Funding crisis could force Londoners to travel on 'rickety old Tube trains'

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Commuters could be forced to travel on rickety 70-year-old Tube trains because of the funding crisis at Transport for London, Sadiq Khan today warned.TfL has drawn up a worst-case scenario called 'managed decline' if ministers fail to approve a long-term finance package next month.Bosses said Bakerloo line trains, introduced in 1972, would be patched up and not replaced for another 20 years.City Hall authorised a media photoshoot at Stonebridge Park depot, Wembley, to highlight the challenge of maintaining the ageing train fleet.But City Hall Conservatives have accused the mayor of scaremongering.

TfL said it needs £1.7bn over the next 18 months to balance its books and a further £1.3bn a year to modernise the capital's transport system.The government has given TfL £4bn in emergency bailouts to make up for lost income from fares since the start of the pandemic but the current funding package ends in 18 days.

A Government spokesperson said: "We have repeatedly shown our commitment to supporting London's transport network through the pandemic, providing more than £4bn in emergency funding to Transport for London.

"We will continue to discuss any further funding requirements with TfL and the Mayor, and any support provided will focus on getting TfL back onto a sustainable financial footing in a way that is fair to taxpayers across the country."