Going down the drain
THIS week opened with the nation's sim- plest train set out of order, to nobody's sur- prise, least of all its users'. The set has two stations, one at each end. They are con- nected by two lines, one up, one down. A clockwork Thomas the Tank Engine kit would be more demanding. Even so, this train set is too much for its operators. Though the signals and the trains were renewed not long ago, they do not always work at the same time, and if they do, the Staff may not be working because Jimmy Knapp has called them out on strike. Its regulars will recognise London Under- ground's Waterloo and City Line, other- wise known as the Drain. Rival solutions to the Underground's woes are now on means ."ey. Ministers are dithering with the idea of privatisation, and wonder whether this would make them popular. Their oppo- nents hint that an answer might be found in the Private Finance Initiative. The Cross- rail project (for a new deep-level line) was handed over to the PFI, and not a sod has been turned ever since. My proposal, by contrast, breaks new ground. I am prepared to lead a City consortium of season ticket holders who would take the Drain off the Underground's hands.
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