HC Deb 02 November 1999 vol 337 cc78-9W
Mr. Brake

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects the public-private partnership for London Underground to be signed for each of the separate groupings of underground lines; and if he will make a statement. [96315]

Mr. Hill

The PPP contracts for London Underground will be signed when they are ready. We have learned the lessons of rail privatisation and will not impose a politically driven timetable at the expense of ensuring that the resulting deal is right.

Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what immediate action is planned to combat congestion on London Underground trains and in station corridors. [96686]

Mr. Hill

[holding answer 1 November 1999]: This is an operational matter for London Underground. However, London Underground carefully considers customer safety and discomfort from overcrowding in its assessment of investment priorities. Much investment and management effort is focused on reducing delays and improving reliability of the service, which helps reduce congestion both on trains and through stations and provides a safer, more comfortable environment. Examples of investment projects that will combat congestion are: the Jubilee Line Extension; increasing services on the Central and Northern lines; projects at Knightsbridge, Leicester Square, Brixton and Russell Square. In addition, London Underground is focusing on reducing station congestion through better signing and passenger flow management at the busiest stations.

Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions who is responsible for enforcing London Underground safety rules to combat congestion in trains and corridors. [96688]

Mr. Hill

[holding answer 1 November 1999]: Responsibility for managing congestion on London Underground rests with London Underground Ltd. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Railways is informed of any breakdown of congestion management, investigates incidents of serious congestion and monitors general performance in this area.

Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what safety rules are in operation to prevent overcrowding of(a) trains on the London Underground and (b) London Underground station corridors. [96687]

Mr. Hill

[holding answer 1 November 1999]: This is an operational matter for London Underground. However, I understand that as part of London Underground's safety management system, comprehensive crowd control plans and measures to implement them are regularly used by London Underground staff when the level of passengers using the system exceeds the system's capacity to deal with them. These safety risk controls are exercised by line controllers and station supervisors. They work in co-operation with each other to ensure that levels of crowding do not exceed safe levels. Staff involved in the implementation of these controls are fully trained. Safety plans are updated annually and regular emergency exercises are held to test the effectiveness of the arrangements.