Commuters face eight-year wait for Tube makeover

Written by Isabel Jensen and published in Epping Forest Guardian on Tue 29th Apr 2008

COMMUTERS will have to wait an extra eight years to see their station refurbished, it has been revealed.

The announcement follows the liquidation of Metronet, which was responsible for all refurbishment works on undergound stations in the district and further afield.

The delay means commuters using Buckhurst Hill Station will now have to wait until 2013 to get their promised facelift.

Speaking at a district council overview and scrutiny committee meeting, London Underground development manager Simon Williams confirmed that most modernisation work has halted, but added that work on many of the district's stations, including Epping, was already complete.

He said: "We do have a commitment that work which was already underway will be completed."

Mr Williams added Buckhurst Hill Station was an exception to the rule.

He said: "This station is in an interesting position as it was never part of the original funding package - it was to be funded separately by London Underground. The decision to refurbish it was already deferred and was not likely to go ahead until 2011."

However that came as little comfort to Buckhurst Hill councillor Ann Haigh [Liberal Democrat] who has been campaigning for the work for the past 13 years.

She said: "I find it difficult to express myself - an eight-year delay on the refurbishment is going to be very poor news for my residents, as a great many of them commute into the city every day. It's a very busy station."

She added: "I shall continue to press for this to be completed earlier."

There is some good news for Buckhurst Hill commuters, with Mr Williams promising new CCTV systems at the station, linked through to the network in use in the town.

He said: "We're currently liasing with the council in order to bring that work on, potentially it could be in place later this year."

But the promise did little to assuage Mrs Haigh's fears. She said: "There are issues that cannot wait for eight years to be repaired. One of these is the pavement outside of the station, as in many places it is broken and cracked.

"I know at least two residents who have tripped and hurt themselves on the pavement.

"It would also be nice to get some kind of reward for having to wait another eight years for the station to be modernised."