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Jubilee line closures to go on next year
Dick Murray, Transport Correspondent9 Oct 2009
Weekend shutdowns on the Jubilee line are expected to continue into next year, the Standard has learned.
They will hit passengers trying to reach the O2 Arena, where several major concerts have already been badly affected.
The £500 million upgrade of the line also causes problems for Wembley Arena, with no Tube services last Sunday for a concert by comedian Michael McIntyre.
Brent East Lib-Dem MP Sarah Teather has demanded refunds for season ticket holders.
Maintenance firm Tube Lines is seeking six more closures this year to complete the work — the line has been shut in part or in full every weekend this year — but the Standard understands that more demands are likely in the new year.
Drivers have also threatened to boycott training for new signalling equipment because of safety concerns.
Mayor Boris Johnson publicly attacked Tube Lines after it emerged the work would not be completed by the contract deadline of 31 December.
He has withheld permission for some of the extra closures until LU receives an independent report on the upgrade programme.
Tube Lines had originally promised the work would be complete by 31 March this year.
LU is having to change signal information control boards in the tunnels after drivers claimed they could not see them properly.
The new signalling does not use red and green lights. Instead, drivers receive information from matrix boards along the track. Trains are virtually automatic, “reading” signals and keeping a safe distance from others via on-board computer.
Steve Grant, London organiser for drivers' union Aslef, said: “LU should not be surprised if drivers were not prepared to work without proper training.”
LU said: “Safety is LU's top priority and we have fully consulted with all the unions.”
Reader views (28)
3.4 million people use the Tube every week day. Each one of those people is paying about £4 to £6 for the privilege. Doing the basic sums, that means a minimum income of 17 million pound a DAY. Staggering as that figure seems, it cannot be much off the mark. This is ticket sales alone, discounting Advertising and other income
Now …
Whats the problem? why has the Jubilee Line overun - the only answer that can possibly hold any credibility with these basic figures - BAD MANAGEMENT by any chance? Whats is the salary of a London Underground manager and decision maker, anyone know?
- Mark, London, 09/01/2010 16:36
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Re the comment about the East London Line Extension. The ELL is being converted from Tube to Suburban Rail service: it will be run by TfL as part of London Overground, but it won't be a Tube line as such. So they are changing the tracks as well as signalling, rolling stock etc
- Nick Biskinis, London UK, 26/10/2009 14:44
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I live in North Greenwich and my entire social life in 2009 has had to be planned around these bloody closures! They lay on bus replacement services which are a joke if you live south of the river (ever seen a bus swim across the thames??). I work away during the week when the blinking line is running then can't get any essential weekend admin done like dry cleaning, haircuts, shoe re-heeling cos of the bally tube outages! OOooo it make me gnash my teeth when I think of the outrageous inconvenience we the innocent Jubilee living, London tax-paying, oyster ransommed wretches have had to endure. INSUFFERABLE!
- Jubilee Rat Without A Tunnel, Greenwich, London, 12/10/2009 00:00
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Didn't this sort of work used to take place at night? Closing all these lines every weekend means that we are often cut off from the rest of London — especially when buses are messed up as well. Where's central planning?
- Madam Miaow, London, UK, 11/10/2009 23:31
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I don't see the need to close entire lines or massive parts of several lines each weekend.
They should close smaller parts of as few lines as possible and concentrate all of the workforce in those small parts.
This isn't rocket science, what kind of idiots are in charge??
- D.W., London, 09/10/2009 16:58
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Try living on the East London Line. By the time it reopens in June next year, we will have had no tube at all for two and a half years, and all so they could replace four miles of track! True, they are extending it at both ends, but no-one can work out why they had to close the middle bit for so long.
- Freya, London, 09/10/2009 16:10
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I think it's only fair that we're all allowed down to the tunnels this weekend so we can all see what on earth they're doing down there. If it truly is massively complicated to do it all them we can all emerge satisfied. Kind of.
Failing that you'd expect Tfl could have made some sort of video to placate the masses.
- Thomas, W1, 09/10/2009 15:37
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Victoria Line closures were supposed to end in 2007. Then the weekend closures were extended through 2008. They have continued in 2009. Not a single improvement is visible.
Tomorrow the Victoria Line will be closed yet again, along its entire length. It's beyond a joke.
- Jon, London, 09/10/2009 15:16
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I am reliably informed by a London Underground supervisor friend that the reason for the extended work is because new signal cabling that was laid down last year and early this year was found to be incompatible with the new signalling equipment, so the re-cabling is having to be completely re-done.
On a relative note: how many workmen employed by London Underground does it take to change a lightbulb? Probably about six. No, it isn't a punchline and it isn't intended as a joke; that's probably accurate. Marvellous.
