Liberal Democrats put forward proposals to save London Underground

Published on Wed 26th Mar 2008

The Liberal Democrats have outlined key proposals to revive London's failing Tube network.

It is hoped that these measures could restore confidence in the London Underground after taxpayers have forked out at least £2.6 billion for Gordon Brown's disastrous Public Private Partnership.

The ideas focus on improving the daily travel experience by making the Tube safer, faster and more friendly, and include initiatives to ensure an increase in the number of step-free access stations by 2012 to help reduce congestion and improve disabled access. Strong emphasis will also be placed on passenger safety on the Tube with a suggestion that every evening train should have a 'SAFE' carriage supervised by a security guard.

The collapse of Metronet put station upgrades well behind schedule. Tim O'Toole, Managing Director of London Underground, recently told the London Assembly's Transport Committee that he cannot estimate how long the Metronet bankruptcy will delay station refurbishment. A two-year delay on existing work is not out of the question.

Currently under the PPP station upgrades are placed as the top of the priority list. Rather than worrying about how the station looks Geoff Pope, the Lib Dems Assembly Transport spokesperson has argued that the first work to improve the signals and tracks should take priority - which would see a massive reduction in the delays and cancellations that currently hinder the daily journey of many Londoners.

There was more bad news for London Underground recently when staff threatened strike action. As part of their new proposals, the Liberal Democrat recommend that Tube owners should be creating a culture that places emphasis on consulting and listening to their staff. It is clear that the current climate is not providing any such stability.

Geoff Pope, AM said, "We would like to make London Underground as successful as the DLR and London Overground railway networks. Under Labour, the waiting time for a Tube has actually increased and overcrowding has become a real danger at some stations. It is clear that the current system is being mismanaged. This is not likely to change under the leadership of Ken Livingstone or a Labour Government. The situation can only get worse without innovative change, and I think that the Liberal Democrat policy could offer this."