Maida Vale Tube: Proposal to reduce ticket office opening hours

We've heard on the grapevine that London Underground may reduce the opening hours of the ticket office at Maida Vale station.

We beleive the proposal is to move to opening hours of:

Monday - Friday 7.30am - 10.30am
Saturday 11am - 1.30pm
Sunday 2.30pm - 4pm

This would contrast with the current situation where the ticket offices are open most of the day.

Clearly, there is a balance to be struck here - most people now prefer to use the machines to re-load, meaning less work for the offices themselves. That said, it is important that any reductions do not materially affect the ability of people to travel.

What do you think? We would be genuinely interested to know how local residents feel about this proposal. E-mail maidavale@maidavaleconservatives.com to give us your views.

Lee

Award for Tube Station

Congratulations to Maida Vale tube for winning a National Railway Heritage award for its modernisation last year. More details can be found here.

Congratulations to TfL (even if it was late!)

Lee

TfL Update

Not that we aren't used it, but a short a note to say that we still haven't received an explanation as to the continuing scaffolding/cabins remaining at the tube. Perhaps we are being a bit impatient - after all, it has only been almost two weeks since we first asked for one.

We've escalated the issue to management. We'll let you know when TfL finally have the courtesy to let us know what is happening.

Lee

Tube: Almost there

Last weekend, after months and months of pressure and general haranguing from all of us, TfL finally managed to remove most of the scaffolding and detritus which has blighted Elgin Parade for the best part of 18 months. Hurrah!

After such a long campaign to get TfL to face up to their responsibilities we are delighted (well almost). TfL being TfL (the massive, bloated, flawed bureaucracy that it became under Livingstone) can't - as ever - simply be straightforward and honest in its dealings with us. They hid, disappeared and generally obfuscated for the best part of a fortnight as we tried to pin them down on a date to remove the scaffolding (beyond a vague promise at the beginning of July) - including trying to blame Council officers and the ubiquitous "health and safety" rules as to why they couldn't take it down immediately. We even managed to get Thames Water to be helpful (I know, we couldn't quite believe it either) to expedite the process. When we put all of TfL's excuses under the microscope the real reason emerged: they couldn't find a crane until last Sunday.

And we are still very disappointed that some scaffolding remains - despite assurances that it wouldn't. We've folllowed up with TfL and await their answer.

Still, we are most of the way there. The Parade is back to normal and local businesses can trade freely for the first time in many months. And local residents can see a tube station which is starting to get back to normal after so many delays and broken promises.

Lee

TfL: How a tube station upgrade is being held up by a sink for a month

Last week, we held a site meeting with Transport for London to discuss the continuing delays to Maida Vale tube. Although TfL have latterly started to provide us with information on the progress of the upgrade, we were still very concerned whether the mooted 1st July deadline would be met or, as in the case of the 'deadlines' before, simply brushed aside with a few platitudes mouthed afterwards.

Before the meeting, we had also secured agreement from TfL that we could bring along representatives of the local business comunity to raise their own concerns. We were very glad that Mr. Patel from the chemists opposite and Mr. Palmer from Ashley Milton Estate Agents next door were able to attend to represent Elgin Parade traders.

To say the meeting was unsatisfactory was an understatement. Although we could see that the people sent by TfL were trying their best, the whole project appears to have been a complete screw-up. And some of the excuses used - even nearly a year after the upgrade should have been completed - were borderline insulting to local residents and businesses.

During the course of the meeting TfL conceded:

• that the completion of the tube would be held up for a month whilst waiting for the delivery of a sink
• that Metronet was actually only completing around 2 hours work a night on the tube - because of the stupidity of the contract terms imposed by Gordon Brown when the PPP was set up
• that the possibility that work might be speeded up (or that work to non-customer facing parts of the tube might be done during the day) seemed to be a wholly alien concept

When we probed further we also worked out that the timelines for a 1st July completion looked decidedly shaky. It was at this point that the representatives from Metronet disappeared and were later found having a quiet coffee up the road.

Needless to say, TfL representatives were set straight - in no uncertain terms - as to how unacceptable the current situation was. As local Councillors, we absolutely despair at the mess which has affected Maida Vale residents and busineses over the last couple of years - and the only saving grace is that the works will be finished soon. To extend works by a month because of a sink is just incredible. Thankfully, with the change in Mayor and the ending of the Metronet contract, other communities might not have to put up with the madness that Maida Vale has endured.

Lee and Jan

Maida Vale Tube: Hold TfL to account

Over the last few months we have spent a considerable amount of time holding Transport for London to account and highlighting the shortcomings in their approach to Maida Vale tube.

We have managed to secure a limited number of visits behind the scenes at the tube station to visit the works and discuss our concerns. In the first instance, we have asked that places are made available to the local businesses in Elgin Parade who have been hit by the continuing delays. However, there may be a couple of places also available to local residents if they wish to visit. Please do let us know if you wish to join - the visits are likely to take place in the daytime in the next couple of weeks.

In addition, TfL informed us last week to report that the Station Control Point was finished on the 1st May - which apparently is a "major milestone" in the project. They have also confirmed, yet again, that the July deadline is still anticipated to be met.

Lee

Maida Vale: Tube Update

TfL have sent through a further update on the tube works:

• works to the Station Control Point, including installation and commissioning of communications equipment (scheduled to be brought into use in early May);
• further stair-nosing;
• additional wall, floor and staircase tiling;
• works to station canopy and ventilation system ongoing, and;
• installation of new signage and cable management systems.

Another update in a fortnight.

