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Tube passenger burnt by 'acid seat'

A passenger on the Tube needed hospital treatment after sitting on a seat believed to be covered in corrosive cleaning fluid.

The man was treated after the fluid burnt through his trousers!

He was travelling on the Central Line during rush hour (which is taking his life in his own hands at the best of times!) the fluid started to burn through his clothes.

He alerted Tube staff, who then called an ambulance and notified the police.

The man, was taken to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital where he was treated for minor skin irritation.

Police believe cleaning fluid had been accidentally spilled on to the seat and had not been left there maliciously.

Two trains were immediately taken out of service and underwent thorough searches, Transport For London said.

A spokeswoman for British Transport Police said: "We are not treating this as being malicious at this point."

Not malicious? So can we assume this is just a normal occurence on the tube? No wonder so many people find the transition to public transport so difficult.

Flickr photo by strollerdos A passenger on the Tube needed hospital treatment after sitting on a seat believed to be covered in corrosive cleaning fluid. ... more

Beta_Boy

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9 responses

1 hour ago

Another 3 day tube strike for London....

Commuters and tourists face huge disruption to their journeys after London Underground maintenance workers said that they would strike in a dispute over pay and conditions.

About 1,000 members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union at Tube Lines will walk out at 12 noon next Wednesday and again from noon on Wednesday, September 3.

Although the turnout was just 361, the union said that the workers voted by more than three to one in favour of industrial action in protest at a 4.85 per cent pay offer. RMT officials said that the package was an inferior deal to one accepted on behalf of staff employed on Metronet contracts, the company which collapsed last year and has been taken over by Transport for London.

Bob Crow, the RMT’s general secretary, is fast becoming the most hated man in London. Perhaps the frequent disruptions to the London Underground will force people to seek better modes of transport. Get on your bikes people! Commuters and tourists face huge disruption to their journeys after London Underground maintenance workers said that they would strike... more

Beta_Boy

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5 days ago

Death-by-train

"Last year in in the U.K., 194 people killed themselves on the tracks of mass transit systems, with some 50 of those choosing the sooty tunnels of the Tube."

This is quite an interesting look into the public suicide phenomenon. Why do people choose to kill themselves in front of other people? How do you feel when you're making your way through the London Underground and you hear the dreaded "delays due to person under train" announcement? "Last year in in the U.K., 194 people killed themselves on the tracks of mass transit systems, with some 50 of those choosing the... more

abbym0308

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5 days ago

Should we pipe music into the London Underground?

The Victoria line pumps 'masterpieces from the canons of classical music' at its passengers every day, ostensibly to reduce crime and relax irate customers. The Guardian arts blog comments, 'it's the same kind of social engineering that makes Top Shop play dance music at high-volume and high-speed to make you buy faster, quicker, and more; or that lulls you supposedly into an oasis of calm, as Vivaldi's Four Seasons chimes down the phone as you wait to speak to an airline, bank, or credit card company - something that tends to have the opposite effect.' More at the link.

Would you like your public transport to have music pumped into it? And if so, what sort? I think some jazz would go down quite well on the no. 73 to Islington ... The Victoria line pumps 'masterpieces from the canons of classical music' at its passengers every day, ostensibly to reduce ... more

mischabarrett

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19 responses

10 days ago

Tube Poker

Ever sat on an underground train and felt you were being watched? You might have been an unsuspecting participant in a game of Tube Poker, the gambling phenomenon that's sweeping the globe.

This is Poker with a difference - cards are replaced by people. Whether male or female, young or old, everyone is worth a certain value. The game can be played by two opposing players on any train with five seats in a row. Ever sat on an underground train and felt you were being watched? You might have been an unsuspecting participant in a game of Tube Po... more

jabee

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10 responses

23 hours ago

Green bride and groom go by Tube

An environmentally-friendly couple in London have had a green wedding by travelling to their ceremony by Tube.

