§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on current expenditure on the modernisation of the London underground service; and if he will list the current modernisation projects. [19810]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonLondon Transport expect to invest some £324 million in the Underground network in 1997–98 (excluding investment in the Jubilee Line Extension and in Private Finance Initiative projects). We are looking urgently at public-private partnerships for the Underground in order to increase this level of investment substantially and to create a modern, reliable Underground system.
Among the larger projects completed or in progress this year are the installation of a new signalling and control system on the Central Line, the refurbishment of the East London Line, the modernisation of stations at the southern end of the Northern Line (including Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway) and investment in new trains for the Northern Line under a PFI contract with GEC-Alsthom.