Tube lines need to be shut for weeks

London will only get a world-class transport system if large sections of the Tube are shut for weeks or even months at a time.

That is the verdict of the private companies in charge of maintaining and improving the network. They spoke out after a week when tens of thousands of commuters suffered appalling delays as through-the-night engineering works overran.

Despite this, new figures show the firms in charge of running the network are making progress in cutting delays and improving service. Two years after taking over, Metronet and Tube Lines are now hitting a daily average of 95 per cent of their planned "operating schedule". This is up two per cent on last year.

However, the companies have a target to deliver 100 per cent of their trains on time. They have made a commitment to spend ?21.4 billion refurbishing track and stations over the next 30 years, yet breaking the back of years of neglect has been painfully slow.

This has led to battle of wills within London Underground, which is sharply critical of the rate of change. A spokesman claimed disruption caused by late finishing of engineering work "can only be put down to poor planning, poor management or poor execution of the job - or a combination of all three".

Metronet chief John Weight insisted that progress towards modern transport in the capital would be much quicker if lines could be closed for weeks at a time.

He said: "As part of our ?17 billion investment we are renewing more than 200 kilometres of track before 2011 - and since we acquired responsibility for nine of the 12 lines in April 2003 we have already completed more than 10 per cent of that target." But, he added, their present agreement with LU "calls for this work to be undertaken during restrictive hours, including weekends, and at night".

Bob Kiley, the transport commissioner, has also now admitted closing lines for weeks or months at a time "in one fell swoop" - rather than an endless series of weekend-only shutdowns - may help get the work done more quickly. But negotiations are still under way and agreement a long way off.

Tube Lines also wants more time, including extended line closures, to carry out major engineering work. Most problems of delays in the morning rush hour come because workers only had a matter of hours to get engineering jobs finished each night.

Terry Morgan, chief executive of

Tube Lines, said: "We inherited project spending of between ?120 million and ?130 million a year - it is likely this year to end up around ?360 million." Mr Morgan said the first obvious improvements for passengers is the addition of an extra carriage to Jubilee line trains at the end of the year.

He said there have also been dramatic improvements to the Piccadilly line, mainly thanks to a ?20 million overhaul to train axle boxes. That problem existed when the company took over, but there is an ongoing row over who should pay - Tube Lines or LU. "The Northern line is in much worse condition than we expected," said Mr Morgan.

But long-term closures would also face opposition from the business community hit by the 11-week shutdown of the Central line in 2003. The LU spokesman added: "We are not seeing improvement in the reliability of the Tube's key assets as quickly as we would like."