Mayor’s Question Time – 01/10: On The Tube

Traffic levels on the Sub-surface Lines. Announcement boards at Whitechapel. Jubilee Line compensation. Turning off escalators. The PPP Arbitration. Simultaneous closures of the Met and Jubilee Lines. Platforms at Neasden. LU and recycling. Ticket office opening hours. Passenger numbers at Willesden Green. Reductions to the access programme. Northern Line closure dates. Early exit closures at Waterloo. Barrier confusion at Southwark. The new Circle. Updating Camden Town. Communicating alternative travel arrangements.

With the increased volume of trains going through the North of the City on the sub-surface tube lines, what is the effect if there is disruption on these services? Is there sufficient slack in the system time-wise to be able to recover? – Caroline Pidgeon

There has not been an increase in the number of trains operating through the north of the City on the Sub-Surface lines, as the increased train frequency between Hammersmith and Paddington has been achieved by extending Circle line services, rather than operating any additional trains. TfL is running an extra Metropolitan line train per hour into Aldgate, but there are two fewer Circle / Hammersmith & City line trains per hour, so there has not been an increase in total frequency.

By introducing an end-to-end service, the recent change in the Circle line route reduces the susceptibility of services to delays, and allows quicker recovery from disruption. Recovery time has been built into the timetable at Hammersmith and Edgware Road, enabling trains to depart on time from the termini even if they arrive a few minutes late. Run times have also been increased marginally, to allow for the additional passengers using the service, which also adds resilience to the timetable.

Circle line services have faced some operating challenges unrelated to the timetable change since its introduction, including several days of severe adverse weather and higher-than-average numbers of trains unavailable for service due to defects. The new service has coped well with these challenges, and the evidence to date suggests that recovery from disruption has been quicker than under the previous service pattern.

At Bethnal Green tube station there are two new sets of announcement boards, one on each platform. In contrast, Whitechapel station has old style boards, which do not give as much information. When will the platform announcement boards at Whitechapel tube station be replaced? – Caroline Pidgeon

The old train information boards across the Central line are being replaced with more modern ones. The relatively new signalling system is able to send information automatically to these boards.

Installing modern boards at Whitechapel is not feasible because significant modifications would be required to make them accept the information feed from the very different (and antiquated) District line signalling system. Even then the information they would be able to display would be much more limited than on the Central line.

As you know, London Underground is currently tendering for the new signalling system on the District line as part of the upgrade of the sub-surface lines. Whitechapel station will also be completely rebuilt by 2016 as part of the Crossrail project, with enabling work beginning this year and construction starting in 2011. Together, those two projects will enable us to provide much better service information at the station, including modern indicator boards, in roughly eight years time.

It is reported that the rail Company First Capital Connect have passed on to their customers compensation of 5 days worth of free travel to holders of registered annual Travelcards who have suffered appalling service in recent weeks. Will you give passengers who have suffered greatly due to the Jubilee Line upgrade works similar compensation? – Caroline Pidgeon

First Capital Connect has offered compensation to season ticket holders due to prolonged disruption caused by an industrial dispute with some drivers who refused to work overtime. As a result, First Capital Connect had to introduce an emergency timetable with a much reduced service on weekdays, including during peak periods.

The weekend closures on the Jubilee line are for the line upgrade work and have been planned and advertised in advance. TfL does not offer compensation or refunds in these circumstances. In addition, it would be impractical to identify those affected customers.

There are significant costs associated with providing replacement bus and boat services. Any funding used to offer compensation would potentially impact the provision of these replacement services. Furthermore, it would also mean that funds would be diverted away from future improvements to the network.

It is also important to remember that a Travelcard gives access to all of London’s transport services, so customers are still able to benefit by using other modes, when parts of the Jubilee line are not available at weekends.

I have been asked by a constituent what would be the total power saving per month from turning escalators off at London Underground stations when they were not needed? – Mike Tuffrey

London Underground has a new initiative to save energy, and reduce its carbon footprint, by switching off escalators at some stations during off peak times when they are not needed.

The total power saving from turning off an escalator at off peak times is approximately 116,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per annum (9667kWh/month). This also equates to a financial saving of around £8,000 per year, per escalator.

There are 65 sites, across 35 stations, where one escalator in a bank of three can be turned off when not needed. The total potential saving across all 65 sites is approximately 7,540 megawatt hours per annum.

