Our local National Rail line, Liverpool Street to Chingford, is becoming part of the London Overground network at the end of the month so hopefully that'll see some improvements in services and cleanliness. The stations along the line are already having work done to them, particularly Walthamstow Central which is looking much better these days. The rolling stock will initially be the trains inherited from Abelio Greater Anglia which aren't great but I'm guessing they'll be replaced eventually.
Actually the London Underground trains these days are pretty clean, or as clean as you'll get them considering how busy the Underground is. Even in the time I've lived in London the cleanliness of the Underground in general, trains and stations has far improved. Many lines (Victoria, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Circle) all have new trains.
I have to agree.
When I was a kid, it was common to see cigarette butts all over tube platforms and rail tracks, and in some grooves of the wooden floors in tube carriages. Random loose newspapers here and there, too. No wonder that the King's Cross fire happened.
On streets, there were many overflowing public bins with clusters of black rubbish bags at base. Piles of fruit boxes, etc. Leftovers from the Blitz - bomb sites still waiting to be cleared away.
I didn't realise how grey, dirty and run down London was until I stumbled across childhood photos of family trips around the city. The general look of the city wasn't pretty. London today is much cleaner.
For what it's worth, there is a childhood photo of me with a monkey on my shoulder in Trafalgar Square. Behind us in the photo, there is a food seller with a cigarette hanging off his lip directly above his open stall of jellied eels, winkles and other seafood. Eep.
I agree that the Tube is a lot cleaner than it was. My problem (and I'm sure it's my fault not their's) was the people. It seemed like everyone else was a member of a subculture whereas I was just 'me'. I've also made a note that whilst it's good to use the stairs instead of the escalators trying to run up the stairs out of St Paul's is not a good move
The former East London Line is now part of London Overground, which is operated by brand new class 378 Capitalstars (also walk through) and has been expanded to form an orbital network.
Perhaps you should have said it in a different thread then. We were discussing the prices of tickets to London compared to other locations in the UK. That has nothing to do with how foreign railway networks are operated.
I agree that the Tube is a lot cleaner than it was. My problem (and I'm sure it's my fault not their's) was the people. It seemed like everyone else was a member of a subculture whereas I was just 'me'. I've also made a note that whilst it's good to use the stairs instead of the escalators trying to run up the stairs out of St Paul's is not a good move
Surely if you were just you then you too were also a subculture of one?!
I always try to remember which end of the carriage is closest to the exit at Tube stations I use because that always saves time. Also "secret" interchanges that are not signposted in stations, like the one that use to link the Central and Northern Line platforms at Tottenham Court Road without you having to go round the houses. Not sure that link still exists now that TCR has practically been rebuilt.
I tend to avoid going there at all costs. Being from "up north", I would often get lambasted by my southern mates with the tag "it's grim up north", yet I couldn't quite bring myself to take them seriously considering how grim I find the south. It's redeeming feature is the capital has lots of posh shops and expensive eateries if you're into that sort of thing. A fool and their money...
I do wonder if people only get their information on house prices from the news..
I live in a two bedroom flat in the borough of Greenwich, and my balcony overlooks the River Thames, as the building I live in is on it.
This costs £1,300 a month.
I've never paid a fiver for a pint, we do have curry sauce and mushy peas in our chip shops, and as much as I love going out in Liverpool and Manchester, it's not a patch on London..
Atm my daughter takes home 1300 after tax so if that's the costs of a flat she would have zero for bills food etc
I've never paid a fiver for a pint, we do have curry sauce and mushy peas in our chip shops, and as much as I love going out in Liverpool and Manchester, it's not a patch on London..
Wizard repeatedly posts the chip shop nonsense and gets told he's talking nonsense time and again.
I don't think he's ever been near London and lives purely in a fantasy world.
50% of London homes are owner occupied, and roughly 25% social housing and 25% privately let. Neighbourhoods with a lot of absentee owners must be very small; I spend a lot of time in Notting Hill, for example, and as far as I can see, almost every house and flat does have someone in it. The area where I live is mixed o/o, social housing and private rented, and you can't tell which is which.
Apologies for not making my point clearer - I obviously did not mean to include London home owners in my post. In fact, they must be quite happy with the way house prices are going at the moment.
Notting Hill is pretty vibrant indeed. Mayfair, or even worse, Belgravia, not quite so.
