Tottenham
Court Road Tube station becomes step-free in preparation for the Crossrail
Elizabeth Line service.
From TFL press release
The final milestone in the
upgrade of Tottenham Court Road Underground station has been reached, with the
station now providing step-free access to both
the Central and Northern lines.
Tottenham Court Road becomes the
71st Tube station providing step-free access, making travel in central London
easier for older and disabled people and other customers who find it difficult
to use stairs or escalators. It will give a greater choice of travel options
for everyone, and will directly benefit parents and carers with children and
buggies.
Tottenham Court Road station has
been completely modernised and expanded so that it can meet the needs of
London's rapidly growing population, with new features including:
·
three new
entrances, and one further refurbished entrance
·
a ticket
hall five times larger than the original
·
eight new
escalators
·
six new
lifts providing step-free access
The station has also undergone
significant work in preparation for the new Elizabeth line that will run
through the station next year and will provide step-free access along its entire route. The expanded ticket hall
and added escalators mean that the station is equipped to deal with a projected increase in demand of around 30
per cent when the Elizabeth line comes into service.
The station upgrade has been
designed so that it will be able to deal with future increases in demand, such
as the planned Crossrail 2 project,
which includes Tottenham Court Road on its route.
Mark Wild, Managing Director of London Underground, said:
'Tottenham Court Road is a vital
station in central London, well placed for shopping streets like Oxford Street
and also vital parts of the night-time economy like theatres, clubs and hotels.
This bigger and better station means that customers using the Tube and the
Elizabeth line will be able to pass through the station quickly and comfortably
now and in the future.
'The provision of step-free
access is a particularly important milestone as it provides all of our
customers access to key central London locations. When the upgrade of Bond
Street Tube station is completed later this year there will be step-free access
to Oxford Street from both ends, hugely increasing options for thousands of
Londoners. The Mayor has made clear his intention to improve the accessibility
of the Tube network and this is a hugely important part of delivering that.'
Jace Tyrrell, Chief Executive of New West End Company, said:
'The introduction of step-free
access at Tottenham Court Road station represents a huge leap in making the
West End accessible for all. It is reassuring to see vital changes like these
being made to key Tube stations in the district as the Elizabeth line gears up
to bring a further 60 million people annually to the West End.
'These upgrades represent part
of the West End-wide preparation for the arrival of the Elizabeth line, marking
a new era not only for innovation and infrastructure, but in making sure that
everyone who visits the West End can enjoy what the iconic retail destination
has to offer.'
Lee Lyons, Business Improvement District Manager for The Fitzrovia
Partnership, said:
'The re-development of Tottenham
Court Road Tube station in preparation of the new Elizabeth line continues to
go from strength to strength. We welcome the new addition of step-free access
and the recent restoration of the iconic and much-loved Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
mosaics. This investment is a clear demonstration of the Mayor and TfL's
ambition to support and improve transport links. Tottenham Court Road station
is now a striking gateway to Fitzrovia allowing improved accessibility to those
living, working and visiting the area.'
As well as the capacity
increases and accessibility benefits, the station environment has been
improved. There is improved lighting across the station, new tactile strips on
platforms and stairs, contrasting handrails to help visually impaired
passengers and new CCTV cameras to ensure the safety of customers and staff.
The iconic Paolozzi mosaics on
the Central and Northern line platforms and in the rotunda space have also been
repaired and restored with 95 per cent
of the original mosaics retained. The signature piece from the former
entrance on Oxford Street has also been relocated within the station.
Here’s a
quick London Bus news update from LOTS:
1) During the past week, a set of vehicle
swaps has begun at London General. This is because the Mayor has decided that
from March this year, Putney High
Street, the street with the highest level of pollution in London, must be traversed only by buses that are hybrid,
electric or at least Euro-VI low carbon. Routes 14, 74, 85 and 430 have gained
hybrid Volvos anyway but 24x DOEs from route 93 are being swapped with 24x MHVs
at Peckham. Older E200s SEN30-37 from route 39 and LDP 281-286 from route 424
are being exchanged with Euro-VI SEs.
2) The first few of CT Plus new E400H-City buses have entered service on the 26 and 388 and at Arriva London North a
few of the new HVs due for route 259 are being used early on the 243 from
Tottenham Garage.
As my regular readers will know, you can follow me on Twitter and Google Plus which is @CLondoner92
Multimedia
Image attribution
By Oxyman - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1962166