"Gollum" wrote the following in:


from what I can recall, there was a big iron door at the south end
of the platform at Aldwych. Does anyone know where it leads? Just
curious as I used to be a driver on the piccadilly line and
frequently did the shuttle service.

On a related note, was the side entrance to Aldwych open until the
station closed? Were both the side entrance and the Strand entrance
open?

--
message by Robin May, succeeding at failure.
Enjoy the Routemaster while you still can.

Crime is confusing.

Perhaps one might open up Aldwych Station as a special undeground shopping
mall or similar service, with a dedicated rejeuvanated Underground shuttle
from Holborn.

"juvenal" wrote in message
...

Perhaps one might open up Aldwych Station as a
special undeground shopping mall or similar service,
with a dedicated rejeuvanated Underground shuttle
from Holborn.

Aldwych was closed because the lift was life expired, and the passenger
numbers couldn't justify its replacement. It will never see another
passenger train, unless a huge development occurs around Aldwych which can
fund the lift replacement.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

"John Rowland" wrote in message ...
"juvenal" wrote in message
...

Perhaps one might open up Aldwych Station as a
special undeground shopping mall or similar service,
with a dedicated rejeuvanated Underground shuttle
from Holborn.

Aldwych was closed because the lift was life expired, and the passenger
numbers couldn't justify its replacement. It will never see another
passenger train, unless a huge development occurs around Aldwych which can
fund the lift replacement.

No doubt the people who made that decision forgot that the underground is
a public service, not a for profit company. For somewhere like Ongar that
only had 3 people and a dog use the station each day I can understand closure
but aldwych had something like 500 people a day using it. Not a huge amount
but IMO enough to justify its being kept open given that there are probably
quite a few stations still open that probably get less usage that that.
The whole of the ELL springs to mind for starters plus Mill Hill East on the
northern line. But I guess in this country the bean counters rule.

B2003

"Boltar" wrote in message
om...
"John Rowland" wrote in message
...

Aldwych was closed because the lift was life expired, and the passenger
numbers couldn't justify its replacement. It will never see another
passenger train, unless a huge development occurs around Aldwych which
can
fund the lift replacement.

No doubt the people who made that decision forgot that the underground is
a public service, not a for profit company

And as with any public service choices have to be made as to where to spend
a limited budget. It is not realistic (and it wasn't so even in the
'good-old-days') that there is a bottomless pit of money to be spent on
public transport.

Considering how close Aldwych is to other tube stations and the good bus
links it has there is little loss to those getting to the area to the
closure.

But I guess in this country the bean counters rule.

They always have. Don't forget that most of the London Underground network
(as well as mainline services) were built using private money with the idea
of making a profit. The Aldwych - Holborn link wasn't built as a social
service.

Dave.

In message , Dave Liney
writes
Considering how close Aldwych is to other tube stations and the good bus
links it has there is little loss to those getting to the area to the
closure.
The concept of a tube station at Aldwych is actually a good one.
However, having it on an isolated shuttle to and from Holborn only was
what really limited its usefulness.

Had the Jubilee Line been built as originally planned and had a station
there between Charing Cross and Ludgate Circus (?), it might have been a
different matter.
--
Ian Jelf, MITG, Birmingham, UK
Registered "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide for
London & the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

"Dave Liney" wrote in message ...
Considering how close Aldwych is to other tube stations and the good bus
links it has there is little loss to those getting to the area to the
closure.

Thats an argument used a lot but in reality its not so simple. The nearest
alternative tube is the district line which is east-west , not north like
the aldwych branch. And using the busses on the kingsway in the rush hour is
a joke , its quicker to walk which I suspect is what the people who would
otherwise have travelled to aldwych have to end up doing. Seems to me thats
rather a retrograde step.

B2003

"Boltar" wrote in message
om...
"Dave Liney" wrote in message
...
Considering how close Aldwych is to other tube stations and the good bus
links it has there is little loss to those getting to the area to the
closure.

Thats an argument used a lot but in reality its not so simple. The nearest
alternative tube is the district line which is east-west , not north like
the aldwych branch. And using the busses on the kingsway in the rush hour
is
a joke , its quicker to walk which I suspect is what the people who would
otherwise have travelled to aldwych have to end up doing. Seems to me
thats
rather a retrograde step.

B2003

Distance by foot to alternative tube stations from Aldwych:

700m Holborn
235m Temple
835m Charing Cross
750m Covent Garden

Hardly a great trek from any of them. I'd worry if most of the users of the
old Aldwych station can't walk 700 metres twice a day.

As to your suggestion of closing the ELL or Mill Hill East then you would
leave people with longer walks to get to an alternative tube stations:

By foot from Wapping (to pick an EEL station):

1025m Shadwell DLR
2030m Tower Hill

By foot from Mill Hill East

1525m Finchley Central
2045m West Finchley

Dave.

(Boltar) wrote in message . com...
"Dave Liney" wrote in message ...
Considering how close Aldwych is to other tube stations and the good bus
links it has there is little loss to those getting to the area to the
closure.

Thats an argument used a lot but in reality its not so simple. The nearest
alternative tube is the district line which is east-west , not north like
the aldwych branch. And using the busses on the kingsway in the rush hour is
a joke , its quicker to walk which I suspect is what the people who would
otherwise have travelled to aldwych have to end up doing. Seems to me thats
rather a retrograde step.

The proposed tramway down the middle of Kingsway will be a better
solution than re-opening Aldwych.

(Boltar) wrote the following in:
om

"John Rowland" wrote in
message ...
"juvenal" wrote in message
...

Perhaps one might open up Aldwych Station as a
special undeground shopping mall or similar service,
with a dedicated rejeuvanated Underground shuttle
from Holborn.

Aldwych was closed because the lift was life expired, and the
passenger numbers couldn't justify its replacement. It will never
see another passenger train, unless a huge development occurs
around Aldwych which can fund the lift replacement.

No doubt the people who made that decision forgot that the
underground is a public service, not a for profit company.

It doesn't mean they don't have to make decisions about how to spend
their limited amount of money though.

For
somewhere like Ongar that only had 3 people and a dog use the
station each day I can understand closure but aldwych had
something like 500 people a day using it.

Ongar was the only tube station in the area. Aldwych is surrounded by
tube stations and has at least 10 bus routes that go past or near it. I
regularly travel to Aldwych but if the Aldwych shuttle service were
still running I doubt I'd use it much. There are other, much more
convenient ways of getting there.

Not a huge amount but
IMO enough to justify its being kept open given that there are
probably quite a few stations still open that probably get less
usage that that.

But it wasn't just a case of keeping it open. It would have needed a
big investment to keep it open.

The whole of the ELL springs to mind for starters
plus Mill Hill East on the northern line.

I very much doubt those places are as well provided for by other
services as Aldwych.

But I guess in this
country the bean counters rule.

When beans have to be counted I'd prefer it be done sensibly.

--
message by Robin May, succeeding at failure.
Enjoy the Routemaster while you still can.

Crime is confusing.