Stefanie Schmiedel, Robert Gray and their wedding guests went from Dollis Hill underground station in north-west London to Marylebone register office.

"We thought about going on our bikes but this was a compromise," he said.

Her dress was made from reusable material, her engagement ring was second-hand and the menus and order of service were printed on recycled paper.

To ensure the event was as environmentally-friendly as possible, catering at their reception used local produce and the wedding cake was organic.

Ms Schmiedel said: "If in everyday life we try to be as environmentally friendly as we can, why should we change on our wedding day?"

Mr Gray added: "We didn't feel that we needed a stretch limo to get to their register office when we have got an Oyster card and the Tube."

Inspirational, or just a bit mad? Is your wedding day (if you're crazy enough to get married) the one day you can push the boat out, or the best day ever to show the world that green is greatest? An environmentally-friendly couple in London have had a green wedding by travelling to their ceremony by Tube. ... more

LindseyIndigo

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17 hours ago

Feminists shut down London Underground... with milkshakes

Feminists reportedly brought chaos to London Underground stations when they 'milkshaked' escalators in support of the tube cleaners' strike during rush hour this morning.

Activists from Feminist Fightback poured the milky concoctions (chocolate, strawberry or vanilla, I wonder?) onto the escalators, forcing a close-down until the mess could be cleared up, in an attempt to highlight the crucial role that cleaners play in keeping the underground running.

They were acting in support of cleaners on the underground who've been on strike since Tuesday evening, after TfL failed to respond to the cleaners' one day strike last week.

London Underground cleaners - the majority of whom are women and people from ethnic minorities - are demanding:

• A wage of £7.20 per hour, the minimum London living wage as determined by the GLA last year
• Sick Pay
• Decent pensions
• 28 days' annual leave
• An end to third party sackings

Last Friday Feminist Fightback activists invaded London Underground Headquarters. Armed with feather dusters, brooms and mops, they set about helping Transport for London 'clean up their act' until they were forcibly removed.

Do you support the demands of the men and women who mop up your sick and clear away your newspapers every day? )

Were you at Bank or Tottenham Court Road stations earlier today? Did errant dairy products ruin your journey, and mess up your morning?

Or was the protest just a drop in the (milky) ocean (do you see what I did there?) of the tube's everyday disruptions? Feminists reportedly brought chaos to London Underground stations when they 'milkshaked' escalators in support of the tube c... more

LindseyIndigo

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2 responses

4 days ago

London's Oyster system hacked?

More bad news for London's transport system. It seems that the Oyster Card - a ticketing/payment system for easy travelling on the tubes and buses - has been hacked, allowing citizens to travel for free. More bad news for London's transport system. It seems that the Oyster Card - a ticketing/payment system for easy travelling on th... more

kristianbrodie

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14 responses

2 days ago

Tube party ends in drunken madness

Saturday night marked the end of the 'can in hand' attitude on London's transport network. The party was supposed to be a light hearted affair but soon developed into a 'boisterous' and rowdy drunken night, with numerous arrests, station closures, criminal damage and pools of vomit, nice! - ironically this might just show why the ban may have been called in the first place? Saturday night marked the end of the 'can in hand' attitude on London's transport network. The party was supposed to b... more

khanrob

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20 responses

2 days ago

Thousands of revellers close Liverpool Street tube station

So Saturday 31st May was the last day you could drink alcohol on public transport in London. Thousands of people attended a party advertised on Facebook to catch the 20.30 BST departure from Liverpool St tube station on the westbound platform and party - bringing their own booze totally legally until the ban became active at midnight.

Peter Moore, 35, a sailor from Brighton, described his night as: "Drunken, I just downed a can of beer in 10 seconds. It's sweaty on there but I'm going round and round until I vomit."

Apparently Baker Street and Liverpool Street stations became the revelling hotspots for the party on the Circle line. So Saturday 31st May was the last day you could drink alcohol on public transport in London. Thousands of people attended a party adv... more