Weekday passenger levels on the Tube are around 60% of those pre-pandemic (Victoria Jones/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)God bless the social media managers of company accounts, there to deal with our complaints in a speedy fashion, and provide viral content if a particular customer is pushing things a little too far.
Well, that was the case for the Transport for London (TfL) Twitter account on Friday, after the operator posted information about Northern line closures next year.
The Bank branch of the London Underground line – between Kennington and Moorgate - will be closed between January and May 2022 to connect a new railway tunnel, but not everybody is happy with that news.
Twitter user Ross Paul, who describes himself as a “Coca-Cola addicted, random T-shirt wearing Londoner” responded to TfL’s tweet to ask: “You’ve got to be joking right?”
“I use that all the time to go to London Bridge for hospital appointments. TfL need to sort their s*** out fast! Why wasn’t work done last year when nobody was using the Tube ffs,” he wrote.
TfL’s reply was short and simple.
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“Hi Ross, the work couldn’t be done last year because there was a pandemic,” they responded.
Ah yes, I imagine a massive public health crisis that led to the UK Government ordering the public to stay at home for several periods of 2020 might have thrown a spanner in the works. That’s hardly surprising.
But what’s surprising to many Twitter users is the “snarky” nature of TfL’s reply, which has left people shocked by its tone:
TfL taking your Oyster lol pic.twitter.com/pPS3JhBq8J
— 🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲 (@StefanFerrol) November 5, 2021
Hello British Transport Police I would like to report a murder. https://t.co/YEtHPxONWI
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) November 6, 2021
I see some of the scotrail social media staff have moved down south https://t.co/BdW6VQbdAv
— Olla Crag (@ollacrag) November 5, 2021
TfL really is having a laugh LOOOOOOL https://t.co/9qiVVZfIWU
— Dom (ドミニク) (@domtechn) November 5, 2021
We need a total and complete shut down of any organisation doing sassy social media performances. https://t.co/Hbk3GEs05Q
— Lewis (@lewiswhy) November 5, 2021
Naah there’s some serious sassiness behind this tweet I’m crying https://t.co/sTMXmPp0jo
— cardiac (@abrmohamoud) November 5, 2021
Considering TfL continued with construction & remedial work throughout the pandemic I think the answer is that it wasn’t in the programme & you didn’t prioritise bringing it forward…but that wasn’t a a punchy enough response to someone worried about getting to hospital was it? https://t.co/ALeYQLgbQj
— Emma Best AM (@emmabest22) November 5, 2021
The tone, I'm screaming!! https://t.co/KfyVbKeh2f
— douglas greenwood (@douglasgrnwd) November 5, 2021
This reply is so cheeky looool https://t.co/5HydWvofWg
— Lola (@Iolachristina) November 5, 2021
Other networks and street works for that matter completed and started work faster due to there being a pandemic, everything was less busy — sounds like your Project Manager wasn’t on job.
— Lateef (@LateefSaka) November 5, 2021
Also, this response to someone who is stressed about missing medical appointments isn’t it. https://t.co/9q99p2NcyI
I don't think this is the "gotcha" you think this is. Other transport networks bought-forward engineering works due to the network being less busy...
— Ed Mills (@Edward_jmills) November 5, 2021
This kind of snarky tone is condescending and unnecessary.
— Wilber (@WilberLondon77) November 5, 2021
TfL taking your Oyster lol pic.twitter.com/pPS3JhBq8J
— 🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲 (@StefanFerrol) November 5, 2021
Others, meanwhile, questioned the impact of the pandemic on the works when progress was made on the extension to the Northern line in November and December last year. The development led to the creation of the Battersea Power Station stop, which opened in September:
i don’t even live in london and know that TFL have been busy busy during the pandemic gentrifying battersea so what’s this https://t.co/IpTVzcNmO5
— jess white (@jessf_white) November 5, 2021
So construction stopped on the Battersea extension did it? Stop chatting shit
— Calgie (@christiancalgie) November 5, 2021
And it wasn’t just Ross which TfL appeared fed up with, either, as one Twitter user pointed out:
Whoever is managing TFL’s Twitter today is FED UP! Omg 😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/8wA3WMa9lh
— OnlyZans (@OnlyZans) November 5, 2021
In a statement to indy100, a TfL spokesperson did not address the social media responses, but said the capacity upgrade to Bank station (known as BSCU) and the Northern Line extension (NLE) was safely stopped “at the height of the pandemic” to “ensure the safety of our construction and project teams”.
“The NLE was able to stay on target because work could begin immediately at the end of this period, while the closures for the BSCU have a significant lead time due to the complex nature of the works,” they said.
