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The Government faced mounting pressure to devolve London’s suburban rail routes as a new poll revealed most passengers back the plans.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling blocked Sadiq Khan’s bid to take over commuter routes into the capital saying there was no need for massive reorganisation.

He was accused of putting politics ahead of passengers when a letter leaked to the Evening Standard showed he opposed devolution to keep the network "out of the clutches" of a Labour mayor.

Mr Grayling blocked the request by Mr Khan to hand control of the Southeastern commuter route to City Hall and Transport for London (TfL), dismissing the plan as “deckchair shifting” with no real improvement for passengers.

But just 14 per cent of commuters back his decision to keep the capital's commuter lines in control of train operating companies, according to the YouGov poll, while 58 per cent of passengers said TfL should have more control over the routes, the survey found.

The findings come after the All Party Parliamentary Group for London - a cross party group of MPs - wrote to the Prime Minister to "register our dismay" at Mr Grayling's decision and call for the TfL's devolution bid to be "urgently re-assessed".

The poll of 1,000 adults, which was commissioned by the Greater London Authority, found that 52 per cent of passengers think Mr Grayling made the wrong decision.

Just 14 per cent think he made the right choice, while 58 per cent think TfL should have more control of commuter rail lines and only 5 per cent think it should have less.

Mr Khan said: "The Government is failing commuters with a terrible service, constant delays and cancellations while fares are increasing every year.

"Commuters deserve to be able to get to work and back on a reliable train service.

"This polling clearly demonstrates that commuters want the Government to give control of commuter rail lines to TfL, so they can get the more frequent, reliable and affordable service that they deserve.”

He added: "It's time for the Transport Secretary to stop burying his head in the sand and listen to what commuters want. This is much more important than party politics - it is about people's jobs, time with their family and quality of life."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We are determined to improve journeys for rail passengers across London and the South East.

"The mayor's business plan for the Southeastern train routes provided no extra capacity in peak hours, and there was no funding identified for improvements to infrastructure. These would come at a cost to Londoners or mean re-prioritising other travel schemes in the capital.

"MPs and councillors had raised concerns about the mayor being given control over services for people who could not vote for the mayor. We can deliver services improvements through partnership, without the need for a massive reorganisation."

Additional reporting by Press Association.