Royal Greenwich Welcomes New Joined-up Arrangement Placing London Rail Services Under The Mayor of London

* Cllr Danny Thorpe

by our RBG Correspondent | Woolwich

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has welcomed the news that the Mayor of London is going to be responsible for all rail services within London.

Under an announcement Thursday, the Mayor of London, Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL) will work together to create a more joined-up London rail network with more frequent services and increased capacity, improve customer service with joined up travel information, more integrated fares and a more accessible network, and have a greater local input into train services by the South East’s towns and cities.

The arrangement will pave the way for the introduction of a metro style service that South-East London deserves. The transformation of the North London Line when it became part of the London Overground service is shows what can be done with Mayoral control, focus and investment. The London Overground handled over 143m journeys last year, an increase of 7% over the previous year - demonstrating that Londoners need excellent “turn up and go” rail services.

The population of the Royal Borough is rising rapidly and new and existing residents need improved rail services now so as to access employment and the benefits London overs. Stations such as Kidbrooke saw a 17% rise in demand last year with no improvement in services. The new arrangements will support the development and growth of Greenwich in a much better way.

Councillor Danny Thorpe, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, said: “This is great news" adding "Rail services are a vital part of the public transport network in south-east London, given the absence of London Underground services."

"A truly integrated network with improved services, managed by the Mayor, is critical if London is to grow and will be welcome news for our residents and local businesses."

“In order for the Mayor to take full advantage of the new arrangements and bring in service improvements that commuters desperately need, this will require the Government to provide increased investment and infrastructure."

“The current arrangements just haven’t worked in our part of London. I welcome the news that the Mayor will manage services for our residents beyond 2018 but the current operator will be in place for 2 more years."

"We need to ensure that improvements take place during that time and that residents don’t have to suffer continued disruption and misery. I look forward to working with the Mayor to secure the necessary investment to make the major improvements our residents deserve.”