Entries tagged with “Transport” from Working For Walthamstow

Many local residents have shared their concerns with me about the weekend closures of the Victoria Line underground service during August. I recently asked London Underground for an update and this was their response:

"New trains and signalling in particular require extensive testing - it would not be possible to complete the programme in any sensible timeframe without closures. Already more than 90% of the Victoria line track has been renewed, 550km of cabling has been installed and 90% of the new signaling equipment has been installed. This means we will be able to run more trains closer together - undoubtedly vital during busy periods. At present, we are using a signaling system that was built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During these closures, we also test the new rolling stock. The new trains have been tested over a distance of 4,700 km on the line. The first new train went into passenger service last week. The new train will run, initially, towards the very end of the day, several nights per week. It will then gradually operate for more hours of the day over the coming weeks and months. By 2012 when the Victoria line upgrade is complete, 47 new trains will be in service, featuring in-carriage CCTV, improved wheelchair access, wider aisles and doors, better ventilation, and improved visual and audio customer information systems. The project made optimum use of the late evening closures last year, and there hasn't been the need for more of those this year. LU does however have weekend closures to enable the upgrade. "

If you want to receive updates from me as to any further disruption to the service please get in touch.

I have now received a response back from Transport for London regarding my concerns about the rail replacement service for the Victoria Line whilst engineering works take place. They have assured me that a service is supposed to run once every five minutes and that delays have been caused recently by roadworks that have now finished. They have assured me this has improved the service and that the bus company are monitoring the service to ensure reliability.

Oyster card passengers can receive targeted information about any planned closures or delays that may affect their journeys by registering to receive email alerts with planned closures. To register, go to www.tfl.gov.uk/oyster and then follow the "open an online account" link. Furthermore, a new facility to provide weekly planned closure emails regardless of Oyster registration is in the pipeline and should be available over the next couple of months. In addition the "check before you travel" page on the website has a six-month calendar of planned closures - that is available on www.tfl.gov.uk/check.

This weekend there are a series of engineering works that are likely to make travel into town complicated for local people. These include the complete closure of the Victoria line on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September as part of the Victoria line upgrade and no service throughout September on the Gospel Barking Oak line, which serves Blackhorse Road and Queens Road station. In addition to this, this weekend will see closures on the Jubilee Line and Northern Line as well as on some overground services.See the Transport for London Website for further details.

I recognise that many local people are annoyed by the extra travelling time these engineering works have added to their journeys and the road congestion caused by the provision of several replacement bus services seeking to travel around areas such as St James Street. I share this frustration and I look forward to the improved service we will hopefully experience as a result of these disruptions.

However, there are some areas of managing these engineering works that can be improved. For that reason I have written to Transport for London to express my concerns about the use of bendy buses in providing replacement services from Finsbury Park as these vehicles are not suitable for Tottenham Hale Station so preventing the services going further than Seven Sisters. I will circulate their response via this newsletter and would welcome evidence from local residents as to any further use of these vehicles to serve this purpose and the waiting time experienced at Finsbury Park, Manor House or Seven Sisters for a service to Walthamstow as a result.

The Barking to Gospel Oak line, which serves Queens Road and Blackhorse Road stations, is now closed for major upgrade works. The upgrade will enable more frequent services to be run carrying more passengers and freight. The line is completely closed from 1st to 28th September, with buses replacing the trains. For updates on this service please check the Barking Gospel Oak Users Group Website for details.

Please note too, that the Victoria Line is suspended this weekend (6th and 7th September) between Walthamstow Central and Highbury and Islington as part of on-going upgrade engineering works. A replacement bus service will also operate, stopping outside all stations between Walthamstow Central and Finsbury Park.

Neil Gerrard recently met with London Underground which has taken over the upgrading of the Victoria Line. He wanted me to share with readers of this site the outcomes of his meeting and the details of the ongoing engineering works. LU stated that, originally, the whole project was scheduled to be completed by 2013, but they are now aiming for a late 2011 finish. The upgrade will include 47 new trains, new signalling, renewed track, and a new control centre. This will result in an increase in capacity, and improved journey times.

The current early closures have allowed the work to be speeded up and LU are aiming to have the bulk of the engineering finished by the middle of next year. Closures should become fewer over time, and probably the current period of early evening closures will not be repeated. There are still some uncertainties, arising from the fact that LU have taken over this project from Metronet, and so still have to satisfy themselves that everything is going to keep to schedule. The key point however seems to be that although the whole project still has 3 years or more to run, the latter part of that is the bringing in of the new trains rather than continued major engineering works. I hope this is of interest and I'll keep updating this site if I get any further information on these works.

This week, Boris Johnson made one of his first policy decisions and announced he is planning to end the deal which gives half price travel cards to Londoners on income support. I know how popular this has been in Walthamstow - over 3,000 people here, alone, could be affected by this cut, and of those many are carers or have young children. Doubling the cost of transport can make all the difference to being able to get to hospital appointments, job interviews or family events. The scheme is set to finish on the 20 August so hopefully there is time to encourage the new Mayor to change his mind and make sure London is a city open to all. If you would like to help campaign on this issue please do get in touch - and I've set up a Facebook group you can also join to register your support for retaining this scheme.