Putney Station
When will it be completed?
Completion of Putney station was set for 'Spring 2014', this was then put back to 'Summer 2014' but September and the Autumn term have started and regulars find the station unfinished and unsatisfactory.
Issues over the long-awaited lifts which would make the station accessible to disabled passengers, unfinished atrium, dust, poor signage are just a few issues raised on the forum of this site.
Thamesfield councillors Mike Ryder, Jim Maddan & Rosemary Torrington who is Chairman of the Passenger Transport Liaison Group have been working with local MP Justine Greening to lobby Network Rail and South West Trains to complete the upgrade of the station.
Lifts & Signage
MP Justine Greening said:
“Residents have been getting in touch with me in recent weeks to express their concerns that work at the station had still not been completed. I know that now the summer holiday period is over, the number of commuters using the station will increase again and we need a fully functioning station."
“Network Rail has assured me that the lifts will start a limited service for the first time in the next fortnight and will be fully operational by the end of October. It’s great news that people who find it hard to use stairs will now find it much easier to use the lifts. The lifts will make the station much more accessible for our local community. Within the next fortnight the information screens will also be fully operational and the ticket barriers will be moved. I will work with Network Rail to make sure businesses get back into the vacant sites once work finishes.”
A spokesman for the council told PutneySW15: "The council has been applying renewed pressure on Network Rail and South West Trains to complete the long awaited improvements to passenger services and station facilities. Now the council has been given assurances that the station’s newly installed lifts will be available to use within ten days and will be fully operational by the end of next month. And works to relocate the stations’ ticket barriers and the installation of digital information screens should be completed within the next two weeks."
image by James Dixon
Rail chiefs have also given commitments to the council, that the next phase of works, including the refurbishment of the canopy on Platform 1, the relocation of the ticket office and ticket machines to a more suitable location, plus work to enhance the station’s facade and front entrance canopy, should commence in January.
Transport spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: “The improvement works at Putney Station feel like they’ve taken an eternity. They ground to a halt earlier in the summer, because, we were later told, there were technical issues that needed addressing.
He continued: “We left rail bosses under no illusion that we felt these delays were not acceptable. The station improvements are long overdue and should be completed without any further hold up. I’m very pleased to say that both Network Rail and South West Trains have listened and responded and we now have firm timetables for the completion of the current works and the scheduling of the next phase."
Oxford Road Entrance
Justine and Network Rail also discussed proposals for a second entrance to Putney Station from Oxford Road to help relieve congestion at the main entrance and to make access easier for people living on the Wandsworth side of Putney. Justine recently met with Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport, to press the case for an extra entrance. Wandsworth Council will now develop a final proposal with South West Trains and bid for investment from Network Rail later this year.
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Cllr Jonathan Cook said:“I’m also pleased that there has been a positive response to our campaign for a new pedestrian entrance to the station in Oxford Road. There is an extremely strong case for this additional entrance, which would provide a convenient route for those who live in East Putney, reduce overcrowding at the main entrance and help to ensure that all spare capacity throughout the station is used as people are spread more evenly throughout the platform.” |
| The current entrance to Putney Station | Councillors have long argued that access to the station would be vastly improved if a new entrance was opened using a footbridge leading down to the platforms from Oxford Road. |
Trains
Network Rail confirmed that refurbished carriages are currently being tested and should be in use in the next 12 to 18 months which will mean extra capacity for local commuters. In the longer term, there are also plans to extend more platforms at Waterloo Station to accommodate a new fleet of rolling stock which will lead to improvements in journey time and performance.
The council has also been pressing for these longer trains in order to ease overcrowding on local commuter services to and from Waterloo.
Justine said:“Local commuters have waited a long time for these improvements. I hope the work will finally be completed over the next month and we can then work with Network Rail to see if we can look at the next steps to improving Putney Station to make it an even more attractive and user-friendly station.”
September 11, 2014