Nearly half of London Underground track in 'very poor' condition as TfL faces £6.5bn maintenance backlog

Nearly half of the London Underground’s track is classed as being in “very poor” condition, prompting fresh concerns over the state of the capital’s ageing Tube network.

A TfL report seen by The Standard reveals that 42% of the network is in that state. It was presented to transport bosses on Wednesday at a London Assembly meeting on Wednesday to discuss a £6.5 billion backlog of deferred maintenance across the capital’s transport system.

City Hall Conservatives leader Susan Hall said the figure should “set alarm bells ringing” - and accused London’s leaders of allowing the capital’s transport infrastructure to deteriorate.

The average number of weekly infrastructure breakdowns has increased shaeply in recent years. Between 2015 and 2022, the average number of weekly “incidents” never exceeded 200, but it is now regularly topping 350, the committee heard.

Transport for London estimates it needs to spend between £1.1 billion and £1.2 billion a year to keep its assets from deteriorating.

That includes major projects such as replacing tracks, tunnels and stations, as well as carrying out refurbishments where needed.

TfL says the backlog has built up because of insufficient and uncertain government funding over the past decade, with the withdrawal of the Government’s revenue grant in 2018 having had a significant impact on the money available for renewing the network.

Transport for London estimates it needs to spend between £1.1 billion and £1.2 billion a year to keep its assets from deteriorating

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At the London Assembly committee meeting on Wednesday, Ms Hall asked TfL’s Director of Asset Performance Delivery, Richard Jones, whether the condition of the track posed a safety risk to passengers, as she described the figure as “concerning”.

Mr Jones said that a track being classed as “very poor” does not mean it is unsafe, but it can affect how often trains can run and how reliable a service is.

The TfL chief explained that TfL’s track is assessed against “modern track standards”, which are based on new types of rail set in concrete, while much of the Underground still uses older “legacy” track and equipment.

A spokesperson for Ms Hall told The Standard: "That almost half of London's rails are rated 'very poor' should be raising alarm bells across the city, and indeed at City Hall and Westminster.

“That, added to the state of our bridges and the concerns about our tunnels, paint a picture of a city that is falling apart, unloved by its Mayor.

“Is it not bad enough that we're considered one of the slowest cities in the world, but now on poor quality roads and rails?".

Elsewhere in the meeting, Nick Garratt, Chair of the Budget & Performance Committee, questioned whether the deterioration in TfL’s assets is now leading to worse service on the London Underground.

“If you look at the average number of weekly incidents on the London Underground network relating to asset decline, from 2015/16 through to 2021/22, it never exceeded 200 in a year,” he said.

“It now seems to be quite regularly, say around 350, so that’s a significant increase.

“And then when we look at delays, the delays that that’s having on customers, that’s also increased.”

TfL says the multimillion-pound backlog has built up because of insufficient and uncertain government funding over the past decade

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Mr Garratt said the figures point to a “rising trend”, with both the number of incidents and the number of hours lost increasing. He also pointed to signs that individual incidents are becoming more severe.

His concern is that while TfL can protect safety by taking trains out of service, imposing speed restrictions and carrying out additional maintenance, the cost of doing so is increasingly being borne by passengers through worsening disruption.

TfL acknowledged that problems caused by ageing equipment are becoming more common, while a lack of funding has made it harder to clear the maintenance backlog.

The transport authority said it is trying to reduce the impact of disruption by responding to incidents more quickly and using other parts of the network to keep passengers moving.

This includes, for example, using the Elizabeth line to absorb passengers affected by disruption.

But while acknowledging TfL’s efforts to manage failures, Mr Garratt said the overall picture is still getting worse.

“It does sound a bit like you're fighting a rear guard action against a problem that you are losing,” he said.

Maintenance being carried out to a Bakerloo line train

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TfL is responsible for managing 580km of major roads, more than 1,800 structures, around 400km of Underground track and 272 Tube stations.

While underinvestment is an issue, TfL chiefs stressed that the figures should not be taken as proof that it is the sole cause of service problems.

Other factors have also contributed to disruption, including traction problems on the Central line, a complex signalling fault on the Northern line last year, and heavy autumn leaf fall affecting the Piccadilly line.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson told The Standard: “Our maintenance and renewal programme is constrained as a result of decades of underinvestment from previous national Governments.

“Safety remains our top priority, and we are currently investing an average of £860m per year in renewals - a substantial increase on the investment made pre-pandemic and during the pandemic years.

“Our maintenance regime involves the inspection and repair of assets, while our renewals work involves the replacement of our assets or refurbishment to extend their working life.

“While current renewals investment remains below that required, we carefully prioritise investment towards those assets most in need.

“We continue to work with the Government to emphasise the importance of sustained long-term funding for TfL in order to boost investment in our assets and ensure London’s success.”