Cutty Sark DLR station access is just so poor, say disgruntled commuters

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Greenwich commuters have branded their local DLR station a ‘mess’, claiming the space has been left in a ‘shameful’ state in recent years.

Cutty Sark DLR station sits in Greenwich town centre and connects the area directly to stations such as Canary Wharf, Bank and Stratford.

This week, some of those who use the station shared their feelings about its cramped spaces and failing escalators.

Marcus Roberts, 23, uses Cutty Sark DLR station four times a week to get to university and has rarely seen escalators available for passengers to get to the platforms from the station entrance, while the ascending escalators have been fully operational.

Mr Roberts said: “You see everything here; bikes, scooters, wheelchairs. There’s an elevator but you see lines of people queuing for a long time.”

Simon Fagerstorm, 29, said he uses Cutty Sark station three times a week to get to work in Canary Wharf. He said that he has at times considered going to Greenwich station instead, given how unreliable the descending escalators in Cutty Sark are.

Mr Fagerstorm said: “It’s definitely a concern of mine. I have somewhat of a disability, so it’s problematic. I moved to the UK four-and-a-half years ago and, throughout that time, the escalators have barely worked at all. It’s been a problem for sure.”

He added: “Seeing how the elevator is also the size of one person, basically, it’s problematic. Especially if there’s trolleys or if there’s other people that need to use the elevator. You might have to stand down there for quite some time. It’s a mess.”

John Delaney, 73, uses the DLR every day. He said he has nerve damage in his leg from a blood clot he had years ago and he now relies on a crutch to walk, but has trouble getting to the platforms in Cutty Sark due to the escalators.

Mr Delaney said: “It’s been going on for two years. Either one is broken or two are broken. You can get along but most of the time you have to wait to get the lift for some 10 or 15 minutes. You see people down there with kids and wheelchairs.”

He added: “There’s not much you can do. It’s nothing to do with the guys in the station, it’s not their fault. It’s the company looking after the escalators.”

Labour councillor Calum O’Byrne Mulligan said at a Greenwich council meeting on March 27 that Cutty Sark DLR station had been left in a ‘shameful’ state by CGL Rail, who previously operated the service until 2021.

The station is now run by KeolisAmey Docklands on behalf of Transport for London (TfL).

A TfL spokesman said that refurbishment of three of the four escalators in the station had now been completed and that plans for the refurbishment of the final escalator are being drawn up, but there is no current timeline for these works.

Council documents from a meeting on February 29 added that TfL previously intended completing the final stage of its refurbishment programme for Cutty Sark station by the end of 2024.

The transport authority added that its contractor had procured parts for the repair of the final escalator in the station and engineers were being sourced for the work.

A TfL spokesman said that custom parts needed to repair the escalators were required from worldwide manufacturing plants, with these deliveries being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They added that a lift refurbishment programme was being undertaken in the station but limited space meant a larger lift could not be added.

Tom Page, TfL’s general manager for the DLR, said: “We are sorry for the continuing issues with the escalators at Cutty Sark station as we know this isn’t delivering a good enough service. We understand this must be especially frustrating for customers given these escalators have only recently undergone an extensive refurbishment programme, but reliability continues to be an issue.”

He added: “We are working with the operator, KeolisAmey Docklands, and the contractors Kone to get all escalators back in service as quickly as possible and ensure reliability is maintained.”

Pictured top: Simon Fagerstorm, 29, who says he uses Cutty Sark station three times a week to get to work in Canary Wharf (left) and the station entrance (Pictures: Joe Coughlan)