Tube boss gives new safety warning

Bob Kiley said government plans would be a disaster

London transport commissioner Bob Kiley has accused the government of "standing the truth on its head" over plans to rebuild the capital's Tube network.

He condemned the public-private partnership as unwise and unworkable and warned ministers were "prisoners of dogma" over the scheme.

Byers: determined to push ahead with PPP

Mr Kiley, who was brought over from New York where he was credited with improving the subway system, insisted the rebuilding plans were a "thorough-going privatisation system".

Transport Secretary Stephen Byers confirmed on Thursday that three private consortia would take over the tracks, stations and signalling for a 30 year re-building programme while the trains continued to be run by London Underground.

Disaster

Mr Kiley said splitting the underground into four separate entities was over-complicated and risked repeating the difficulties on the overground railways where the infrastructure was split from the running of trains.

"This is a prescription for disaster," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"Why accept something that is clearly unworkable?"

He said that as the three private consortia would be forced under contract to find private equity to fund the rebuilding, the scheme was a genuine privatisation, contrary to what the government claims.

"Equity equals ownership," he said, adding: "If that isn't privatisation I don't know what is".

Later on BBC London Live Mr Kiley said even the prime minister had his doubts about PPP.

Complex

"He expressed the same concerns that I have, privately," said Mr Kiley.

"I think he agreed that the contractual regime was very complex and complicated."

PPP is also opposed by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, 55 Labour MPs, the unions and some business leaders, who fear it will undermine safety.

Livingstone: PPP is inefficient and potentially unsafe

The government's decision to press ahead with PPP was made to break the deadlock in months of negotiations between Mr Kiley, ministers and private infrastructure companies.

But Mr Livingstone is ready to fight it in a High Court judicial review on 23 July, at which he will argue that the plan breaches his legal duty to run a safe and efficient underground system.

Under PPP, London Underground will be told to negotiate with the private bidders to get "step-in" rights enabling it to seek immediate repairs to work it finds unsatisfactory.

Alternative plan

The Health and Safety Executive must accept LU's safety plans before the scheme can proceed.

Under an alternative plan, rejected by government, Mr Kiley had promised underground improvements within three years with a focus on services and rolling-stock paid by publicly issued bonds.

The prime minister's official spkesman said on Friday that Mr Blair thought Londoners wanted progress now on improvements to the Tube.

"We have come to the point where the prime minister believes it is time to stop the arguments and get on with the action," he said.

"The views of Londoners are that they want to break the cycle of under-investment, they want to have a Tube that works, they want to see that improvement process work in a way that doesn't have vast cost over-runs and doesn't run over time.

"That is what the Government is delivering."