View from the house: Heat has made Tube travel a misery

Archant

The summer heatwave has been great – unless you’re a regular user of the Central line.

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For weeks now, passengers have been subjected to delays, cancellations and carriage temperatures in excess of 30 degrees.

This makes the commute even worse than it already is, particularly for those who struggle to get on the train, let alone grab a seat, at the best of times during the busy rush hour.

I’m also aware of the long waiting times affecting residents living on the short stretch between Woodford and Hainault.

I’ve written to the Transport for London Commissioner, Mike Brown, to secure an urgent meeting about the situation.

Crossrail will make some difference, but not soon enough. Telling passengers to look forward to air conditioned trains in 10 years’ time has just added insult to injury!

The only consolation I can offer my constituents is that I share your pain as a regular commuter on the Central line to, and from, Westminster.

Hopefully you’ve had some respite from the commute during the summer.

I managed to escape for a week in the Yorkshire Dales to enjoy this unusually sunny English summer. I know everyone thinks that we MPs disappear all summer, but I’m now back to work – dealing with casework and local community issues, meeting with local health commissioners about the state of our local NHS services and catching up on some reading.

At least I won’t have to use the Central line so much before Parliament returns in a few weeks!