Entries tagged with “tubes” 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.

Many of you will remember from last year the early closure of our Victoria Line service as the engineering works to upgrade the line took place. We've now been informed by Transport for London that from Monday 4 February until November the Tube will finish at 10pm Monday-Thursday to enable them to test the new trains on the track.
 
There will be a replacement bus service from Finsbury Park to Blackhorse Road and Walthamstow Central and at present I am informed the Liverpool St - Chingford service will run as usual. You can download a leaflet detailing the closures and also some weekends when the Victoria Line will not run at all here.
 
Both Neil Gerrard and myself are frustrated by this sudden action, despite previous assurances that no such closures were proposed. Neil is also writing to London Underground to ensure that there are no simultaneous closures of the Victoria Line and the Liverpool Street-Chingford overground line. I will update this blog as to their response and any details of further disruption.

From Sunday 23^rd December 2007 until the Wednesday 2^nd January 2008 there will be no overground service between Walthamstow Central/St James Street and Liverpool Street, due to the closure of Liverpool Street for engineering works. At present Neil Gerrard and I have received no details of any disruption or early closures on the Victoria Line so this should be running during the festive period. These periods of disruption are frustrating but do bring benefits. For example, the recent early closure programme allowed upgrades on the Victoria Line which will enable 33 trains per hour, rather than the current 27, which means a faster service for all of us. In addition, there will be 47 brand new trains on the line as well as quicker journey times thanks to the improvements to signalling to make sure it is more reliable. During this time of investment in our public transport system it is likely there will be further disruptions so I will continue to update this site with details as and when I receive them.

The re-opening of the Victoria line this week after 10pm is welcome news to all of us who rely on public transport to get about London. At present only further occasional closures of stations on the route and the line itself have been confirmed for the end of this year and Spring as the works continue. The dates given by Transport for London for Victoria Line and associated station closures are as follows:   25/26 ^th December 2007, 23^rd/24^th February 2008, 29^th March 2008 and 12^th April 2008. There is also some suggestion there may be further late night closures in the New Year although please note this is at present unconfirmed. Neil Gerrard and I are investigating this rumour and I will update this site as and when we hear anything more.