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London mayor should run rail services: Ken Livingstone

BBC 20 January 2012 Last updated at 17:40 GMT

Labour's London mayoral candidate said he would bring all suburban train services under the mayor's control to provide a "world class rail service".

Former mayor Ken Livingstone claims it would not lead to higher fares and would save £290m over 20 years.

Mayor Boris Johnson said he had lobbied for more influence on rail franchises.

Lib Dem Brian Paddick said the ex-mayor had failed to keep previous promises, while the Greens' Jenny Jones called for a rail service similar to the Tube.

Mr Livingstone cited the example of London Overground, which was created in 2007 when Transport for London (TfL) took over routes run by Silverlink.

Rail firm profits

A "gross cost contract", he said, would mean the revenue would go to TfL and train operating firms would earn "in proportion" to the quality of their service and "not a single fare will rise".

He claimed the change would save £290m over 20 years, a figure he said he based on a report for TfL last year.

The former mayor said: "Using the precedent I set in 2007 with the London Overground service, I'll make the case for London government to run London rail services.

"This would see TfL take over management of suburban rail services and ensure that the capital has a rail system which puts ordinary Londoners first, rather than the profits of rail companies."

His eight-point plan also included plans to increase frequency to at least four trains an hour, better staffing and more step-free access at stations.

Promises 'broken'

Mr Johnson's spokesman said the mayor had delivered "the construction of an orbital overground railway, doubling passengers on the Overground, the expansion of the East London Line and delivery of Oysterisation [use of the Oyster electronic smart travelcard] across the rail network".

He said: "The mayor continues to lobby the government hard for greater influence over rail franchises in and out of the capital for the benefit of Londoners."

Mr Paddick said: "He [Mr Livingstone] promised to freeze fares during an election campaign and then raised them above inflation the moment he got the job, and he didn't take over suburban rail franchises when he was mayor and his Labour colleagues were in government."

He added: "With so many train franchises approaching the end of their contracts there is now a great opportunity to ensure a better deal for train users."

Ms Jones said: "It makes sense to give the mayor powers that will reward good service with a reasonable profit.

"We would also try to ensure those suburban rail services start as early and end as late as the Tube."


I'll run London's rail services if elected - vows Ken

20 January 2012
London loves Business

Ken Livingstone has vowed to improve London’s suburban rail system if he is elected as mayor.

The Labour candidate has pledged to offer safer, more frequent services and fares that are in line with the Tube and London Underground if he wins the race to City Hall in May.

Livingstone is looking to capitalise on his perceived superiority on public transport over mayor Boris Johnson. Ken’s ‘Fare Deal’ policy helped edge him ahead of Johnson in a recent YouGov opinion poll, with a slender 51 per cent to 49 per cent lead, despite being eight points behind the incumbent mayor according to a similar poll in June.

The management and funding of London’s suburban railways should come under the mayor’s jurisdiction, Livingstone believes. He accused Johnson of ignoring the services and leaving passengers to endure rising fares and declining services.

Livingstone said: “Under the Tory mayor, London’s long-suffering rail passengers have been ignored as fares have risen and services have declined.

“Enough is enough. Using the precedent I set in 2007 with the London Overground service, I’ll make the case for London government to run London rail services. This would see Transport for London take over management of suburban rail services and ensure that the capital has a rail system which puts ordinary Londoners first, rather than the profits of rail companies.”

Livingstone has pledged to increase the frequency of services across the network so four trains per hour run through all stations throughout the week. Stations will also be deep cleaned to meet the standards set on the Overground, while they would also be staffed at all times if Livingstone is elected.

Following the apparent popularity of his ‘Fare Deal’ on the Tube, Livingstone has also promised that no suburban rail passengers would be worse off and many would enjoy a seven per cent fares cut.

He added: “Under the plans that I’m setting out London’s commuters can expect a more frequent and reliable service, safer, cleaner, more accessible stations and increased information available.

“There will be considerable savings from the change in contracts. As a result, we can ensure that all necessary improvements can be made without additional cost to passengers. Indeed not only can I guarantee that not a single fare will rise as a result of the merger, but many passengers will be better when rail fares are brought into line with my lower fares policy for the Tube.”

