The Transport Committee warmly welcomes today’s announcement from Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport (DfT).
Reform of London’s rail services was recommended in the report ‘Devolving rail services to London: Towards a South London Metro’ released in October 2015.
In fact, when the devolution proposition was put to a survey of London rail passengers, we found that a majority were in favour: 68 per cent of respondents were in favour of devolution to TfL, with 26 per cent preferring their existing operator.[1]
A total of 835 million journeys were made by passengers on rail services in London during 2013/14. This figure is set to grow, with the Greater London Authority (GLA) projecting that demand for rail services in London will increase 80 per cent by 2050.[2]
Valerie Shawcross CBE AM, Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee said:
“One of the main reasons why the Transport Committee advocated a devolved rail network is because we know that passengers want improvements on the rail service they use. They were most concerned with price and performance, which is perfectly understandable given the rising cost of rail travel. TfL has managed its Overground networks very effectively, so the majority of commuters would be happy to see them take control.
It was clearly a no-brainer. The Government will have scored a big hit with passengers by agreeing to devolve additional rail franchises as they come up for renewal and I’m glad they finally listened to some common sense.”
Notes to editors
- Respondents were asked for their top three priorities. This data includes all survey respondents who travel on National Rail services at least monthly. It does not include responses from passengers travelling mainly on the London Overground or TfL Rail services.
- Mayor of London, London Infrastructure Plan 2050: A Consultation, 2014. Available at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/London%20Infrastructure%20Plan%202050%20Consultation.pdf
- Valerie Shawcross CBE AM, Chair of the Transport Committee, is available for interview – see contact details below.
- Read ‘Devolving Rail Services to London: Towards a South London Metro’.
- A range of providers run rail services in London. ‘National Rail’ is, in effect, a brand name for a number of different heavy rail passenger services mostly run by private companies, which have been awarded franchises by the Department for Transport. There are eight franchises serving the London and South East region.
- London Assembly Transport Committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 020 7983 4228 or 07887 832 918. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.