Close call

Any drivers reading this please take note that when overtaking a cyclist, although it may cause a delay of a few seconds, then please give more than a few inches space.

Happy Birthday Northern Line

For all you geeky trainspotters, the Northern Line will be 100 years old next month, and to celebrate LUL will be having two days of activities.

On the 23 June, Staff, friends & families are invited to an open day at Golders Green depot for a guided tour. There will also be ice creams, face painting & an oppurtunity for visitors to have their photos taken in a drivers cab.

On the 24 June, LUL will be putting an original 1938 stock train back into passenger service for 3 trips.

The first 2 trips are open to staff, customers and will cost £20 each which will include a commemorative book worth £10 on the history of the Charing X, Euston & Hampstead Railway £10.

The 3rd trip is only for staff and is free :P

If anyone (non staff) is interested, either contact LUL at the usual number or send a cheque payable to London Underground, Support Manager Northern Line, 4th Floor, 20 Cranbourne Street, London, WC2H 7RQ and specify which train ride you would like to reserve a place on:

1st ride is at 11:00 am, 2nd ride is 14:30 and each ride will last around 2 hours starting at Golders Green - Charing X - Mill Hill East - Kennington - Golders Green. Also remember to enclose a SAE with your payment.

Ticket Office Part 2

We got another memo from the RMT confirming and detailing the ticket office closures and reductions. The following ticket offices will be closing:

Barkingside, Becontree, Boston Manor, Buckhirst Hill, Cannon St, Canons Park, Chesham, Chiswick Park, Chorleywood, Croxley, Debden, East Putney, Fairlop, Hornchurch, Goldhawk Rd, Ickenham, Latimer Rd, Mansion House, Mill Hill East, Moor Park, North Ealing, North Harrow, Northwood Hills, Park Royal, Perivale, Ravenscourt Park, Regents Park, Royal Oak, Ruislip, Ruislip Gdns, South Ruislip, Sudbury Hill, Temple, Totteridge & Wealdstone, Upney, West Acton, West Finchley, West Harrow, West Ruislip & Wimbledon Park.

In addition, LUL propose to close Canary Wharf (east), Seven Sisters (b), Southwark (west) & Waterloo (International).

Also the following will close on either Saturdays, Sundays or both:

Oxford Circus (Argyll St), Hainault, Wanstead, Waterloo (shell), Mornington Crescent, Goodge St, Alperton, South Harrow, Sudbury Town, Barbican, Moorgate (main), Shepherds Bush (H&C), Westbourne Park, Dagenham East, Dagenham Heathway, Elm Park, Bow Rd, Bromley by Bow, Baker St (Met), Euston Sq, Great Portland St, Eastcote, Hillingdon, Northwick Park, Ruislip Manor, Chalfont & Latimer, Northwood, Pinner, Rickmansworth & Watford.

And the list continues with ticket offices with reduced opening hours:

Lambeth North, Warwick Ave, Epping, Loughton, South Woodford, Woodford, Waterloo (shell), Dollis Hill, Mornington Crescent, Tufnell Park, High Barnet, Kennington, Bow Rd, Hainault, Redbridge, Snaresbrook, Wanstead, Woodside Park, South Harrow, Cockfosters, Westbourne Park, Dagenham East, Hillingdon, Ruislip Manor, Northwood, Pinner, Rickmansworth & Watford.

Lost Property

Had two customers enter my office at the same today, and both of whom had lost their bags. Normally when I receive an item of lost property I inspect the bags, phones etc. very carefully for any possible contact numbers of the possible owner so they can be reunited with their property.

These two though were something different. The first man, had already travelled on a number of lines, and didn't have any idea as to what line his bag may have been on. Short of calling about 90 odd stations, I wasn't able to help him that much other than give him a lost property form and to inform the various line controllers to prevent any security alerts. The second individual had his head so far up his own rear I ended up escorting him out of my office. I asked him what the destination of the train on which he had travelled and he replied "the next stop" I informed him that our trains don't terminate at this station, and I needed more information to narrow down the search, he then started shouting, telling me to phone the f@@@ing stations, stop the service and find his bag. I asked him to stop swearing and he then proceeded to call me a cock and a quaver(??), as his diatribe continued to increase I had to make him leave the office empty handed.

btw, does anyone know what he meant by calling me a quaver??

