MP Sarah Teather demands free travel for Brent’s commuters after Jubilee line closures
The Brent Central MP said the continued closures has hit residents and small businesses hardest
Brent Central MP Sarah Teather has called on transport chiefs to give the borough’s residents a week’s free travel on the Jubilee line to apologise for its ‘catastrophic’ weekend closures.
Lib Dem Ms Teather, who uses the line to get from her constituency office in Willesden Green to Westminster, says the stoppages have hit residents and small businesses particularly hard, effectively isolating much of North West London.
The children and families minister said: “We have had over two years of weekend closures as well as an unreliable service during the week while the new signalling system is sorted out. Local people deserve better – they deserve an apology.
“Tube bosses seem to have no regard for the impact their closures are having on the people and small businesses of Brent.
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“This is why I am launching my campaign to get them to say sorry and give Brent residents a free week’s travel as partial compensation for the years of closures and delays.”
The Jubilee Line has been closed at weekends for more than two years and the commuter misery it has caused has sparked anger across Brent, with many traders partly blaming it for a slump in footfall and profits.
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The protracted saga included an incident in which contractors spent months laying eight miles of the wrong type of cable, before having to start all over again.
A Transport for London spokeswoman said Brent commuters would not receive the free travel Ms Teather is campaigning for, but said the upgrade should be finished this spring.
She said: “We have been working night and day to complete the Jubilee line upgrade as quickly as possible.
“We inherited a project in disarray, but in a few short months have ensured that the new automatic signalling system is now in use on much of the Jubilee line, with all trains on the line using it during passenger service. Significant progress has been made and the upgrade is on-track to be completed in spring this year.
“We very much share the frustration our customers may have experienced due to weekend closures. However, we always provide a robust alternative travel plan which includes the provision of a rail replacement bus service.”