There has been media coverage about information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act that suggests that the Victoria Line will cost more and has consumed far more closures than the Jubilee Line. The PPP Arbiter has said that he has seen this new data. Would the Mayor confirm whether this information is correct and explain how it relates to the previous information provided to the PPP Arbiter? – Caroline Pidgeon

This was simply an attempt by Tube Lines to distort information to support their attempts to increase their costs in their second contract period.

Tube Lines’ claims are discredited not only by their own performance on the Jubilee line upgrade, forecast to be delivered 10 months late, but also by the independent PPP Arbiter’s draft direction on costs for the second contract period, which was over £2bn less than their original demand. When like is compared with like, it is clear that costs on the Victoria line upgrade are around £4.5m per km in contrast to Tube Lines’ costs on the Jubilee line upgrade of around £7.6m per km.

Furthermore, Tube Lines originally predicted that they would need only around 50 weekend closure to complete the Jubilee line upgrade. They have already had around 125 closures, and London Underground (LU) has now granted them a programme of full or part-line closures on virtually every weekend up to Easter 2010, with more to come through until the autumn. In contrast, LU has reduced the number of closures required on the Victoria line since it took over from Metronet, and has not required any short notice closures. The first new Victoria line train is operating in passenger service, and the new signalling system has been completed and is undergoing testing.

LU has responded to the Arbiter’s request for clarification, and continues to work with him, and with Tube Lines to ensure a satisfactory resolution of the Periodic Review process. LU’s aim, and mine, has always been, and remains to ensure that the vital upgrades of the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines are delivered as promised, and in a way that provides value for money for London’s fare payers and taxpayers.

The PPP Arbiter’s Draft Directions are above LU’s stated Affordability Constraints. Where will the extra money come from or will TfL have to reduce its requirements? – Caroline Pidgeon

The Periodic Review process continues and London Underground (LU) is focused on assisting the Arbiter to reach a fair price.

If there is still a gap between that price and LU’s affordability constraint when the Arbiter makes his final direction in March, then we would either look to the Government to provide the additional funds to ensure the vital upgrade works can be completed, or exercise the provision laid out in the contract for Tube Lines to raise the additional financing required to close the gap.

Can you explain why on occasions the Metropolitan and Jubilee Lines both have to close at the same time in the Wembley area? What can be done to reduce the number of times that both lines are closed? – Caroline Pidgeon

The Jubilee and Metropolitan line tracks run alongside each other between Finchley Road and just north of Wembley Park. In certain areas, particularly between Neasden and Wembley Park, there are numerous points and crossings which control the movement of both the Jubilee and Metropolitan line trains, with each line crossing the path of the other at various points. In addition, both lines access the depot at Neasden. The new Jubilee line signalling therefore needs to interface with the existing Metropolitan line signalling in these areas.

Tube Lines request the closure of the Metropolitan line as well as the Jubilee line, if they believe that the work they are doing requires it. The extent of the closure required depends on the exact nature of the work that Tube Lines needs to undertake. For example, if Tube Lines needs to carry out work on Jubilee line infrastructure, for safety reasons it may not be possible to run Metropolitan line trains at the same time. Alternatively, if testing is being undertaken on shared sections of track, it may not be possible to continue to run Metropolitan line trains whilst this testing is being conducted.

London Underground (LU) continues to work closely with Tube Lines, to ensure that they are able to maximise their use of closures. However, LU is also under an obligation to provide Tube Lines with the closures that they request, as set out in the access code under the PPP contract.

It is extremely disappointing that the upgrade of the Jubilee Line has been delayed by at least 10 months despite Tube Lines having had around 125 closures, when they originally predicted only 50. Because of Tube Lines’ failure, Jubilee Line users will suffer months more full or part-line closures until the autumn.

Will TfL consider opening the Neasden Station platforms on the Metropolitan Line when the Jubilee Line is not running? – Caroline Pidgeon

TfL has considered the possibility of stopping Metropolitan line trains at Neasden station when there are closures on the Jubilee line. However, this is not something they are planning to implement because of the cost of bringing the platforms and subway at Neasden station up to standard for passenger use.

In order to be able to stop Metropolitan line trains at Neasden, work would be required to repair the uneven platform surfaces and edges, and remove vegetation. Additional lighting, signage and CCTV would also need to be installed.

There is no longer an access route to/from the northbound Metropolitan line platform to the ticket hall. Customers would be required to exit via the Jubilee line platforms and a subway at the north end of the station which is currently only used by staff. The subway requires substantial work before customers would be able to use it, including lighting, signage, flooring and wall surfaces.

