Tube cancellations hit five year high

Cancellations to peak-time Tube trains are running at their highest level for "at least" five years, it was revealed today.

And the Tube's three million daily users may face "many frustrating years of disruption" before the service gets better.

London Underground statistics show that eight of the Tube's 12 lines are running fewer trains during morning and evening rush hours than in 1997-8.

Worst are the Circle and Bakerloo lines which between them carry more than 700,000 passengers a day. Including all 12 lines, 94.4 per cent of trains operated in peak periods compared with 95.8 per cent five years ago.

On the Circle line cancellations are so frequent, usually because there are not enough drivers, that staff keep notices ready to warn of delays. The ticket office at High Street Kensington station, serving the Circle and District lines, boasts a sign saying it would be closed until further notice because of "staff shortages". Other lines where the service has deteriorated are the Victoria, Jubilee, Piccadilly, District, East London and Metropolitan.

Lib-Dem transport spokesman Tom Brake, who revealed the figures, said; "It does not matter which indicator you monitor - whether it is the number of peak trains that are cancelled, the number of delays of 15 minutes or more, the levels of absenteeism among LU staff or the excess waiting time at the slowest ticket offices on the network. Things are getting worse."

The figures were made public just hours before MPs launch a new inquiry into the future of LU and the proposed public-private partnership (PPP) under which large sections of the system will be hived off to the private sector on 30-year leases.

Mr Brake, who obtained the information by asking a parliamentary question, said there are two possible explanations why the Tube has gone so badly wrong.

Either funding levels have stayed "at unacceptably low levels during the last five years of Labour government, meaning the investment to upgrade and overhaul the Tube has not been available"; or the Tube "is suffering because so much effort is being put into preparing the system for part-privatisation".

Mr Brake adds: "Whatever the explanation, commuters are clearly going to be experiencing many frustrating years of disruption before things get better."

Transport Minister David Jamieson said the figures took into account "all cancellations including those such as security alerts and passenger action outside [LU's] control".

Yesterday it was revealed that absenteeism among Tube drivers is at its highest for a decade, with seven out of 100 staff reporting sick or absent. For station staff the figure is the highest for eight years.

LU is unable to say why so many staff are taking time off work. Mr Brake said the "key issue" is whether the strain of preparing for PPP, "which has undoubtedly put pressure of LU management, is now beginning to have an impact on frontline staff".

He said: "LU has got to crack this. Increasing levels of absenteeism means unhappy employees and deteriorating services."

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