The Heaven And Hell Of TFL

By
Rising East Publications
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The spectacle of Prince Charles and Camilla on the way to a recent royal engagement at the London Museum of Transport by bus, prompted Rising East reporters Zuleica Rodriguez and Ava Rogha to reflect on the state of the capital’s public transport.

Five things I love about TFL: by Zuleica Rodriguez
The London Underground’s Metropolitan Line was the first of its type to open anywhere in the world – in 1863. The stations are wonderfully varied, from the quirky mosaics of Eduardo Paolozzi at Tottenham Court Road to the ‘industrial’ architecture of Westminster station. As a well-travelled woman I have used various transport systems around the world, but London’s is my favourite. Here are my five top reasons why.
1. You get motivational staff messages written on white boards.


Sixteen years ago a staff member at Oval station wondered how to cheer up moody Londoners rushing to work, and wrote the first one of these.  Ever since then staff have been writing encouraging messages and occasionally their own surreal thoughts on white boards to brighten up everyone’s day. One day it could be a Shakespeare poem and on another it could be a list of reasons to smile. How lovely is that!

2. It’s safe


Every station has members of staff in case you need help with directions, your ticket or finding the nearest restroom. There are almost 3,000 customer service assistants and 12,000 CCTV cameras, which gives a sense of safety like no other transport system out there.

3. It’s efficiency


Even though commuters moan about packed trains meaning they have to wait for the next one, in rush hour that train is only one to two minutes away, and there is a screen to let you know. Compare this to New York where there are constant delays and no information screens at all!

4. You can use your bank card instead of a ticket

In such a busy city ticket machines are constantly occupied and you could wait ages to get your travel pass. However, if you are in a rush, tapping in with your bank card does the same job as a ticket. No more waiting in line behind large confused families of foreign visitors. Yay!

5. There’s the Night Tube

Before the all night tube was introduced, tired and drunk partygoers would wait and sometimes sleep outside stations until the lines opened again at 6am. Riding the night bus home was also an option but might mean some trashed stranger drooling all over your shoulder – not exactly the cherry on top of a great night out. But since August 2016 some lines run 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays meaning you can have a long night and get home afterwards!
So the next time you miss the train don’t lose your temper.  Just draw a breath and take a selfie in one of the best tube systems in the world. The next train will arrive in the next couple of minutes. But don’t forget to Mind the Gap!
Five Things I Hate About TFL: By Ava Rogha
OK so London’s historical Underground is famous throughout the world. But as a visitor myself it’s my duty to point out to other potential visitors that things might not be quite as good as we imagine them to be.
  1. The tubes shut at midnight
“Raining outside” by hernanpba is licensed under CC BY-SA

In a city that never sleeps, I expected the tubes to run 24/7, or at least late enough for me to get home after a night out. So I was surprised to see that every day except Friday and Saturday the tubes shut between midnight and 5 am, which makes a night out with friends less enjoyable and more expensive considering a lot of us end up getting an Uber home.

  1. There’s no signal

As you may already have noticed, we are forced to lose touch with the outside world once we enter the underground. Not only can this cause concern amongst family members and friends who are waiting for us to meet them, but we get stressed as well because we have no way of getting in touch with them! This scares me every single time I board the tube. For safety reasons, you might want to tell someone you’re getting the tube just before boarding it.

  1. There’s a journey within the journey

Trips on the tube can be lonesome and tiring, especially if you have to change trains, which given London’s “underground maze” is often several times. That change over can also be a confusing and stressful journey in itself, with too many escalators to count.

  1. Sometimes poor customer service

As a foreign student, being able to get directions and help down the tube is important, and I have often found the staff impatient and unhelpful, which can leave you feeling abandoned and helpless. This obviously does not apply to everyone. Lots of the staff I have talked to have been polite and considerate, but TFL customer service needs to be excellent always not sometimes.

  1. The trains are too small
“Mind the Gap” by Urban Footfall – Street Photography is licensed under CC BY

Compared to many other European countries, the TFL trains are built way too tight for such a large population. This leads to lack of fresh air, making the journey sometimes suffocating, when you are already exhausted after a long day’s work. And I have never experienced so much pushing during the rush hour anywhere else in the world.

 

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