I would like to know how many of the constant delays the Metropolitan line has suffered since the week of 2nd of September have been caused by the implementation of the new signalling section between Finchley Road and Euston Square. Since the week of 2nd of September the service on the Metropolitan has been appalling, with almost daily issues at peak times, both morning and evening. A lot of different reasons have been given on Twitter but in lots of occasions contradicting reasons were given by drivers, station staff and online. Seems like on top of the endless delays we’ve been lied to, as there’s been a big increment of issues related to “faulty trains” and “lack of drivers”, almost as if trying to cover that the new signalling isn’t working properly. So, in summary, I would like to know how many issues the new signalling section has caused since the 2nd of September, what’s being done to correct that (as it’s been almost 2 months of appalling service and constant delays) and what’s is going to be changed to avoid similar issues on future sectors implementation.

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TfL Ref: FOI-2089-1920

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 14^th October 2019 asking for information about delays on the Metropolitan Line.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.

I can confirm that we hold the information you require.

The Metropolitan, District, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines carry approximately 1.3 million passengers per day, accounting for 40 per cent of the Tube network and 25 per cent of overall London Underground ridership. These lines share a lot of track and infrastructure and we are modernising them under a single combined project, ‘Four Lines Modernisation’ (4LM). This £5.4 billion programme to modernise the signalling on those lines will result in greater capacity and frequency, as well as improved journey times, reliability and customer information. This is the largest single upgrade in the history of the Tube and will transform the overall experience for our customers.

Due to its scale, in an environment where some of the infrastructure is over 150 years old, and interoperation with other London Underground lines, Train Operating Companies and Network Rail, this upgrade is highly complex. In fact, the scale and complexity of this programme is a global first.

4LM is currently on track to deliver an initial 30 trains per hour service over the south side of the central area in May 2021, with further increases planned across all lines by May 2023.

On 2 September 2019, a section of new, digital signalling was introduced from Latimer Road (Circle and Hammersmith & City lines) to Finchley Road and Euston Square (Metropolitan and Circle lines) and Paddington (Circle, Hammersmith & City and District lines), with trains operating automatically on that section of the route. This was a huge step forward in overhauling the signalling system on some of the oldest and busiest parts of the network. Since 2nd September on the Metropolitan line we have run more than 40,000 trains through the area you have asked about in both directions.

From 1st September to 14th October there have been 117 incidents attributed to the new signalling system.

All train operators were fully trained and certified to operate the new signalling system prior to its introduction. However, as part of our commitment to safety, all train operators had to be accompanied through the newly-upgraded section by an Instructor Operator the first few times they went through the area. We refer to this as ‘familiarisation’. The need to familiarise train operators is why we initially had to operate a reduced service.

On the Metropolitan line there have also been a number of faults unrelated to the new signalling system which have resulted in delays. We recognise the perception from a customer’s point of view that it’s all connected. We review each incident and take action to identify solutions to avoid the faults repeating.

We had undertaken extensive testing during engineering hours and on weekends prior to going live, and we had witnessed good performance of the new signalling system. It is only through ongoing running in a live environment that exposed the system’s intricacies that has allowed us to identify the remedial actions.

Working closely with our supplier, Thales, and a team of technicians we are delivering a robust package of measures and solutions on the Metropolitan line to tackle delays and prevent disruption. Two software updates are scheduled for end November and mid-January 2020. These will address a number of reliability issues. All actions are subject to rigorous testing and safety approvals. Fixes to this new and complex system need to be carefully developed and tested, and changes to infrastructure or the signalling system can take time whilst we ensure that all our safety processes are followed.

We are confident that this will help reduce delays and provide our customers on the Metropolitan line with the level of service they expect. However, fixes to this new and complex system need to be carefully developed and tested, and changes to infrastructure or the signalling system can take time whilst we ensure that all our safety processes are followed.

We are reviewing all the events since the last phase of the signalling upgrade went live at the beginning of September to determine whether we could or should have done anything differently to reduce the impact and length of disruption. We will employ every measure possible to tackle delays effectively and recover service as soon as possible.

Plans are being developed to manage and minimise the impact on the network when the next section of new signalling goes live from Euston Square to Monument and Stepney Green.

Thank you for your continued patience and we are sorry for the disruption this is causing to your journeys.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely,

David Wells

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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