HC Deb 05 December 2001 vol 376 cc378-80W
Mr. Pickles

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the latest available figure is on capacity on the London Underground, broken down by(a) movement of passengers per 15 minutes at peak times for each line, (b)the amount of spare capacity as expressed in potential passenger movement per 15 minutes at peak times and (c)the use of capacity at peak times, expressed as a percentage for each line. [13998]

Mr. Spellar

This is an operational matter for London Underground (LU), but they advise that the measures requested do not form part of their regular monitoring and management reporting process. I understand that the most recent available survey on passenger numbers at peak times was completed by London Underground during 2000 and the resulting information on this and on measures of capacity was given by the then Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Keith Hill), in answer to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) on 22 March 2001,Official Report, column 283W. Regrettably, some of the information given in answer to that earlier PQ was inaccurate and the table provides corrected information.

For each line, the table provides a snapshot of the busiest quarter-hour period on the busiest section. The table shows in columns D and E the figures which London Underground record as the "theoretical design capacity" of trains, as determined by the manufacturer and set out in an earlier answer of 2 February 2001, Official Report, column 315W; and in columns F and G the actual numbers of people they recorded as using those lines at the busiest period. 1 regret that the earlier figures were misleading: the corrected figures show that the Underground is not as crowded as the previous answer appeared to show.

However, it should be noted that in practice some trains may have a higher and some a lower crowding. This could be caused by either any unevenness in the time between consecutive trains or in the uneven distribution of customers along platforms.

A B C D E F G
Design capacity Actual numbers of people
Line Busiest section Time Hour capacity 1/4hour capacity Hour demand 1/4 hour demand
District Victoria to St James's Park 08:30–08:45 30,380 7,595 16,092 4,023
East London Line Surrey Quays to Canada Water 08:15–08:30 6,815 1,704 3,908 977

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions who will bear the financial risk for unforeseen circumstances in improving the London Underground under PPP. [20115]

Mr. Jamieson

The Government's modernisation plans for the London Underground follow the principle that risk should be allocated to whoever is best able to manage it. The aim is not to transfer risk for its own sake, as this would lead to a decline in value for money, but rather to optimise the transfer of risk. The private sector infrastructure companies will be liable for all cost overruns that result from their acting in an uneconomic or inefficient manner. However, the financial risks associated with 'force majeure' events are retained by London Underground, as long as they are not caused by and are beyond the control of the infrastructure companies.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the changes in London Underground's costs since 1997. [20112]

Mr. Jamieson

London Underground's costs have primarily increased because of work to maintain and improve performance and reliability against a background of increased demand and past underinvestment.

The increase in London Underground's operating costs also, however, reflects its adoption in 1999 of the mandatory Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 15, which set out revised principles of accounting for tangible fixed assets. The impact of the adoption of FRS15 on London Underground's accounts for 1999–2000 was set out in the reply given by the then Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Keith Hill), to my hon. Friend the Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Coleman) on 23 January 2001, Official Report, column 525W. The full impact on its accounts was also confirmed in London Transport's Annual Report 2000–01, published in July of this year.

John McDonnell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many delays of 15 minutes or more of trains on the London Underground were caused by problems with(a) track, (b) signals and (c) rolling stock for (i) 1994–95, (ii) 1995£96, (iii) 1996–97, (iv) 1997–98 and (v) 1999–2000. [20596]

Mr. Jamieson

This is an operational matter for London Underground who inform me that this information is not held in the form requested for full years before 1999–2000, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The table shows the requested information as measured by London Underground during 1999–2000.

Train delays of 15 minutes or more in 1999–2000
Cause Total
(a) Track 142
(b) Signals 713
(c) Rolling Stock 608

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what changes there were in the rules during the bidding for the public-private partnership for the London Underground. [20362]

Mr. Jamieson

The rules under which these procurements are conducted are determined by European law and have not changed during the procurements.