Victoria Tube station escalator work ‘completed three months early’

Tube customers at Victoria station have full use of the busy interchange again after London Underground (LU) completed refurbishing the 42-year-old escalators in the main ticket hall three months ahead of schedule.

The station is undergoing a £700m redevelopment, which will dramatically increase its size as well as improving accessibility for all.

A new ticket hall, interchange passage, escalators and lifts will be completed by 2018 to enable the station to cope with increasing numbers of customers.

The escalator work that has just been completed will mean more reliable operation of the station in the meantime as well as returning capacity for customers getting on and off the Victoria line.

The three escalators which run down to the Victoria line platforms and which include the second most-used escalator in the world with 21 million customers hopping on each year, were out of service one at a time, in sequence, while they were being worked on.

LU engineers worked ‘around the clock to complete the work as quickly as possible to minimise disruption for customers, who were asked to use other stations as much as possible during the works’.

While the works were carried out ‘LU staff worked hard to help all customers including disabled passengers get to their destinations as quickly and easily as possible, arranging alternative routes or transport where necessary’.

Howard Collins, LU’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“We have worked flat out to get all the escalators refurbished and back in customer service early – and over three months ahead of schedule – well ahead of the London 2012 Games when there will be increased demand.

“This work was crucial as part of modernising and enlarging Victoria Tube station, which is one of the busiest stations on London Underground, with 80 million passengers a year, expected to reach nearly 100 million a year by 2016.

“While the works were carried out we brought in extra station staff to assist and all our staff did an excellent job helping all customers, including disabled customers get to their destinations as quickly and easily as possible, arranging alternative routes or transport where necessary.

“We would like to thank customers for their patience during these works which we carried out in this way to avoid completely shutting the station or non-stopping trains.”