TfL are taking over Tube contracts from Metronet

In a report, it blamed the Department for Transport (DfT) for the Tube contractor's collapse and said the public will pay for the failure.

The company went into administration last July after financial problems.

The DfT said the committee had made "useful contributions" to the debate about post-Metronet contracts.

The report said that since July Transport for London (TfL) has been funding an operational deficit of around �13m a week.

Neither the Mayor, not Transport for London wanted these PPP contracts, it was the government Brian Cooke, Travelwatch

The MPs said they were not able to get an estimate of the total cost of the Metronet collapse but during the committee's hearings heard the public was liable for 95% of the debt.

Committee chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody said: "The public, whether as taxpayers or Tube passengers, is paying for the private sector's inefficiency and failure.

"If the Government is ever again tempted by a seemingly good deal from the private sector, it should recall Metronet's pathetic under-delivery and the deficiencies in the contracts that allowed it to happen."

The DfT said it welcomed the report and would consider its recommendations and respond in "due course".

A spokesperson said: "The PPP has enabled billions of investment into a Tube network that has suffered decades of neglect and, as demonstrated in the upgrades being managed by Tube Lines, it can deliver results."

'Failure to plan'

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, welcomed the committee's work, saying it had done a "great public service by finally nailing the myths about the PPP".

Brian Cooke, chairman of London Travelwatch, said: "Neither the Mayor, not Transport for London wanted these PPP contracts, it was the government, so it would be very unfair if Londoners were forced to pick up the bill."

TfL is in the process of taking over Tube maintenance contracts from Metronet after submitting a formal bid for the company last September.

A spokesperson said: "Metronet's collapse was a result of it and its shareholders' failure to properly plan, manage and execute the maintenance and renewal works it was responsible for.

"TfL is now addressing this by seeking to get Metronet out of administration."