Ruislip Residents' Association

In December 2011 it was agreed in principal that the Croxley Rail Link project would go ahead. Unfortunately the decision did still include the closure of the Watford Metropolitan Line station (near Cassiobury Park) once the new line has been built.

The project will now proceed through the Transport and Works Act Order process, which is the statutory means for gaining the powers to construct, operate and maintain the link.

If all goes well, the procurement process should start this Spring, and building work on the rail line would then be scheduled to begin in the summer of 2014, with the aim for it to be completed by the autumn of 2015. Therefore the line will hopefully open to the public in 2016.

This proposed rail link is not in our Ruislip area, being close to Watford.   However, it may be of interest to any of our residents who travel to Watford for work/shopping/leisure.

The proposal is to extend the current Metropolitan line from past Croxley station, via Watford High Street station, so that it would terminate at Watford Junction.  This would give us a tube line access to the centre of Watford, rather than just to the outskirts.   Here is the link to the website for more information and also for the consultation.

The scheme  would involve building 2 new stations - one which would be very close to Watford General Hospital and one near an industrial park.  Most of the extension would run along an existing disused railway line.  However, the present proposal would mean closing the current Watford station at the end of the existing Metropolitan line (i.e. the one that serves Cassiobury Park).

Having considered the matter at our last Executive meeting, RRA has decided to support the proposal.  It would improve access to Watford for shoppiing, the hospital and the football ground and thus perhaps reduce the need for people to drive to the area.  However, we do not agree with the proposed closure of the the existing Metropolitan line station near Cassiobury Park.  We will be writing to ask for that part of the line and station to remain open should the scheme go ahead.

Ruislip and Ruislip Manor

• Metropolitan. For Baker Street or to Uxbridge
• Piccadilly. For Central London, Heathrow (change at Acton Town), or Uxbridge (restricted service)

West Ruislip, Ruislip Gardens and South Ruislip

• Central Line. For Central London or Ealing Broadway (change at North Acton)
• (The national Chiltern Line railway can also be accessed from South and West Ruislip Stations)

The new S stock trains are now starting to run through to Aldgate.

If anyone has travelled on one of the new trains, what are your thoughts?  How do you like them in terms of space, comfort, seating, temperature, etc?  We would be interested to know.

If you are delayed by more than 15 minutes, you may be entitled to a refund of the full single fare for your journey, (except if the delay was caused by reasons beyond LUL’s control, such as security alerts, fires or strikes). Claim Forms are available at stations, or you can claim via an on-line form on the Transport for London website.

You must have a valid ticket for the whole length of your journey before boarding the train, otherwise you could be liable for a £10 fine. The only accepted excuse is if the booking office is closed and the ticket machine is out of change. LUL staff can check instantly if a machine at any given station is not working correctly. Travelcard holders who forget their pass at home are allowed one such lapse per year.

Now that automatic ticket barriers have been installed at all stations, the future of the penalty fares system is under review.

 

The current (old, A Stock) Metropolitan line trains have been running for over 40 years and are nearing (or some say have passed) the end of their lives.  As such new Metropolitan line trains (S Stock) are being built by Bombardier, and some have now started to run along the line as far into London as Baker Street.   The current aim is for all the A Stock to have been replaced by S Stock trains by the end of 2012.  However some of the new trains are having teething troubles, e.g. automatic doors not opening, so this deadline could slip.

 

 

As with other new trains coming into service, the poles/handrails will no longer co-ordinate with the 'colour' of the tube line (i.e. the Metropolitan line used to have magenta poles) – they will now all be yellow, so as to be an easier colour for visually impaired customers to be able to see.

 

 

While the quality of some individual services may on occasion fall well short of expectations, we in Ruislip are very fortunate to have four different options for getting around by train. Except in extreme circumstances, there is always an alternative means of getting into town - if either the Metropolitan or Piccadilly, or both, are out of action, then there is the Central Line from West Ruislip.

Another option at West Ruislip is the Chiltern Line - a very comfortable ride to Marylebone in less than 30 minutes. Travelcards can be used on the Chiltern, and there is a Bakerloo Underground service from Marylebone.