Piinlikkusega tunnistan, et olen nüüd juba nädal aega muudkui ironiseerinud ja Siberiga paralleele tõmmanud, aga pole viitsinud välja uurida, miks siis ikkagi pool Londoni transpordisüsteemi kokku kukub, kui lumi maha tuleb (ja selleks tõesti ei ole palju lund vaja, piisab ka tollist või nii).
No ei olnud tegelikult raske välja googeldada. Palun: üks mõne aasta tagune artikkel selle kohta.
In south London the companies like Southern Railway, Southeastern and South West Trains have to operate using the “third rail system“. That is, the electricity is transmitted to the train using an electrified third rail that the train picks up through a bit of metal called a shoe.
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When the snow and ice hits, if the conductor third rail is cold as soon as snow hits it, it freezes. That means there’s an insulating layer of ice between the shoe and the rail.
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The pertinent point is we are the only country in the world where the third rail system is being used outside an urban area (it’s also used on the Tube and has caused problems on the uncovered Metropolitan line in the past).
See kõik ei vabanda midagi, aga vähemalt seletab. Ka seda, miks probleemi püütakse lahendada tühjade rongide öö otsa ringisõidutamisega…
whatever 