Metronet

Metronet is a former private company that was responsible for maintenance, replacement and upgrading of technical infrastructure on nine lines of the London Underground. This included track, trains, signals, supply lines and stations.

Background

Since January 2003, London Underground is partially privatized in the form of a Public Private Partnership ( PPP). The maintenance of infrastructure was carried out by private companies, while the Underground remains owned by Transport for London ( TfL). Following a tender Metronet has received a contract for the Lineien Bakerloo Line, Central Line, Circle Line, District Line, East London Line, Hammersmith & City Line, Metropolitan Line, Victoria Line and Waterloo & City Line for a period of 30 years. At Metronet five companies were involved: Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Bombardier, EDF and Thames Water ( a former subsidiary of RWE).

In 2007, Metronet went bankrupt. The consortium is stuck in financial difficulties since November 2006 after it awarded contracts at inflated prices to their own members. Attempts then to obtain from the state more money than originally agreed, failed. The activities of Metronet were fully reintegrated into TfL; the company and the logo no longer exist after liquidation.