Member Article

What a TfL devolved suburban railway might look like

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is today (Friday) setting out his plans to the Secretary for Transport for all suburban railway services in and around London to be devolved to Transport for London (TfL).

In light of the neverending travails at Southern Rail, the Mayor is making the business case for a more integrated and reliable network entirely under the control of TfL which he claims will improve services for millions of passengers who have been ‘severely let down’ by current operators.

The proposals will be build on some of the principles outlined in the DfT/TfL prospectus that was revealed in January, and has cross-party support from MPs both inside and out of London.

Outlining the scope of the proposed integrated network, the Mayor has expanded on some of the prospective benefits of a TfL-run suburban network.

These include:

• Increasing services between Orpington and Victoria from six to eight trains per hour, and increasing trains from Bexleyheath to London from seven trains to nine
• Integrating fares and ticketing across the TfL network, including related fare freezes
• Refurbishing and cleaning up stations with all day staffing
• Improving ticket machines including more pay gates for Oyster cards and contactless.

Another key tenet of the plans is the claim that improving and integrating the rail network will also help to unlock new build housing developments, particularly to the south of London, which have struggled to attain planning approval in the past due to poor infrastructure and transport links.

According to the Mayor’s office there are currently plans for 80,000 new homes within 1km of stations that fall within the TfL devolution proposals, and that a more effective rail network will help to speed up their delivery.

Khan bemoaned the ‘nightmare delays, cancellations and overcrowding’ that have become the norm on routes in and out of London, and said devolution would act as a catalyst for new jobs and new homes on the city’s outskirts.

He said: “Devolution, along with greater collaboration with our public and private sector partners and local communities, will help us deliver a properly integrated transport network across London. Rail passengers will finally get the same standard of service and reliability they get on the Tube.

“We’ve set out our compelling case to the Government – there really is now no excuse for not pressing ahead with changes that will substantially improve the lives of Londoners.”