Mayor transport aide slams Jubilee upgrade delays

Mr Ranger called on them to give Tube users details of when the upgrade will be finished

He said: "The Mayor, I, and all the millions of people who use the Jubilee line, are hugely disappointed and frustrated the commitment to get this upgrade by the end of the year has not been met. It's hugely annoying.

"We hope Tube Lines understand they need to get this work completed. They need to do it with minimal disruption. They had a commitment and they haven't made it. We need a realistic programme of when this work will be completed with minimal frustration and annoyance to commuters."

The ongoing weekend closures have caused months of misery and affected last week's ATP World Tour Finals at The O2. It's something Mr Ranger wants to see avoided, especially with the Olympics approaching.

He said: "It's disappointing. Hopefully by next year we won't have this. We'll have increased capacity on the Jubilee line and everything will be working much better. It'll be the lead-up to 2011 and testing things in advance of the Olympics.

"Hugely frustrating as it is, we do have the largest portfolio of infrastructure development going on in London since World War Two in this four-year period. We're trying to get it all done."

Mr Ranger was speaking at the opening of a new £1.9million bridge linking the C2C platforms with the DLR at Limehouse station. He was positive about the upgrade of the DLR to accommodate three-car trains, and asked Wharfers to have patience with its programme of weekend closures needed to finish the work on time.

He said: "Weekend closures are a horrible necessity. People think why not get it done at some other point, but we're acutely aware people are commuting during the working week and closures then would be even more annoying and frustrating.

"We ask contractors to minimise the closures. It's a fine balance between affecting the system and getting the work done. The DLR, TfL, London Underground and the buses, all work together so when there are closures there are hopefully good mitigations in place, although it's never the same as having the service."

The restoration of the tidal flow in the Blackwall Tunnel, closed last weekend because of fire, is no nearer despite Mr Johnson's election pledge to reopen it.

"TfL have provided a report to the Mayor's office which we are reviewing at the moment," said Mr Ranger.

"Safety is a primary concern. We have to take advice from safety experts, we have to listen to what the Met have to say as well. When lives are put at risk, we have to take that very seriously.

"Hopefully in a few weeks' time we'll be somewhere to take a view, but I have no date at the moment.

"As part of the Mayor's transport strategy we are looking at other crossings and what else can be done to take some of the burden off the Blackwall Tunnel. It's in our transport strategy and we're asking people to comment on it. We want to know what they think about it before we crystalize these plans."

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