• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

When the council then say that the problem lies with TfL, they are clearly not being as open as possible?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

You are saying that they have now reached a situation where the work in progress is it? No other work is planned for the Angel?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

That is fine for the stock, but it is the actual environment that is appalling. Really we should not be waiting for the stock to arrive before someone goes along improving lighting along the platforms and generally cleaning it up. It is in a pretty poor state.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

It is the North London Line again. We have heard your commitments to making improvements to the service; that was in relation to the Olympics. However, will you join me in calling on Network Rail to carry out more short?term improvements along the track, the sidings and the stations, because at the moment the state of those areas is absolutely scandalous.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

Will you continue naming and shaming them and continue speaking about the dreadful state of the service?

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

I am pleased that you recognise the importance of the issue of the frequency of the service having some possible impact. You said in your initial answer, provided to you by TfL, that the service essentially was not worthy. I think there is a tremendous latent demand for this type of cross?south?London service, if you improve the frequency. An hourly service, as you say, is one that is likely to act as a big disincentive for people to join the service. Bear in mind also that this is a service that helps people get to work. There is a lot...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

Answer by * Andrew PellingAngie BrayBob BlackmanBob NeillBrian ColemanDamian HockneyDarren JohnsonDavid LammyDee DooceyDiana JohnsonElizabeth HowlettEric OllerenshawGraham TopeJennette ArnoldJenny JonesJoanne McCartneyJohn BiggsKen LivingstoneLen DuvallLouise BloomLynne FeatherstoneMeg HillierMike TuffreyMurad QureshiNicky GavronNoel LCan I for once support my constituency member in what he says about a very important local bus route where I live in Sutton? The old 726 route used to be the old Green Line route that ran from Dartford round to Heathrow. It is the only way, certainly from Sutton, to Heathrow, without having to go into central London and out again. Can you confirm that the TfL proposals for...

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

Can I plead with you to try and keep this service going? This will not be the first set of cuts to this service. It did use to run beyond Bromley. One of the proposals being considered is stopping the service at Croydon. It may well be that Bromley residents are pleased that maybe some of my residents are not going to dash across the border into Bromley. Nevertheless, it is important to retain this type of cross?south?London service. Would it not be better, in fact, to be improving the frequency of this service? Quite clearly, if one service gets...

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

You have often spoken about the importance of improving public transport on an orbital basis in the suburbs; indeed you made reference to it earlier this morning. Is not the problem, Mayor, in terms of running this cross?south?London service, not the number of stops but the amount of traffic? Therefore, it seems counterintuitive to be withdrawing a fundamental orbital public transport service in south London.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

My understanding is that the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) object to this because of the signalling at Liverpool Street. Clearly there is a cost involved, but that does not mean that it cannot be done.