But no clarity on lift until end of August
Work on the new Central line station at Shepherd’s Bush is on track for a mid-October opening, with the power now on and escalator testing due to begin this Monday (4 August), Transport for London says. Over the next few weeks, all other equipment at the new station will also be tested.
But a decision on whether to install a lift has still not been made and TfL says they will not be able to provide more clarity on the issue until the end of August. They say they are still “looking at options”.
According to TfL, the Central line platforms are offset from the ticket-hall by some distance, meaning work to install a lift would involve “significant tunnelling work which would make the project extremely costly and technically challenging”.
“As any scheme is likely to cost up to £100m, any decision that TfL makes will be in the context of its overall obligations and funding priorities at that time,” a Transport for London spokesperson told ShepherdsBushW12.com.
But elderly and disabled residents say that, without a lift, it will be impossible for them to take the Tube from the new Shepherd’s Bush Central line station. “You can’t use it,” said 87-year-old resident, Frank Beak. “I’ll have to go by bus to Holland Park, where there is a lift, or White City which is above ground. It’s a risky business for people who are infirm to use an escalator.”
Shepherd’s Bush MP Andy Slaughter says TfL must find a solution to the engineering problems: “To my mind, it is inconceivable that you would reconstruct the station without a lift. Can you imagine them not putting in a lift at King’s Cross? Why should people in Shepherd’s Bush get a raw deal? £100m is a figure they’ve plucked out of the air.”
Council Leader, Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh, has also questioned the cost issue: "No one actually believes that it costs £100m to build a lift, even if there are some engineering challenges. People with mobility problems, including mums with pushchairs and our elderly and disabled residents, are demanding access to the new Underground station and we will continue to lobby TfL hard on this."
But TfL says it is not the lift itself that would cost £100m, but the mechanical and electrical works involved: “The costs would include the tunnelling and passageway works, the installation of essentia,l safety-critical equipment including fire systems, communication equipment and plant and pump rooms and also general equipment such as additional tiling, lighting and handrails,” a spokesperson said.
“We have been working to address the challenge of providing step-free access at the station,” TfL added. “Whilst there was never any prospect that this could be done during the current closure, we are still actively exploring the options.”
According to Frank Beak, there used to be a lift at Shepherd’s Bush station when he was a boy and the lift shaft is still there. But TfL says it would be impossible to bring this back into use because the old lift shaft runs through what is now the operational equipment rooms and the escalator shaft.
Yasmine Estaphanos
1 August 2008
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