Approx 10:00 this morning was greeted by LUL staff at the top of the exits
to announce the Victoria Line was suspended between Walthamstow Central and
Highbury & Islington due to a person under a train.

Contingency plan to walk to the WAGN station was only to be met with staff
who announced their station was also closed "at the request of the BTP"
despite the incident being on the Victoria Line and WAGN trains were
running through non stop. Any ideas why the BTP opted to close that too?

--
Phil Richards
London, UK
Home Page: http://www.philrichards1.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

On Thu, 1 Dec 2005 19:51:47 +0000, Phil Richards
wrote:

Approx 10:00 this morning was greeted by LUL staff at the top of the exits
to announce the Victoria Line was suspended between Walthamstow Central and
Highbury & Islington due to a person under a train.

Contingency plan to walk to the WAGN station was only to be met with staff
who announced their station was also closed "at the request of the BTP"
despite the incident being on the Victoria Line and WAGN trains were
running through non stop. Any ideas why the BTP opted to close that too?

A guess but it is virtually impossible to stop people alighting from the
WAGN trains to head to the Tube regardless of how many announcements are
made [1]. Given that, IIRC, the WAGN station stairs and corridors are
not what you would call spacious there may have been concerns about
serious overcrowding in a confined space as people diverting from the
tube ran into the people heading off WAGN trains to the Tube. The other
issue is that the WAGN train frequency is not very high and having to
deal with lots of people waiting for the Tube to resume as well as
people fed up with waiting for a train may have caused concern. Seven
Sisters is so busy that the local buses can overwhelmed very quickly if
the Tube ceases to run into town. As I say a complete guess and what
feels like a bit of an over reaction to me but I wasn't there so don't
know how busy the place was. I may know more tomorrow when I see the
daily report.

The only alternative is that there was a crime of some sort in the
vicinity of the WAGN station.

[1] I've seen this too many times at Walthamstow Central when the Vic
Line service has collapsed and everyone is trying to get to Liverpool
St.

--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Paul Corfield wrote:

Contingency plan to walk to the WAGN station was only to be met with staff
who announced their station was also closed "at the request of the BTP"
despite the incident being on the Victoria Line and WAGN trains were
running through non stop. Any ideas why the BTP opted to close that too?

A guess but it is virtually impossible to stop people alighting from the
WAGN trains to head to the Tube regardless of how many announcements are
made [1]. Given that, IIRC, the WAGN station stairs and corridors are
not what you would call spacious there may have been concerns about
serious overcrowding in a confined space as people diverting from the
tube ran into the people heading off WAGN trains to the Tube. The other
issue is that the WAGN train frequency is not very high and having to
deal with lots of people waiting for the Tube to resume as well as
people fed up with waiting for a train may have caused concern.

Although I don't use Seven Sisters on a daily basis (Turnpike Lane is my
local station) this isn't the first time I've turned up to find the
Victoria Line closed including at least three times during the Piccadilly
Line closure back in the Summer. However I've never found the WAGN station
closed as well.

Seven Sisters is so busy that the local buses can overwhelmed very
quickly if the Tube ceases to run into town.

Absolutely and you couldn't get on a 259 or 279 towards Manor House, so a
long walk thus endured.

I may know more tomorrow when I see the daily report.

If you could let us know that'll be great.

The only alternative is that there was a crime of some sort in the
vicinity of the WAGN station.

Possible, but the Police activity seemed to be centred on the Victoria
Line. No sign of cordoning off the WAGN station entrance on Seven Sisters
Road. The exact words I got told at the WAGN station was closed was a
Police request and not overcrowding.

[1] I've seen this too many times at Walthamstow Central when the Vic
Line service has collapsed and everyone is trying to get to Liverpool
St.

One wonders how the lines into Liverpool Street ever coped pre-Victoria
line days.

--
Phil Richards
London, UK
Home Page: http://www.philrichards1.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Well into this incident LU passengers were being allowed to use NB
trains to reach Seven Sisters prior to the train stabling in
Northumberland Park Depot, even though the 'official' view was nothing
running north of Highbury. WAGN actually asked if LU wanted more trains
to call at their part of the station.

I wonder if the decision to close the NR platforms had at least
something to do with the fact that it was easier for local managemwent
to deal with the incident without the "inconvenience" of those pesky
passengers. Fair enough maybe when a life is at stake, but not when the
person has been pronounced dead and is safely screened from the route
from NR to street.

Phil Richards wrote:

Approx 10:00 this morning was greeted by LUL staff at the top of the exits
to announce the Victoria Line was suspended between Walthamstow Central and
Highbury & Islington due to a person under a train.

Contingency plan to walk to the WAGN station was only to be met with staff
who announced their station was also closed "at the request of the BTP"
despite the incident being on the Victoria Line and WAGN trains were
running through non stop. Any ideas why the BTP opted to close that too?


Probably being a pedant, but do WAGN serve Seven Sisters?

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:45:55 GMT, Meeeee
wrote:




Probably being a pedant, but do WAGN serve Seven Sisters?

You beat me to it. Despite the signs that LUL display signs directing
people to the WAGN station.

On Thu, 1 Dec 2005 22:28:47 +0000, Phil Richards
wrote:

Paul Corfield wrote:

I may know more tomorrow when I see the daily report.

If you could let us know that'll be great.

There was nothing in the report to say that the WAGN part of the station
was closed so no more info.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

No idea about why NR didnt stop at Seven Sisters.
However I can tell anyone it wasn't anything to do with 'pesky passengers'.
My main reason on this thread is to tell you that the T/Op who was on 'the'
train has suffered quite considerably. Unfortunately for him, this was his
third person on the tracks at SVS, in exactly the same place. He returned to
full duty on Tuesday after the last incident.
As you come into platform 5 at SVS, there is a bend, the previous 2
occasions have been 'near miss' incidents, where he has spotted a person in
the tunnel, as he has come round the bend at normal line speed. Quick action
on his part ensured stopped on the previous 2 occasions. I dealt with one of
these instances. Luckily i was not at work on Thursday, a bad day for the
Vic all over the place.
This chap is not a softy. But after this one, we can only hope he will be ok
to return. I dont know if i would.
Mal

"Ken" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:45:55 GMT, Meeeee
wrote:




Probably being a pedant, but do WAGN serve Seven Sisters?

You beat me to it. Despite the signs that LUL display signs directing
people to the WAGN station.

In message , Paul Corfield
writes

A guess but it is virtually impossible to stop people alighting from the
WAGN trains to head to the Tube regardless of how many announcements are
made [1].


Probably because the announcements are often complete crap !

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard the familiar...

"Trains on such and such a line are seriously delayed we advice you
to use other routes".

Only to make my way to the platform anyway, find a half empty train
arrives within minutes, and I get to work on time.

People only take notice of announcements if they have a good track
record of accuracy.



--
Edward Cowling London UK

On Sat, 3 Dec 2005 09:08:26 +0000, Edward Cowling London UK
wrote:

In message , Paul Corfield
writes

A guess but it is virtually impossible to stop people alighting from the
WAGN trains to head to the Tube regardless of how many announcements are
made [1].


Probably because the announcements are often complete crap !

Sorry but in the example of that I am most familiar with which is
Walthamstow Central, the announcements have been very clear and people
carry on in robot mode and take no notice. I have even told people
alighting from a One West Anglia train that there's no tube and still
they get off and carry on. It is not always the fault of the station
staff or the driver. Some people will not be told and you cannot assume
that every announcement is telling you something incorrect.

If you were told there was a fire would you ignore it and carry on
towards the hazard?

A bit of balance does no one any harm.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!,,