The Mayor of London today accepted that an investigation was needed to tackle the severe overcrowding that happens at Bank tube station and to consider bringing forward works to deal with overcrowding from 2021 following questioning by Caroline Pidgeon.
At Mayor's Question Time Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly group, brought to the Mayor's attention the regular overcrowding that occurs at Bank tube station, which is frequently so severe that emergency evacuation procedures have to be adopted. Responding to her questioning the Mayor promised that he would instruct London Underground to conduct an investigation in to the continual problems at the station.
Commenting on the dangers facing passengers using Bank station, Caroline said:
“I have witnessed at first hand the severe overcrowding at this station and the utter chaos that occurs when emergency evacuation announcements are suddenly made to deal with this. I have also made urgent representations to Tube bosses about these dangerous situations that are occuring on an all too regular basis.
“Transport for London have already accepted my recommendation that emergency way-out signs need to be improved, but much bigger issues still needed to be addressed to deal with the chronic overcrowding. The Mayor and London Underground must review, and bring forward, the current timetable of works to improve Bank station. The hundreds of thousands of people who regularly use this station should not have to endure dangerous overcrowding until 2021, yet incredibly this is the completion date for improvements to the station."