TfL wants control of all London rail services

[whole diary]

[Surrey 455]

This isn't exactly a new proposal, I first heard about it a year or two ago but it resurfaced in the papers again last week.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/weekly-poll/9081651/Poll-should-Boris-Johnson-control-all-London-rail-services.html

If achieved, how would / could this affect affect  services to / from Paddington? Only the Greenford service and Heathrow Connect / Express start and terminate within London. Crossrail is on it's way which will be controlled by TfL^» (Transport for London - about) but what about those services to Paddington that would start from Reading or beyond that call at stations within Greater London?

[JayMac]

It makes sense for some heavy rail services wholly within the Greater London boundary to be controlled by TfL^» (Transport for London - about), but there are a great many suburban services that go onward to destinations well outside London. I wouldn't want to see those services controlled by the Mayor.

And to add, in the linked article it mentions that the East London Line was formerly run by Silverlink Metro. That is not the case. The ELL was previously part of London Underground.

[ChrisB]

I think Crossrail would be it for GW^▸ (Great Western)....except possibly the Greenford & Windsor? Branches

[IndustryInsider]

Greenford would make sense, as it will, after the TfL^» (Transport for London - about) Crossrail service commences, be a shuttle service from Greenford to West Ealing connecting in with the Crossrail service.  It is unlikely to interface with any Greater Western Franchise service, but as well as Crossrail it interfaces with TfL services on the Central Line at Greenford.  It would seem logical to transfer it over to TfL as and when Crossrail commences.  I have made this point in my consultation response.

[paul7575]

...Crossrail is on it's way which will be controlled by TfL^» (Transport for London - about) but what about those services to Paddington that would start from Reading or beyond that call at stations within Greater London?

Nothing would happen AFAICT^▸ (as far as I can tell).  They'd be no different to many other existing long distance service that have stops within the zones, such as all those SN and SWT^▸ (South West Trains) services that call at places like Clapham Jn or East Croydon, but start on the coast;  or all the Greater Anglia trains that stop at Stratford.   

Then there's the Thameslink route.  Brighton to Bedford is basically inter-regional, but it becomes all shacks within central London.

Paul

[ChrisB]

I think the Q was whether they'd transfer to TfL^» (Transport for London - about)!

[paul7575]

I can't see it being suggested anywhere that they (ie Reading and beyond) would transfer. But all I'm saying is that the problem is not specific to the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line).

Paul

[ChrisB]

Boris hasn't excluded it/given details....

[paul7575]

The GLA's source report for the story is quite specifically only referring to inner-suburban services though:

http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/mayors-rail-vision-2012-final.pdf

Same with the previous report a couple of years ago on the same subject.

Paul

[The SprinterMeister]

Boris hasn't excluded it/given details....

Boris is good at wasting money. Look at all that cash being wasted on creating a bespoke 'Borismaster' bus with open rear platform for London for example. Best thing to do would be pass that Boris at Danger and obey all other London leaders.

Not that I'm saying LOROL^▸ (London Overground Railway Operations Ltd) isn't a bad thing though.

[paul7575]

The GLA proposals about transferring inner suburban services to TfL^» (Transport for London - about) control are a continuation of Ken Livingstone's established policies, all Boris seems to be doing regarding rail (and trams) is a classic case of 'can't beat him, join him'. 

Must be a mayoral election coming up...

Paul

[Lee]

Snapshot of opposition here - http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/story-15265511-detail/story.html

[Lee]

From the Docklands & East London Advertiser:

Crossrail and London^s rail future on London Assembly^s transport agenda

Rail chiefs are being quizzed today by London Assembly members about progress of Crossrail and other major projects.

Questions are being put to Crossrail^s chairman Terry Morgan by the Assembly^s Transport committee on the impact of construction work on households and businesses, as well as on apprenticeships and how London^s new ^super tube^ is being linked to existing services.

The debate starting at 10am at City Hall is followed an hour later when Network Rail^s chief planner Paul Harwood and Transport for London^s Geoff Hobbs are being asked about the Mayor^s plans to take over suburban lines and about progress on projects like Thameslink, upgrading stations and issues concerning the North London Line.

[Lee]

Interesting blog piece here.