended to Putney Bridge and, following the construction of the appropiate bridge, District trains ran to Wimbledon in 1889.

At the same time, the St John's Wood Railway Company opened a line Baker Street to Swiss Cottage was opened in 1868, which was extended to Willesden Green in 1879 (the company amalgamated with the Metropolitan Railway Company in the same year) and to Harrow-on-the-Hill in 1880). Pinner was reached in 1885, Rickmansworth in 1887 and Chesham in 1889.

Until now, all trains on the Underground were powered by steam, this all changed with the appearance of The City & South London Railway company and the electric traction railway running between Stockwell and King William Street, which officially opened on 4th November 1890. It was the first tube railway in the world and was initally planned to be operated by cable haulage (similar to the system in San Francisco for their cable cars), however, by the time the line opened electric traction had been substituted as a faster and more reliable system. By the beginning of the new century the Metropolitan and District Railways had begun their conversion to electric traction.

Extending and condensing - 1900 - 1933

In 1900, the C&SLR opened extensions to Clapham Common (in the south) and Moorgate (to the north) - the Moorgate extension allowed the original terminus at King William Street to be abandoned, replaced by Bank. Further extensions were built, one to Angel (opened in 1901) and Euston (1907). This line was eventually to become part of the Northern Line.

Also in 1900, another company launched the Central London Railway between Shepherd's Bush and Bank, connecting the shopping area of Oxford Street with the financial area of the City. Trains ran up to 30 times an hour, making the CLR London's first tube rapid transit railway. More tube lines appeared following the appearance of the Central London forming the basis of the Underground system that is so familiar today.

The Bakerloo (opened 10th March 1906) was originally known as the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway and ran from Baker Street to Lambeth North (later in 1906 it was extended to Elephant & Castle). Extensions to the line reached Edgware Road in June 1907, Queen's Park and Willesden Junction in 1915 and by 1917 the line had reached Watford. The Bakerloo became the longest line until the Pic