Earl's Court escalator maintenance completed ahead of schedule

Date: 20/9/2011

Work being carried out on an escalator at a tube stop on the Piccadilly Line has finished earlier than planned, with passengers now able to access Earl's Court Station.

The repairs were required after routine maintenance checks uncovered a problem with the bearings on one of the sets of steps between the Piccadilly and District Line platforms.

If the problem was not addressed when it was, Transport for London (TfL) claimed that the escalator would have been at risk of failing over the next few weeks.

While the work was carried out, Piccadilly Line trains did not stop at Earl's Court, due to the limited space available to complete the repairs.

However, the task was completed earlier than planned and passengers are able to access the transport hub once again.

London Underground's Chief Operating Officer Howard Collins said: "Where possible, we always try to plan maintenance and upgrade work well in advance, but sometimes we have to act quickly to carry out works as problems arise."

TfL recently revealed that delays experienced by people using the tube have fallen by 35 per cent since 2003/04, while the network is also carrying a record number of passengers.

Posted by Mary Treen