Tube could close for months

Entire Tube lines could be closed for months to enable upgrading of the network to be speeded up, it is revealed today.

The private sector consortia and Transport for London say the closures, which will not take place before 2010, could provide eventual benefit to the LT's three million daily passengers.

So much work needs to be done that engineers believe the best way will be to shut lines one at a time on the basis of "short-term pain for long-term gain".