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£900m upgrade of Victoria line rescheduled for 2012 Olympics
Dick Murray, Transport Editor27.05.08
An upgrade of the Victoria line costing £900 million is to be brought forward in time for the 2012 Olympics, Tube bosses have promised.
The pledge came as large sections of the Tube were today back under public control after maintenance giant Metronet went bust last year with debts of £2 billion.
Transport for London took charge of the subsurface lines, including the Circle, District and Metropolitan along with the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines - the former responsibility of Metronet - at one minute past midnight. Metronet will now continue in name only.
The new bosses promised to halve the massive disruption caused by night engineering work not finishing on time, along with an overall 10 per cent general reduction in delays "year on year".
Brian Cooke, London TravelWatch chairman, said: "The upgrade work [on the Victoria line] is vital for the future operation of the Tube network."
Baroness Jo Valentine, chief executive of London First, the business pressure group, said the change of control "represents a ray of light for London's commuters".
