RUISLIP, Northwood and Pinner MP Nick Hurd has put extra pressure on Metropolitan line managers this week, in response to the 'never-ending problems'.
The Conservative minister for civil society has also invited his constituents to give him their views on weekend closures.
He said: "I am well aware how frustrated many constituents are by the state of the Metropolitan line. There never seems to be an end to the problems. I have taken those concerns in person to Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground, and have met most of the senior management responsible for the line. The good news is that I think they will sort it out. The bad news is that it will take some time and there will continue to be disruptions."
Mr Hurd's comments follow shortly from Boris Johnson's apology for the severe delays which have plagued the line since autumn. He has also echoed the London mayor's explanation of the delays, and said the infrastructure was the oldest on the Tube network.
He continued: "The key is a new signalling contract. I was worried that this might have been a victim of cuts but I am assured it is on track and will be upgraded without disruptions by 2018. In the meantime, all the new S-Stock trains will be in service by end 2012 and that should mean a smoother, faster ride."
And Mr Hurd has asked for feedback on whether commuters would prefer weekend or block closures of the line, which he said were necessary to get the upgrade finished.
"I thought weekend closures were the 'least bad' option but please let me know if you disagree," he said. "Constituents can rest assured that I will continue to hold the feet of management to the fire."
A Gazette investigation last month revealed that there were 725 recorded delays on the Met line over a two-month period in December and January.
The line has also been ranked worst for reliability, based on journey times during November last year.
