Going underground

5.11.00pm GMT Thu 27th Nov 2008

Caroline Pidgeon and Norman Baker MP recently spent 4 hours deep beneath the streets of London looking at works on the London Underground at night.

The visit included looking at escalator replacements works at Swiss Cottage, going deep down an underground tunnel at Chalk Farm to see sleeper replacement works and finally to Waterloo to see extensive station refurbishment. Norman Baker even had a go at removing a concrete sleeper with a pneumatic drill!

"It was fascinating to see how many hundreds of people work on the Underground system at night - upgrading the track and escalators and rewiring and decorating stations. With only a relatively short time window to carry out the work and very cramped working conditions, it was very amazing to see what could be delivered and the hard working teams of staff" said Lib Dem London Transport Spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon.