North London Line
Yesterday the Government announced the transfer of responsibility for the North London Railway to Transport for London (TfL). Diane Abbott MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington today welcomed this transfer of responsibility to London's Mayor Ken Livingstone saying that this is "great news for Londoners and East Londoners in particular."
Diane said: "The rail services are crucial for the smooth running of our city, particularly here in Hackney where we do not yet have access to the tube. The North London Railway runs through Hackney and Dalston Kingsland is a major interchange so we'll really feel the benefits of an improved service. The North London Railway has suffered neglect for years so I am really pleased with this announcement."
Diane continued: "I am glad to see the Government is continuing their programme of devolution. As Londoners who use these transport services on an everyday basis we are best placed ourselves to take responsibility for them. Ken Livingstone knows as well as anyone the needs of Londoners when it comes to transport and has worked hard to make life easier for commuters."
Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: "This announcement means that, from 2007, Transport for London can begin to revitalise London's overground rail services just as it has done with buses and is doing on the Tube."
Diane added: "The Mayor has already promised to make station security his first priority and ensure increased staff presence on stations as well as more CCTV on trains and platforms." Diane went on: "There will be immediate benefits for Londoners as TfL takes over: we will get extra early morning and late evening trains on all North London Railway routes and better integration with LUL services. However, there are also many longer-term improvements in the pipeline. Old trains will be replaced with new accessible and more frequent ones over the next 5 years. Transport for East Londoners is set to improve drastically over the next few years."
Diane concluded: "TfL now has the opportunity to revive the North London Railway and make it a vital part of TfL's integrated transport network. The new Railway will be crucial not only to ensuring that the Olympics project runs smoothly but more importantly also to the economic regeneration of North East London." Notes to Editors:
1. From Autumn 2007, the London rail services to be managed by TfL, collectively known as the North London Railway, are:
- The North London Line;
- The London Euston to Watford Junction local Line;
- The West London Line from Willesden Junction to Clapham Junction via Kensington Olympia; and,
- The Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
2. The process to appoint an operator to run the concession will start immediately and will conclude on 11 November 2007 with the start of the North London Railway operating concession by the successful bidder. Until then, the services will continue to be run by the current franchise operator, Silverlink Metro, managed and funded by the Department for Transport.
3. Facts and figures:
- TfL is investing £10bn over the next five years to improve and expand London's transport network;
- TfL is already spending £30 million on delivering improved passenger safety and security at suburban stations;
- The Silverlink franchise currently runs the Silverlink Metro routes. It is operated by National Express;
- There are 50 stations and 60 route miles on the North London Railway. Every day, 63,000 people use the line with a total of 23 million passenger journeys made every year on these routes;
- The Mayor has allocated £3.6 million of funding for an additional 89 BTP to cover London – including overground stations on the Bakerloo line from Queens Park and other Silverlink services in North London
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