Why is the tube service disrupted so often due to overrunning of engineering work? Why is it so disorganised?

Question

Why is the tube service disrupted so often due to overrunning of engineering work? Why is it so disorganised?

Answer 1

falling to bits

Answer 2

The repairs have to get done at night time but there is only a limited time to do this, basically the time between the electricty going off and going on.

There is no one from London UNderground actually monitoring the work that goes on, it is done by private companies as the maintenance is contracted out. These companies might finish on tim or they may not, but they are not necessarily organised.

Sometimes problems may be created by bad planning, but it also might be because there has been a problem discovered at say 3 am in the morning that will take a while to fix.

Some jobs are big jobs that take a long time. These are either done at weekends or they are done mid week which is why they are likely to overrun

Answer 3

Because it's like 100 years old? I can only compare it to New York's system, but it's constantly under all sorts of repairs, some of them quite disruptive.

Answer 4

going backwards

Answer 5

Hi Donna, i worked on the underground in engineering at the end of the day it was deadlines we couldnt meet, the line went off at 1am then back on again at 4am that gave us 3 hours to sort problems out, couldnt be done so jobs got left everything was make do, in the end i was buying my own tools to work with.

Money or safety what do you think won?

Answer 6

Though not living in the UK, the gentleman above is quite correct.  Money verses safety is the same concern of railroaders in the US.

Money is the trump card all the time, and it appears to be a universal concept.  I wish it were otherwise.

Answer 7

When PPP took over, all the jobs were divided up between different companies.

During engineering hours, if there is a problem, the first thing they have to do is decide who's responsibility it is (who pays).

London Underground now only have control over the staff, all other parts are now run by private contractors.