Should Covent Garden underground station be closed?

[HSTEd]

Covent garden is probably a good place to try out those linear motor powered lifts that ThyssenKrupp have been trying to sell.

As I recall the lift shafts are adjacent, so you could have one up and one down shaft.

 

[The Pelican]

The ThyssenKrupp multi-directional lift, extended around the whole area, could offer access to individual exhibits at the Transport Museum, and to the basement or the roof terrace of the "Punch and Judy", a pub with nothing on the ground floor.

 

[Pigeon]

If you built escalators that went parallel to the tracks, the top of them would be closer to either Leicester Square or Holborn.

Which suggests that the thing to do is to build them slanting the other way, so the top end is at Covent Garden and the bottom end is at Leicester Square (or Holborn).

Whether or not Covent Garden station remains open can then be decided after seeing what difference having those escalator routes available actually makes. Maybe it could be somehow assimilated into the Transport Museum as a live exhibit.

 

[BrianW]

Is there data relating what proportion of users of Covent Garden tube station are 'regulars' as opposed to 'iregulars' like tourists? I have worked at offices thereabouts and got used to avoiding it, often walking eg from Euston. 'Regulars' get familiar with best routes, times, etc. The lifts are a GOOD feature for less mobile passengers. IIRC Holborn has particularly long escalators.

 

[bramling]

Very much so! Central London is very compact. Waterloo to Euston is only 2 miles and made a nice lunchtime stroll. Liverpool St to Paddington is about 4 miles and a 1 hour walk (for me) that I did during tube strikes. Lots to explore.

It’s okay, but the enjoyment and practicality of walking round London is diminished by
1) pollution
2) often having to stop every time one needs to cross side and major roads, which can add a lot of time
3) annoying behaviour from people walking, a lot of people have zero spatial awareness
4) the new menace of hire bikes, e scooters and Deliveroo types.

 

[BrianW]

It’s okay, but the enjoyment and practicality of walking round London is diminished by
1) pollution
2) often having to stop every time one needs to cross side and major roads, which can add a lot of time
3) annoying behaviour from people walking, a lot of people have zero spatial awareness
4) the new menace of hire bikes, e scooters and Deliveroo types.

I agree but ...
- It is possible to find quieter and greener routes
- It is also possible to SLOW down, look at the buildings, the trees ... aim for an earlier or later train
- Decide not to be hassled by 'menaces' and 'annoying' people
Well, try anyway. Is that anger management?

 

[Cloud Strife]

Rather than closing it, what about simply doing something more radical?

One option could be to close it to non-season ticket holders. In short, if you don't have a season ticket, you can't enter the station. Allow people to exit freely, because this isn't a problem, but making it season tickets only would essentially stop it being used by tourists.

 

[bramling]

Rather than closing it, what about simply doing something more radical?

One option could be to close it to non-season ticket holders. In short, if you don't have a season ticket, you can't enter the station. Allow people to exit freely, because this isn't a problem, but making it season tickets only would essentially stop it being used by tourists.

I like the idea in principle, however I think it’s exiting flows which are more the issue, with the lifts simply being unable to cope with the numbers arriving from constant train arrivals. Entry passengers simply end up queuing onto the street, which although inconvenient isn’t a massive concern from a safety point of view.

One solution could be larger lifts. Modern lifts don’t take up the full size of the shaft compared to the original trapezoidal ones, though I’m not sure if reverting to this design is possible from an engineering point of view.if each loft could hold even 10% more people then that’s a considerable capacity increase. Not a game changer, but it would help.

 

[35B]

Rather than closing it, what about simply doing something more radical?

One option could be to close it to non-season ticket holders. In short, if you don't have a season ticket, you can't enter the station. Allow people to exit freely, because this isn't a problem, but making it season tickets only would essentially stop it being used by tourists.

I used to work on Long Acre, and when I lived in London I often visited the area.

Use is self-limiting because it’s frankly only the grackles who will use it at peak times. Commuters and residents will walk up the line, or to connecting stations - it’s the tourists who will queue and endure the constraints of the station.

 

[HSTEd]

I like the idea in principle, however I think it’s exiting flows which are more the issue, with the lifts simply being unable to cope with the numbers arriving from constant train arrivals. Entry passengers simply end up queuing onto the street, which although inconvenient isn’t a massive concern from a safety point of view.

One solution could be larger lifts. Modern lifts don’t take up the full size of the shaft compared to the original trapezoidal ones, though I’m not sure if reverting to this design is possible from an engineering point of view.if each loft could hold even 10% more people then that’s a considerable capacity increase. Not a game changer, but it would help.

Going down the staircase is also a lot more feasible than going up the staircase.