The companies improving the underground
Who they are: Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Bombardier, EDF
Energy and RWE Thames Water. Staff of 5,000. Runs District, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and East London lines (sub-surface lines) and Bakerloo, Central, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines.
Who they are: Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Bombardier, EDF
Energy and RWE Thames Water. Staff of 5,000. Runs District, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and East London lines (sub-surface lines) and Bakerloo, Central, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines.
Vital statistics:
- Investing £17 billion over 30 years
- Pre-tax profit: £53.9 million for year to March 2004.
- Performance: 95.6 per cent operated on sub-surface lines and 95.8 per cent on deep level lines.
Work on the agenda:
Stations 150 stations to be modernised by 2012.
Trains: Central: seven extra trains this year with £68million three-year overhaul of line stock.
Bakerloo: £1.4million clean-up; new fleet by 2019. Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines: 190 new trains by 2015; five-year upgrade of District line trains has begun; first new trains on Metropolitan line in 2009.
Waterloo & City: 20 per cent improvement to service by 2006. Victoria: 4 per cent improvement to journey times promised this year; 47 new trains in 2009.
Verdict: let down by signal failures and late finish of weekend and night work which ruins morning rush. Spending £294 million on maintenance this year.
TUBE LINES
Who they are: Amey, Bechtel and Grupo Ferrovial, a
Spanish construction group which has just replaced near-bust rail engineer Jarvis. Staff of 2,500. Runs Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.
Vital statistics:
- Investing: £4.4 billion over 30 years.
2004.
Work on the agenda:
Stations: 97 stations to be modernised by 2011.
Trains: Jubilee line: extra carriage on every train by early next year; new signalling system by 2009 will mean 40 per cent increase in service. Northern line: new signalling system by 2011 will increase capacity by 30 per cent.
Piccadilly line: dramatic improvement in service following £20 million overall to replace train axle boxes; 91 new trains by 2014; new signalling to increase capacity by 20 per cent by 2014.
Verdict: let down by Northern line which constantly breaks down, usually because of signal failure. Problems with complex Camden Town junction unresolved. Major improvement in number of Jubilee line signal failures.