- Paul H, London, UK, 09/10/2009 14:58
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"Why couldn't they have done this work when they built the Jubilee extension? "
They wanted to, but the technology chosen wasn't ready at the time, as Paul B explains, and they had to put in the old manual signalling and driving in a hurry to get the line open.
The same manager then went on to make exactly the same mistake on the West Coast Main Line upgrade programme at Railtrack. That had to be expensively nationalised and cut down in scope to get it finished.
Ironically Steve Norris, now back on the TfL Board and a mate of Boris, was involved in the JLE shenanigans as a Tory minister in the mid-90s.
- Tom, London, UK, 09/10/2009 14:04
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User of Lubilee Line:
Your memory must be waning, it was Ken Livingstone who opposed those PPP contracts right up until the day the government forced them on this city.
- Thatlindseyguy, London, UK, 09/10/2009 13:35
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Boris Johnson fails again. But I suppose all the rich Tories that voted for him don't use public transport so he doesn’t care.
- Mick, London, England, 09/10/2009 13:35
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Hey, the London Underground Management can't print tube maps properly (they missed out the zones and the Thames) so don't expect them to install a £500m signalling system without makings a mess of it!
- Mc, London, 09/10/2009 12:57
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On the bright side I have saved an absolute fortune by not going into the west end at weekends over the last year! I'm not surprised sales are down there! In fact I have gotten so used to not going up West I don't think I will be going back when I can!
- Paul, London, 09/10/2009 12:51
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As bad as the Victoria line closures which keep happening on weekends ... DESPITE them closing the line at 10pm every weekday and weekends just last year. What the hell were they doing all that time?
- John, London, 09/10/2009 12:39
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Why isn't TFL reimbursing travellers for the days lost in a week or month?
- Ravi, London, 09/10/2009 12:38
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Like all infrastructure projects in the UK it was built on the cheap. The DLR is another classic example. Full automatic train operation on the Jubilee line was abandoned just before it opened. It was radio controlled (supposed to be cheaper) , untested and didn't work. The tried and tested full wire auto is now being implemented hence the pain.
- Paul B, London, 09/10/2009 12:29
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The District Line is no better.
My family have booked tickets to see a touring concert at a theatre in Southend which we will drive to instead of the earlier London appearance because the District Line is not running that weekend.
We have not been able to rely on the District line running at the weekend for over 18 months and so we no longer make spontaneous weekend outings into London.
- Cam, East London /Essex, 09/10/2009 11:50
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We often hear that LUL's problems are due to the age of the network and the historically low levels of investment. Fair enough.
Perhaps then somebody from 55 Broadway could explain the necessity for this disruption less than ten years after the Jubilee Line Extension opened two years late and £1.4bn over budget.
Some of LUL's lavishly remunerated so-called managers have apparently been appointed way beyond their abilities. It would be interesting to know if any heads have rolled as a result of this lates example of LUL's incompetence.
- John C, Leatherhead, UK, 09/10/2009 11:49
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Keith:
Your memory must be waning, it was "Ken the Mayor" who signed the damn contracts!!!
- User Of Jubilee Line, London, 09/10/2009 11:41
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If Boris refuses permission this year then there are bound be closures next year to do the intended in this years closures!!
It should be remembered that Thatcher is responsible for this as it was her government that insisted on joining the historic part of the route to the new section between Waterloo and North Greenwich partly funded by the developers of Canary Whalf.
As for Boris attacking Tube Lines who knows this could be a Tory Rouse to cut spending on the UdergrounD by Boy George!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 09/10/2009 11:37
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EDITED by admin @ 15.21 on October 9 2009
Breach of community guidelines
- Lailaa, germany, 09/10/2009 11:30
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to Phil:
Thats what the underground does, tries and save whilst building something new only to find out that its done badly and then spend more than double the amount on fixing it afterwards.
- Josh, London, 09/10/2009 11:28
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Phil, they tried to fit up to date signalling in 1998 but the installation failed...so they put in obsolete stuff instead as a stopgap solution. Which means we now pay the price.
- Edwin, London, 09/10/2009 11:24
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Phil - Good point. Someone should be held responsible for once - is anyone every held responsible for anything in this country anymore? Transport commissioner to resign anyone???
It's ridiculous that I can't head east at the weekend and shop at Canaray Wharf. It must be terrible for all those businesses losing revenue.
The bus service round there is a joke.
- Pete, London, 09/10/2009 11:21
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we never had any problems with TFL when Ken was mayor. Boris once again messes everything up.
Bring back Ken, all is forgiven.
- Keith Price, Luton England, 09/10/2009 11:09
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Refund everyone who uses it..its a disgrace i bet the managers are all on huge wages as well
- Rsaviour, london, 09/10/2009 11:04
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Why couldn't they have done this work when they built the Jubilee extension? The newest Underground section, and it's closed half the time. It's ridiculous, and somebody should be held responsible.
- Phil Jones, London UK, 09/10/2009 10:10
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