Faulty Tube trains result in surge in passenger delays

London Mayor Sadiq Khan was last night accused of presiding over a transport system which is “creaking at the seams” after new statistics revealed that delays caused by defective trains have increased dramatically over the course of his mayoralty.

The data, which was obtained by GLA Conservatives transport spokesman Keith Prince, shows that between 2016/17 and 2018/19 the number of mechanical issues on Underground trains which ultimately caused delays increased by 32 percent, from 3806 to 5040. Subsequently, over 3000 train faults caused service disruption in the first half of 2019/20 alone.

By far the highest number of delays took place on the Central Line. Between 2016/17 and 2018/19, 4,846 train faults caused Central Line customers to experience disruption – over a third of the overall number.

Users of the Piccadilly, District, and Hammersmith and City lines have experienced the biggest increase in delays since Sadiq Khan became Mayor. Over the three year period, delays caused by defective trains increased by an eye-watering 95 percent, 220 percent and 923 percent on the three lines respectively.

Separate data obtained by Assembly Member Prince also shows that there have been well over 6000 signal failures across the TfL network since Sadiq Khan became Mayor – the equivalent of five a day or 33 a week. The District Line was the worst affected by signal failures, with an average of over one a day.

Commenting, Keith Prince AM said:

"These unacceptable statistics really are a shocking indictment of the Mayor’s time at the helm of Transport for London. After four years of Sadiq Khan our public transport system is creaking at the seams and Londoners are finding it harder than ever to get around the capital as a result.

"It is hardly a surprise that our transport network is beset with these terrible passenger delays. Sadiq Khan’s profligacy has blown a massive black hole in the TfL budget and forced the Mayor to abandon a whole host of essential infrastructure upgrades. The sad fact is that Londoners are now paying the price for Khan’s incompetence."