Government refuses TfL more funding, despite plea from Boris

London mayor Boris Johnson’s pleas for more money for the Underground have been rejected by the government, which will not recognise a funding shortfall in the tube.

Transport minister Lord Adonis warned Johnson yesterday that taxpayers’ money would not be used to plug an alleged funding gap in the tube.

Johnson had written to the chancellor Alistair Darling requesting a bail-out of the tube network, which has a cash shortfall of about £1.4bn.

But Adonis said Transport for London (TfL) must pay for refurbishments with its £40m government grant, which is supposed to cover funding needs for 2010 to 2017.

TfL claims the funds do not stretch far enough because it already has to run a subsidised bus network and contribute £7.7bn to Crossrail, reported the Guardian.

Adonis said: “TfL got a large injection of funds from the government. How it prioritises funding for that is a matter for TfL, not for us.

“We don’t accept that TfL does not have the money.”

Johnson’s director of transport policy Kulveer Ranger told the newspaper: “We can show him the budget if he wants and he can see the gap with his own eyes.”