TfL project work restarts
On hold since lockdown began in March, many LU projects big and small are now underway again.
ALL of Transport for London’s projects were brought to a ‘safe stop’ in late March, whilst design and other nonsite preliminary work has continued whenever possible throughout the lockdown period.
However, work on around 300 sites restarted in June, with examples including the new Northern Line southbound platform at Bank; Northern
Line Battersea and Nine Elms extension; subsurface lines modernisation; construction of a workshop at Acton Depot for the Central Line 1992 Stock refurbishment programme; and stepfree access improvements at various LU stations.
Site preparation works to accommodate social distancing have been introduced, including staggered shift breaks, so that fewer staff are on site at any one time.
PROJECTS UNDER PRESSURE
The real fallout of TfL’s enforced rescue package is being felt behind the scenes, however, with the term ‘de-scoping’ already being used.
One project that was already in the crosshairs, even before lockdown, was LU’s ‘Four Lines’ modernisation programme. Proposals were made in January to limit the project beyond SMA8, meaning lines would not be automated where track is shared with other Underground or mainline trains. It now seems increasingly likely that TfL may take the decision to end the project early to save money, leaving several sections of track manually controlled by traditional signalling.
TfL’s financial challenges were already sizeable before lockdown, with the loss of central Government funding plus delays to high profile projects such as Crossrail. These were partially offset by rising passenger numbers, but now TfL finds itself in a considerably weaker financial position than ever, having lost an estimated £4 billion of passenger income over the last few months.
In the longer term, more businesses may stick with home working meaning fewer people have to commute every day and reducing LU’s income stream. This could lead to all future projects being reviewed, with some being kicked into the long grass or postponed indefinitely, and it seems no progress will be made until after the rescheduled May 2021 London Mayoral election.
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