§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will call for a report from London Regional Transport on the reasons for the fire on the Central line in east London on 8 November, on how long it took to deal with it, on the effect upon commuters and what steps are being taken to endeavour to stop a recurrence; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanLondon Underground Limited (LUL) tells me that brake dust in the westbound tunnel between Leyton and Stratford was ignited by sparks from the current collectors of a passing train.
The London Fire Brigade was called and while they dealt with the incident the service was suspended between Leytonstone and Liverpool Street, at which point trains were turned back. The suspension of service commenced at 09.18 westbound and 09.42 eastbound; both were resumed at 10.53. Services throughout the day were then irregular due to the disruption to train and crew working arrangements.
LUL has a number of initiatives in hand to reduce tunnel fires including using brake blocks which give off less dust, reducing the arcing which occurs at current collector shoes, and increasing tunnel cleaning both by manual and mechanical means.