Copy of mail received today re closure of Liverpool St station and changes to Stansted Express ...........

[Mpprh]

By email from Transport for London :

Dear Languedocpage,

Please see the press release below. We want to ensure as many

ex-pats as possible are aware of the closure and its effect on the

Stansted Express terminals. We will try and contact as many expat

websites and newsletters as possible but would you be able to also

circulate it around expat websites please?

Any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Allan Ramsay

Transport for London Press Office

0207 126 4893

Disruption to be minimised during Christmas engineering works at Liverpool Street Station

-Work vital to £1.4bn transformation of London's rail network

Transport for London has today outlined plans for a vital

engineering project to replace a dilapidated bridge near Liverpool

Street Station. The 120-year-old iron and brick structure is so large

it will take 10 days to carry out demolition, and means that Liverpool

Street Station will need to close for the duration.

The work is being carried out as part of a £1.4 billion investment

that will see the huge improvements to London's rail network including

the rebuilding and extension of the East London Line as part of the new

London Overground network. The station will be closed from 23 December

2007 and will re-open at 4am on 2 January 2008, in time for people to

get back to work after the Christmas break.

Closing the station at this time will affect fewer people than at

any other time in the year, with passenger numbers typically between 40

and 80 per cent down compared to normal days. A wide range of

alternative travel arrangements will be available over the period to

enable passengers to complete their journeys, and compensation packages

will be offered to local residents affected by the work.

Where possible, Transport for London has sought to retain original

structures when developing the East London Line. This has been possible

in the case of the Victorian bridge at Kingsland, but is not feasible

at Liverpool Street. Engineers carried out a significant investigation

into the retaining the bridge, but the structure is no longer fit for

purpose and its position is unsuitable for the direction of the new

East London Line tracks.

When the East London Line is complete it will reopen in a hugely

improved and extended form, running from Dalston in the north to West

Croydon in the south. Part of the integrated London Overground network,

it will be linked to a revitalised North London Railway, and served by

brand new high-fequency trains connecting 20 of the capital's 33

boroughs.

Julie Dixon, Head of Stakeholder Engagement, Transport for London,

said: “This work is vital to the completion of the East London Line

that, as part of London Overground, will radically improve the

capital's transport network. We recognise that it will impact on

passengers and local residents over these 10 days, but we will be going

to every possible length to ensure that disruption is kept to a

minimum.

“We are offering various alternative routes and are letting

everyone know in good time. Residents affected by the work are being

fully informed and consulted, and those affected will be offered

temporary accommodation, double-glazing to protect them from noise and

dust, and other forms of compensation.

“Although we try to retain existing structures, it is simply not

possible in this case as the bridge is in a terrible state of disrepair

and is in the wrong position for the East London Line tracks.

Unfortunately the improvements can only be carried out when the station

is shut, and the work has therefore been scheduled for over the

Christmas period, when the smallest number of passengers will be

affected."

A Network Rail spokesperson said:

“We are working closely with Transport for London to minimise

disruption and to give the travelling public the information that they

need to plan their journeys this Christmas.

“We are keen to deliver the maximum benefit for passengers during

the closure. Network Rail will therefore also be carrying out £7m of

other improvements, which will mean better train services in and out of

Liverpool Street Station in the future”.

At the same time as these improvements, Network Rail will carry out

a programme of upgrade work, including the renewal of overhead lines

and track, which will mean better train services in and out of

Liverpool Street Station in the future.

Notes to Editors

· The bridge, known as GE19, is 120 years old and has been out of

use for decades. This means that unlike many other great Victorian

engineering structures it is no longer safe to use. It is also in the

wrong position for the new East London Line tracks.

· Demolition of the current bridge means removing some 12,000

tonnes of brickwork. The new bridge is the length of three Wimbledon

Centre Courts. It will be put into place in Spring 2008.

· When Christmas Eve falls on a Monday, train operators carry 40

per cent less passengers because many people have already left London

during the weekend. During working days in the Christmas/New Year

period passenger numbers are down 80 per cent on a normal working day.

The timing of this work will also mean that people returning to work on

January 2 after the holiday break, would not be disrupted.

· Demolition of the bridge by Network Rail will cost £2m. Network Rail is also carrying out a further £7m of upgrade work.

· Alternative routes

- Train operator ‘one’ will be putting alternative travel

arrangements in place and is notifying passengers by leaflets being

distributed at stations and information on its website.

- West Anglia and Stansted Express will start/terminate at

Tottenham Hale, Seven Sisters and Walthamstow Central stations to allow

interchange with the London Underground. Some trains will terminate at

Hackney Central with passengers being passed onto Transport for London

buses to Liverpool Street station;

- Metro Services will terminate at Stratford with London

Underground connections to London, which will include an enhanced

service on the Central Line. A shuttle train service will operate to

Brentwood, with a bus operating between Brentwood and Shenfield;

- Southend Services will run as a train shuttle between Southend

and Billericay with connecting buses to c2c services to Fenchurch

Street;

- Mainline services will operate to Ingatestone where buses will

run to and from Liverpool Street, with the exception of 27th and 28th

December where a limited service to Stratford will operate.

· London Underground alternative routes:

- Victoria Line to Tottenham Hale to meet Stansted Express

services. The Victoria Line will easily handle the increase in

passenger numbers during this period.

- As a precaution, Central Line services will be increased from 24 trains per hour to 30 trains per hour during the closure.

- Jubilee Line services to Stratford will run as usual - the line easily has the capacity to handle the extra passengers.

- There will be no engineering closures on these lines during the closure.

TfL Press Office

Email: pressoffice@tfl.gov.uk

Direct line: 0845 604 4141 

[Pierre ZFP]

I commuted into Liverpool street from Southend for 15 years and hated every moment.  I'm Sooooooo glad I don't do it anymore and posting like this serve to give me a well timed slap round the head in case I was tempted to do it again just for the extra dosh.  It took me a long time to realise there are so many things better in life than money.