Laura Slams Network Rail for Neglect of Finsbury Park Station (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Laura Slams Network Rail for Neglect of Finsbury Park Station

April 22, 2005 5:39 PM

Liberal Democrat Candidate for Islington North Laura Willoughby has written to demand that Network Rail:

Invest money to develop better retail units Clean their Brick Arches Take responsibility for improving and cleaning up neglected areas of the station Information from Transport for London revealed that Network Rail have so far refused to clean the brick work or take any steps to improve their areas to ensure that the million pound face-lift planned for the station is supported by a general improvement to all the stations facilities.

Laura has also written to WAGN to campaign for new ticket machines to replace the unreliable machines in use at the station.

The current machines have been in place for over five years now but have never worked reliably. She has also insisted that WAGN sell bus tickets from their side of the station. Currently WAGN have failed to make this basic change so that residents and commuters going through the station have to buy their tickets when boarding the bus - a situation that highlights the failure to properly integrate London's transport system.

Laura said:

"The physical improvements to the station are going to be great. It will be easier for residents to make that transition from tube and train to bus and the station will have a cleaner and more pleasant look.

"However, the investment is being let down by Network rail who are apathetic and WAGN who refuse to improve their customer service. We need to ensure these things are sorted if we are to make Finsbury Park a better transport interchange. It is ridiculous that passengers can't buy bus tickets at the station, improving the ticket machines and little changes like making it possible to buy bus tickets will make all the difference."

Laura has already successfully campaigned for improvements to the bridges either side of the stations, they have benefited from a new lick of paint, additional lighting and have been pigeon proofed and she is campaigning further for improvements to the pavements, cycle routes and bus waiting areas.