Workers' Liberty

Yesterday evening, management's failure to fix the Northern line train radio led to the Edgware branch being suspended.

So, the marvellous Connect radio system has 'gone live' on the Bakerloo line.

Only problem is: it is affecting the volume of the PA, T-Test and DVA.

Will management ever get this right?!

With a person on the track near Paddington, a driver was told by the Line Controller to remain at Royal Oak. The driver then got another call on the Connect system - which shows an 8-digit code rather than a caller ID - telling him to reform and giving authority to proceed, which he did.

Connect is still causing chaos. The latest is that a DMT at Kings Cross called Victoria line control, but got through to the Met instead!

Even though many of the problems with Connect have still not been resolved, LUL is pressing ahead with training drivers in how the system 'works'.

Maybe you thought that the problems with Connect would have been overcome by now. Think again.

Recently, a driver needed to get the juice off at Upney following a one-under. After three unsuccessful attempts to send a Mayday message to the Controller on Connect, he had to give up and use his personal mobile phone!

And now it's time for ... Connect Phase 2! Oh yes it is.

With barely a pause for breath - let alone a chance to assess the numerous things that have gone wrong so far - management are ready to go full steam ahead.

Tubeworker has kept reader informed of the numerous stumbling blocks along the road of Connect. And they continue to stumble.

Five days before the new equipment was due to go live on the District Line, they finally got round to doing operational testing on the road with local health and safety reps. And it all went pear-shaped.

Monday evening, the District Line was suspended for half an hour, H&C and Circle also suspended, and delays continued well into the evening.

The reason? Loss of train radio from Earl's Court. The reason for that? The Connect project had installed a changeover switch on the desk during the night, but not got round to telling anyone who actually works in the Control Room. Unsurprisingly, the switch was accidentally operated.

Staff at several stations are discovering to their alarm that Connect equipment has mysteriously appeared on their station. At Seven Sisters, AC condenser units on platform 3; at Elephant & Castle, kit with hydrogen-producing batteries in two of the station's rooms.

Connect radio is now in on the East London Line, but not without problems.

Ahem, it's still not working on the East London line - supposedly the first line to get it. Connect is the new all-singing all-dancing super-duper communication system. Shame they don't seem to be abl

Tubeworker was suprised to read in my copy of On The Move (which popped through my letterbox this morning) that Connect radios went live on the East London Line on 27th January. Er, no they didn't! The new proposed date is 10th February but even that is in doubt at this point.

In response to union badgering, Connect have produced a document showing which areas have poor train radio reception.

What is puzzling reps, though, is that an earlier draft of the same document showed a lot more areas of poor quality. Have they miraculously improved? Or is something dodgy going on?