Wiring on signals worn out

The appalling state of signal maintenance on the Tube is revealed today in an investigation showing worn-out wiring across the network.

Two-thirds of the main signal relay rooms surveyed - or 22 out of 33 areas - were found to be suffering from "degraded" wiring. Some of the wiring is so old that engineers are frightened to touch it.

In the worst case, a signal equipment room at Euston Square station is alleged to have been left flooded for two years - with wiring hanging loose above the water level.

The revelations, to be screened on Channel Four's Dispatches programme, will raise questions over how many of the regular delays from signal failures could be avoided. Signals are protected by a "fail-safe" system where all lights turn red in the event of a fault.

Tube workers are so concerned about the condition of the wires they took undercover photos for the programme. Staff told Dispatches that LU has allowed the signals to go unreplaced past their 40-year lifespan. Many of them date back to just after the Second World War and should have been completely rewired at least 12 years ago, it is claimed.

An internal investigation was launched when a signal wire blew in August. In all but one of the 22 cases the wires had been patched up with insulating tape. LU's report showed degradation dating back to 1995 - yet the workers claimed no major repair work was carried out.

One anonymous signalmen tells the programme: "No one is going into those rooms to check if further degradation is taking place."

An LU spokesman today confirmed that "degraded" wiring was found in two-thirds of the signal rooms. The spokesman said: "LU has been monitoring wire degradation since the early Nineties and has been keeping a detailed database."

LU says the problem is "now under control". Wires are insulated or replaced to "ensure safety standards are maintained" and temporary repairs are made permanent "as soon as possible". It says it is looking into allegations of the flooded signal room at Euston Square.