Transport for London has withdrawn a controversial plan to close Caledonian Road tube station for eight months to replace its two lifts.
TfL announced the u-turn today after Islington Council threatened legal action against the proposal, claiming it had not taken into account the “severe impact” on passengers.
Transport bosses are now considering alternative ways of repairing the 30-year-old lifts, which break on average once a week, while keeping the station open.
The council has suggested repairing them one at a time.
An online petition attracted almost 8,000 signatures against the proposed closure, which had been due to begin in March.
Councillor Claudia Webbe, Islington’s executive member for environment and transport, said: “We welcome TfL’s climbdown, which shows the council was correct in starting legal proceedings.
“It’s clear that both TfL and the council would much prefer to resolve this dispute amicably if possible, and we hope that TfL will deliver the improvements the station needs by replacing the lifts one after the other and keeping the station open.”
TfL has agreed to pay the council’s legal costs, which have not been disclosed, as part of the agreement. It had originally argued that it would not be safe to keep the station open while the work was carried out.
Gareth Powell, director of strategy for London Underground, said today: “Two public bodies being involved in litigation on this issue would be a waste of public money, which we obviously want to avoid.
“We’re all in agreement that the lifts need to be refurbished and that when this happens everyone will benefit from a more reliable service. We’ll be discussing our plans with Islington to find the best solution.”
The station - which is used for six million Piccadilly line journeys a year - has never been upgraded to use escalators and the lift shafts open directly onto platforms, giving step-free access for wheelchair users.
