Think of Old Oak Common (OOC) as the Canary Wharf of west London. That’s the Vision: bold and challenging. But will a ‘super hub’ emerge? While the grand plan for OOC may depend on decisions further up the metaphorical line, to a certain extent OOC leapfrogs the institutional black hole of rail strategy and drives deeper changes in strategic planning for London as a whole.
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Old Oak Common: Part 2 – Putting the Pieces Together
In Part 1, we introduced the many components that need to be integrated into the grand plan at Old Oak Common (OOC), for a new interchange with HS2, Crossrail, the Great Western Mainline (GWML) and …
Continue readingThe Price of Oranges: DfT ask TfL to take on Greenford and Upminster
There was some surprise back in June when it was confirmed that the DfT would devolve the West Anglia rail franchise to TfL, a major step towards the devolution of London’s rail services. Although not stated at the time, sources now suggest that the DfT have placed a price on this devolution of services, one on which the two parties are now negotiating terms – TfL must take on two other London branch lines as well.
Continue readingEnding Cash Fares On The Buses: Does Daniels Dream of Electric Beeps?
In the world of London transport, there are few topics as emotive as fares and ticketing. From price, through the location of sale, to the method by which payments are made, ticketing is a subject …
Continue readingThe TfL Olympic Legacy: Measuring the Unmeasurable
It has probably not escaped your notice that around a year ago a big sporting event was staged and was largely based in London. In the build-up and follow-on one of the words most associated …
Continue readingTfL Settlement: GOBLIN To Be Electrified, West Anglia Franchise Devolved
TfL have released a press release officially confirming a number of elements of their latest settlement and the spending review statement by the Chancellor today. This is a rare press release that is worth quoting …
Continue readingCatching Up With The Committee: Part 1
A month is a short time in Transport Politics. Whilst today’s Transport Committee is set to look at Crossrail 2 (a topic to which John Bull will be turning his eye shortly), last month’s meeting …
Continue readingBeyond the Barriers: The Future for TfL’s Non-Fare Income
Given the amount of money generated by the fare box, it is easy sometimes to forget that this is not the only source of revenue for TfL. One of the more interesting things lurking in …
Continue readingHoward Smith to Join Crossrail
Crossrail have announced that Howard Smith, currently Chief Operating Officer at TfL London Rail, will join Crossrail in March as Operations Director: Howard Smith is currently Chief Operating Officer for Rail at Transport for London …
Continue readingTfL Announce Beginning of Overground Capacity Work
TfL have released a press release officially confirming that they have begun work on expanding Overground services (where possible) to 5-car services: A programme to introduce five-car trains on all London Overground routes and increase …
Continue readingRoundtable: The TfL Draft Business Plan
Transport news, like London buses, often seems to come in clumps. With the various recent announcements it would thus be easy to miss that TfL have published their draft Business Plan for the next decade. …
Continue readingHLOS 2014-19: A Potential Step Backwards for London
Back in July the government outlined its rail investment strategy in the High Level Output Statement (HLOS) covering 2014-19 or Control Period 5 (CP5). We reported on the HLOS here and here, and a rich …
Continue readingUnlocking Herne Hill and the Kent route to the City
The extensive RUS process has already yielded a long shopping list of potential projects, including some big ticket items such as Crossrail 2. We are more likely, however, to see a package of more modest …
Continue readingHLOS Highlights Part 1: The Orange Elephant in the Room
Yesterday saw final confirmation of the contents of the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) 2012, the DfT’s outline of work to be carried out on the railways between April 2014 and March 2019 (Control Period …
Continue readingTransport Committee: Franchise Bids and Frank Comments
Last week saw the first meeting of the London Assembly’s Transport Committee since the elections. In front of the Committee were Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy and Isabel Dedring, Deputy Mayor for Transport. Hendy and Dedring …
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