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Comment by lokedhs | Hacker News Reader

With fewer trains, wouldn't that lead to more overcrowding?

In Copenhagen, the metro took the reverse action, running more trains, even outside rush hours (basically all their trains all the time). Well, that happened two weeks ago, and now no one is actually taking the metro, so maybe they have cut down since then.

I think bus companies and train companies in general took the same action, but they are also reporting an 80% drop in passengers.

Copenhagen can do this as the metro trains are automatic (no drivers, just some controllers with oversight in an office somewhere) and the stations are often not staffed.

London has to have train drivers, and most stations aren't as safe as a fairly new system.

Then have more drivers and pay them a bit extra. Train drivers are mostly isolated in their cabins and not exposed to the people much anyway.

They will eventually finish their shifts and alight at a platform; travelling as another passenger.

Average salary for a tube driver is £55k. Here's what TFL say; “The average base pay of a Tube driver is £55,011. The overwhelming majority earned total remuneration – including base pay, overtime, employer pension contributions and certain allowances – of £70,000 [$80k] or considerably less.” Always think that's interesting

That's a reasonable salary if you are expected to live (or commute daily) to London and provide something resembling a family home.

Everyone else in low and middle income bracket is just getting screwed.

As a software developer was getting paid less than a tube driver

Hence why I also mentioned buses and S-trains, which are not automated, and requires drivers. But they pulled in people, and then as the decline in passengers occurred, they starting reducing the number of vehicles in service.

While our hospitals have not been overloaded yet, the government has already been calling in any extra potential personnel to help with the upcoming strain. Like recently retired doctors, medical students, etc.

WOW. There is a sane country in Europe! Everyone else seems to either have swallowed their retard-pills, or they want to save costs and use this defective rationalization instead.

"Rush hour operation has been prolonged on all three metro lines to now run from 06 until 20.00." (normally 07-09 and 14-18)

Seat reservations are compulsory on longer-distance trains (to prevent overcrowding), although I doubt they're busy anyway.

My thoughts exactly. My local Safeway has decided to close at 9pm instead of midnight due to the health issues, which means that now everyone that would have gone later is now crowding in right before closing.

The peak tube is usually crowded to the point of you can’t get on, this week there’s photos of spare seats as they leave zone 1.

This image is from six days ago, I’d usually expect to see ~25 people in this space https://imgur.com/lUC9hO4

That's probably the immediate consequence, but not necessarily the only one: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_demand#Reduced_deman...

The tube is incredibly empty at the moment. I imagine it's not much of a concern

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