London Underground: Sadiq Khan admits Tube line may have to close

The Mayor of London has admitted a London underground tube line may have to close if Transport for London (TfL) can’t secure urgent funding.

Talking on BBC Radio 4 this morning (November 30), Sadiq Khan revealed TfL is looking into the possibility of closing a tube line.

Mr Khan told listeners: “One of the things we are looking into is the possibility of closing a Tube line. Why?

READ MORE:The Tube line that ‘could be closed in 3 weeks’ over ‘funding crisis’

“Because closing a Tube line will make the savings, the cuts, that we need to introduce if we are going to balance our books.”

The news follows widespread speculation around tube closures, sparked by the comments of TfL officials last week amid the company’s serious funding crisis.

Asked which line could close, Mr Khan continued: “Let’s wait and see. There is still time until the current deal runs out.

“I’m hoping the Government recognises you don’t get a national recovery without a London recovery.

“You don’t get a London recovery without TfL firing on all cylinders.”

Urging the government to secure an urgent deal with TfL, Mr Khan went on: “The only reason we have got financial problems is because Londoners did the right thing, didn’t use public transport, and our fares plummeted.

“Unless the Government gives us a long term deal by December 11, our choices are very simple.

“Reducing buses by around 20 per cent. Reducing Tubes by around nine per cent.”

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Last week, London’s Transport Commissioner Andy Byford said he was not being “hyperbolic” when he warned there was “less than three weeks to save TfL.”

Mr Byford said: “If we do not get the help that we’re seeking, I believe that there would be far-reaching consequences for Transport for London and everyone that relies on it.”

TfL warned that 100 of the city’s bus services could also be at risk amid the funding crisis, which would cause it to fall into managed decline”, creating “significant customer disruption.”

The network has received three government bailouts worth over £4bn since May 2020, but its current emergency funding deal expires on 11 December.

Finance chief Simon Kilonback told the TfL finance committee what the failure to secure funding would mean: “We would have to reduce tube network by 9% and the bus network by 18%.

“On the bus network in practice, this means over 100 routes being withdrawn and on the remaining routes 200 would have service frequency reductions.

“For the Tube network, we’re still analysing the impacts, for example of a full closure of a line or part of a line or smaller reductions across the whole [Underground] network.”

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