Forget the Misery Line, the Northern Line could soon be known as the Dirty Line if standards are not improved. JULIAN HILLS reports

The one fact that all sides in the argument over plans for the part-privatisation of London Underground can agree on is that trains and stations are in need of a good clean up.

The Northern Line, serving Tube passengers across Barnet, has regularly been the worst offender for the level of dangerous dust particles ready to be sucked into passengers' lungs, according to reports from University College London and Middlesex University.

While Tube bosses insist even the worst dust levels do not break health standards, both the RMT Tube drivers' union, and the Tube Lines consortium the private bidder for the Northern Line contract share concerns over cleanliness.

A study from Middlesex University, headed by Professor Nick Priest, identified the Northern Line as having the highest level of 'respirable dust concentrations' on the Tube network with Hampstead station the dustiest.

Prof Priest said that although braking technology improvements had improved air quality to a degree, the poor ventilation systems on the deep-level Northern Line still needed to be upgraded. "If you are going to improve air quality, you are going to have to improve ventilation," he said. "At the moment, they rely on tunnel ventilation; that is trains pushing a column of air through the tunnel, but that is not particularly good."

A London Underground Limited (LUL) spokeswoman said the high dust levels on the Northern Line related to the old trains operating before Golders Green-based company GEC Alsthom bought in a fleet of new trains in 1997 under a Private Finance Initiative.

"The new trains use regenerative and rheostatic braking which produce much less dust," the spokeswoman said.

She said high levels at Hampstead were partly due to the station being one of the deepest on the Tube network and because southbound trains running downhill have to brake much more then normal, producing more dust.

A report from University College, London, led by Dr Ben Croxford, said a 40 minute Tube journey produced a similar effect to smoking two cigarettes.

"We found up to 70 times the numbers of very small particles on the Tube platform relative to the street level and up to 20 times the mass concentration of very small particles comparing the Tube platform to street level," he said.

The LUL spokeswoman admitted: "Travelling on the Tube for 40 minutes may expose people to the same level of particulate as smoking two cigarettes, but it certainly doesn't expose people to the same chemicals."

In fact, the spokeswoman pointed out that the dust level studies were based on 24-hour surveys, and neither passengers, Tube drivers or station staff would be exposed for such long periods at one time.

"Our staff are exposed far more to tunnel dust than passengers and health studies have not shown any evidence of staff having illnesses associated with these constituents," she said.

"In general, dust levels have fallen since 1989 because of changes in train braking technology which has reduced the amount of dust produced."

The Tube Lines consortium is the preferred private bidder for the Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines, due to take over responsibility for cleaning trains and stations when, and if, the Government's part-privatisation plans get off the ground.

Group spokesman Chris Rumfitt said private money would pay for a 'deep clean' of all the stations under its control and a more frequent clean up of the trains.

"It is not just a dust issue," he said.

"At present the trains are cleaned once a day. Under our cleaning programme, the trains will be cleaned each time they reach the end of the line, which will be about six times a day.

"That will make quite a difference to the environment of the trains. In terms of cleanliness, clearly there is a job to be done.

"When you ask people about other subway systems such as Hong Kong, cleanliness is always one of the first things that people mention."

And, while the RMT Tube drivers' union continues to battle against the involvement of private consortia such as Tube Lines, it shares its concern that cleanliness needs to be improved.

"Any problems are going to affect RMT members more severely than passengers because they spend more time on the Underground," a union spokeswoman said. "The union agrees with greater cleanliness. There is no disputing that.

"Safety is of paramount importance to the RMT and its members."

An independent report by the Robens Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, commissioned by London Underground, is presently being considered by the Dust Action Group, including health and safety representatives from unions and LUL health and safety representatives.

While the challenges of operating a safe, clean and efficient Underground network serving a sprawling metropolis are not to be underestimated, it is clear outdated practices are in need of improvement.

Whether this can only be achieved through the injection of private cash is a matter for all those involved in negotiations over the part-privatisation of the Tube.

Visit www.thetube.com to read the independent review into dust on the London Underground.

November 7, 2001 20:50

JULIAN HILLS