I tend to avoid going there at all costs. Being from "up north", I would often get lambasted by my southern mates with the tag "it's grim up north", yet I couldn't quite bring myself to take them seriously considering how grim I find the south. It's redeeming feature is the capital has lots of posh shops and expensive eateries if you're into that sort of thing. A fool and their money...
sootysoo, you appear to be saying, by your last remark, that people who eat in "expensive eateries" are fools, who will soon be parted from their money.
We go out to dinner at least once per week, sometimes twice.
We're not enamoured of the Bombay Palaces, or Golden Dragons, though we're not averse to a decent Indian on occasion, maybe the Bengal Clipper in Butlers Wharf at Shad Thames.
Menu prices don't particularly bother me, I just want to eat good food in good surroundings.
Sometimes my wife and I can get away with £70 to £75, other times it can be £85 to £95.
That's par for the course in a city like London, and it's what I'm prepared to pay, personally I don't think I'm a fool, you may think otherwise, that is your privilege.
I just love these threads, full of small minded provincial types from Arse-End-On-Sea drawing baseless conclusions from "what their mate told em" and generalising about 8 million of the most diverse people on Earth.
"They're so rude!!!" In other words, you're so insecure that you can't stand the fact there are people in the world that are a) busy and b) don't give a shit about you. Welcome to the real world, you're insignificant.
I suggest you stay in your pathetic little excuse for a town, you're not wanted here because you have absolutely zero to offer.
I enjoy London when I visit 5-6 times a year - New York blows it out of the water - I would have said apart from the history but apart from the obvious buildings, a lot of streets and areas are being gentrified and homogenized beyond recogntion - ie Soho - full of character and history. So many old pubs and clubs closing and bought up to be changed into bland chain shops and offices/"luxury" flats.
It's a shame
When I was a kid, it was common to see cigarette butts all over tube platforms and rail tracks, and in some grooves of the wooden floors in tube carriages. Random loose newspapers here and there, too. No wonder that the King's Cross fire happened.
On streets, there were many overflowing public bins with clusters of black rubbish bags at base. Piles of fruit boxes, etc. Leftovers from the Blitz - bomb sites still waiting to be cleared away.
I didn't realise how grey, dirty and run down London was until I stumbled across childhood photos of family trips around the city. The general look of the city wasn't pretty. London today is much cleaner.
For what it's worth, there is a childhood photo of me with a monkey on my shoulder in Trafalgar Square. Behind us in the photo, there is a food seller with a cigarette hanging off his lip directly above his open stall of jellied eels, winkles and other seafood. Eep.
This is the London I miss - I like cities with a bit of dirt and grime....I despise gentrification - bland beyond belief.
This is the London I miss - I like cities with a bit of dirt and grime....I despise gentrification - bland beyond belief.
Sorry? You want to see litter all over the streets and food vendors with **** in their mouths?! How strange!
I agree full-on gentrification risks turning places into clones of eachother and prices poorer people out but street cleaning and general care for an area is surely a standard we should expect? I'd far rather have clean streets and good food hygiene if its alright by you?
I just love these threads, full of small minded provincial types from Arse-End-On-Sea drawing baseless conclusions from "what their mate told em" and generalising about 8 million of the most diverse people on Earth.
"They're so rude!!!" In other words, you're so insecure that you can't stand the fact there are people in the world that are a) busy and b) don't give a shit about you. Welcome to the real world, you're insignificant.
I suggest you stay in your pathetic little excuse for a town, you're not wanted here because you have absolutely zero to offer.
To be perfectly honest, that comment does probably justify their opinions :kitty:
Also, I love the hypocrisy in your first paragraph: you're generalising this thread as being full of "small-minded provincial types" - and then go on to criticise them for being...err, "generalising".
It's redeeming feature is the capital has lots of posh shops and expensive eateries if you're into that sort of thing. A fool and their money...
It also has lots of mid-priced shops and restaurants and lots of cheap shops and restaurants and usually all pretty close to each other. It's a big and diverse place.
Atm my daughter takes home 1300 after tax so if that's the costs of a flat she would have zero for bills food etc
Or she and her boyfriend could get a 1 bed in zone 3 for approx £900 or ££450 each or a two bed flat share for £1200 per month with someone else for approx £300 each.
Just zoopla'd SW19 2
There is a lot of variety in prices. It's s big place.
If you are a couple without kids who are both working of course London is affordable and often works out cheap. It's when you have kids, want to buy or don't want to share that people tend to find it more difficult.
London is probably one of the most reasonably priced places to eat out actually, purely because there is so much competition in the restaurant scene. You can basically get whatever cuisine you want at pretty much any price point you want, from the dirt cheap and basic right up to as expensive and luxurious as you like.
