‘It smells and it’s dirty’: Greenwich residents sick of Cutty Sark DLR station

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A resident feels like cleaning their local DLR station “with a mop themselves”, describing the space as “soul-destroying” due to the prolonged repairs needed.

Karin Tearle, 65, has been living in West Greenwich since 2007. The local said she relies on Cutty Sark DLR station nearly every day for her job as a photographer.

Ms Tearle said that she remembers the escalators in the station being intermittently broken for nearly two years.

She said that despite being told by Transport for London (TfL) that two of the escalators would be fixed by the end of last month, commuters are still forced to use the stairs and “slow lift” in the station.

Ms Tearle said: “With camera bag and tripod in hand, it was the same old dreary and tedious wait for the lift this morning… I saw someone with a double bass a few days ago in the lift with me, with five people trying to get it in there.”

The resident said that aside from the broken escalators, the station has also suffered from a lack of cleaning in recent years.

She said: “It’s filthy, I hate standing in it. It smells and it’s dirty. I feel like going down there with a mop and cleaning it myself.”

She said she often sees elderly people and parents struggling with prams up the stairs of the station.

Ms Tearle said she is tired of the repeated delays to the escalators being repaired, and that the state of the service is affecting the area’s local economy.

She said: “It’s soul destroying to go in there, I want to use that station because it’s in the town centre where you walk through, supporting local businesses by going to get a coffee. It’s taking business away from the town centre when people are told to go to the main [Greenwich] station.

Tom Page, general manager of the Docklands Light Railway, said: “We understand customers’ frustrations with reliability at Cutty Sark DLR station.

“We know that service at the station has not been good enough for a number of years. Since we have taken ownership we have been undertaking work to fix the escalators and investing significantly to improve the experience for everyone who frequently uses and relies on the station.”

A Greenwich council spokesman said: “TfL are undertaking a variety of maintenance works at the Cutty Sark DLR station, including refurbishing the escalators.

“TfL are aware of our concerns regarding access at the station. They have reassured us they’re pushing to complete these works asap, and to improve engagement with both customers and stakeholders.”

Pictured top: Karin Tearle, 65, said she relies on the Cutty Sark DLR station nearly every day for her job (Picture: Solange Berchemin)