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Rail Vehicle Accessibility (London Underground Metropolitan Line S8 Vehicles) Exemption Order 2010

I certainly did not wish to imply that the noble Baroness had not understood the details. It is obviously my fault for not understanding what she was saying and I apologise for that. The position is that the Secretary of State is required to ensure that all rail vehicles are compliant by 2020, except the heritage vehicles, which we debated some while ago and which are exempted indefinitely for reasons that we agreed at that time. New trains have to be compliant from the moment they come in. Therefore, all the new trains that come in on London Underground will be compliant unless an exemption is sought for operational reasons. In the case of Metropolitan line trains, the operational reason is the fact that the new trains are running on the same track and offering exactly the same service to customers as the 1960 A-stock vehicles. When the A-stock vehicles are withdrawn, the new trains will become entirely compliant and the exemptions will no longer need to apply. The contractual obligation is indeed on the Government and on Transport for London because that is what the law says: it is what happens with new rolling stock coming in after the passage of the legislation. I hope that, with those answers, I have satisfied the Committee. Motion agreed.