Saturday 26 April 2008

Bank-Monument escalator works

It looks there's a lot more work planned for the escalator refurbishment at Bank and Monument. I've been sent some info that gives details of the full programme:

  • April 2008-Autumn 2009: DLR-Monument (E12-13 and E14-15). These are the ones currently closed.
  • September 2008-June 2009: Northern Line-Monument (E4-5), one at a time. If the remaining one fails the Northern Line will have to non-stop Bank due to lack of evacuation routes.
  • May-October 2008: Lombard Street ticket hall escalators (E6-7), one at a time.
  • Late 2009-Autumn 2011: DLR to Bank (E8-9 and E10-11). These have already been worked on, but it seems it was life-extending maintenance, and this will be the full replacement.
  • TBD: Main Central Line escalators (E1-3)
(The map I made of the station has the escalators and their numbers marked on)

The presentation notes that the DLR escalators are being replaced so early in their life (17 years) due to much heavier usage than anticipated.

The E4-5 works will mean there'll actually be no Monument to Bank interchange, though Bank to Monument should still be a goer. One of the E6-7 escalators is closed already, so that work shouldn't make things any worse at the Bank End. In fact, things are better since I made that last map - the spiral staircase route has been open every time I've been there.

3 comments:

diamond geezer said...

How can the DLR escalators have suffered from "much heavier usage than anticipated"? Unless it's passenger-weight-related, rather than time related?

Anonymous said...

I suspect it means they bought a cheaper escalator more suited to being in a shopping centre somewhere rather then the constant barrage of use by London commuters day in day out!

Anonymous said...

Yesterday the bank-monument interchange appeared to be closed. The stairs down to the northern line from the district and circle lines at monument now has a blue door and a guard.

There are directions to walk above ground instead. Lombard Street and King William Street were like Oxford Street on xmas eve.