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Jubilee Line fiasco must lead to new policy on tube upgrades

12 August 2010 - 9:44pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today’s apology by London Underground for the years of suffering faced by passengers on the Jubilee Line and the announcement that there will still be 15 weekends of full or partial closures before Christmas, said:

"This is grim news for all the Jubilee Line passengers who have suffered so much disruption over months and years. There is no light at the end of the tunnel just more and more closures.

Caroline welcomes cancellation of August Northern Line closures

28 July 2010 - 10:03pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat Assembly Group and transport spokesperson, commenting on Transport for London’s sudden decision to cancel most weekend closures on the Northern Line during the month of August after their review of required weekend closures, said:

Caroline joins Lib Dems from across London and the UK at Pride 2010

19 July 2010 - 9:21pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the London Assembly Lib Dems, joined senior Lib Dems including Lynne Featherstone MP, Sarah Ludford MEP, and party president Ros Scott, at the Pride London 2010 event on Saturday 3rd July - the UK's largest annual LGBT event.

Caroline Pidgeon receives pledge that a new approach will be considered for upgrading the Northern Line

23 May 2010 - 6:01pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly transport spokesperson, today received an assurance from the Mayor that following the end of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for London Underground he will now “look at all options” over how to upgrade the Northern Line.

Caroline Pidgeon, who has been a long-standing advocate of the use of temporary blockades to complete the upgrades, said:

Five-point plan for a better Northern Line upgrade

8 April 2010 - 9:43pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem chair of the London Assembly's Transport Committee, has proposed a five-point plan to get the Northern line upgrade completed with the minimum possible disruption to residents and businesses who rely on the line.

In a letter to Ed Fordham, the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn, Caroline makes these proposals:

  1. All current upgrade plans be immediately suspended for 3-4 months, allowing a full consultation to be conducted, enabling local residents and businesses to have their views heard.
  2. Replace months of early evening and weekend closures with short, sharp bursts of work on sections of the Northern line (blockades lasting several weeks).
  3. Keep the Northern line open when the London Overground rail network or the Jubilee Line are closed for upgrade work.

The Jubilee Line deserves later opening hours

21 March 2010 - 7:28pm — Administrator

The Mayor has been urged to deliver on his pledge to Londoners to extend the tube’s opening hours on Friday and Saturday nights, starting with the Jubilee Line, at today’s Mayor’s Question Time (Wednesday 17th March).

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, reminded the Mayor of his specific election pledge to extend the opening hours of the whole tube network for one hour later on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Speaking after her question to the Mayor she said:
“The Mayor was elected promising to extend the opening hours of the whole tube network. It is now time he honoured his pledge, starting with the Jubilee Line, where the upgrade works be completed this year.

“Everyone who uses this line has already faced months of inconvenience and many traders that rely on weekend and evening business have been hit for six. If there is one line that deserves to benefit from longer hours it must be the Jubilee Line.

Northern Line could close from 10pm on weekdays

2 September 2009 - 10:44pm — Administrator

The Evening Standard reports on plans for sections of the Northern Line to close at 10pm on weeknights, as signalling systems are replaced over the next two years.

In the article, Caroline gives her views:

Caroline Pidgeon, Lib-Dem transport spokeswoman on the London Assembly, encouraged TfL and Tube Lines to “think outside the box” and suggested that full-line closures, lasting several weeks at a time, may be more efficient than repeated weekend shut-downs.

Lib Dems pledge early delivery of cross river tram

22 April 2008 - 9:34pm — Administrator

Cllr Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem GLA candidate for Lambeth & Southwark, today joined mayoral candidate Brian Paddick, Camden & Barnet GLA candidate Nick Russell, Simon Hughes MP, the leaders of Southwark and Camden councils, Cllr Nick Stanton and Cllr Keith Moffit, and Lib Dem supporters on Waterloo Bridge to show their commitment to the early delivery of the Cross River Tram.

Put passengers first – Caroline Pidgeon urges both sides to back down over dispute on ticket office closures

2 September 2010 - 10:28pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and deputy chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the news that talks have broken down between London Underground and the unions with a series of strikes now expected to start on Monday, said:

“There are legitimate concerns about TfL's plans to slash the opening hours at so many ticket offices across the Tube network, but taking strike action is not the way forward. The unions are running the risk of losing all public sympathy on this issue.

London Underground ticket offices facing savage reduction of 7458 hours every week

1 September 2010 - 8:58pm — Administrator

Research by Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, has revealed London Underground are planning to close ticket offices across the underground by 7458 hours every week.

Responding to London Underground’s defence of the reduced hours and their repeated claim that all tube stations with a ticket office will continue to have one, Caroline Pidgeon said:

“London Underground and the Mayor are playing with words when they keep peddling the claim that no ticket office will actually close. The harsh reality is that if you can’t access a ticket office for most hours of the day it is effectively closed.

“Ticket office staff carry out many tasks to help customers, with their duties going far beyond just serving tickets. If staff numbers are severely reduced at 9 out of 10 stations it will become far more difficult for staff to help disabled and vulnerable customers and other people who need assistance including visitors.

“London Underground's simplistic portrayal of many ticket offices being quiet places where few tickets are actually sold overlooks the vital service and safety that staffed ticket offices provide. If the plans were to allow ticket office staff to go in and out of the office, depending on the needs at a station, and without a reduction in staff numbers that would help to improve customer services. But to simply cut ticket office hours and take away so many frontline staff makes no sense. In the end it is passengers who will lose out.”