London Assembly Archives - London Reconnections

Crossrail: Breaking Down the Crisis

On 13 December 2018 By John Bull In Crossrail, London Assembly, Mayor's Office, TfL

On Thursday 26th July 2018 a meeting took place at City Hall. The subject was Crossrail – the Elizabeth line – and whether it would open on time. Up front were Simon Wright, Crossrail’s then-CEO, and Sir Terry Morgan, its Chairman. To the assembled senior officials from TfL and City Hall, their presentation would have left little room for doubt: Crossrail would not be ready to open in December.

The Politics of Integration

On 22 April 2016 By John Bull In London Assembly, Mayor's Office, Mayoral Elections

We sit down with Green Party mayoral candidate Sian Berry and talk about integrated transport, tackling air pollution and challenging transport tradition.

Devocalypse Now: Taking Control of South London’s Railways

On 16 October 2015 By John Bull In London Assembly, Overground, TfL

The topics of rail devolution and London Overground are closely entwined. Without devolution the former Silverlink services in North London would never have become TfL’s London Overground. The success of the Overground has, in turn, …

London 2050 (Part 5): Peak Tube

On 16 April 2015 By Jonathan Roberts In Central line, Circle line, Crossrail, Crossrail 2, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee line, London Assembly, London Underground, Northern line, Piccadilly line, TfL

According to the London 2050 report’s forecasts, the demand for the Underground will rise by 60% in the next thirty five years. That’s a challenging target to address with additional capacity, given the pressures the …

London 2050: A Cartographical Interlude

On 9 September 2014 By John Bull In London Assembly, Mayor's Transport Strategy, TfL

As many readers will be aware, over recent weeks we have been taking an in-depth look at London 2050. Published in July by the Mayor and directed by Isabel Dedring and many GLA staff, TfL …

London 2050 (Part 2): Whether the Forecasts

On 3 September 2014 By Jonathan Roberts In Crossrail, DfT, Heathrow, High Speed One, London Assembly

In part 2 of our detailed look at London 2050 we look at what it forecasts for both jobs and population – and how these affect the proposed transport strategy to be found within it.

London 2050 (Part 1): The Trillion Pound Time Warp

On 3 August 2014 By Jonathan Roberts In Boris Johnson, Construction projects, London Assembly, Mayor's Office, TfL

In both science and science fiction, time warps are where there is a multi-dimensional fold in the space-time continuum which allow the traveller to pass from one space-time environment to another, as easily as stepping off an escalator at Kings Cross. The London Infrastructure Plan 2050 (‘London 2050’), published in July by the Mayor and directed by Isabel Dedring and many GLA staff, TfL and other colleagues, is an attempt to provide the London of today with a blueprint for such a transition to the London of tomorrow.

Suburban Commandos: Transport and London 2050

On 6 April 2014 By Jonathan Roberts In Board meetings, Construction projects, DfT, London Assembly, London Overground, London Underground, Mayor's Office, Mayor's Transport Strategy, Rail devolution, TfL

Londoners with a particular interest in politics and planning may have noticed a new phrase appear in the lexicon of both in recent months – London 2050. In this article we take a closer look at precisely what that phrase means, and how thinking is shaping up so far. For when it comes to transport infrastructure 2050 is far closer than one might think.

The Need for Flexibility and the Dangers of Demand: The Future of London’s Buses (Part 2)

On 6 December 2013 By The Walthamstow Writer In Buses, London Assembly, TfL

In Part 1 of this series we looked at the recent history and circumstance that have left London with the bus network it has today. Now we can properly begin to look at how it …

Transport Committee Part 1: Underground Reliability & Driverless Trains

On 20 October 2012 By John Bull In London Assembly, London Underground, Rolling stock

Thursday saw the latest meeting of the London Assembly Transport Committee take place at City Hall. As usual, it provided some interesting context and updates on things at TfL with this month’s guests being Mike …

In A Nutshell: The Ticket Office Debate

On 10 September 2010 By John Bull In Boris Johnson, London Assembly, London Underground, TfL

Wednesday morning saw a rather unusual scene unfold at City Hall. The London Assembly Plenary had barely started when, en masse, the Conservative Assembly Members present walked out, leaving the meeting inquorate and thus having …

DfT Confirm They Will NOT Fund Surrey Canal Road

On 2 September 2010 By John Bull In DfT, London Assembly, Overground, Surrey Canal Road

Below is a letter, dated 31st August, sent to Caroline Pidgeon AM by Theresa Villiers MP. The letter confirms that that the DfT will not provide the additional £7m funding commitment required to ensure Surrey …

Trouble Up The (Dalston) Junction – The Difficulties of Safeguarding

On 25 June 2010 By Mwmbwls In Buses, Crossrail, Crossrail 2, London Assembly

Take one London Assembly member and add a television news channel looking for an example of frivolous government expenditure. Use FOI – the modern day “Open Sesame” and shake thoroughly (but not long enough to …

Transport Committee 02/10: Tube Lines, TfL and the Arbiter Appear

On 3 February 2010 By John Bull In London Assembly, TfL, Tube lines

Yesterday saw Dean Finch, Richard Parry and Chris Bolt (The heads of Tube Lines, London Underground and the PPP Arbiter respectively) in a rare shared public appearance. The three were present at the London Assembly’s …