§ Lord Lamont of Lerwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations the Minister for Transport has received from the Health and Safety Executive about London Underground; and, in the light of the incident on 4 September involving a blown fuse on the Central Line, whether he is considering that advice. [HL3967]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds meetings with the department to keep Ministers informed of any safety issue arising on LUL.
I understand that London Underground Limited (LUL) is still carrying out its investigation into the incident referred to by the noble Lord, and the investigation is likely to take about three to four months. The report will be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) Railway Inspectorate, which will assess its adequacy and ensure that any necessary action is implemented by LUL. The result of HSE's assessment, will be made available to Ministers.
§ Lord Lamont of Lerwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many escalators were out of action on the London Underground during the latest Bank Holiday weekend. [HL3964]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonDuring the period Saturday 26 August to Monday 28 August, 34 escalators were out of service on London Underground out of a total of 402 currently commissioned for passenger service. Of the 34, four were out of action for replacement and 15 for planned maintenance.
§ Lord Lamont of Lerwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why it took two hours to rescue 2,100 commuters trapped on the Central Line of the London Underground on 4 September. [HL3933]
23WA
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonThis incident is currently the subject of an official investigation, a summary of the results and recommendations arising from which will be published by London Underground in due course. A factual account of the timescales of the operation follows.
On 4 September, a train broke down at Liverpool Street Station. Two further trains, containing approximately 2,100 passengers, became blocked in the tunnel behind it. The process began with the first blocked train being moved up to the defective train, as soon as it was apparent that the latter could not move under its own power. The initial intention was to couple the trains so that the defective train could be pushed forward, enabling the first blocked train to move up to the platform and its passengers simply to disembark there.
However, after approximately 20 minutes it became clear that, due to the angle of the trains in the tunnel, coupling would not be possible. The decision was taken to commence a "through train" evacuation. This involves running the trains up to each other and the passengers walking through both trains until they reach the platform. This evacuation began as soon as all required safety precautions could be put in place.
The first train, containing 1,147 people, was evacuated in 35 minutes in this way (one passenger every 1.8 seconds). Once the first train was empty, the evacuation of the second blocked train began, taking passengers through all three trains. Approximately 1,000 people were thus evacuated at a similar rate to those on the first train.
§ Lord Lamont of Lerwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the breakdown on the Central Line of the London Underground on 4 September, in which 2,100 people were trapped in a tunnel for up to two hours, indicates defects in the management of London Underground; and what steps they propose to take in consequence; and [HL3936]
Whether, given that on 4 September a blown fuse on a new £3 million train on the Central Line of the London Underground could not be repaired for two hours, the management of London Underground are competent to handle new investment. [HL3966]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonThe incident is currently the subject of an official investigation, carried out by London Underground and monitored by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Railways. London Underground will publish a summary of results and recommendations arising from this investigation in due course.
§ Lord Lamont of Lerwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether in the light of the numerous failures of new escalators on London Underground, including the Jubilee Line, London Transport managers are performing adequately. [HL3963]
24WA
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonLondon Underground management operates in accordance with procedures agreed by the Health and Safety Executive and carries out rigorous, routine checks on all its escalators as part of its programme of continuous safety monitoring. Where equipment is found to be defective, London Underground will, where necessary, take such equipment, including escalators, out of service so as to avoid hazard to its passengers. This is an appropriate and responsible management response. Most escalators thus taken out of service are not new ones. Where defects have occurred on recently installed escalators, such as on the Jubilee Line extension, London Underground has undertaken careful analysis of faults to identify any recurrent trends or problems, which are then addressed in conjunction with the manufacturer and the Health and Safety Executive.
§ Lord Lamont of Lerwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
How the Minister of Transport can evaluate the efficiency of the London Underground if he does not use it every day. [HL3965]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonLondon Underground Limited has been set challenging performance targets in respect of capacity, reliability and customer satisfaction to be achieved by the end of 2000–01. Performance against these, and other, measures is regularly monitored and reported to me, and other ministerial colleagues.