Richmond residents have been left stranded due to repeated failures of the District line in recent weeks, Lib Dem politicians have said.
Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney and Richmond Council leader Gareth Roberts have demanded answers over the London Underground disruption experienced by thousands of commuters due to a spike in track and signal failures and train fleet issues affecting Richmond station, which is owned by Network Rail.
In a letter to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Ms Olney and Mr Roberts said the repeated closures of the District line at Richmond station over the past four weeks have resulted in residents failing to arrive at work on time, struggling to get to school, missing appointments and wasting cash on tickets to events in other boroughs. Tourists trying to reach Kew Gardens, they added, have been forced to choose between waiting for a less overcrowded bus to arrive or paying an expensive taxi fare.
Laurence Bowman, route director for Network Rail Anglia, apologised for the disruption. He said the company is working with Transport for London (TfL) and train operators to improve the service, while it has a long-term plan to improve how it controls services and replace trackside signalling.
Ms Olney and Mr Roberts stressed that Richmond residents and visitors rely on the District line functioning at the station if they need to take the Tube. They said the repeated failures have become a ‘serious problem’.
They wrote: “If the line leading to Richmond goes down, residents who need to access the Tube have very few other options and must either travel via train to Putney Bridge then walk to East Putney or take a bus to Turnham Green. The former is not a feasible option for those with limited mobility or baggage, and the latter can add an additional 45 minutes to journey times during rush hour.
“We understand that engineering works take place, and that ageing infrastructure means repairs will not be uncommon, but the regular total line failures that we’ve seen in recent weeks have become a serious problem for residents.”
Ms Olney and Mr Roberts urged Mr Khan to reassure residents that ‘reasonable action is being taken to prevent further issues over the summer’.
Laurence Bowman, route director for Network Rail Anglia, said: “We’re sorry that services have been disrupted on the Richmond branch line in the recent weeks affecting Overground and District line passengers. This has been caused by a spike in track and signal failures in this complex and busy area of the network as well as train fleet issues.
“We are working with TfL and train operators to improve the service our passengers deserve by fixing faults more quickly and removing track defects, with a long-term plan to improve how we control services and replace track and signalling.”