Livingstone Pledges To Take Over Suburban Rail

BY RACHEL HOLDSWORTH · JANUARY 22, 2012 AT 13:45 PM · LONDONIST

Ken Livingstone has produced an eight-point plan for London’s suburban rail network. If he wins in May, he says he would ditch the hated franchises and bring routes under TfL’s control, much as he did with London Underground during his time as Mayor.

The Labour candidate pledged to put at least four trains an hour through each station during the week, make stations cleaner, safer and better staffed, install ‘state of the art’ information systems, improve cycle parking and accessibility and bring fares in line with the tube (something that’s being called a fares cut, but on some lines the national rail-only fare is cheaper than TfL).

London Overground is a huge success story – the new trains are a joy to ride and the service scored 96% in last year’s National Passenger Survey (with the exception of the Richmond/Clapham-Stratford route, flagging at 80%) where other Train Operating Companies’ metro routes struggle to make it to 85%. Passengers numbers are increasing in excess of general demand for rail travel: last month, London Reconnections looked at the Overground’s usage stats and we particularly like their assessment that

general increased demand for rail travel in London and the South East is only a small part of the story – just as important have been the three basic principles on which the original Overground principle was pitched. This was that a good metro service should be clean, reliable and frequent – get that right and the passengers will follow.

Of course, this patchwork of different companies and daily seething commuter rage could have been avoided as far back as 1933, when rail was excluded from the London Passenger Transport Board. Bloody Herbert Morrison, eh?

Boris Johnson pushing for control of London's suburban railways

4:28pm Saturday 11th February 2012 This is Local London
By David Mills

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is calling on the government to hand over control of the capital's suburban railways to City Hall.

But with the mayoral election looming in May, his opponents say he's had years to do this.

Under the proposals train companies such as Southeastern, whose franchise comes up for renewal in 2014, would be integrated into Transport for London.

Mr Johnson claims this would save millions of pounds and give passengers more reliable and frequent services, safer and cleaner stations, more staff and simpler fares.

His plan would mean putting on more services in Bromley and elsewhere by introducing ‘turn-up-and-go’ with at least four trains per hour throughout the week.

He also promised to provide better access to Petts Wood station for prams and wheelchairs.

Mr Johnson said: "The fractured organisation of London’s suburban railways is totally inefficient and needs a complete overhaul.

"My vision is for one integrated suburban service operating to the standards we have demonstrated can be achieved on London Overground, which is now one of the most reliable and popular railways in the UK."

However a spokesman for his Labour rival Ken Livingstone said it was a case of "Boris following Ken's lead again".

Mr Livingstone has already pledged for TfL to take over suburban train companies should he win in May.

Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat's mayoral candidate, said that while Mr Johnson had been planning "vanity projects" such as his "fantasy airport", the Lib Dems had been calling for TfL to take over train franchises "for many years".

Orpington MP and the Mayor of London's brother Jo Johnson, has written to the Transport Secretary Justine Greening expressing his support for the idea.

He said: "The existing system whereby central government controls the franchises of all these inner London suburban services is hopelessly inefficient.

"It makes sense to hand control to City Hall so it can run it more efficiently. The system at the moment is ridiculously fragmented."

A spokesman for Southeastern said: "We appreciate that no-one likes paying more for a journey, but fares are set by the government to cover the cost of running the rail network and to shift the burden from taxpayers to passengers.

"We’re focused on providing a high quality and reliable service for our passengers and the most recent independent survey has shown our hard work is paying off. "In the National Passenger Survey, 83 percent of Southeastern passengers reported they were satisfied with our service; this is the best score ever achieved by any operator of the South Eastern Network.

"Our most recent punctuality figures are also at an all time high– with 91.6 percent of trains arriving on time.

"This is at a time when we are running more trains than ever before and carrying more passengers.

"We’ve also seen some noticeable gains in customer satisfaction for the overall station environment, the cleanliness of facilities and improved information about train times.

"Despite these pleasing results, we’re not complacent and remain committed to providing a high quality service - regardless of who oversees the franchise."