Forum Brief: Tube PPP

London Transport has announced it has reached the "commercial closure" stage with the two private consortia which will maintain the London Underground lines.

The decision was welcomed by transport secretary Stephen Byers who said: "This deal will also see guaranteed and focused investment worth £16 billion put into the Underground over the next 15 years and has been shown to offer good value for money when judged against alternative proposals."

Forum Response: Transport for London

Bob Kiley, commissioner of Transport for London, told ePolitix.com: "Signing the PPP contracts today marks the end of a period of consultation between TfL and London Transport where real and detailed concerns I have been raising on behalf of Londoners about safety, value for money and empty promises of future Tube improvements have been ignored.

"This is nothing short of scandalous, especially since the government proposes the mayor and TfL oversee these PPP contracts for the next 30 years.

"Remember also, this flawed PPP is not yet a 'done deal'. There are still substantial hurdles to overcome - both the safety regulator and the European Commission have yet to give the required regulatory approvals - and I will consider the final contracts very carefully with TfL's lawyers."