Colindale Northern line closure: TfL reviews bus replacement

Stations between Golders Green and Edgware were closed between April 2 and 11 in the first of a series of planned closures as Colindale station is rebuilt.

This meant that there were no trains at Golders Green, Brent Cross, Hendon Central, Colindale, Burnt Oak and Edgware.

A large queue waiting for a replacement bus (Image: Colindale Station - Yes to Redevelopment, No to Closure)

And while Transport for London offered an NL1 Rail replacement bus service between Golders Green and Canons Park, campaigners said hundreds were left waiting in the cold during the rush hour.

'No surprise at all'

A survey by the ‘Colindale Station – Yes to redevelopment, no to closure’ group asked 511 people (89 per cent of whom lived in Colindale) how the Northern line closure affected them.

It found most respondents (75 per cent) reduced their outings due to the disruption.

Nearly 82 per cent said they gave up waiting for replacement buses, opting for costlier alternatives.

Almost three quarters (72 per cent) had their commute lengthened by more than 30 minutes, while 51.1 per cent said it took 30 to 60 minutes longer, and 85.7 per cent had to reduce their resting time to account for the additional travel.

There were large queues at Golders Green (Image: Colindale Station - Yes to Redevelopment, No to Closure)

Further closures are scheduled from June 8 to June 9, June 15 to June 16, June 29 to June 30 and July 27 to July 28.

Colindale station itself is set to be closed from June 7 until December.

When Wayne Mak, of the campaign group, spoke to the paper previously, he questioned whether the work could take longer than expected.

He is not alone; 91.6 per cent of people surveyed worry more about the six-month closure and the impact it could have, while 79.6 per cent believe it will take longer than scheduled.

Mr Mak said that the findings were “no surprise at all”.

A large queue waiting for a replacement bus (Image: Colindale Station - Yes to Redevelopment, No to Closure)

He explained: “The replacement bus service has let so many people down.

“More people want TfL to provide free bus transfer during the upcoming station or line closures, rather than replacement bus services.

“However traffic jams are still an issue. Keeping the station open is still the preferred solution.”

He added that Transport for London should disclose more details of the redevelopment to justify their planned closures.

What has TfL said?

TfL said it is looking into “reviewing alternative transport arrangements”.

A spokesperson said: “We apologise to customers who were left waiting for longer than expected for rail replacement buses at the start of the 10-day part closure of the Northern line between Golders Green and Edgware.

“A number of factors resulted in fewer buses operating than scheduled at the start of the closure period, although this improved throughout the duration of the closure.

“We are reviewing our plans for alternative transport arrangements and working with our bus operator to ensure sufficient capacity is available for the planned closure later this year."