Years of chaos: that’s the warning from whistleblowers who contacted the Evening Standard to raise the alarm over the shocking state of the Central line. The underlying cause is chronic underinvestment with one person in the know calling the dire state of some trains — which are more than 30 years old — “an accident waiting to happen”.
For months, commuters have had to suffer chronic delays caused by a shortage of trains. There are 85 in the Central line fleet with 71 needed during the morning and evening peaks. Last Wednesday, just 54 were available. Transport for London has said problems will ease when an emergency timetable is introduced. Yet that will only even out gaps in the service, not fix the problem.
