Nearly half of London Underground track in 'very poor' condition as TfL faces £6.5bn maintenance backlog, tell me about this news in (https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tube-disruption-broken-track-tfl-london-assembly-susan-hall-b1297304.html)
17-09-2026
The key details from the Evening Standard report are:
The Findings and Maintenance BacklogTrack Condition: A Transport for London (TfL) report presented to the London Assembly revealed that 42% of the London Underground’s track is classified as being in “very poor” condition.
£6.5 Billion Backlog: TfL is facing a £6.5 billion backlog in deferred maintenance and asset renewal across the transport system, covering tracks, tunnels, stations, and other aging infrastructure.
Funding Gap: TfL estimates it requires between £1.1 billion and £1.2 billion annually just to stop its assets from deteriorating. However, over the five-year period leading up to 2025/26, it has only been able to spend an average of around £700 million per year.
Sharp Rise in Breakdowns: Between 2015 and 2022, infrastructure incidents linked to asset decline averaged under 200 per week. That figure now regularly exceeds 350 per week.
Worsening Delays: While safety is maintained by taking trains out of service, imposing speed restrictions, and carrying out emergency repairs, this has led to increased delays and more severe disruptions for passengers.
TfL’s Director of Asset Performance Delivery, Richard Jones, stated that a “very poor” rating does not mean the track is unsafe for passengers.
He explained that tracks are assessed against modern engineering standards (such as rails set in concrete), whereas large portions of the Tube network still rely on legacy Victorian and early-20th-century systems. While safety protocols prevent derailments, the degraded state severely undermines service frequency and reliability.
Political Criticism: City Hall Conservatives leader Susan Hall called the figures deeply concerning and warned they should “set alarm bells ringing,” arguing the capital’s transport infrastructure is being neglected. London Assembly Budget & Performance Committee Chair Nick Garratt warned that TfL appears to be “fighting a rear guard action against a problem that you are losing.”
TfL’s Defense: TfL pointed to over a decade of constrained capital support and the withdrawal of the central government’s operational grant in 2018 as key reasons for the shortfall. TfL noted that it has raised current renewals investment to roughly £860 million per yearprioritizing the most critical assetswhile continuing to lobby the UK government for sustained, long-term funding.