LU: "Improvements being made"

London mayor Ken Livingstone has welcomed figures showing that London Underground carried a record number of passengers last year.

A total of 976 million passengers used the trains in the financial year 2004-05, beating the previous best of 970 million in 2000-01.

Customer satisfaction was also at its highest since surveys began in 1990-91, with an overall satisfaction rating of 78 out of 100 - two points better than in 2003-04.

"I want to congratulate Tim O'Toole, his management team and all of the staff of London Underground," the mayor said.

"We all know that years of neglect have taken an enormous toll on the Tube's performance, but these figures show the new management team are starting to make real progress."

The government controversially passed control of Tube investment to two private firms - Metronet and Tube Lines - before handing control over to Livingstone's devolved authority following his election in 2000.

Progress

London Underground managing director O'Toole said future progress would depend on the deals the mayor opposed delivering.

"As the figures show, we've made real progress in many areas, but we know there is much more to do," he said.

"Too many passengers still suffer too many delays as a result of train, track or signal failures. Passengers on the Northern line, in particular, will hope to see a better service this year.

"We continue to demand improvements from Metronet and Tube Lines in their maintenance and renewal of the Tube's trains, tracks, signals and stations.

"For the Underground to continue to deliver the real step-change improvements that are needed in future, it is essential they deliver the better maintenance, new trains, renewed stations and line upgrades promised to Tube passengers, on time and on budget."

Fraud

Meanwhile, London assembly Conservatives have claimed that internal fraud at the mayor's Transport for London authority has increased by 68 per cent in the last year, according to its own internal audit papers.

Assembly transport committee chairman Roger Evans said 123 cases of internal fraud are being investigated including ticket office abuses, distribution of pornography, possible identity theft and contractors claiming for work not undertaken.

"This massive increase in fraud at TfL is disturbing in itself. That this includes bizarre cases of payments being made to dead pensioners shows there are clearly holes in TfL's accounting," he said.

"One also wonders just how many cases of fraud have not been identified or are not reported. I will be asking the mayor how many cases he thinks go unreported  - and what he intends to do about it."