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London Underground

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many staff days have been lost (a) in the last 10 years and (b) in the past 12 months due to industrial action on London Underground. [157478]

Mr. Hill: Information on the number of staff days lost due to industrial action could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

However, information on the number of days when industrial action was taken which had at least a partial effect on service is available. In the last 12 months, industrial action took place on two days: 5 February 2001 and 29 March 2001.

The following numbers of days of industrial action occurred in the last 10 years.

9 Apr 2001 : Column: 385W

Year	Days of industrial action
1991	1
1992	0
1993	1
1994	1
1995	3
1996	7
1997	0
1998	5
1999	2
2000	0

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many cases of graffiti have been reported on London Underground property in each of (a) the last 10 years and (b) the past 12 months; and how much money has been spent by London Underground in each of (i) the last 10 years and (ii) the past 12 months on removing graffiti. [157476]

Mr. Hill: This is an operational matter for London Underground (LUL) who have provided the following information in the table as recorded by the British Transport Police.

Year/month	Number of graffiti cases reported
1991	642
1992	421
1993	402
1994-95	366
1995-96	257
1996-97	216
1997-98	304
1998-99	206
1999-2000	156
2000-01	(25)122
Total	3,092
2000-01
April	7
May	37
June	7
July	10
August	6
September	5
October	5
November	3
December	9
January	16
February	17
March	tba

⁽²⁵⁾ Excluding 1 March

London Underground informs me that they estimate that the costs of preventive measures and removal of graffiti have been around £10 million per annum. However it adds that this figure has probably reduced over recent years as a number of security projects have been completed.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many signals were passed at danger by trains on the London Underground in (a) each of the last 10 years and (b) each of the last 12 months. [157692]

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Mr. Hill: This is an operational matter for London Underground. However, since December 1999 a report on signals passed at danger (SPADs) prepared by London Underground has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses each month. This was flagged in a reply to the hon. Member on 11 November 1999, Official Report, columns 687-88W. The report includes a table of SPADs by month since March 1993, prior to which the data were recorded in a different way that does not allow for meaningful comparison. The most recent version of this report covers the period up to January 2001.

The report also highlights that on the Underground, signals and the mechanical stops are (except in a few cases) set back to greater than braking distance from the danger that they protect. So very few SPADs result in actual danger of collision.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many (a) station staff and (b) train drivers were employed by London Underground in each of (i) the last 10 years and (ii) the past 12 months. [157477]

Mr. Hill: The number of station staff and train drivers in each of the last 12 months is as follows:

2000-01	Station staff	Train drivers
April	5,726	2,896
May	5,721	2,892
June	5,760	2,886
July	5,773	2,869
August	5,776	2,887
September	5,786	2,895
October	5,777	2,902
November	5,781	2,929
December	5,810	2,925
January	5,771	2,928
February	5,814	2,942
March	5,850	2,933

The number of station staff and train drivers in each of the five years 1995-96 to 1999-2000 inclusive is as follows:

Year	Station staff	Train drivers
1995-96	4,568	2,216
1996-97	4,779	2,474
1997-98	4,815	2,621
1998-99	5,113	2,787
1999-2000	5,708	2,907
2000-01	5,850	2,933

Data prior to 1995-96 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the price was of (a) a zone one single fare on the London Underground and (b) a monthly zones one to six travelcard on the London Underground in January of each of the last 10 years. [157466]

Mr. Hill: Prior to July 2000, London Transport fares were the statutory responsibility of London Transport. Responsibility for fares policy for the Underground transferred to the Mayor for London in July 2000.

9 Apr 2001 : Column: 387W

The fare prices for a zone one single fare on London Underground and for a monthly zones one to six travelcard (valid on buses, national rail and Docklands Light Railway as well as the Underground) for the last 10 years are:

£

	Zone 1 single	Monthly Z1-6 travelcard
2001	1.50	139.80
2000	1.50	136.00
1999	1.40	134.10
1998	1.30	130.60
1997	1.20	126.80
1996	1.10	124.50
1995	1.00	119.90
1994	0.90	113.30
1993	0.90	104.50
1992	0.80	91.40

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many arrests were made on the London Underground by British Transport Police in each of the last 10 years. [157475]

Mr. Hill: This is an operational matter for the British Transport Police who inform me that although it is not possible to provide arrest figures covering the last 10 years it is possible to supply crime analysis data as supplied to the Home Office. The table identifies the total number of offences reported over the last four financial years. It is not possible to provide information earlier than 1997, as the data are not kept in this format.

	Offences
1997-98	5,799
1998-99	12,949
1999-2000	18,220
2000-01	13,972

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many trains in use on the London Underground are (a) less than three years old, (b) between three and 10 years old, (c) between 10 and 15 years old and (d) more than 15 years old; and what the average age is of trains currently in use on the London Underground. [157474]

Mr. Hill: London Underground has provided the following information:

Age of rolling stock	Number of trains
Less than 3 years	165
3-10 years	90
10-15 years	0
More than 15 years	341.5

It should be noted that over half of the stock older than 10 years has undergone refurbishment in the last 10 years.

The average age of all trains is approximately 17.5 years.

London Airport Rail Links

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will

9 Apr 2001 : Column: 388W

take a decision on whether there should be a London airports rail franchise; when it is planned that London Heathrow airport will have direct rail connections to (a) Waterloo and (b) St. Pancras stations; and what the estimated cost is of the necessary work to complete these works. [157465]

Mr. Hill: The Strategic Rail Authority is currently investigating the possibility of a London airports franchise but an early decision as to whether or not to proceed is not expected. An airport service to St. Pancras will be dependent upon completion of CTRL Stage 2 and upon appropriate platform capacity being made available at the new St. Pancras station. A direct connection to Waterloo is a conceptual scheme currently being developed by BAA and Railtrack.

Railways (Upgrading)

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce, with the Strategic Rail Authority, plans for improvements to the Great Western Main Line; when it is expected that upgraded signalling and junctions and new flyovers for the Great Western Main Line mentioned in the SRA's Strategic Agenda will be delivered; and what the cost of these upgrades will be. [157464]

Mr. Hill: The SRA's Strategic Agenda lists a range of schemes which it would be possible to pursue. No decisions have yet been taken as to the priorities attached to particular projects which are not yet in progress. The timscale for infrastructure upgrading on the Great Western main line is driven by principal resignalling works that must be completed by 2011. It is not yet possible to give specific costs.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the projected cost is of the Joint Venture for the East Coast Main Line upgrade; what the projected amount is of public and private investment needed for this project; what the estimated start and finish dates are for this project; and how soon after revised bids are received he intends to make an announcement, together with the Strategic Rail Authority, on the preferred bidder for the East Coast Main Line franchise. [157462]

Mr. Hill: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is currently establishing a project development group to take forward the upgrade of the East Coast Main Line and to develop the project to a sufficiently advanced stage for its construction to be competitively tendered. It is not expected that the joint venture approach will alter significantly the overall costs or timing of the upgrade.

In view of the change to the structure of the upgrade, the SRA has asked shortlisted counterparties for a replacement Inter City East Coast franchise to review their original bids. The SRA currently expects to receive any changes to their proposals by 17 April. Once the SRA has received and considered these it will decide whether to proceed with a request to the Secretary of State for a direction to authorise early replacement of the franchise. Any such request will be given appropriate and timely consideration.

9 Apr 2001 : Column: 389W

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