Lee

Maida Vale Tube: Update

As promised, the latest update from TfL on "progress" to finishing Maida Vale tube:

• Tiling and stair-nosing of the fixed staircase completed;
• Installation of external roof lighting;
• Installation of the fan control unit in the communications equipment room;
• Ongoing mechanical installations in the station control point;
• Completion of ventilation systems;
• Tiling of wall and floor in circulation areas;
• Waterproof render installed in the water meter room;
• Circuit testing in the back of house rooms, and;
• Painting of entrance and emergency stairs.

Despite this pretty list - which seems to indicate that the best part of a month's work consists of the occasional bit of tiling, grouting and painting - we remain unconvinced that TfL really have their foot on the gas on this. Indeed, only a couple of weeks ago we heard that a TfL source had suggested that the July completion target is wholly unrealistic - and December is a much more likely date.

As a result, we have asked for a list of remaining items to be completed, with target completion dates against each - so we can propelry measure progress and watch as TfL fall behind. We'll let you know whether TfL provide one.

Lee

Maida Vale Tube: Unacceptable Delays

We are continuing to put pressure on Transport for London to pull their finger out over Maida Vale tube.

Late last month we reported how, yet again, Ken Livingstone was letting down the residents of Maida Vale by delaying tube works for the fourth consecutive time. We remain completely unconvinced by TfL and the inadequate responses that they send to our questions and queries. We will continue to push for answers and, more importantly, guarantees on dates (which, no doubt, TfL will continue to refuse to provide).

The Evening Standard last week published a damning indictment of Metronet and the shoddy working practices which have left us all worse off (see here). The real villains of the piece, however, are the idiots who forced these contracts on London in the first place - led by Gordon Brown.

After Jan, Alastair and myself tore a strip off TfL for abject incompetence, they have now promised to send us updates on the progress of their works in Maida Vale. We'll post their response tomorrow (and each time, in future, that we receive one).

Lee

Maida Vale Tube: More delays

Delays, delays, delays.

Transport for London have, yet again, pushed back the expected completion date for the Maida Vale tube works - this time from February to early July. This is (by our count) the fourth time they have extended the works time and will mean finishing almost a year after they were originally intended to. This is really unacceptable.

Maida Vale tube currently looks a mess. And it has done for the best part of a year. The continued presence of the scaffolding not only makes Elgin Parade look like a building site, but it is also does nothing to promote community safety or help the businesses next door.

What is particularly disappointing is the attitude of TfL over this issue - a kind of blase "we'll finish when we are ready, it's all the fault of Metronet anyway" approach. Funny that, because when we asked last year (after the original delay) if this had anything to do with Metronet, we were assured this wasn't the case. TfL can't even get their story straight on the excuse for the delays.

Thanks, Ken. Maida Vale is being let down again.

Lee

Late and inadequate? Here you go, have £400 million

From the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7007324.stm

The whole Metronet contract has been a farce from the beginning - illustrated not least by the overrunning of works in Maida Vale tube until October.

And the people who began all of this silliness? Gordon Brown, Ken Livingstone and our Labour MP, Karen Buck.

Lee

Bob Crow: Doing what Bob Crow Does Best

Aaah, I see the RMT are back from their summer holidays ...

Tube strike planned for Monday - see here.

TfL say it won't bring the network to a standstill. Let's hope so. At the very least it's going to delay (the already delayed) work that Metronet are doing at Maida Vale. Great stuff.

Lee

Tube Update

Last week we asked Council officers to find out whether the collapse of Metronet would affect the works underway in Maida Vale.

We've had a lovely glossy official leaflet back which tries to square the circle of saying "no change" to current upgrade plans whilst leaving wide open the possibility that the works could be frozen at any time. So, for the moment, the work is apparently continuing. We'll see how long that lasts.

We'll continue to monitor and let you know if we find out anything further.

Lee

Oh dear

Metronet goes into administration. See here.

We're currently seeking information from our Transport Department to find out whether the upgrade works to Maida Vale tube will be affected. It's a fair bet they probably will be.

Lee

Tube Noise

Earlier this year we were approached by a number of local residents who expressed concern that the noise from the tube beneath their properties had gotten louder in recent months.

We asked the Council's transportation department to lobby Transport for London, who are (allegedly) undertaking an upgrade to the Bakerloo line at the moment. TfL agreed to investigate and have confirmed that a number of tracks in the tunnels just south of Maida Vale tube station have deterioriated slightly, causing additional noise.

Following our lobbying, TfL have agreed to upgrade the relevant pieces of track this month (July) to reduce the noise issues.

Jan

Filling in the Holes (Part Two)

Further to our post yesterday about the works on Delaware, we also asked the Council to put pressure on EdF who dug this lovely little hole, right next to Maida Vale tube a couple of weeks ago.

While accepting that the works had been going on for too long, EdF protested that the fault lay with the London Underground repairs at the tube station. That didn't surprise us. Either way, following pressure from us and the Council, the hole has now been filled in.

If you spot any utilities performing random earth movements in Maida Vale, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'd be happy to look into it.

Lee

Maida Vale Tube Closure

Transport for London has announced that it will be closing Maida Vale tube station early every day from this week for around five months.

The station will now close at 10pm between Sunday and Friday to allow more time for refurbishment works.

Please do get in touch if you have any comments you'd like us to pass on to TfL about this.

Lee

Planning Application for Maida Vale Tube

At the end of 2006, London Underground submitted a further planning application to Westminster Council as part of the continuing refurbishment of Maida Vale tube. As your local Councillors, we requested further information on the planning application, which we have now received.

The planning application is to change and update signage, both inside and outside the station.

LU has submitted a number of background appendix papers which details how each sign will be replaced. If you would like to see a copy, please do get in touch with Westminster's planning team.

Lee