Customer Reviews

Down the Tube

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

London's Underground (what Americans call the 'subway') is an utter catastrophe. The system, dating back to 1863, is in a state of collapse while handling crowds for which it was never designed, and the government wants to reinvigorate it on the cheap, without spending the extraordinary amounts of money that are necessary. Supposedly the magic solution is the PPP (Public Private Partnership) in which segments of the system will be operated on a contractual basis by private companies - in short, the quasi-privatization of London's subway. This has been supported by both Conservative and Labour Party governments, in spite of Britain's disastrous experience privatizing 'mainline' (i.e., commuter and long distance) railways.

Most of the book focuses on the political aspects of the London subway, and the machinations among transit administrators, municipal government, and the national government. Unfortunately, there is not a single map, diagram, or chart in the entire book.

The main thrust of the book is explaining the PPP concept. Christian Wolmar strives to be open-minded but concludes that the PPP formula will end in chaos. Wolmar tries - he really tries - to make PPPs interesting and understandable, and brings eloquence and talent to the task. For instance, the first chapter takes us through an ordinary day in a typical subway station, to illustrate how complex it is to keep the system operating. But try as he might, there is no way to turn arcane issues of government finance into a page-turner.