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"Why not use double deck trains?"

a) don't fit in the loading gauge
b) people have got taller

- Tom, London, UK

To all thos Boris Luvies one only has to see how the TFL page in metro has gradually lost relevence to public transport and now goes on about cars and bikes to see how little new public transport schemes NOGO BOJO is creating.

Unlike these new Ken Trains Boris is just a waste of space who managed to loose Tim O'Toole the best thing to happen to Londons Transport since Feltham Tramcars.

He goes on about Black Holes and yet he creates them with £3 million extra to remove artics from 3 bus routes and hundreds of millions if the Western C-Charge is removed.

Anyway all this is the same story going round and round but then you would expect a Mayor that rides a bike to Re-Cycle the same news.

Last week it was Underground this week Overground juding by some of the comments I reckon it was the wombles who voted him in.

- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex

All I can say is - am I glad I no longer live in London. I'm living in the USA where I don't have to fret about the state of transportation in London anymore. This is one of the reasons I left London.

- Barry Graham, Washington, DC, USA

Why not use double deck trains?

- Cliff Steele, Melbourne australia

We don't need any more Thames crossings, Boris will be able to part the Thames to enable us to cross the riverbed!

- Robin, London UK

Lovely new trains, but will they be any faster and will they have toilets?!

- John Evans, Hatch End, Middx.

Great work Boris.

- Stef, Essex

and the fares will go up to compensate for the new livestock !! , overcrowding on new late trains due to labour innefiency on the tracks ......well done boris.

- Denise G, Norfolk

Saw this article and thought, "yeah! no more grotty tubes." But alas, no, not tubes, so underground users face even more unbearable temperatures. Someone will die of the heat in the tunnels one day, and only then will action be taken. sickening

- Sdavids, Hounslow

I wonder what the 'official' capacity is - the persons per square feet - as compared to the old trains, and I wonder how long before the overcrowding forces that number to be changed.

A pretty prison is still a prison.

- Trunk, US

All you people congratulating Boris and how he has given us great results... these were all ordered under Ken, Boris had nothing to do with bringing these onto our infrastructure. Astounding...

- Chris Savage, London

Why cant he concentrate on London Transport just working like any other first world country,instead of it resembling a Third world transport system.Trains cancelled,busses forever half hour plus late,the system is a joke.

- Dave, london

"but please lets just get the facts right!!"

Well said. You forget the Woolwich Extension (completed early and performing well above expectations) and the East London busway thing that somehow survived. Even the A406 improvements at Bounds Green (which I predict now will be claimed as some kind of suburban motorist pleasing Borisism) are actually a Livingstone thing, along with the Ealing bridge rebuild project.

Seriously, either people are very ignorant or there's a team of astroturfers at City Hall at our expense.

- Tom, London, UK

Good God, I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to thank Boris for turning up to trains specified and ordered (aircon and all) two years before he became Mayor. Evidently I was wrong, as with the air-conditioned S-Stock.

Fact time:
1) they're very late, should have come in a couple of months after the Mayoral election. Credit crunch has hit suppliers, apparently.
2) they've got the interior ambience and design of a bendy bus (few seats, bendy bit, large circulating areas, disabled friendly design and I bet they beep a lot) - naturally this is mostly a good thing and I look forward to trying one out on my next Overground trip.

OK, from now on anyone fulsomely thanking Boris for turning up to a press event is officially going to get my special Curse of the Credulous Fool, and it's a curse you won't enjoy.

"He has taken on a big risk"

No he hasn't, he's taken on a well run project that was on time and on budget. The one thing that's gone wrong since is the lateness of delivery and I'm uncertain what he's done there. Hopefully got some compensation back from the manufacturers.

"And having no alcohol on public transport means we are not so much subjected to mindless verbal abuse at the very least"

Because no one drinks and then gets on the tube blotto, obviously. Actually, since I regularly find empty beer cans on the buses, it's not really being enforced.

- Tom, London, UK

What are you on about Rod?? 'Ken could have cancelled it'?? Ken certainly would not have cancelled this - It was his idea, and as we are on the subject of cancelling projects:

Thames Gateway Bridge
DLR extension to Dagenham
Cross River Tram
Tramlink extension to Crystal Palace
Greenwich Transit

ALL cancelled by Boris

and for the future -

When the East London Line extension opens next year - Ken secured the funding for this project and launched construction

The DLR extension to Stratford International, which opens next year - again Ken secured the funding and launched construction

This Ken v Boris debate is silly. I know people have strong feeling either way, but most projects Boris announces, or opens in the next year (or has opened since last year) or so would have been started by Ken. - The Woolwich Arsenal DLR extension, Victoria Line new Rolling stock, Air conditioned tub trains.

Debate who you agree with more Ken or Boris by all means, but please lets just get the facts right!!

- Gareth, Romford

Long overdue but worth every penny - thanks Boris!

- Peter, Hampstead

Boris just keeps getting better and better.

- Kimberley, London

No - D.W., London

Sarah is right....Boris could have cancelled the whole thing and left us with the rubbish we have. Alright, Ken started it off but Boris had to take the project on, and be judged on the results. He has taken on a big risk.

And having no alcohol on public transport means we are not so much subjected to mindless verbal abuse at the very least. A very good thing.

I am pleased with Boris overall...he is a baffoon who uses words that not many understand (deliberately), but I shall forgive him for that if he DELIVERS.

- Rod, Epping, UK

Further to the comment by DW:: Just some facts, guys... The £223 million contract for the first 44 Class 378 trains from Bombardier was announced by the TfL press office on 31st August 2006. A further £23million follow ion contract for 28 carriages (7 trains of 4 carriages)(to increase the frequency of the core orbital service between Camden Road and Stratford to eight trains an hour) was announced by the TFL press office on 01st April 2008.....Boris Johnson was not elected as London's Mayor until 1st May 2008.

- Donald Smith, London

Well said DW. I couldn't have put it better myself.

- John, London, UK

Sarah, how dumb you are, Ken ordered these years ago, do you really think Boris had these produced that quickly or did he wave a magic wand and pull them out of a hat? Bear in mind Boris hasn't delivered anything yet apart from his pointless alcohol ban...

- D.W., London

I think it's fantastic Boris has listened to the people of London who have asked for years for air conditioned trains and he has delivered on this. Boris is about results, not constant failed promises of the Ken era.

- Sarah, London

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