Colindale station commuters struggle during closure

Colindale station officially shut on (June 7) and is expected to remain inaccessible to the public until December.

Transport for London (TfL) announced last year that £43.1 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund was allocated to upgrade both Colindale and Leyton stations, meaning they will have step-free access for the first time.

Under the new plans, the 1960s entrance will be replaced with a new building, spacious ticket hall and step-free access.

But one week on, it appears many people are frustrated with how much the closure is disrupting their travel, as they try take alternate routes to get to work or other destinations.

What’s the problem?

TfL says it is offering some alternative ways of getting around – including an additional NL6 bus route running every 15 minutes at peak times on weekdays between Colindale and Hendon Central.

It claims all journeys on the route will be free of charge, while any journeys taken on the 186 between Mill Hill Broadway and Hendon Central will be auto-refunded.

Commuters waiting a while in the rain on June 13 (Image: Janice)

But this paper has heard that reports of inconsistencies in when these buses arrive at their stops, with some taking roughly 15 to 20 minutes – but others reportedly waiting up to 30 minutes.

Others say that during peak times, buses end up being full and drive past the bus stop completely.

‘Bus didn’t show up’

Lisa Lu, who has lived opposite the station since 2020, said she relied on taking the Tube at least five days a week to work her two zero-hour jobs and for her social schedule.

It means that she is often travelling outside peak hours and cannot make use of the NL6.

On Monday (June 10), she waited for the 186 at Hendon Central for 25 minutes and says it “didn’t show up”.

She added: “If I was working a 9 to 5 job, I would walk up to Burnt Oak and come back the same way and maybe reduce my social schedule.

“But you get to Burnt Oak or the bus stops in the area and they come every 15 minutes if you’re lucky – and sometimes even 25 minutes.”

Outside Colindale Gardens on June 14 at 10.56am (Image: Janice)

Ms Lu, who lived in New York before moving to London, said: “It’s everyday trying to figure out how I’m going to get home and what’s the safest.

“You move to someplace and you don’t expect TfL or whoever to put your life in jeopardy for six months.”

Her flatmate, who has mobility issues and wishes to not be named, said it took her 50 minutes extra today (June 14) to arrive at her Tube station

Explaining her frustration, she said: “For those of us who can’t walk far or fast, doubling back or walking around to the next bus stop is just not that simple.

“I just can’t believe we are so poorly connected and all the alternatives double the journey time. And I’m fairly mobile – God help anyone who is less so.”

Problems with TfL’s solutions

It’s not the first time people in Colindale or needing neighbouring Northern line stations on the Edgware Northern line branch had issue with travelling due to the upgrade.

Stations between Golders Green and Edgware were shut from April 2 to 11, leaving hundreds of people waiting for long periods for replacement buses.

Ms Lu said: “In April I was working a lot of hours, I was out every single days and I’d take a bus to Kingsbury if I had a morning shift.

“I did take the replacement buses coming back… but they were very busy obviously – it was exhausting. It was a miserable time of the year, it was dark, it was wet, it was cold. But any day can be like that in London.”

Large queues in April (Image: Colindale Station - Yes to Redevelopment, No to Closure)

After many blasting the transport management as “chaos” in April, TfL vowed to make a series of improvements, including the NL6 route and offering auto-refunds on the 186.

This morning, many commuters were questioning why they are yet to receive their travel money on the 186 back, seven days later.

TfL says that refunds can be expected between four to 11 days after making their journey – yet others say this wait is too long.

Given the inconsistency of buses arriving to their bus stop, some people are taking matters to their own hands, such as working together to carpool or travel together to half costs.

Large queues in April (Image: Colindale Station - Yes to Redevelopment, No to Closure)

But other people have given up with TfL’s alternatives and are taking other bus routes – for example the 204 to Kingsbury – or booking taxis to get to their destinations.

As a result, many claim this is not a feasible long-term solution until the station reopens.

Likewise, the paper has repeatedly heard fears of safety of waiting up to 30 minutes at night for a bus to arrive.

When will it reopen?

As of now, Colindale station is set to reopen in December.

Stations on the Edgware branch of the Northern line will also be closed June 15 to June 16, June 29 to June 30 and July 27 to July 28 as work takes place.

However there’s been a question looming among locals, as many ask whether the reopening date could be delayed.

Wayne Mak, of the ‘Colindale Station – Yes to Redevelopment, no to closure’ group, previously told us in April that the station could suffer a similar situation seen in Kentish Town.

Kentish Town station was closed since June 26 last year to replace old escalators and other refinements, and although it was scheduled to be complete by this early summer, its reopening was pushed back until September.

Many others have made clear that they fear this could happen at Colindale too.

What has TfL said?

Given the flurry of complaints, TfL was asked whether it would consider refining its alternative methods of transport over the coming months.

A spokesperson responded: “The major upgrade of Colindale station is set to transform the journeys of many thousands of our customers for decades to come.

“We understand that a station closure causes disruption for customers but we are committed to ensuring that people can complete their journeys using the public transport network during the closure period.

“We reviewed our arrangements following the part closure of the Northern line earlier this year. In response to issues reported by customers, we have introduced an additional, free-of-charge bus route (NL6) on weekdays at peak times. We are also automatically refunding customers travelling on bus route 186 between Mill Hill Broadway and Hendon Central stations.

 “We are confident that there is sufficient capacity on all alternative routes, but will continue to monitor demand during the closure of the station.”

It did not respond to our question on if there was a possibility the station could take longer to reopen than anticipated.