Jubilee Line passengers 'should be compensated' for closures (From Harrow Times)

Jubilee Line passengers 'should be compensated' for closures, say Lib Dems

10:48am Tuesday 30th March 2010 in News By Jack Royston

PASSENGERS on a tube line plagued by “unacceptable” closures should be paid compensation, according to the leader of Brent Council.

Councillor Paul Lorber today called for cash to be dished out to residents who have faced years of disruption on the Jubilee Line, where engineering work has run ten months over deadline.

Tube Lines, the company responsible for the work, is still due to upgrade the Northern Line and the Piccadilly Line, and a report by MPs calls on it to reveal how it plans to avoid a repeat of past problems.

Cllr Lorber said: “I hope that they will do a better job on the Piccadilly Line than they did on the Jubilee Line because its been a total and absolute fiasco.

“We think very strongly that the passengers on the Jubilee Line should be paid compensation for the months and months of delays.

“As far as the Piccadilly Line is concerned we want to see clear evidence their will not be a repeat, we certainly would not accept or tolerate the kind of treatment that the poor passengers on the Jubilee Line have suffered.”

Councillor Susan Hall, deputy leader of Harrow Council, said: “We are very fortunate to have all these different tube lines in Harrow but there's no point in having them if they are not working properly.

“We must make sure that as much pressure is brought to bare as possible.”

The Jubilee Line was suspended on 120 weekend days between April 2007 and December 2009, more than twice the number predicted.

London Mayor Boris Johnson is already forecasting “untold misery” for Northern Line passengers if a programme of planned closures by the company goes ahead.

MPs on the Transport Committee last week called on Tube Lines, the company responsible for the work, last week labelled the Jubilee Line disruption “unacceptable”.

The body's report sparked a fresh attack by Mr Johnson, who labelled the public private partnership (PPP) contract with the company “a system that has wasted hundreds of millions of pounds of public money”.

Andrew Cleaves, Tube Lines acting chief executive, said the company was pleased the committee's report acknowledged it delivered “vital improvements” with a price tag one third cheaper than London Underground.

He said: “As we have always said, it is regrettable that the deadline for completing the Jubilee line upgrade was missed but we are working hard to start carrying passengers on the new system from May.

“Important lessons have been learned and are being incorporated into the Northern line upgrade to speed up work, lower costs and minimise disruption.”