Angel station escalators may force extended closures, according to London Centric

Angel tube station in Islington could be forced to close for an extended period because of its deteriorating escalators, according to documents seen by London Centric. The publication, which republished its report through London Reconnections, links the problem to a wider backlog of maintenance work on the London Underground network.

Angel has the longest escalators on the network, with three parallel structures serving passengers travelling to and from Upper Street. According to London Centric, one of the 200ft escalators failed in April this year, and Transport for London (TfL) is privately warning that a second could fail imminently. The third is considered to have, at best, two years of life left.

Possible exit-only operation

To reduce wear on the remaining escalators, TfL is considering making Angel exit-only during off-peak periods from next month. Under this plan, passengers would not be able to board trains at the station in the evenings and at weekends, according to the report.

Replacement timeline

In the best-case scenario, design work on replacing the escalators would start this autumn and take around a year. Full replacement could then require either a total shutdown of the station for a further 12 months, or a longer partial closure while each escalator is replaced one by one.

Council concerns

Una O'Halloran, Labour leader of Islington Council, has privately written to TfL commissioner Andy Lord. According to a copy of her letter seen by London Centric, she said TfL appears to have waited until the problem became a crisis before acting. She described a total closure as "devastating" for local businesses.

TfL's response

TfL denies that it delayed informing the council. Richard Jones, director of asset performance delivery for London Underground, described the project as a "challenging, expensive project". He said constrained government funding for asset renewals has meant new escalators could not be installed at the station, and that TfL will work with local stakeholders to reduce disruption.

Wider context

According to the report, escalator and lift failures are among the most visible parts of TfL's £6.5bn maintenance backlog, and a quarter of tube escalators are now beyond their expected life. The escalators at Angel have been in place for 35 years. TfL also says the static escalators cannot be walked on because of their length, and their size makes bespoke parts difficult to order and afford.