• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Can I just ask you to be a bit more specific on a couple of those points. The East London Line extension phase two, which, as I understand it, is a relatively small sum of money by the standard of these things, for really just a mile or so of extra track; at what point are we going to know about that? I appreciate that, as it were, warm words are being spoken, but just pin that down for me.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

You are aware that there is a lot of unhappiness about the potential closure of the shuttle between Victoria and London Bridge as a result of the Thameslink work. Rather than go into that, will you just give us your reassurance that you know that local opposition to that is very high?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

In terms of trying to influence franchises, I hope that Transport for London will continue to put pressure for the earliest possible resumption of use of the former Eurostar platforms at Waterloo because it seems quite ludicrous when commuters from right across south London are suffering from inadequacy of capacity that we are paying out public money for these to remain mothballed. It is not your fault, despite the Department having good notice of that, so I hope you will use your leverage there. Secondly, when you look at the question of the franchise and the Route Utilisation Strategy, can...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

No, but you sadly supported it in your comments to the Route Utilisation Strategy without having done very much research, it seems to me. That is a debate I will have on Friday; back to the franchising.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

So, again, the timescales for those discussions?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

You are very proud that you have taken over the former Silverlink North London line and clearly there are going to be substantial improvements there, but the vast bulk of the improvements that you are proposing to make to the line itself, are towards the east. Can you tell me what work you have done in considering extending the services of that line to the south west.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

When will that come to a head?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

I would want at another time to challenge the argument that it is a necessity that the South London Line services [between Victoria and London Bridge] be removed from that line, but that is a debate I am going to have with your officers in more detail. I just wanted to follow up on this point about franchising. I certainly have seen an enormous improvement in the security in south London stations, including Southern Railways, as a result of CCTV and TfL investment. I think it would be wholly positive if TfL were able to influence issues of customer care...

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Your betting would be that the re-tendering will proceed on that timescale?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Turning to the Metronet administration; TfL of course did have to guarantee £900 million to the administrators. How much of that money has been used so far? Do you know?