Tube Lines
Encyclopedia
Tube Lines Limited, initially known as 'Infraco JNP', has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) since May 2010. Tube Lines is an asset-management company responsible for the maintenance, renewal and upgrade of the infrastructure, including track, trains, signals, civil work and stations, of three London Underground
lines.
Although now owned by Transport for London, Tube Lines remains a separate company.
It was initially a consortium of Amey plc
(a subsidiary of Grupo Ferrovial), Bechtel
and Jarvis plc
. In 2005, Jarvis sold its stake to fellow shareholder Amey for £147 million. Its headquarters is at 15 Westferry Circus
.
From January 2003 until May 2011 the London Underground operated a Public-Private Partnership
(PPP), whereby the infrastructure assets were maintained by private companies but it was owned and operated by London Underground
(LU), part of TfL. Tube Lines had a 30-year contract for the following lines:
Although this contract is now not applicable due to the change in ownership, Tube Lines remains responsible for over 200 miles of track, 255 trains, 100 stations, and over 2,500 bridges, lifts and escalators.
The remaining lines of the London Underground were part of Metronet Rail
, which existed from 2003 to 2008, when it was taken over by Transport for London after being placed into administration.
Tube Lines encountered a funding shortfall for its upgrades and requested that TfL provide an additional £1.75billion to cover the shortfall; TfL refused, and referred the matter to the PPP arbiter
, who stated that £400million should be provided. There had been many discussions over the future of the company in the second review period, and it was announced on 7 May 2010 that Transport for London had agreed to buy the shares of Bechtel and Amey (Ferrovial) from Tube Lines for £310m. Combined with the takeover of Metronet, this means that all maintenance is now managed in-house by TfL.
Amey continues to provide TfL with management and maintenance services for the Jubilee, Northern and Picadilly lines.
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
lines.
Although now owned by Transport for London, Tube Lines remains a separate company.
It was initially a consortium of Amey plc
Amey plc
Amey plc, previously known as Amey Ltd and Amey Roadstone Construction, is a United Kingdom based infrastructure support service provider. It was once listed on the London Stock Exchange but since 2003 it has been a subsidiary of Spanish company Grupo Ferrovial, S.A....
(a subsidiary of Grupo Ferrovial), Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
and Jarvis plc
Jarvis PLC
Jarvis plc is a British company that provides support services to the British railway industry. It also runs rail freight operations. The most significant feature of the modern firm is its leading share of the UK’s railway maintenance and infrastructure services.-19th and 20th centuries:The...
. In 2005, Jarvis sold its stake to fellow shareholder Amey for £147 million. Its headquarters is at 15 Westferry Circus
15 Westferry Circus
15 Westferry Circus is a 16,250 m² building on Canary Wharf. Construction began in November 1998. Its finish marked the completion of the Westferry Complex, the westernmost point of Canary Wharf....
.
From January 2003 until May 2011 the London Underground operated a Public-Private Partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
(PPP), whereby the infrastructure assets were maintained by private companies but it was owned and operated by London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
(LU), part of TfL. Tube Lines had a 30-year contract for the following lines:
- Jubilee LineJubilee LineThe Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
- Northern LineNorthern LineThe Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
- Piccadilly LinePiccadilly LineThe Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
Although this contract is now not applicable due to the change in ownership, Tube Lines remains responsible for over 200 miles of track, 255 trains, 100 stations, and over 2,500 bridges, lifts and escalators.
The remaining lines of the London Underground were part of Metronet Rail
Metronet
Metronet Rail was one of two companies in a public-private partnership with London Underground.Metronet was responsible for the maintenance, renewal, and upgrade of the infrastructure on nine London Underground lines from 2003 to 2008. This included track, trains, signals, civil work and stations...
, which existed from 2003 to 2008, when it was taken over by Transport for London after being placed into administration.
Tube Lines encountered a funding shortfall for its upgrades and requested that TfL provide an additional £1.75billion to cover the shortfall; TfL refused, and referred the matter to the PPP arbiter
Arbiter
Arbiter may refer to:*Arbiter , in computing and electronics a circuitry component*Arbiter , a character in the Halo video game series*ArbiterSports, a sports officiating software company owned by the NCAA...
, who stated that £400million should be provided. There had been many discussions over the future of the company in the second review period, and it was announced on 7 May 2010 that Transport for London had agreed to buy the shares of Bechtel and Amey (Ferrovial) from Tube Lines for £310m. Combined with the takeover of Metronet, this means that all maintenance is now managed in-house by TfL.
Amey continues to provide TfL with management and maintenance services for the Jubilee, Northern and Picadilly lines.