Strikes and the threat of strikes, breakdowns, signal failures, crumbling infrastructure and rising crime - for every Londoner, and many commuters, too, the disastrous condition of London's underground system is a daily reminder of the political and managerial failures that have brought a critical public service to the verge of collapse. Now that the Labour government has committed the future of the Tube to the Treasury's Public/Private Partnership Scheme, the question is: in 2013 will we see as promised, a refurbished and revitalised system? Or will we be lamenting yet another instalment in a long litany of failure? Christian Wolmar is not optimistic - indeed, he sees every prospect of a reprise of the consequences that flowed from the privatisation of the railways, which he analysed in his previous book "Broken Rail". So how, he asks, did we get into this situation? Why was the Tube starved of investment by successive governments over so many years? How did the present government allow it to become a political football, a vehicle for "punishing" Ken Livingstone for the humiliation he had imposed upon them in London's first mayoral election? Why do ministers still believe, after the collapse of Railtrack, that the separation of operations from maintenance and renewal is anything other than a recipe for inefficiency and a threat to safety? This is a tale of conspiracy and intrigue with a rich cast of characters - Tony Blair, John Prescott and his puppetmaster, Gordon Brown, on the one side and Ken Livingstone and Bob Kiley, the manager Livingstone brought in to save the Tube, and his mysterious coterie of fellow Americans, on the other. For Londoners, though, the critical question is whether all these players can now put the antagonisms behind them and recreate a transport system worthy of a great capital city? Christian Wolmar explains the legacy they have inherited and analyses the problems they will face in the future.
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For every Londoner, the disastrous condition of London's underground system is a daily reminder of the political and managerial failures that have brought a public service to near collapse. Here is the full story from author of Broken Rails, Christian Wolmar.
About the Author
Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster specialising in transport and other social policy issues. He writes a fortnightly column in Rail magazine, contributes regularly to the Independent, the Independent on Sunday, the Evening Standard, the New Statesman and Public Finance. He also appears frequently on radio and television. His previous books include The Great Railway Disaster, Stagecoach, Forgotten Children and Broken Rails: How Privatisation Wrecked Britain's Railways.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
If it ain't broke don't try and fix it (especially if you ain't got a clue what you're doing!)
6 Dec 2012
By Jaydee
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another gem from Woolmar, just as depressing as On The Wrong Lines and for very much the same reasons. I found the book a bit heavy going at times with lots of statistical information to digest - sleep inducing on occassions!
But in true CW style he tells it as it is and you find yourself wondering (well, I did anyway) why don't these clowns just go off and do something that they do understand; but then you realise that meddling with things that work OK right now is what they are best at. If only they gave London Transport (as was) the same amount of money to improve the system in the way that they know (knew?) best, as they wasted on this privatisation nonsense, then this book would almost certainly have not been necessary.
I could go on, but would urge you to read the book yourself and make your own mind up.
But in true CW style he tells it as it is and you find yourself wondering (well, I did anyway) why don't these clowns just go off and do something that they do understand; but then you realise that meddling with things that work OK right now is what they are best at. If only they gave London Transport (as was) the same amount of money to improve the system in the way that they know (knew?) best, as they wasted on this privatisation nonsense, then this book would almost certainly have not been necessary.
I could go on, but would urge you to read the book yourself and make your own mind up.
Format:Kindle Edition
It is a well written book, but it doesen't go any further to mention the complete failure off the Public Private Partnership on the Underground. Owing to the fact that the thinking behind New Labour ideas were better than the old Private Finance Inititative was daft.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
The arcane world of financing London mass transit
18 Oct 2003
By saskatoonguy
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
London's Underground (what Americans call the 'subway') is an utter catastrophe. The system, dating back to 1863, is in a state of collapse while handling crowds for which it was never designed, and the government wants to reinvigorate it on the cheap, without spending the extraordinary amounts of money that are necessary. Supposedly the magic solution is the PPP (Public Private Partnership) in which segments of the system will be operated on a contractual basis by private companies - in short, the quasi-privatization of London's subway. This has been supported by both Conservative and Labour Party governments, in spite of Britain's disastrous experience privatizing 'mainline' (i.e., commuter and long distance) railways.
Most of the book focuses on the political aspects of the London subway, and the machinations among transit administrators, municipal government, and the national government. Unfortunately, there is not a single map, diagram, or chart in the entire book.
The main thrust of the book is explaining the PPP concept. Christian Wolmar strives to be open-minded but concludes that the PPP formula will end in chaos. Wolmar tries - he really tries - to make PPPs interesting and understandable, and brings eloquence and talent to the task. For instance, the first chapter takes us through an ordinary day in a typical subway station, to illustrate how complex it is to keep the system operating. But try as he might, there is no way to turn arcane issues of government finance into a page-turner.
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