Transport for London is considering shutting down an entire tube line to try to balance its books, as its battle with central Government over financing continues.
London’s financial paper City AM reports TfL’s chief financial officer Simon Kilonback told the operator’s finance committee that TfL could see the “full closure of a line or part of a line or smaller reductions across the whole network.”
“We will have to reduce Tube services by 9% and the bus network by 18%” City AM quotes him as saying. “On the bus network, in practice this means over 100 routes being withdrawn and on the remaining, 200 will services have reductions.”
Although a line has not been identified the report suggests that, due to lower passenger numbers and overlapping services, the Bakerloo, Jubilee as well as the Overground and the Hammersmith and City lines are among those that could experience the cuts.
A Department for Transport spokesperson told City AM these are “empty threats” and “needless sabre-rattling” and that there should be proer discussions not conducted through the media.
(Picture – Highways News)
