Friday 16 October 2009

Hackney Wick Station Closes for 4 Months!!!


While doing the spring bulb planting earlier this week - the main topic of conversation was the closure of Hackney Wick Station - and several other along the line!

I did a lot more homework - and although the exact date is still being kept a secret - it will be happening just after the turn of the year.

So - Leabank Square - lets do a short review.......

Public Transport more or less shapes this part of Hackney Wick. Besides us being the 'This Bus Terminates Here' end of numerous bus routes - we are also one stop (Stratford) from the end of the North London Line. We are too far away from the new East London Line (nearest station will be Dalston) for it to be too viable to start travels. And then there are the ever changing bus stops that keep being dug up for very long periods of time.

Most Hackney Wick residents do not have a car - and are completely at the mercy of public transport - and some of us have been very active in keeping the tenuous links still passing by Hackney Wick. Now it seems that the most reliable travel link will be taken out for at least 4 months!!Of course it is necessary to lengthen the platforms in preparation for all the Olympic traffic - but what we were all discussing was - if it was absolutely necessary to completely close the station?

Can't they somehow keep the station open at peak-times - and work during the middle part of the day? Couldn't they keep one side's platform open while they work on the opposite one? Could they not erect temporary platforms & steps further along the tracks? Oh we had many wacky ideas - best of all was Tony offering his paid services to piggy-back passengers down the embankment!

I'm sure they are going to lay on replacement buses - but we already have them on Sundays - and all know what an absolute joke they are!

So - the only suggestions we can all offer are:

Join us cycling residents for regular shopping trip

Start planning alternative arrangements now
Get Tescos to deliver your groceries - and charge the £5 delivery cost to TFL
Notify all your friends and families - so that they can use alternative travel arrangements
Get to know a local taxi firm a bit better
Gather a few more take out leaflets for days you just can't make it to the supermarkets

.......... there! Just a few we managed to come up with in between planting next springs daffodils.

Please send any more suggestions to us all if you come up with brighter ideas!


11 comments:

Zoulla said...

Great!!! yet another way to stuff all Hackney Wick residents up! Thanks Hackney Council, you do like to make our lives even more difficult than they already are. No buses, No Trains & even more road closures, you sure do value us as residents eh?! Maybe all Wick residents should have a suspension on their council Tax Bills for the next 3 years to Compensate us for all of the, inconvenience, aggravation, noise, dirt, pollution..........I think you may get what I'm saying here......Oh and so you know Mr Mayor/Hackney Council, My daughters 1/2 hour bus journey to school now takes over and hour and my 12 minute drive to work now takes over an hour.... most of this is because we can't get out of the Wick area! Oh and I forgot to mention all the Trucks, & workers cars parked on double yellow lines blocking corners, so it makes it even more difficult & dangerous to judge if its safe to cross (pedestrians) & pull out(cars!).... Come on now ,actually get down here at peak times and see how stufed up you've left us all. Don't just sit at your desks and look at "plans" as that clearly does not work!

martin said...

It's not just you.. the whole line will be closed. I'm amazed at the fact that there's no information on the TfL website about it so far, no posters, nothing. The Network Rail website has some hints that something's going on, but you have to do a bit of digging.

Still, it'll be a case of jam tomorrow - won't it be lovely when they've got shiny new 4-carriage trains that you can actually fit onto?

Pete said...

Sóna
The ONLY way this will work is if there is a FLEET of replacement buses leaving every 5 minutes with its own dedicated lane on ALL the roads along the closed section.
Like with everything in the Olympic Legacy, I just hope that all these improvements and legnthenings will still stay in place once the games have moved on.
Pete

Su said...

Hi Sóna

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Please tell me this is not happening!
Look slike I'm gonna have to get a bike as well huh?
Please tell us when you hear any definet dates right?
Su

martin said...

Goodness, what a pessimistic view! The new trains (which are already being introduced) will have a fourth carriage added once the necessary platform lengthening work has been completed, and there'll be 8 trains an hour. And no, it's not just for the games - haven't you noticed how desperately the Overground needs this upgrade just to function normally?

matt said...

I've given up on public transport in Hackney and now just use a bicycle - what I have found is that it is actually as fast or faster than public transport. I used to get the north london line from Hackney Wick to Camden everyday - it takes the same time as the train and I get fit...

That said what martin says about the train line is true - it's been desperately bad for years and these improvements will last after the olympics have happened. That's not a bad thing.

Side note: I used to live in one of the flats overlooking the canal in Lea Bank Square. I love cycling past there on my way up to the marshes - to see what you're doing there from across the canal is great.

Good on ya!!

Bev said...

Matts right! Short term - more of us need to get on our bikes. Long term - we will have the most modern rolling stock just metres from Leabank Square.
I've been on a couple of the new trains - and they make me feel sort of 'modern'. Of course - I suddenly feel very 'ancient' when I get off at Hackney Wick Station. I hope they take the opportunity to update the station while legnthening the platform. It really is a grotty place, especially late at night.
Bev

Su said...

Sóna
I hear what everyone is saying, but you yourself know that most of us have youngers at schools and nurserys, and need to get them there on time or else. I just hope the replaced buses are going to be good and the traffic even better.
Su

Lucy said...

No one is disputing that this work needs to be done (well personally I disagree, a longer, more frequent train is all thats really necessary in my opinion) but the fact that we're going to be cut off for FOUR months is just unacceptable. Especially seeing as its the entire line.

Ms Scarlettttttt said...

I think you guys had a great idea (while gardening) about switching platforms.
Often there seems to be a train broken down somewhere along the line, and someone then switches the points over to make my train land on the opposite platform. It's a pain sometimes, but in this case, it might mean that Network Rail can concentrate on making the out-of-service platform longer while we all use the in-of-service platform for a few weeks.
I'm sure there is some great excuse that NR will come up with to NOT make this happen, but it seems the most sensible.
Ms Scarletttttttt

Suzie said...

Now is about the right time for one of our TA's to get on to the Olympics and ask them for some cycle lock-ups!
The whole square needs to start getting on their bikes, and we all know how crammed the houses and flats are, so we need to get some robust lock-ups set up in all 4 corners of LS
Sooz