Repairs to the escalators in Cutty Sark DLR station have been confirmed following a 2,000 person petition on the issue. Transport for London (TfL) has stated that funding has been secured to replace all four escalators at the station.
The station, which links Greenwich town centre to stations such as Bank, Stratford and Canary Wharf, opened in 1999 and has four escalators – all of which are currently out of service. The campaign, launched on December 19 last year, calls on TfL to immediately repair the escalators.
Maureen O’Mara, one of the petition’s organisers, said she and other residents were not confident that TfL’s previous promises would materialise in the necessary repairs. Having lived in the area for 40 years and previously serving as a Greenwich councillor, she said she was aware of the longstanding issue and wanted to place more public pressure on the transport authority.
Simon Fagerstorm, 29, said he uses Cutty Sark station three times a week to get to work in Canary Wharf
(Image: Joe Coughlan)
She told MyLondon: “Many passengers are arriving puffed at the top of the steps having walked up 121 steps and coming up with their stuff for the day. Some of them are coming up with small children in buggies or they have waited for the lift. They are tired, they don’t feel it’s safe and they want a more efficient way of entering the DLR.”
She added: “One day there could be an accident with the large numbers of people… Somebody could trip up on those steps and then other people fall on top of them and you could have a crush on the steps. Thank God it hasn’t happened so far, that’s all I can say.”
Labour Councillor Calum O’Byrne Mulligan said at a Greenwich Council meeting last March that the station had been left in a ‘shameful state’ by previous operators CGL Rail. Simon Fagerstorm, 30, previously told MyLondon that he uses Cutty Sark station three times a week to get to work in Canary Wharf, but often considers going to the nearby Greenwich station instead given the unreliability of Cutty Sark.
He said: “It’s definitely a concern of mine. I have somewhat of a disability, so it’s problematic. I moved to the UK four and a half years ago and throughout that time, the escalators have barely worked at all. It’s been a problem for sure.”
Residents said they had experienced problems with the station in Greenwich for years
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
He added: “Seeing how the elevator is also the size of one person basically, it’s problematic. Especially if there’s trolleys or if there’s other people that need to use the elevator. You might have to stand down there for quite some time… It’s a mess.”
TfL has said it will be working with the DLR operator, KeolisAmey Docklands, to make announcements along the network about the issues at Cutty Sark station. It added that there was a one-way system in place at the station for customers and additional staff were on hand to assist commuters who did not wish to use the station’s small lift, as well as improved signage being added for directing to and from the nearby Greenwich DLR station.
Tom Page, General Manager for the DLR, told MyLondon: “We are sorry about the continuing issues with the escalators at Cutty Sark which we appreciate are having significant impacts on customers who use the station. We have secured funding to replace the escalators and are working through plans that will restore a full escalator service at the station. We will confirm these plans and a timeline once finalised.”
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