London Underground: A++ eBayer But Still Rubbish At Transport

By Rob Last edited 231 months ago
London Underground: A++ eBayer But Still Rubbish At Transport

It's becoming easier and easier to mock the London Underground system recently, what with the grand promises of a gleaming new transport system by 2012 and the fact that Jarvis are involved. But now it seems that the tube bosses are actually trying to make London's transport system the laughing stock of the world.

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We're talking, of course, about Jim Haynes of Tube Lines who said today:

"If something goes wrong in the signalling system, some of it is so old you have to go on eBay. You have to look for materials that are out of stock."

Let's just contrast that quote with one from the Tube Lines website, specifically the page on Safety:

"Tube Lines does not tolerate failure to work safely and we adopt a rigorous approach to everything we do - from day-to-day maintenance to the largest of our project work."

(If you want to read more about Tube Lines consortium, including the involvement of the company Bechtel, which botched the clean-up after the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island and who are now looking after the Jubilee Line, then you can go here.)

Londonist did take a look on eBay to see what was available right now, and we found:

This large railway signal, currently at £62.01 (could current high bidder Highgate62 be a Tube Lines employee?).

This old signal lamp, which is a bargain at £25.00.

And what self-respecting railway can do without a GCR-LNER-Signal box - type 5 bargeboards? A snip at £15.

Last Updated 08 December 2004