LONDON
ASSEMBLY
LABOUR
Press office: 020 7983 4952
News release
21.09.2020
For immediate use
Responding to the Government’s announcement that they will end the rail franchising model, local London Assembly Member, Navin Shah AM, said:
“I welcome the ending of the franchised rail system in London. Clearly the Government are now recognising that the TfL model, in which there is local democratic control over services, is a far better way to run a railway. We’ve been calling on the Government to devolve these services for years, knowing that they’d be better and more accountable under TfL’s control. Finally the Government are listening to our calls.
“We’ve still got some way to go, but at last we have a clear consensus that the rail franchising model as it currently stands is unworkable. Commuters from Harrow and Brent will have experienced first-hand the problems that come when contracts are handed over to firms without any expectation they be held accountable. On London’s suburban routes, passengers have been subjects to delays, cancellations and overcrowding, whilst the Government have presided over a rise in their fares.
“We hope today marks the beginning of a more positive experience for paying passengers. I’m calling on the Government to devolve London metro rail services to the Mayor at the earliest opportunity, with work beginning on Southern services as soon as possible.“