Plans for Transport for London and the capital’s mayor to take over operational control of the city’s suburban commuter services from rail companies have received government backing.



A more frequent, metro-style service would run across suburban London under proposals published on Thursday, which would see TfL take over parts of the rail network currently run by operators such as Southern and Southeastern when franchises are renewed.

The proposals would see TfL taking control of inner suburban rail services from London Bridge, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Moorgate, Victoria, and Waterloo stations, which TfL has said would improve journeys in and beyond the capital.

The transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said he supported the transfer of powers to London, which the mayor, Boris Johnson, has long sought, but said it was important to reassure commuters outside the capital that services would not suffer and they would still have a say.

McLoughlin said it was “a huge opportunity to transform travel”, adding: “We are working closely with TfL to agree the best way of delivering integrated, seamless journeys for passengers both inside and outside of London, and as we continue these discussions, we want to hear people’s views.”

Johnson said: “It’s a measure of the trust that we’ve built up that we can expand the success and deliver better services far and wide. Just as the Roman legions carried their eagle and Christian missionaries had the cross, so the TfL roundel will be raised proudly in parts of the suburban rail network that never saw it before. That is more than symnbolic becasue we try to deliver a standard of service, a proper turn-up-and-go service that Londoners really value.”



Johnson said the agreement in principle from the Department for Transport was “a massive breakthrough” but added: “We’re not going to deliver miracles overnight. The onus is on us, TfL, now not to disappoint: we’ve done a great job on the overground, we’ve got to improve suburban rail networks where some people feel they are being let down.”

TfL’s operational budget has been slashed and it remains unclear where the money to upgrade London’s suburban rail would come from. London’s transport commissioner, Mike Brown, said the move would eventually allow fares, information and service levels to be fully integrated, and result in a more reliable rail network.

“People want to live close to stations and they want those stations to have good quality, frequent services connecting them to jobs and to leisure,” he said. “Providing such services is vital to the future success of our city, yet at present there are wide variations in the levels of service customers’ experience.”

The aim is for more than 80% of stations in Greater London to have trains departing every 15 minutes, up from 67% now. It is also proposed that local authorities will have more say in the way services are planned and specified.

Passenger numbers have boomed since the former North London line was rebranded as the first stretch of the London Overground in 2007. Since then the overground has expanded south and east, with parts of the Greater Anglia franchise most recently drawn into the network.

Parts of the South West franchise would come under TfL in 2017, followed by Southeastern in 2018, and some Southern and Thameslink services from 2021. Brown said the proposals had widespread support from across the parties.

Labour’s candidate for the mayoralty, Sadiq Khan, said the announcement was a step in the right direction, but added: “It’s still a consultation with no sign of a proper agreement with the relevant authorities. It will do little to address the anger and frustration of commuters who deserve action now.”

The Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate, Caroline Pidgeon, said: “You have to ask why it has taken until just four months before the London mayoral elections for Tory ministers at the DfT to finally accept that for too long people using these services have suffered from delays, disputes and disruption. They should sack the franchise holders now.”

Cancellations and disruptions on some London commuter services have become so bad that 20 MPs met Southern bosses this week to demand improvements, while unions have called for the franchise to be reviewed.

McLoughlin admitted rail services in the capital were poor, but said much of the disruption was due to improvement work that would provide fantastic stations and better trains.

Paul Plummer, the chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents Network Rail and train operators, said: “The railway in and around London is full in many places and, even with planned improvements to allow more trains to run, the desire for more services for passengers in the capital will have to be balanced with the needs of passengers further away and with the needs of rail freight.”