Evening Standard comment: The storm - London dusts itself down

Whatever the inconveniences of travel for commuters today, especially by rail, the city’s transport system — at least the bits run by TfL — has coped relatively well
28 October 2013
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Today’s storm has caused much of the predicted chaos. There has been localised disruption to several Tube lines and the DLR — almost all caused by fallen trees. The cancellation of all early-morning rail services — including London Overground — has caused some commuters severe problems. Flights have been disrupted. And it was a miracle that no one was hurt by a crane collapsing onto the Cabinet Office in Whitehall. Yet the effects in London are not as severe as they might have been.

This is in no small part due to Transport for London’s preparation — and here the contrast with the rail operators is striking. While by 9am all but three Tube lines were fully open, as well as all buses and the DLR, commuter rail operators were still struggling. First Capital Connect’s recovery has been particularly slow. TfL has learned from its crisis in February 2009, when it failed to anticipate the severity of the worst blizzard to hit London in years. Then, the bus system shut down, for the first time ever. TfL’s preparation for today’s major weather event was much more impressive. Extra staff have been deployed, the damage has been speedily fixed, and the flow of information to passengers generally good.

Whatever the inconveniences of travel for commuters today, especially by rail, the city’s transport system — at least the bits run by TfL — has coped relatively well. Part of its flexibility and improved communications is down to the huge lessons learned preparing for the Olympics last year. Overall, London’s transport system is now running with a confidence and level of efficiency not seen in a long time — even if this morning it took chainsaw crews to get the Tube moving.

The future of HS2

The battle over the future of HS2 has intensified again over recent days. Today transport minister Robert Goodwill warns against trying to save money with a cheaper upgrade, while a forthcoming Government analysis will show that tens of thousands more passengers could end up standing without a major expansion of capacity on the London-Birmingham line. But shadow chancellor Ed Balls has been sounding increasingly sceptical of late. At last month’s Labour conference he warned against a blank cheque for the rail link, while at the weekend he compared it to the Millennium Dome, the Labour government’s greatest white elephant.

There is opposition to HS2 along its route, not least in north London. But the biggest sticking point remains the cost, which in June soared to a projected £42.6 million. There is a clear need for greater capacity on the line — the more urgent issue than a slightly faster service. The question is whether we are prepared to pay for it. The money would be better used elsewhere on the rail network, though as things stand, that is not an option: this money i

s on offer for HS2 alone. Sooner rather than later, we need a firm decision to commit the funds — or else to rethink rail priorities.

Islamic opportunity

This week’s conference in London on Islamic finance underlines the capital’s huge role in a rapidly growing business. The global market for it is growing rapidly, while investment from Islamic countries is already having a big impact in London in the shape of projects including the Shard and Chelsea barracks. We should welcome it. Our strength is our openness to the world: if there is money to be made from Islamic finance, London is the Western financial centre best placed to make it.

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