O2 not thrilled as Jubilee line shuts for Michael Jackson's big tour

moonwalker5885

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20.05.09


Michael Jackson's comeback at the O2 is to be marred by Tube chaos.
Tens of thousands of his fans will be caught up in weekend closures of the Jubilee line at the start of his 50-date residency in London.

Senior Transport for London officials and bosses of O2 have held crisis talks over the closures, which threaten to leave thousands of people with major delays getting to and from the concerts.

North Greenwich, on the Jubilee line, is the only Tube link to the venue. Today Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said he was “frustrated” by the situation.

Senior officials said it had been forced on them as private contractor Tube Lines raced to complete a major upgrade of the Jubilee line which has to be in place by December. The firm has fallen two months behind schedule in its plans.

It has told TfL it needs to have a series of closures of the Jubilee line east of Green Park every weekend throughout the summer to get work done in time. The company had been supposed to finish in July - but instead will badly clash with the start of Jackson's “This Is It” comeback.

Sources at O2, who learned of the closures in talks held between Mr Hendy and the venue's chief executive David Campbell, said they were “upset” at the difficulty Jackson fans would face.

A spokeswoman for AEG, owners and operators of The O2 arena said: “The additional Jubilee line closures are not ideal but we are working with TfL, as we always have done, to minimise the disruption to our visitors. Together we have put in place a robust alternative transport plan which has already proven to work.”

A source close to Mr Campbell told the Standard: “David has been frustrated about these closures. He has got used to this being an ongoing issue.”

There is increasing concern within TfL at work on the upgrade to the Jubilee line.

Tube Lines is due to deliver a complete refurbishment which will increase capacity by a third - meaning a train almost every two minutes.
From September the line is likely to suffer a string of weekend closures from Waterloo to Stanmore basis to install the new signals which allow the increased frequency.

Tube Lines chief executive today Terry Morgan, apologised for the inconvenience but said the closure would still take place.

He said: “We appreciate that weekend closures cause difficulties for passengers and we regret the inconvenience they cause, so the decision to take additional closures was not taken lightly. However, the closures are absolutely vital to enable us to complete the installation and testing of the system in the Neasden area which is the most technically complex area on the entire line.

“These additional weekend closures will enable us deliver this important project on time and to the benefits of passengers for many years to come.”

London Underground managing director Richard Parry said: “We will, of course, do everything we can to mitigate the impact on customers.
“As always London Underground will operate rail replacement buses where no other transport is available to meet demand.”

Source: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...uts+for+Michael+Jackson's+big+tour/article.do
 
Just a little more thing to add to the already settled CHAOS. It figures… It would be too lucky for me to go see MJ live for the first time in my life without any trouble.
 
CALM DOWN everyone, its not that bad. The Jubilee Line will only be closed at weekends and probally not every weekend.

TFL (Transport For London) regulary close tube lines at weekends for scheduled engeenering works. My local tube line Victoria, is closed 3 to 4 weekends in a month and in 2008 it closed at 10 pm for nearly a year!!

When TFL close a tube line for engeneering works they usually provide FREE bus replacement services which follow the same route above ground as the tube line and only call at the tube stations which are on that line.

Also they are plenty of bus services at The O2, both private and TFL operated. The 188 service is 24 hours and there is a private bus shuttle to Victoria Station, as well as a huge taxi rank and The Thames Clipper service.

It might take you longer to get home or to your hotel but dont worry , you will not be stranded at The O2. Just make sure if you are travelling to The O2 at weekends that you check TFL website for updates. Also if you can, try to get the free papers, METRO in the the mornings and THE LONDON PAPER and THE LONDON LITE in the evenings, Monday to Friday, as they always have a TFL travel section which shows any disruptions to services over the weekend
 
what happens if you are travelling from waterloo on the jubilee line
 
The Jubilee Line will only be closed at weekends and probally not every weekend. […]

When TFL close a tube line for engeneering works they usually provide FREE bus replacement services which follow the same route above ground as the tube line and only call at the tube stations which are on that line.

Oh, that same thing happened when I was there in 2007 on the district lines! (I think).
No stress then! :cheeky:
 
It says weekends, so what days does that include Saturday and Sunday only.
A lot of us will have no problem using the tube I believe as its only closed on weekends. :)

hopefully anyways
 
yes weekends are saturday and sunday. Its no big deal, its part of life in London, tube lines being shut on a regular basis. You just have to go with the flow, and eventually you will get to your destination. Just make sure you allow plenty of time for your journey.
 
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