Night Tube 2016? Transport for London confident an agreement will be reached with driver unions
A Transport for London boss has expressed confidence that an ongoing disagreement with drivers could finally be resolved, leading to the long-delayed Night Tube finally launching in London in 2016.
Some headway is expected to be made, according to director of customer experience Shashi Verma, speaking to ITV News.
Talks between TfL and driver unions have so far failed. The latest negotiations crumbled before Christmas after unions rejected proposals by TfL to hire part-time drivers to operate the weekend 24hr services and a year extension to three-year pay deal already on the table. Drivers have argued that the shifts will disrupt their work-life balance.
"It's very clear that with the changing economy in London the night tube is going to be a valuable addition to London's transport system. We still don't have an agreement with the trade unions, but we are expecting that we can make some headway on that one," said Verma.
The Night Tube was originally intended to launch on 12 September. A new date of March 2016, however, doubts have been cast about whether that is achievable considering little progress has been made.
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