This means that the overall cost of implementing this would be much higher than was the case at Willesden Green, with benefits to local customers only being realised on weekends, when upgrade work does not necessitate the closure of both lines.

Furthermore, Neasden station is only one stop away from Wembley Park, where the Metropolitan line already stops, and two stops away from Willesden Green, where the Metropolitan line now also stops during these closures. This means that the overall benefit of slightly shorter journey times for Neasden customers would be far outweighed by the disbenefit to through-customers, who would experience greater journey times, and greater potential for delay.

The TfL Environment Report 2009 suggests that LU recycled less Commercial & Industrial waste in 2008/09 than they did in 2007/08 even though the same amount of waste was produced. What steps are you taking to increase recycling? – Mike Tuffrey

The paper recycling market performed badly in 2008/9, and not all of the poorer quality material collected could be sold. Therefore, the percentage of Commercial and Industrial waste recycled in 2008/9 was slightly lower compared to the previous year.

London Underground (LU) has acted quickly to turn this around and over the first six months of 2009-10, LU has recycled approximately 50 per cent of this waste stream, which exceeds the year’s target of 45 per cent, and is up on 2008/09 and 2007/08.

This increase has been brought about by continued focus on dedicated paper recycling activities and working with London Boroughs to ensure that LU collects high quality material for which there is a recycling market.

LU continues to work hard with its contractors to improve its recycling of commercial and industrial waste.

(a) Please can you give me the names of Underground stations where they do not have their ticket office open the whole time the station is operational?

(b) For the ones that do not, what hours do they operate?

(c) When did this change come in for each station? – Caroline Pidgeon

There are no London Underground stations where the ticket office is open for the entire time the station is operational, and only a small number (fewer than 30 ticket offices), which are available through the day, i.e. for over 18 hours, Monday to Friday. Please see the spreadsheet attached as Appendix F for the opening times of all LU-operated ticket offices.

The last significant change to ticket office opening hours across the network was in January 2006. Since then, there have been minor adjustments at individual locations as the level of customer demand has changed. For example, the move of Eurostar services from Waterloo to St Pancras International required changes to schedules at Waterloo and Kings Cross St Pancras respectively. Also, Regent’s Park station was reopened after refurbishment in June 2007 and Wood Lane was opened in October 2008, both with self-service machines only.

What is the total number of journeys made to or from Willesden Green by Metropolitan Line stopping at Willesden Green while the Jubilee Line is closed at weekends? – Caroline Pidgeon

The number of passenger journeys recorded on weekends at Willesden Green when the Jubilee line has been suspended but Metropolitan line trains have been stopping there is as follows:

Saturday 14 November: Entries – 4433 Exits – 4313

Sunday 15 November: Entries – 3454 Exits – 3853

Saturday 5 December: Entries – 4643 Exits – 3806

Sunday 6 December: Entries – 3631 Exits – 3413

Saturday 19 December: Entries – 4264 Exits – 3566

Sunday 20 December: Entries – 3400 Exits – 3171

Saturday 26 December: Entries – 2228 Exits – 1819

Sunday 27 December: Entries – 2520 Exits – 2527

Saturday 16 January: Entries – 4815 Exits – 3915

Sunday 17 January: Entries – 3470 Exits – 3152

Please describe the consultation process undertaken by LUL to determine the reduced programme of access projects within LUL stations. – Val Shawcross

Additional costs from the absorption of Metronet and the economic down-turn have forced the indefinite deferral of six London Underground step-free access projects.

The decision to cancel these projects was made due to funding pressures on TfL, and the need to curtail spend on projects quickly. No consultation was therefore carried out for these projects, though key stakeholders, notably local authorities concerned, were advised as soon as possible.

What is the underlying strategy for rolling out access projects in LUL? What principles and objectives guided the choice of projects to be dropped, postponed or continued? – Val Shawcross

As part of the package of changes confirmed in TfL’s Business Plan announcement in October 2009 to achieve significant cost reductions, the decision was taken to stop work on six step-free access projects across the London Underground network. They were projects at an early stage, where significant costs could be saved.

TfL is experiencing a loss in revenue due to the current economic climate and increased costs due to the impact of the Metronet collapse, which necessitated some difficult decisions.

