Tram service levels abysmal, Lib Dems say

The tram service is "in crisis", it is claimed

Concerns have been raised at City Hall over an “abysmal” level of service on London’s tram network in recent weeks.

A combination of strike action, engineering works and a shortage of trams has led to an “utterly unacceptable” lack of reliability for south London commuters, the Liberal Democrats said.

In a letter to Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Andy Lord, the London Assembly’s Lib Dem group leader Hina Bokhari said the tram system had become “a service in crisis that is failing passengers”.

TfL apologised to passengers, blaming wheel damage.

Ms Bokhari also told Mr Lord that directors and senior officers responsible for running the trams should “not receive performance-related bonuses this year”.

It was reported earlier this month that about a dozen trams were taken out of service after “debris on the track” damaged the vehicles’ wheels.

TfL said at the time that it was uncertain what the debris was, but ruled out it having been placed on the tracks as an act of vandalism.

Repairs to the damaged trams were delayed due to a strike by engineers, who were said by the Unite union to be “angry” that their counterparts on the Tube are paid £10,000 more a year despite having the same level of training.

A further strike is planned from 11 July at 20:00 BST until 06:00 on 15 July.

'Safety number-one priority'

Speaking on the Inside City Hall podcast, the Assembly’s Tory group leader Neil Garratt also said the issue had been “an absolute nightmare” for his constituents in Croydon.

Asked about the issue on Tuesday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I’ll be meeting again with [MP for Croydon Central] Sarah Jones to discuss these issues, because it’s not good enough for the residents there.

"The tram is often, for many families, the only decent public transport they have. Many have had to wait a long time to get a decent tram.”

He added that TfL was working to ensure there was “proper maintenance, to make sure trams aren’t taken out of service”.

In her letter, Ms Bokhari asked the TfL commissioner to confirm how it would “increase transparency” over delays in replacing some of the trams with newer models.

Many of the trams still in use on the network are the original vehicles introduced when the service was launched in 2000, and are now coming to the end of their lifespans.

Trish Ashton, TfL’s director of rail and sponsored services, said: “Customers have been impacted by shortages due to wheel damage but safety is our number-one priority and the decision to remove the damaged trams from service was absolutely necessary to preserve customer safety.

“We have worked hard to restore a good service on the London Trams network as quickly as possible and are now serving all destinations.”