[A-List] UK state: London mayoral election

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Tube PPP contracts 'have cost £400m'

Jeevan Vasagar
Monday November 4, 2002
The Guardian

Some £400m has been spent on employing lawyers and consultants to draw up
contracts for the part-privatisation of the tube, according to transport
commentator Christian Wolmar.

The bill will be met by London Underground (LU), and ultimately by the
taxpayer and commuters. The public-private partnership (PPP) splits tube
infrastructure into three parts for leasing to companies, which will work on
renovating track, tunnels and stations; train operations remain in public
hands.

Mr Wolmar, whose book, Down the Tube, is published this month, said £400m
was the cost of building and maintaining 100 Northern Line trains for 20
years. "£400m on the mere drawing up of a contract seems a trifle
excessive." Paul Godier, LU managing director, told the BBC yesterday the
figure was a "drop in the ocean" compared with the investment the deal would
bring to the tube.

Contracts for the PPP run to 2,800 pages and are filled with detailed
mathematical models covering everything from litter to noise and delays. One
calculation, on distances between drivers' cabs and station toilets, is
aimed at reducing time spent on loo breaks.

An LU spokesman said: "We haven't seen Mr Wolmar's book, so we don't know
where he's coming from with his figures. In terms of money well spent, PPP
will put billions into the tube, and we all know this is a necessity; the
sooner we start doing that, the better."