§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many times stations have been closed on the new section of the Jubilee Line as a result of equipment failure since its opening in 1999; and what proposals there are to remedy the situation. [HL284]
§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston):I understand from London Underground Limited (LUL) that there were 20 instances of station closure due to equipment failure on the extended section of the Jubilee Line in the year after it opened fully in December 1999. The situation improved during the year, with only two instances since August 2000.
As part of the internal reorganisation of London Underground in preparation for the public private partnership, three infrastructure companies have been set up with responsibility for maintaining and upgrading the network. These companies, currently still subsidiaries of LUL, have a contractual obligation to ensure that stations are not closed due to equipment failure. Under the PPP, if an infrastructure company failed to make stations (or trains) available and fit for use, it would incur financial penalties.
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