So TfL is the only only bidder for Metronet's infraco contracts.
Good news. It means that two of the three infracos will be back in public hands. It proves that everything that we, the unions, and practically everyone else said about PPP being a disaster is proved true. And the return of Metronet's contracts to the public sector is in large part due to the strength and militancy of Metronet workers fighting for their rights and scaring off potential private bidders.
But it may be too soon to crack open the bubbly. For a start, JNP remains in TubeLines' private hands. TubeLines has made just as much of a mess of the railway as Metronet - the latter was booted off for messing up the money rather than messing up London Underground.
Secondly, the PPP remains intact. TfL runs BCV and SSR infrastructure now within the structures of PPP. All the contracts, the fragmentation, the bureaucracy, the drive to cost-cutting competitiveness are all still in place. The Underground is not reintegrated as it should be - TfL has not become a greater, more coherent whole, but works as a contractor to itself!
Meanwhile, the Metronet disaster is still taking its toll, with upgrades put on hold, to the detriment of passengers and staff. Many station staff, for example, will now have to wait who-knows-how-long for promised improvements to mess rooms.
So yes, it's a victory. But there is a lot more fighting to come. And the unions' fight must focus much more clearly on the need to scrap PPP itself rather than simply on terms and conditions.
