Call for Livingstone to take charge of trains
Call for Livingstone to take charge of trains
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Thursday, 25, May 2006 08:18
London's mayor should be given control of trains in and around the capital, a commuter group has demanded.
By integrating trains into Transport for London (TfL), London TravelWatch claims that the move would incorporate rail services better with each other and with public transport.
Brian Cooke, chairman of London TravelWatch, said: "We believe that if we are to achieve a fully integrated transport network in London, the mayor should have more responsibility for rail in London - and we think that the mayor's rail powers should be extended beyond the Greater London Authority boundary, into more natural 'rail geography'.
"This will not only help integrate rail services better, but will also help to blend rail with other modes of public transport."
Mayor Ken Livingstone is in control of other forms of public transport in London, from the buses to riverboats, but rail services are fragmented among private companies.
With SilverLink Metro services set to be incorporated into TfL next year, Mr Cooke wants to see this extended to all commuter rail franchises serving the capital.
He added that the capital's administrative districts should not form the limits of control, pointing to the fact that London Underground services already serve beyond Greater London.
Control should extend, Mr Cooke said, into the commuter belt of the Home Counties and up to London's airports at Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.
In creating a wholly integrated public transport and ticketing system under control of London's mayor, Mr Cooke believes it would be the first step towards giving the capital a "first-class transport network".