Tube Lines completes upgrade of Leicester Square station
Tube Lines has declared practical completion of the modernisation of
Leicester Square station. The upgrade of the 102 year old station was carried
out by a dedicated team of up to 200 engineers working tirelessly to bring the
station into the 21st century. Leicester Square is one of London’s busiest areas, being home to major film
premieres, co-hosting the London Film festival and boasting a popular
nightlife. Over 38 million commuters use the station each year, and the work
carried out by Tube Lines ensures that the station can continue to cope with
the growing popularity of the area, providing a safe, user-friendly commuting
experience. The modernisation of Leicester Square station has brought many benefits for
the millions of passengers who use the station. A new, clearer public address
system with over 300 speakers installed and a better customer information
system have boosted the travel information available. Wall tiles and lighting
have been replaced to improve the interior design of the station. As with all
station modernisations, a key focus for Tube Lines has been to boost safety and
security, with 109 CCTV cameras and 19 new help points installed, all of which
are controlled from a new control room at the station. These improvements help
to increase the security of passengers as well as making the station a pleasant
place to travel through. The Tube Lines team carried out all the station upgrade works in the few
hours between midnight and the first Tube train in the morning. Working
overnight on the Tube always puts pressure on how much work can be achieved in
any one shift with time taken up at the beginning to move the equipment into
the station and set up safely and quickly. More time is then taken a few hours
later to clean the site and exit before the first train carrying passengers to
work comes into service. Mike O’Grady, Tube Lines’ Project Manager for Leicester Square station
said:
“Leicester Squarestation is one of the busiest on the Underground
and bringing it into the 21st century was important for the
commuters and for the area. After 12 months of hard graft from my team,
passengers now benefit from having better and more easily available travel
information. Safety has also been enhanced with additional CCTV cameras
and help points located throughout the station and the general look and feel
have been improved. I am delighted with the results and hope passengers
are too.”
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
1. Tube Lines is responsible for the maintenance and upgrade of the
infrastructure on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines. London
Underground is responsible for operating the Underground, for employing drivers
and station staff, for ticketing and fares, and for the Tube’s safety
regime. 2. The Tube Lines consortium consists of two shareholders – Amey and
Bechtel. They bring together some of the most experienced providers of business
services with specialist skills in the rail industry, including track and
signal renewals, plus project and operational management. They are providing
some of the best project and operational managers from around the world to work
on the modernisation of the Tube system. Amey owns two-thirds of Tube Lines’
business and Bechtel one third. 3. Practical completion means all substantial works have been finished
although some outstanding works, such as snags, may still need resolution.
These must be completed within a 16-week contractual period.
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