Which tube stations have the most litter bins? Hell yes, the FoI gods have blessed us with more scintillatingly pointless data solely because someone asked.
And the winner is Stratford, which given its enormous acreage perhaps isn't a surprise. The station has 10 general waste bins and 12 recycling bins making an unsurpassable total of 22. Upminster has more general waste bins - the most of any tube station - but fewer recycling bins so comes in lower overall. Stanmore is the best resourced tube-only station (with no rail platforms to muddy the statistical waters), whereas at least 70 tube stations have no bins whatsoever. So now we know the best place to chuck away an empty bag of crisps.
Except always do your research before believing any of this. Stratford is hardly a standard tube station having over a dozen platforms for other types of rail service, so I nipped round and did some counting of my own. The Jubilee line platforms have just four litter bins, two of which are on the hardly-ever-used Platform 13 so essentially useless. The Central line has two dedicated bins plus four more shared with Crossrail services on adjacent platforms. That makes the requisite total of 10 general waste bins except I didn't see any recycling bins, and OK I didn't check every non-tube nook and cranny but even so I'm unconvinced by the total of 22.
I got particularly suspicious with the data when it came to Bow Road station. According to the database it has two litter bins except I don't ever remember seeing any bins anywhere, at least not since the cursed Metronet upgrade of 2004. I even went back to Bow Road to check I wasn't visually ignorant but no, not a single non-existent plastic bag dangles from a single non-existent plastic hoop anywhere - not on the platforms, in the passageways, in the ticket hall or even immediately outside. However and whenever TfL counted their data, the figure for Bow Road isn't true and hasn't been for years.
Still, give the punter a spreadsheet claiming there are 1231 bins across the London Underground network and at least it shuts them up.
Bus News
At the end of next week TfL are halving the length of one of London's most used bus routes. Not that you'd recognise that from the upbeat description on the Bus changes webpage.
Route 427 rerouted - 4 March 2023
From Saturday 4 March we will be making a big change to route 427 to improve local connections to the Elizabeth line in the Southall area.
This is the current situation down the Uxbridge Road, a key west London corridor.
607
e x p r e s s
Uxbridge
Hayes
S'thall
Ealing
Acton
W City
207
427
The 427 runs from Uxbridge to Acton every 8 minutes. It overlaps substantially with the 207 which runs from the Hayes bypass to White City every 6 minutes. Meanwhile the express 607 runs the full 13 miles every 12 minutes, which is great if you're in a hurry and no use if you need one of the stops it misses out. Several other bus routes run along parts of the Uxbridge Road, but if you're going any significant distance you need the 207, 427 or 607.
But that changes at the end of next week.
Route 427 will now run between Uxbridge Station and Southall, Merrick Road. Route 427 will no longer run between Southall Town Hall and Acton, High Street. Please use bus routes 207 or 607 instead.
Like so.
607
e x p r e s s
Uxbridge
Hayes
S'thall
Ealing
Acton
W City
207
427
The idea is to connect to Crossrail at Southall station because currently no buses head in from the northwest. This change was part of a Crossrail consultation TfL held back in 2017 so has been on the drawing board for over five years. It's good news for anyone who wants a purple train to speed them faster to Ealing or Acton, although that's a more expensive option than sticking with a slower bus.
But it's a significant chop. The 427's deleted section is 24 stops long whereas the extension to Southall station is only five extra stops, the last two of which are mostly useless. It also means there'll be 30% fewer buses running the five miles between Southall and Acton. That's deliberate because reducing capacity east of Southall was always the post-Crossrail plan, but it remains to be seen whether the 207 and 607 can cope with demand.
The Ferry will close to customers at 1000 on Friday 17 February 2023 and reopen at 0600 on Thursday 9 March 2023
Since the start of the year it's only been operating a one-boat service on weekdays (rather than the intended two) and no service at all at weekends, so unreliable is the current set-up. A lot of the problem is how long it takes the new ferries to dock because lining up with magnetic tabs on a tidal river isn't easy. The old ferries bumped their way in but did it quickly whereas the 2019 replacements are unguided but require more accuracy. Technology giveth and technology taketh away.
This lengthy hiatus will enable the installation of a new pontoon guiderail and other works on the docking areas to support long-term reliability. They're also widening the area where traffic waits before boarding to improve flow and access, which'll hopefully reduce waiting times and allow the service to operate more efficiently.
East London river crossings are few and very far between, so anything that improves the resilience of the Woolwich Ferry is to be welcomed. But if only someone had thought more carefully about the original specification for the new ferries perhaps we wouldn't still be trying to fix them all these years later.
Dangleway News
What's the new big thing at the cablecar? It's a Teddy Workshop! For just £20 you can build, dress and hand-stuff your own teddy in a room beside the south terminal, picking from a range of outfits and adding a bespoke backpack. The stuffing process involves vacuum-sealed fibre packs and the themed clothes include the option of making your bear a London Cable Car team member or mascot. The experience is suitable for children aged three and above. 15 minute slots are available daily any time between 9am and 8pm, even on weekdays. Crossing the river costs extra.