TfL will continue to increase the accessibility of the Tube over time, building on the foundation of the 58 step-free stations already in place. However, available resources will be targeted at stations where major station redevelopment work is already planned, thereby combining step-free access with congestion relief schemes, which is a better way to use existing budgets, and deliver significant benefits to the large number of passengers affected.

When will LUL be announcing the closure programme for 2010/11 to facilitate the PPP works on the Northern Line? What advance information can you currently publish? – Val Shawcross

Under the PPP, Tube Lines is responsible for upgrading the Northern line for the beginning of 2012.

Tube Lines has submitted a large volume of closure requests and has re-visited its proposals at least once. When a firm position has been reached with TfL, a full announcement will be made.

From submissions to date, it is likely that Tube Lines will seek a large number of weekend closures, as well as early closing of the line on Monday to Thursday evenings, starting in 2010.

I understand from complaints raised by travellers and concerns from some adjacent venues that the York Road/Shell entrance to Waterloo Underground Station is closed at 10pm. Considering the number of well used major venues in the vicinity such as the National Theatre, Festival Hall etc do you agree that this entrance should be open for people leaving performances. What work was done prior to this decision being taken and at what level was the decision made? – Val Shawcross

In February 2006 following a review of customer usage and ticket sales the decision was taken to close the Shell/York Road exit after the evening peak at 10pm. Less than 7% of the people who used Waterloo Underground station after 10pm prior to this change used the Shell entrance.

Subsequent reviews have not supported the re-opening. Consultation with staff and trade unions took place ahead of the closure and local businesses were notified.

I have been informed that a practice that allowed commuters (from large employers TfL & BT) with train only tickets and season tickets to exit Southwark Underground Station from Waterloo East has been thrown into confusion after the installation of new barriers. Information given to travellers by TfL is in conflict with information being given to them by Underground staff. Please can this be resolved and a way found for these commuters to exit through Southwark Station? – Val Shawcross

Anyone holding a magnetic Day Travelcard, a Travelcard season ticket, Oyster pay as you go, National Rail point to point season ticket to London Terminals issued by Southeastern, or an Underground single or return magnetic ticket, should be able use their tickets in the automatic gates at Southwark station to continue their journey.

However, TfL is aware that there is an issue with some ‘Point-to-Point’ season tickets to London Terminals issued by Southeastern trains not opening the automatic ticket gates at Southwark. This is causing some congestion at busy times.

TfL is working with Southeastern to resolve the problem to allow these tickets to be replaced. In the meantime, customers who hold a Southeastern trains issued season ticket that is valid through Southwark, but which does not work at the automatic gates, can ask a member of staff to open the gate for them. When the station is busy, this may cause a slight delay to their journey but TfL will do all they can to minimise this.

If a customer does not hold one of the above tickets, then they do not have a ticket valid to walk through Southwark station. As a result, they will need to buy a platform ticket to enter or exit via Southwark station from the automatic ticket machines or take an alternative route.

I apologise for any confusion and inconvenience to passengers, but I am assured by TfL that there is now a clear message for customers on display at the station, and all staff are fully briefed on the correct procedures. I hope that Southeastern trains will be able to resolve the situation soon.

How have the new arrangements for the operation of the Circle line settled down? What problems were (initially or otherwise) thrown up by the changes? – John Biggs

The new arrangements on the Circle line are working very well, with a reduction in delays on average of 37 per cent in the four weeks since the new service pattern was introduced, compared to the final four weeks of the old service. A comparison with the final six months of the old service shows an improvement of 20 per cent. Customers using stations between Hammersmith and Paddington have also benefitted from a substantial increase in the frequency of trains, now every five minutes compared to every 8-10 minutes before the change. This means people spend less time waiting for a train, and trains are less crowded when they arrive.

Customers using other sub-surface lines have also benefitted, with more peak services between Wimbledon and the City on the District line, extra Metropolitan line services through to Aldgate, and more Hammersmith & City line trains between Whitechapel and Barking.

Circle line services have faced some operating challenges unrelated to the timetable change since its introduction, including several days of severe adverse weather and higher-than-average numbers of trains being unavailable for service due to defects. The new service has coped well with these challenges, and the evidence to date suggests that recovery from disruption, when it occurs, has been quicker than under the previous service pattern.

