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Arsenal 'failing its Tube fans'
Ross Lydall, City Hall Editor22 Oct 2007
Arsenal's failure to fund improvements to the Tube and train network for fans travelling to the Emirates stadium is criticised in an official report today.
It says the Gunners' approach is in "stark contrast" to the situation at the new Wembley, where stadium owners the Football Association contributed £ 9million towards the £100 million upgrade of three stations.
The London Assembly report points out that Arsenal's matchday income has doubled to £3.1 million compared with the take at its former home at Highbury, and it spends £83 million on its footballers' wages.
As part of the planning permission, the club was to contribute nearly £8 million towards improvements to Holloway Road Tube and Drayton Park train stations. But the Tube station is closed to fans on matchdays on safety grounds, while Drayton Park has no late-night or weekend services - causing delays of up to an hour as fans leave the 60,000-seat stadium.
The report says this is because it would cost £60 million to upgrade Holloway Road and about £8 million to improve Drayton Park, but other sources of funding cannot be found. As a result, Arsenal's money remains unspent.
Reader views (2)
Arsenal should take a lead from Spurs ... we're going down the tubes with alarming speed!
- Paul, London, 23/10/2007 12:11
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That makes no sense. Arsenal are willing to spend a greater proportion towards the redevelopment of Holloway Road tube station than the FA did towards Wembley tube station. But somehow Arsenal are at fault?
If someone is not taking up their responsibilities to improve the public transport system in North/East London it's TfL.
- Panos, Islington, London, 23/10/2007 11:29
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