HC Deb 24 June 2002 vol 387 cc657-9W
Tom Brake

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what improvements in frequency of tube services will be delivered in each of the first seven years of the PPP contracts for each of the three consortia; [56216]

(2) when, for each line of London Underground, new trains will be introduced under the terms of PPP; [56214]

(3) when, for each line of London Underground, new capacity will be introduced under the terms of PPP; and how much new capacity will be introduced for each line. [56215]

Mr. Jamieson

[holding answer 14 May 20021]: I have been asked to reply.

The modernisation plans for London Underground require contractors to meet performance specifications. The contracts do not specify the details of each individual project. Instead, the performance regime has been designed to deliver faster, more reliable and more pleasant journeys for passengers, as quickly as possible.

The specifications include demanding targets for improvements in Journey Time Capability (JTC), an outcome measure which reflects passengers' experiences of a range of factors affecting how quickly they can travel through the underground system.

Improvements in JTC through line upgrades, as specified in the current contracts, are as follows:

  • Jubilee line: 22 per cent. by 2008
  • Northern line: 18 per cent. by 2010
  • Piccadilly line: 19 per cent. by 2013
  • Bakerloo line: 15 per cent. by 2019
  • Central line: 6 per cent. by 2004
  • Victoria line:
  • Interim upgrade—5 per cent. by 2004
  • Main upgrade—14 per cent. by 1 September 2012*
  • Waterloo and City line: 12 per cent. by 2005
  • Northern Sub-Surface lines:
  • Interim upgrade—2 per cent. by 2010
  • Main upgrade—17 per cent. by 2013
  • Southern Sub-Surface lines:
  • First interim upgrade—2 per cent. by 2010
  • Second interim upgrade—3 per cent. by 2013
  • Main upgrade—11 per cent. by 2016.

To meet these specifications, the contractors will need to deliver substantial improvements across the entire system infrastructure, including works to increase frequency and capacity, and the introduction of new trains. In addition, on all lines contractors will be incentivised to improve availability scores, which measure infrastructure reliability. This will help London Underground to deliver service improvements, such as increased train frequency, irrespective of the timing of line upgrades.

The contracts directly specify improvements to trains on all lines, which must be delivered by the dates are as listed:

  • Jubilee line: 2016
  • Northern line: 2016
  • Piccadilly line: 2013
  • Bakerloo line: 2019
  • Central line: 2015
  • Victoria line: 1 September 2012*
  • Waterloo and City line: 2015
  • Metropolitan line: 2013
  • District line: 2014
  • Hammersmith and City/Circle line: 2013

All dates listed (except *) refer to contract years (ie 2005 ends on 31 March 2006). These are the latest dates by which improvements must be delivered. In practice, the infrastructure companies will need to start work on the upgrades many years in advance to meet these dates. Therefore many improvements will be delivered well before the contractual end-dates. The exact details of how the private sector companies intend to meet their contractual obligations are matters for the companies concerned.