Tu-be or Not Tu-be

Anna Angeli was heading to work last Wednesday when a staff member at the East Finchley Underground station in London took her aside. What is it, she wondered — yet another infuriating train delay? But she laughed happily when she was awarded a free annual pass for being the Underground's billionth rider in the last year. Her joy didn't last. On Thursday she had to commute by car; a 24-hour strike shut down the whole Tube system. Anna's transit tale, both pleasure and woe, captures the larger plight of London's famous Underground, whose future is now up for grabs in a...