Driverless trains part of deal for TFL bailout, insists PM

THE next generation of London Underground trains should be driverless, Boris Johnson has said, to stop commuters being “held to ransom” by unions.

The Prime Minister said he wanted to make driverless trains a condition of a £1.6billion bailout of Transport for London (TFL), which nearly went bust as demand collapsed during lockdown.

His comments will be seen as an attempt to push back against transport unions trying to frustrate the return of commuters by warning of the risks of reduced social distancing.

For a long time, rail unions have baulked at the prospect of driverless trains, claiming that the technology would lead to safety risks and job losses.

On a visit to a site in Goole, East Yorkshire, where German firm Siemens is building London Underground trains and will open a rail manufacturing facility in 2022, Mr Johnson said that he would make the adoption of driverless trains part of the deal – comprising a £1.1 billion grant and £505 million loan – that the Government is negotiating with TFL, which runs the London Tube network.

He said: “What I will be saying to the London transport authority is, let’s take advantage of this technological leap forward, let’s not be the prisoners of the unions any more, let’s go to driverless trains, and let’s make that a condition of the funding settlement for Transport for London this autumn.”

London Underground drivers are paid £55,011 a year, although there are claims that some are paid more than £100,000 a year including overtime.

Finn Brennan, the district organiser for union Aslef covering the London Underground, said: “Slashing government funding to TFL means that they cannot afford the signalling upgrade and other technology that would be needed for driverless trains.”