Mile End update Story so far: weekend engineering works, ticket hall shut, platforms open. Early attempts at information dissemination: poor (occasionally very poor)
1)Saturday morning, outside Mile End station: Entrance closed, apart from a small gap through which ladders and paint and stuff could be seen in the stairwell down to the ticket hall. » Crowd of lost souls outside station: small, but steady
Sign immediately to right of station entrance: "Station closed" (& big no entry sign) (WIN) Further instructions on sign: "Nearest alternative stations Bow Road, Bow Church, Stepney Green" (& instructions on how to get to these stations on the 25 bus) (WIN?) » Mention that it might/would be quicker to walk: nil (FAIL) » Mention of 425 bus for getting to Bow Road and Bow Church: nil (FAIL)
Sign immediately to left of entrance: "No entry to station on 6/7, 13/14 and 27/28 June. See red banners for alternative routes." » Number of red banners visible from outside station: 0 (FAIL) » Number of red banners previously on wall just inside station entrance but which had been taken down so that the wall could be redecorated: 1 (ÜBER-FAIL)
Conversation with member of staff standing outside station entrance: "So, where's the red banners then?" "Sorry, they took those down. That makes me the red banner, I guess. You want to walk to Bow Road, it's five minutes that way." (BIG WIN)
2)Saturday morning, inside Mile End station: lots of workmen in sealed-off ticket hall wearing helmets with Mickey Mouse-sized ear defenders, ticket gates covered over, walls covered over, activity level high. » Crowd of lost souls on platform: none
Sign on platform at foot of stairs: "No exit to street" (& big red crossed-out pedestrian) (WIN) Further instructions on sign: "Take any train to the next station and use local bus services to return to Mile End" (LAZY FAIL)
Time taken to take train to next station and use local bus services to return to Mile End... ...to Stratford: 3m (train) + 3m (interchange) + 6m (average wait) + 17m (bus) = 29 mins ...to Bethnal Green: 2m (train) + 3m (interchange) + 4m (average wait) + 8m (bus) = 17 mins ...to Stepney Green: 2m (train) + 1m (interchange) + 3m (average wait) + 4m (bus) = 10 mins ...to Bow Road: 1m (train) + 1m (interchange) + 3m (average wait) + 3m (bus) = 8 mins
» Number of minutes potentially wasted by following advice on poster: 21 (FAIL)
Announcement by man on platform as train pulls in: "Customers for Mile End should take an eastbound District line train to Bow Road and return to Mile End at street level" (WIN)
3)Attempt to use online journey planner to plan journey from Bethnal Green to Mile End... » Start: Bethnal Green Underground Station » Take: the Central Line » Average journey time: 2 minutes » End: Mile End Underground station » MILE END STATION: Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June, open for interchange, only. Passengers are not able to exit or enter the station. (TOTAL FAIL)
4)Announcements on trains approaching Mile End: word perfect (WIN)
Moral of story: don't trust anything you read on the Underground, just listen to the staff.
Mile End update
Sign immediately to left of entrance: "No entry to station on 6/7, 13/14 and 27/28 June. See red banners for alternative routes."
Sign on platform at foot of stairs: "No exit to street" (& big red crossed-out pedestrian) (WIN)
