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Recliner[_3_] · November 4th 15, 10:47 AM posted to uk.transport.london

On Wed, 4 Nov 2015 09:37:45 +0000 (UTC), d wrote:

On Tue, 03 Nov 2015 23:07:58 +0000
Paul Corfield wrote:
I think Keolis may have overpromised what they can do in terms of
extra services squeezed out of the existing fleet and employing agency
"train captains" is one way to try to costs down. I also suspect that
they have found life is not easy as they expected. There have been

Sounds like the history of ToCs. Overbid to get the contract then find
the sums don't really add up without some serious cost cutting. Perhaps
if this carries on they'll do a National Express and walk away.

I thought that wasn't an easy option any more? Also, technically, NX
didn't walk away from EC: Adonis sacked it while it was still
pondering that option.

Anyone know why TfL doesn't just run the DLR directly anyway or via wholy owned
subsidiary like LU? Is it government policy or something they decided to do?

Yes, I wondered that. Maybe as it's self-contained, they decided to
leave it as it is. The costs may be higher to run it in-house.

The RMT spokesperson on the telly said "KeolisAmey were running the
railway into the ground". Now that may be hyperbole for the benefit
of the TV cameras but I get a sense that all is not well at DLR. I
think the old "small East London community railway" feel that existed
in the past has gone - partly through more direct control from TfL and
partly from this new concession with its different approach to things
coupled with new management.

To be fair, the DLR is now the size of a metro system you'd find in a medium
sized city in europe. I think that community railway feel vanished a long
time ago.

True. That 'local ownership' feeling probably faded ever since the
Bank extension opened, let alone the tunnels under the Thames.