Member Article

Southern Rail: Saga rumbles on as Khan calls for TfL control

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for Transport for London (TfL) to take control of the Southern Rail service until the government is able to resolve long-term issues on the ailing franchise.

In a letter sent to the new Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today, Khan says he wants to wrest control from current franchise owner Govia Thameslink and place a crack TfL team in charge to run the service until it is fit for purpose.

Describing the delays, cramped trains and timetable changes which have resulted in 350 services cancelled a day ‘an embarrassment to our city’, the Mayor has suggested a TfL team could be a temporary option until more long-term solutions are settled on.

It comes after the Mayor called for the Department of Transport to take over the line last week.

In his letter, Khan said: “Thousands of Londoners and longer-distance commuters simply cannot get to and from work, and are understandably furious.

“There is no doubt that the franchise must now be in default, and I have previously called for your Department to step in and take control.

“Notwithstanding the wider discussions on devolution, I now offer to go one step further and put my senior TfL team in charge of the GTR Southern franchise until we get a permanent resolution.”

Southern Rail has come under intense criticism in recent months after it was forced to cancel large chunks of its timetable due to what it described as ‘unprecedented’ staff absences.

The franchise has also been in dispute with the RMT union over plans to introduce a new fleet of trains which could see train guards lose their jobs.

Such is the ire directed at Southern and the quality of their service that creative agency Ram Jam released a tongue-in-cheek online game this week which rewards gamers for the more rail services that get cancelled.