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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:

Investigating accessibility issues at Liverpool St and Stratford

28 July 2010 - 9:50pm — Administrator

As part of the Transport Committee’s work on the accessibility of the transport system in London, Caroline Pidgeon AM along with other Committee members went on two site visits. The first to Liverpool Street Station where the committee looked around the station and the many accessibility issues with some wheelchair passengers.

The second visit then went to Stratford to look at the investment there and the interchanges between different modes of transport.

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.

Crossrail is vital but needs to learn lessons

24 February 2010 - 10:15pm — Administrator

The London Assembly Transport Committee has launched a new report, questioning the sums Londoners are paying for the Crossrail project, and criticising the way compulsory purchases of businesses and homes have been handled.

In the report, 'Light at the end of the tunnel', the Committee recognises the value of the £16bn rail link project, which will bring an extra 10% capacity on London’s overcrowded rail and Tube network, thousands of new jobs and a massive boost to the national economy.

However, it questions the fairness of Londoners contributing the majority of the funding, when 8 of the 37 stations are outside Greater London, and the project is expected to generate £22bn for central government over the next ten years. It also points out Crossrail's poor handling of displaced businesses and residents whose premises are compulsory purchased to make way for construction work, especially in Soho.

Video: monitoring the Crossrail project

12 February 2010 - 10:43pm — Administrator

From the site of the station redevelopment at Tottenham Court Road, Caroline Pidgeon explains how the London Assembly Transport Committee will be monitoring the Crossrail project to ensure it is on time, on budget and delivers the extra transport capacity that London urgently needs.

Keeping track of Crossrail

22 December 2009 - 11:49am — Administrator

Caroline went on a site visit on Friday 18th December to look at works at Tottenham Court Road for Crossrail and the upgrade of the London Underground Station.

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.

Both the Tube and Crossrail are essential for London

18 May 2009 - 9:31pm — Administrator

On Friday 15th May, Caroline attended an event to witness the start of the construction of Crossrail with the Mayor of London and Prime Minister.

When it is completed in 2017, Crossrail will go from Maidenhead in the West through to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the East, taking in Heathrow, Paddington, Farringdon and Stratford in between. (You can see a map of the route here.)