How have the new arrangements settled down? What problems were (initially or otherwise) thrown up by the changes? – John Biggs

The new arrangements on the Circle line are working very well, with a reduction in delays on average of 37 per cent in the four weeks since the new service pattern was introduced, compared to the final four weeks of the old service. A comparison with the final six months of the old service shows an improvement of 20 per cent. Customers using stations between Hammersmith and Paddington have also benefitted from a substantial increase in the frequency of trains, now every five minutes compared to every 8-10 minutes before the change. This means people spend less time waiting for a train, and trains are less crowded when they arrive.

Customers using other sub-surface lines have also benefitted, with more peak services between Wimbledon and the City on the District line, extra Metropolitan line services through to Aldgate, and more Hammersmith & City line trains between Whitechapel and Barking.

Circle line services have faced some operating challenges unrelated to the timetable change since its introduction, including several days of severe adverse weather and higher-than-average numbers of trains being unavailable for service due to defects. The new service has coped well with these challenges, and the evidence to date suggests that recovery from disruption, when it occurs, has been quicker than under the previous service pattern.

Residents in Hammersmith, North Kensington and North Westminster have yet to see improvements on the new Circle Line route. What problems have TfL faced from making this change? How has the line performed since the change was made and what improvements will we see by when on this line? – Murad Qureshi

The residents you refer to now benefit from a substantial increase in the frequency of trains at stations between Hammersmith and Paddington, now every five minutes, compared to every 8-10 minutes before the change. This means people spend less time waiting for a train and they are less crowded when they arrive.

Initial indications are that delays on the Circle line have reduced by 37 per cent in the four weeks since the new route was introduced, compared to the last four weeks of the old service. London Underground is confident that this improvement will be sustained, going forward.

Circle line services have faced some operating challenges unrelated to the timetable change since its introduction, including several days of severe adverse weather, and higher-than-average numbers of trains unavailable for service due to defects. The new service has coped well with these challenges, and the evidence to date suggests that recovery from disruption has been quicker than under the previous service pattern.

Of course, the new route does require some people to interchange when travelling via Edgware Road. However, the benefits generated by the increased service on the Hammersmith branch and improved reliability across the whole line substantially outweigh the inconvenience. London Underground has taken measures, including improving customer information and facilitating cross-platform interchange where possible, to minimise inconvenience to passengers.

Given the current state of Camden Town tube station, will you give an undertaking to ensure that investment is made in upgrading the station as a matter of priority? – Murad Qureshi

I am aware that Camden Town is an extremely busy station, and it is certainly far from ideal that the level of demand at certain times on weekends means that the station is open for exit and interchange only.

Camden Town station has recently benefited from the modernisation of the station, which meant improvements to passenger information, accessibility, safety and security as well as the overall decor. However, this has not addressed capacity issues at the station.

London Underground (LU) identified the station as a priority for extra capacity some time ago. However, the proposals originally put forward were unsuccessful in a Public Inquiry in 2004, despite the transport case being accepted.

There is currently no funding available to pursue the redevelopment of Camden Town station. However, it does remain LU’s aspiration for the longer term if an acceptable scheme can be found.

In the meantime, LU’s priority is to deliver upgrades at stations where congestion relief is even more critical, such as the recently completed scheme at King’s Cross St. Pancras, the work underway at Tottenham Court Road, and that planned at Victoria and Bond Street stations.

Recognising that the provision of disruption information on the Tube has got better, would you ask TfL to examine how information on journey alternatives could be better communicated in station concourses through freestanding help terminals and PDA (e.g. Blackberry) applications? – Richard Tracey

London Underground (LU) is rolling out electronic service boards across the network. These boards provide real time information, not only about the LU lines but also provide updates for other rail services, based on information received from operators by LU’s central Network Operations Centre. The rollout is scheduled to be complete by mid-2010.

LU has also installed Help Points for customers as part of the station refurbishment programme. These give customers access to a member of staff who can help plan an alternative journey should the Underground service be disrupted. And of course, customers can, and do speak directly to staff. The Tube has a higher level of staff presence, in comparison with other railways around the world, and our staff have access to real-time information.

In addition to ‘at station’ information, TfL is doing all it can to ensure customers have access to updated travel information quickly. As well as providing travel information free on the website, and at a small charge via text message, customers can access many information applications via their PDAs from the TfL website. TfL is also developing innovative means of providing this information to mobile phones and other devices.

Stand-alone internet terminals add very little value in the Tube’s busy and crowded stations, as they only serve one person at a time, and require space which is at a premium. Information in stations is better provided via service update boards, public address, and directly by members of staff.

Comments are closed.