London Tube maintenance boss quits
London Underground maintenance group Metronet said today its boss is quitting following criticism of its performance in modernising the Tube.
Metronet said chairman and chief executive John Weight is going because its board had decided the group “needed to accelerate change” in its controversial public-private partnership (PPP) renovation programme on the Underground.
Metronet, responsible for maintenance and modernisation on seven of the capital’s Tube lines, has faced attacks from transport watchdogs and MPs for failing to tackle problems including overrunning engineering work and derailments.
The group said the chief operating officer of engineering group Jarvis, Andrew Lezala, would replace Mr Weight.
A Metronet spokesman said: “The shareholders felt that we needed someone new to bring about change.”
Metronet and the other private consortium responsible for maintaining the Underground, Tube Lines, have been slammed for making large profits despite ongoing delays and disruption.
Metronet announced in October that it had made pre-tax profits in the year to March 31 last year of £50.6m (€74m).
The figure included £24.1m (€35.3m) from Metronet’s BCV group, which runs the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines, and £26.5m (€38.8m) from its SSL company, which covers the sub-surface Circle, District, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines.
