Put politics aside and unite against Tube closures

Published: 11 February 2010
EDITOR'S COMMENT

SHOCKING news entwined with a sense of hope runs through the latest disclosure from Tube Lines, a company responsible for the refurbishment of the Northern line.

At first came denial and mixed reaction from Tube Lines when the story broke that the Northern line faced upheaval.

One spokesman said there would be no closures of Tube stations during the programme of refurbishment, the other hinted there may – but it was only the tiniest of hints.

Now, we know the truth – yes, there will be weekend closures of stations from October onwards.

For years astute observers have always taken the opposite of what politicians say as nearer to the truth, but, surely, statements from large companies deserve to be better weighted.  

The closures will impinge disastrously on all users of the Northern line.

Travellers in Camden of course will also suffer. But, unmis­takeably, great damage will be inflicted on traders in Camden High Street, particularly Camden Lock and the market.

More than 200,000 tourists visit the Camden Town market at weekends, many from other EU countries. Station closures mean the stream of shoppers will dry up and takings will plummet. Some traders facing tight margins may go to the wall.

We called for political unity across all parties, and this is now coalescing. Basically, they accept closures of one sort or another are necessary but argue they should be reduced.

But these are individual responses. Shouldn’t they put aside their political differences?

Shouldn’t they be willing to work together, perhaps through a committee consisting of those with the most expert knowledge of transport? 

And couldn’t such a borough-wide committee take in other non-party amenity campaigners and transport experts among the public?

Here we would have true unity of purpose – and greater powers of persuasion. Before one accepts that closures are inevitable the public should be given a fully, factual picture of the whys and wherefores of the refurbishment programme.

In the meantime, weasly remarks by Transport for London that replacement buses will be provided at a “robust” level should be given short shrift.  

Is TFL serious? Commonsense dictates that the streets would be clogged with buses if such a plan became operable.

The good news is that the guillotine does not fall until October. 

This allows time for opponents to form an alliance for what could be a successful campaign.