Hendon Central Tube station to be step-free – Hendon MP takes a closer look at how the Tube is being transformed

17 Jan 2008 04:28 PM

Wheelchair users, people with disabilities, parents with pushchairs and passengers with heavy luggage are all set to benefit when Hendon Central Tube station becomes ‘step-free’ this Spring.

Labour MP for Hendon, Andrew Dismore – an active local campaigner with a keen interest in public transport – went to see how Transport for London is making the Tube more accessible for local people in the area. The MP visited Hendon Central and Colindale Tube stations and was much impressed with the progress he saw.

An eight-person lift is being installed at Hendon Central that will allow step-free access from street level to the platforms, making Tube travel easier for disabled customers. A new toilet for mobility-impaired people is also being fitted.

Many improvements have already been completed at both Hendon Central and Colindale as part of TfL’s commitment to improving safety and security, accessibility and information for passengers. CCTV cameras have been replaced and new Help Points put in around the station to make people feel more secure and allow customers to ask for assistance at a touch of a button. A new Public Address system also means that announcements are now clearer for Tube users.

Andrew Dismore MP said: “It’s great to see the improvements at the stations – particularly the step-free access programme at Hendon Central.”

“Accessibility is really important, as is the emphasis on safety - with the improved CCTV at both stations.”

In the last five months, six of the thirteen Northern line stations in the London Borough of Barnet have been modernised or refurbished. Mill Hill East was completed in September, Colindale in October, Totteridge & Whetstone, Finchley Central and Hendon Central stations in November and East Finchley in December.

This work has been carried out alongside step-free projects at both Finchley Central and Hendon Central – both of which will have lifts completed this Spring.

Stations that have already been modernised in the past include Burnt Oak in 2005 and Golders Green in 2006.

Work is underway to refurbish Woodside Park and Brent Cross, and Golders Green is now also being made step-free.

These improvements have been made possible under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Tube Lines and TfL.

Andrew Dismore MP added: “I’m really pleased to see the significant progress that’s been made in improving stations in Barnet. Investment is really making a difference and bringing benefits to our area.”

Jeff Ellis, LU General Manager for the Northern line said: “Making stations safer and more accessible for our customers is only one aspect of our work. Trains running on time are vital to an efficient transport system, which is why we will be upgrading the whole of the Northern line by the beginning of 2012.

“Installing new signalling and introducing automatic trains will boost the reliability of trains and make journeys faster and more frequent.”

Editor’s notes

· Images are available on request.
· Other improvements at Hendon Central and Colindale include the installation of tactile strips on stairs and platforms and contrasting handrails to help the partially sighted; refurbishment of the station control room and installation of new control equipment; redecoration of the station.

· Most of Hendon Central’s unique heritage features have been retained.
· Around 15,700 passengers use Hendon Central on an average weekday and 10,500 passengers use Colindale on an average weekday.

· West Finchley, High Barnet and Edgware are to be refurbished in 2010. High Barnet and Edgware are both to be step-free.

· These station and line improvements are funded by TfL’s ten billion investment programme to upgrade London’s transport network, over half of that is being spent on the Tube.

· On average three million passenger journeys are made per day, rising to 3.4 million on weekdays. On Friday 7 December 2007 the Tube carried an estimated 4.17 million passengers for the first time.

· Tube Lines is a private company responsible for managing and maintaining the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.

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