Comments on: The Problem With TfL http://alex.mullr.net/blog/2008/06/the-problem-with-tfl/ Hi. I'm a student at the University of York, in the Computer Science and Maths departments. I recently finished working at GlaxoSmithKline in London. And this is my blog. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:58:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Farhan Mannan http://alex.mullr.net/blog/2008/06/the-problem-with-tfl/#comment-1099 Farhan Mannan Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:17:16 +0000 http://alex.mullr.net/blog/?p=112#comment-1099 <p>They need mathematicians well-versed in network flow and graph theory on it, I think. Yes. Definitely. Elliot?</p> They need mathematicians well-versed in network flow and graph theory on it, I think. Yes. Definitely. Elliot?

]]> By: Alex Muller http://alex.mullr.net/blog/2008/06/the-problem-with-tfl/#comment-1096 Alex Muller Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:18:01 +0000 http://alex.mullr.net/blog/?p=112#comment-1096 <p>A small company has a more personal relationship with its customers, and I don't think anyone could argue against that being a good thing. Whether splitting TfL into a few smaller (well run) franchises is a good thing, I don't know. All I wish is that they were more open.</p> <p>I take your point - I'm not telling them how to do their job, there's no way I could manage that. But (and we're getting too into a specific example here) it should have been possible to stop that train - one 45 second stop wouldn't have (I don't think) caused delays on that line. At the end of the day, their aim as a company is to get people where they want to go as fast as possible - and while it's easy to sit here and instruct them how to be better, as I'm doing, they <b>do</b> need to improve.</p> <p>The service updates for this weekend are testament to that... ;)</p> A small company has a more personal relationship with its customers, and I don’t think anyone could argue against that being a good thing. Whether splitting TfL into a few smaller (well run) franchises is a good thing, I don’t know. All I wish is that they were more open.

I take your point – I’m not telling them how to do their job, there’s no way I could manage that. But (and we’re getting too into a specific example here) it should have been possible to stop that train – one 45 second stop wouldn’t have (I don’t think) caused delays on that line. At the end of the day, their aim as a company is to get people where they want to go as fast as possible – and while it’s easy to sit here and instruct them how to be better, as I’m doing, they do need to improve.

The service updates for this weekend are testament to that… ;)

]]> By: Chris http://alex.mullr.net/blog/2008/06/the-problem-with-tfl/#comment-1095 Chris Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:45:18 +0000 http://alex.mullr.net/blog/?p=112#comment-1095 <p>I am not quite sure if your comparisons are valid here. Given the size of London, I don't think there is any way that TfL could ever operate as a small company, and if you were to split it up into different smaller franchises, surely that would create even more problems in terms of logistics?</p> <p>Also, there a several reasons why they couldn't immediately send Piccadilly line trains to stop. Trains and their associated systems, especially signalling, are probably much more complicated than you give them credit for. Granted, the tube generally acts on a more simplified level than main-line trains, but still you can't just get a whole bunch of trains to suddenly make additional stops without thinking through the effects that would have on a system as a whole. In this instance TfL already have a problem on one of the lines, do they really want to cause delays on the Piccadilly line now too? This situation would be even worse if there were separate companies running each line, as the Piccadilly line operator would then be even more unwilling to take the fallout from a problem on a competing operator's line..</p> <p>Finally, you're not exactly comparing like with like: whilst there are some similarities in the way any company operates, internet companies are in some ways very different from traditional ones, and especially different to public transport operators.</p> <p>Just my £0.02.</p> I am not quite sure if your comparisons are valid here. Given the size of London, I don’t think there is any way that TfL could ever operate as a small company, and if you were to split it up into different smaller franchises, surely that would create even more problems in terms of logistics?

Also, there a several reasons why they couldn’t immediately send Piccadilly line trains to stop. Trains and their associated systems, especially signalling, are probably much more complicated than you give them credit for. Granted, the tube generally acts on a more simplified level than main-line trains, but still you can’t just get a whole bunch of trains to suddenly make additional stops without thinking through the effects that would have on a system as a whole. In this instance TfL already have a problem on one of the lines, do they really want to cause delays on the Piccadilly line now too? This situation would be even worse if there were separate companies running each line, as the Piccadilly line operator would then be even more unwilling to take the fallout from a problem on a competing operator’s line..

Finally, you’re not exactly comparing like with like: whilst there are some similarities in the way any company operates, internet companies are in some ways very different from traditional ones, and especially different to public transport operators.

Just my £0.02.

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