Just when we were being encouraged to believe that there is nothing wrong with PPP as a concept, just that Metronet are a particularly dodgy company, along comes a reminder that Tubelines, also, are capable of fouling things up.
They are responsible for upgrading the ticket hall at Euston station. Sub-contractor DMC left their night's work with the floor so uneven that at least two people had fallen and injured themselves by the end of the peak. PAs cautioning that the 'floor surface may be uneven' and a few warning posters were not enough to make up for the fact that an unacceptably dangerous situation had been left.
The DSM turned up, contract managers appeared to stare at the situation. Most of the entry gates were closed off, so passengers could avoid the worst areas, forcing them to crowd into the one way-in gate. To top this farcical situation, workers began to concrete the floor section by section, with passengers having to tip-toe round the wet surface.
Apparently Tubelines will come down hard on the subcontractor and someone will cop the blame. But the real blame lies with private companies full stop, trying to cream profits out of contracts while cutting corners and compromising safety.
This is the basis of the PPP system. We can't just blame individual companies' bad practice. We must keep up our challenge to the PPP, and not allow Tubelines or any other subcontractor to be painted in a good light, just because they have attracted less public attention than Metronet
