Transport for London - an utter, shameful disgrace

I don’t like to moan, but the situation with the capital’s public transport system has reached an all-time low.

Anyone who keeps up to date with my blog will know  the service, or  total lack, provided by Transport for London, irritates me.

I have some strange notion that the amount we pay for the trains and tubes entitles us to some semblance of reliability.

Especially in the capital, where thousands rely on the system to get to and from work. Where driving results in a fine – otherwise known as the Congestion Charge - for the privilege of sitting in roadworks for the morning.

There are just 39 days until the Olympics, read that Transport for London, 39 days. 


Today the system was still shamefully unable to cope.

When I started discussing the constant delays and cancellations four months ago, I had hoped TfL would have shown some tenacity, and strived to make the trains work.

I was scathing in my judgement, though I harboured a slim hope they might get their act together. They haven’t, the system is as bad, if not worse than ever.

I believe TfL will make the UK a laughing stock during the London 2012 Olympics through their incompetence, laziness and lax attitude which says “we may be useless, but we can twist statistics to make it look as though we are performing better than ever”.

You don’t fool me TfL, I maintain you are an absolute disgrace. I stand by my notion that responsibility for the chaos awaiting London in little over a month lies firmly at your door.

I have resigned myself to total mayhem. My belief TfL is not fit for purpose was reliably strengthened today.

Monday morning, I’m raring to go, focused, charged and set for the day – all I want is my £40-a-week eight-stop journey to be painless.

Two stops down the DLR and the announcement bellows through the carriage: “all off, this train stops here, we have a faulty train ahead, sorry but there will be severe delays”.

My heart sinks, but sadly I am not surprised. Neither are the hundreds of passengers shoved onto the platform, all late for work because of TfL.

The usual suggestions echo through the loudspeakers: “Find alternative routes, although don’t bother with the Central line as that is delayed too – signal failure.”

I have not even started the week and I am already being hindered, wading through the treacle of TfL’s ineptitude.


I am aware there was a tragic incident on the District Line this morning, which would have led to delays out of TfL's control, so I must make clear no-one in their right minds would lay blame for that.


But the string of cancellations that followed were down to equipment faults.

I get to Bank Station, late. I rush up the stairs next to the broken escalator bearing the notice “work to this escalator will be finished May 2012”.

I eventually get to work, I am one of the lucky ones, because TfL hasn’t finished dishing up chaos to the rest of London.

By midday the District Line has flopped –signal failure; then the overground is beset with suspensions – signal failure; then the Metropolitan Line is severely delayed – signal failure.

This time it is poorly maintained equipment which has cost people their time and money. On Sunday delays were down to “non-availability of staff”.

I have not gone to TfL for a comment today, the truth  is because I am sick to death and bored stiff of their bare-faced pathetic claims to be “performing better than ever”.

TfL you are a disgrace, a joke, you are not fit to run a transport system in a major city. The performance of your staff and management puts Britain to shame compared to most other (developed and developing) nations.

I, and the rest of the country probably, will hold you responsible when London grinds to a standstill with 11 million people on board in 39 days.