On Tue, 12 Oct 2004 16:41:42 +0100, Dave Arquati wrote:

No-one's yet mentioned the TfL 5-year £10bn investment programme,
announced today, which uses the borrowing powers recently given to the
Mayor.

Press release at:
http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/press...es/0410/12.asp

Full document at:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/downloads/...-year-plan.pdf

Reading one of the news sites, someone complained that Crossrail and
Thameslink 2000 weren't included - but since Crossrail is being arranged
separately and TL2K isn't a TfL project, I don't think this is something
to latch on to desperately.

Most projects in the Plan have been announced before, but there are a
few items of interest:

well precisely. The biggest disappointment is that there is nothing very
radical in terms of pushing the bus network onto the next level which
was part of the TfL proposition to government. Looks like that battle
has been lost - at least for now.

The other disappointment concerns the relegation of tram based solutions
but I imagine this reflects the now quite strong "anti" bias in
government and the understandable decision to pursue LU schemes while
they have the chance as they will deliver more benefit overall.

* Tube air-cooled trains project, which has been mentioned before but
for which I don't have any details (would anyone be able to point me at
any?)

there was an option in the SSL PPP Contract for air conditioned trains
on the SSL network. That option has been exercised. The balance of the
"air cooled" work relates to trials with additional water pipes to cool
deep tube tunnels - as suggested via the LU / Mayor "gives us your
bright ideas" initiative. No idea what lines it will be trialled on.

* Bus Countdown replacement system which someone mentioned on here
recently. The timescale in the document calls it "Bus Countdown next
stop & audio".

Well the Band 3 radio, AVL and Countdown systems are to be replaced with
one overall system which make a huge amount of sense. The next stop and
audio facility will probably be driven off the back of the AVL system
and interfaced into the on bus displays and PA systems which are
prevalent in DDA compatible vehicles. This is my educated guess.

* Oyster rollout to all of Silverlink Metro which I think many people
guessed at.

I would agree that there is no great surprise. I'm waiting for the
decision that hives Silverlink County off into the West Coast franchise
and then moves all of Silverlink Metro into TfL Rail. That would fit in
very nicely with the DLR takeover of NLL south of Stratford, the removal
of through Southern Railway trains from the West London Line as well as
the "franchising" cough of the East London Line extension. The
transfer of Silverlink Metro en block to TfL Rail turns that division
into an operator overnight. The next interesting question is whether the
Infrastructure Controller role moves across in whole or in part - the
performance of Network Rail (with its wider powers following the rail
review) will be crucial in framing how this issue is resolved. All IMO,
of course.

* The computer-generated picture of Hoxton station uses the brown TfL
Rail roundel on the wall of the viaduct (I thought that was an
interesting touch!).

Yes - I did a bit of a double take on that but it fits in with my
"logic" above about ELLX and Silverlink Metro.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!