Eurostar Platforms (1) (Supplementary) [1]

Session date:

October 14, 2009

Question By:

Richard Tracey

Organisation:

GLA Conservatives

Asked Of:

The Mayor

Question

): Are you aware what a scandal this is, Mr Mayor, because there are five platforms standing unused and that has been the case since Eurostar transferred to St Pancras? The security and so on is costing the taxpayer £500,000 each year and, meanwhile, there are trains coming in, particularly from the Windsor direction, which, in some cases, have to stand outside Waterloo Station waiting to get into a platform, commuters are held up and, meanwhile, this Government and this Department for Transport faffs around, frankly, with this. These platforms could be available. Mr Sadiq Khan, the Rail Minister, himself is an MP in southwest London and really ought to be pushing the thing along.

Or, shall I ask you, do we have to wait, actually, for a change of government next year before anything can happen at the Eurostar platforms before 2014?

Supplementary To:

Eurostar Platforms (1)

Answer

Answer for Eurostar Platforms (1) (Supplementary) [1]

Answered By:

The Mayor

Date:

Wednesday, 14th October 2009

I hope not but I will relay your concerns to Sadiq Khan, to the Minister, and let us see if we can get some action there.

Roger Evans (AM): We had a very entertaining and interesting meeting yesterday with your food tsar, Rosie Boycott, who told us that she was looking for original and unusual spaces around London where food could be grown for Londoners. Whilst, I think, we would like to see these platforms used for rail services as soon as possible, do you think it might spur along Network Rail to find a use for them if you were to send Rosie down there with her tape measure to see how many potatoes she could actually grow in what is quite a large greenhouse, in fact.

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London): That is a brilliant threat. That is a great idea, Roger. We will see what we can do. I will unleash the terrors of Rosie [Boycott] on South West Trains and the Department unless they get their act together. That is a good idea.