Ticket Office

We got a memo from the RMT today stating that LUL is planning to close around 40 ticket offices on the network and to also reduce the opening hours of many others. There won't be any staff redundancies although many staff will be displaced from their current places of work. These closures will probably start to take place from early 2008. So those of you who still renew your tickets/oysters at the ticket offices then prepare for much longer queues at those that will still be open.

Almost home time

Only 1 hour to go before my relief is due in. I got soaked last night on the way home as I had left my waterproof clothing at home. I am fully prepared tonight as it is still chucking it down.

Control your dog, then control yourself.

I took the train into work last night for the first time in months, and was disgusted to see some lout letting his pit-bull type dog defecate on the platform edge on my local station. When he got onto the train he then started to beat the dog with it's own leash. I phone BTP, but they didn't seem too interested and the lout then got off a few stations along.

Google analytics

Just had a browse through my google analytics that shows be how people found the site and where they are from etc.

I've had one visitor from Guadalajara in Mexico, so hi if you are reading this.

Also a few people have found there way to the site via google search terms like last trains or oystercards, so I will post a link to the TFL info to assist these people.

I am on my last night shift for the week and what a busy night it has been what with all the contractors etc, 57 in total tonight.

"I saw a mouse" Where?

Not really on the stairs, but in my office at work. I have been trying to catch the little blighter on my camera phone for the past few days just to prove to Initial (Rentakill) that I wasn't seeing things as they always seem not to believe us.

Taken of late again

Unfortunately my colleague took me off late this morning by half an hour. It isn't a great amount of time, but on our group with the exception of one station, we ALL come in half an hour before the official start time, so although we are working the same number of hours, we get to leave half an hour earlier and thereby miss the rush. So instead of working an 8 hour duty I have worked for 9 hours; I won't even get paid the extra hour as it isn't official. Normally if one is taken off late, then the colleague in question would have the decency to first let you know in advance and also to arrange to make up the time, but this particular colleague is annual leave from tomorrow, so I don't even know when I will get the chance to get the time back as I am not based at his station.

Busy Night

So far I have 83 contractors working on my station tonight, and they sure are a pain with their constant interruptions, asking for keys, and room locations etc.

I've also been playing with my new phone, a Nokia N95. It has GPS but for some reason I can't get it to work (no signal).

Any Nokia experts out there?

Nights again :(

My duties for the rest of the week have been changed AGAIN, and I have been given nights for the next 3 shifts. I had to do 3 night shifts at short notice last week, and I have also got my normal allocation of nights next week, so that means I have been given nights 3 weeks in a row instead of the normal once per month.

This has really pee'd me off, I had plans to go out before work on Saturday with some friends as I haven't 'socialised' for over a year, what with work and other commitments, but this will have to be cancelled as I will be sleeping during the day. I don't why I bother to even attempt a social life. There are other reserve supervisors, but it only seems to be me that gets all the crappy shifts.

Strange complaint

Just had some lady in complaining about one of the local NCP run car parks. She claimed that she had lost her purse which contained her car park pass and the car park were making her pay the full days rate for a lost ticket, as is their policy and is also signed as you drive in. I still haven't worked out as to why she felt it necessary to bring the complaint to me. We aren't even in the same building. Ah well, only 3 hours 30 minutes to go.

30 April 2007

Pretty quiet shift yesterday, to help pass the time we tried playing tennis with one of our regular ticket touts/beggars. Whenever he showed his face in one part of the station, he sent him packing, only for him to turn up in a different part of the station, who then sent him back etc etc. By the end of the shift the score was 30-30.

Had a lovely cycle ride home, the weather was perfect for cycling with a nice tail wind. Also noticed 3 tube carriages on the back of 3 flat-bed trailers going down the Great West Road, I think they were H&C cars. Always seems a bit surreal seeing tube cars on a public road.