§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Transport, in each of the last 10 years, how many fires have occurred on London Transport Underground which had some effect on passenger service; and what information he has as to the cause of each fire.
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to his reply, 18 December 1984, c. 132]: The number of fires on London Regional Transport's railways in each of the last 10 years which had some effect on passenger services is shown in the table: 463W
Fires on London Regional Transport's Railways which affected passenger services Year Fires on trains Fires in stations, signal boxes, and on and alongside the track 1975 Nil 1 1976 Nil 5 1977 Nil 5 1978 Nil 3 1979 Nil 5 1980 Nil 8 1981 2 7 1982 1 3 1983 1 7 1984* 1 2 * Provisional figures. As well as the recent fire at Oxford Circus, the figures include three serious incidents each of which was the subject of a formal inquiry and a published report. These were at Finsbury Park in 1976; at Goodge Street in 1981; and between Wood Green and Bounds Green in 1982. All the other incidents were minor. Individual causes are too various to list, but they include arson, ignition of dust by sparks from the conductor rails, and carelessly discarded cigarettes.