Comments
I have to agree.
When I was a kid, it was common to see cigarette butts all over tube platforms and rail tracks, and in some grooves of the wooden floors in tube carriages. Random loose newspapers here and there, too. No wonder that the King's Cross fire happened.
On streets, there were many overflowing public bins with clusters of black rubbish bags at base. Piles of fruit boxes, etc. Leftovers from the Blitz - bomb sites still waiting to be cleared away.
I didn't realise how grey, dirty and run down London was until I stumbled across childhood photos of family trips around the city. The general look of the city wasn't pretty. London today is much cleaner.
For what it's worth, there is a childhood photo of me with a monkey on my shoulder in Trafalgar Square. Behind us in the photo, there is a food seller with a cigarette hanging off his lip directly above his open stall of jellied eels, winkles and other seafood. Eep.
Indeed, including the District Line. All are air conditioned and walk through, i.e. no doors between carriages, except the Victoria Line 2009 stock.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground_S7_and_S8_Stock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground_2009_Stock
The former East London Line is now part of London Overground, which is operated by brand new class 378 Capitalstars (also walk through) and has been expanded to form an orbital network.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Overground
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_378
Fair enough. Point taken.
Surely if you were just you then you too were also a subculture of one?!
I always try to remember which end of the carriage is closest to the exit at Tube stations I use because that always saves time. Also "secret" interchanges that are not signposted in stations, like the one that use to link the Central and Northern Line platforms at Tottenham Court Road without you having to go round the houses. Not sure that link still exists now that TCR has practically been rebuilt.
Atm my daughter takes home 1300 after tax so if that's the costs of a flat she would have zero for bills food etc
Wizard repeatedly posts the chip shop nonsense and gets told he's talking nonsense time and again.
I don't think he's ever been near London and lives purely in a fantasy world.
Notting Hill is pretty vibrant indeed. Mayfair, or even worse, Belgravia, not quite so.
As for slums, there's quite a few of them in Hounslow but they are well hidden. And then there's this
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/05/london-flats-prison-cells-condemned
...right in the middle of so-called Champagne Socialist Islington. Housing crisis, what housing crisis?
sootysoo, you appear to be saying, by your last remark, that people who eat in "expensive eateries" are fools, who will soon be parted from their money.
We go out to dinner at least once per week, sometimes twice.
We're not enamoured of the Bombay Palaces, or Golden Dragons, though we're not averse to a decent Indian on occasion, maybe the Bengal Clipper in Butlers Wharf at Shad Thames.
Menu prices don't particularly bother me, I just want to eat good food in good surroundings.
Sometimes my wife and I can get away with £70 to £75, other times it can be £85 to £95.
That's par for the course in a city like London, and it's what I'm prepared to pay, personally I don't think I'm a fool, you may think otherwise, that is your privilege.
"They're so rude!!!" In other words, you're so insecure that you can't stand the fact there are people in the world that are a) busy and b) don't give a shit about you. Welcome to the real world, you're insignificant.
I suggest you stay in your pathetic little excuse for a town, you're not wanted here because you have absolutely zero to offer.
This is a two bedroom flat, we split the rent three ways, so it's really £435 not including bills...
Ahhh that's more achievable ty for explaining, that seems very reasonable
No worries.
There are areas where definitely you don't get value for money. I had to leave my home town for this reason.
There's no point me paying ridiculous amounts for a room there, when I get what I get here for such good value.
It's a shame
This is the London I miss - I like cities with a bit of dirt and grime....I despise gentrification - bland beyond belief.
Sorry? You want to see litter all over the streets and food vendors with **** in their mouths?! How strange!
I agree full-on gentrification risks turning places into clones of eachother and prices poorer people out but street cleaning and general care for an area is surely a standard we should expect? I'd far rather have clean streets and good food hygiene if its alright by you?
To be perfectly honest, that comment does probably justify their opinions :kitty:
Also, I love the hypocrisy in your first paragraph: you're generalising this thread as being full of "small-minded provincial types" - and then go on to criticise them for being...err, "generalising".
Just zoopla'd SW19 2
There is a lot of variety in prices. It's s big place.
If you are a couple without kids who are both working of course London is affordable and often works out cheap. It's when you have kids, want to buy or don't want to share that people tend to find it more difficult.
When I lived in London in the early eighties I noticed actual dirt came off my face along with my makeup at the end of the day.
Still love the place though.
I've never noticed that myself.
And I doubt if it is the case, it isn't unique to London.