Short, sharp closure will limit Northern Line tube misery, pleads MP Jeremy Corbyn
‘This is going to be dragged out over 16 months’
Published: 5 February 2010
by PETER GRUNER
MP Jeremy Corbyn has called for the entire Northern line to be closed for a short period for engineering works – rather than “prolong the agony” for commuters by phasing shutdowns over almost two years.
He spoke out after the firm upgrading the “Misery line” revealed plans to close stations at 11.30pm every night from July for 16 months. The number of trains running after 8.30pm will be reduced. There will also be about 82 weekend station closures, starting in March, with most on the southern – Morden – stretch of the line.
The work is being “stretched out” to prevent Tube Lines facing tough penalties if it misses deadlines, according to Bridget Fox, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Islington South and Finsbury. “The public is being asked to pay three times the rate for the job, plus face disruption, all because of the bad handling of this private partnership,” she said.
Mr Corbyn, Labour MP for Islington North, is concerned about the inconvenience caused for late-night travellers who use Archway station, which currently closes at 10pm every night for upgrade work.
“Surely it is preferable to have the Northern line closed for a shorter period of weeks or months and get all the work done and over with,” he said. “It would also be cheaper. Instead of a short five-hour window to get machinery in place and do the work you would have every day all day.
“Otherwise, this is going to be dragged out over 16 months, causing serious problems for commuters, especially those who work late.”
Transport for London confirmed there would be a reduced number of trains after 8.30pm to give workmen and engineers employed by Tube Lines time to get into position on the track and to allow trains to get back to the depot.
Islington’s Labour London Assembly member Jennette Arnold accepted that upgrading would be a “nightmare” for many commuters. But she preferred the 16-month option, which would at least make the service available during the day for most workers, rather than closing it completely for a shorter period.
Ms Arnold said: “The majority at least would have a reasonable Tube service rather than everyone being disrupted all at once for weeks or months.” She is to demand that TfL runs an adequate bus service when the Northern line is disrupted.
A spokeswoman for Tube Lines said the work would transform the often sluggish Northern line by providing a new signalling system, which will allow more trains to run per hour.
“The work is expected to begin in July and finish in November 2011,” she said. “It will mean stations closing at 11.30pm but they will reopen at the normal 5.30am. It will affect all of the Northern line apart from the Stockwell to Morden stretch.”