Devo max? Turning the clocks backwards or forwards?

21 February 2013

On the concourse of Blackfriars station there are two clocks, almost next door to each other. They are quite similar, although different colours, with both showing a digital display of the hours, minutes and seconds. One is a London Underground type, the other a National Rail. Blackfriars has both stations within it and they don’t tell the same time – the seconds don’t match.

Does it matter? Well it does seem odd that two public transport systems show different versions of the same thing. If control over more rail services were to be devolved, as it looks likely, would the clocks and the services they tell you about mesh much more closely together? Only if they are focused on what passengers want. As passengers increasingly become the main funders of transport services it is crucial that their say is taken more into account. Otherwise the clocks may continue to not say what passengers want…