Local London Assembly Member, Joanne McCartney AM has renewed her call for control of the Great Northern Line to be devolved to Transport for London (TfL).
Ms McCartney has written to Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, following the recent chaos caused by the introduction of a new timetable by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Great Northern and Thameslink services in Enfield and Haringey. This revised timetable was designed to improve services, however, hundreds of trains have been cancelled as a result of the changes, causing significant disruption for commuters.
Ms McCartney has consistently called for devolution of the line which runs out of Moorgate and through Enfield and Haringey. An independent report by Non-Executive Director of Network Rail, Chris Gibb, published in 2017, corroborates this, recommending that the line should be handed over to TfL so that it becomes part of the London Overground.
The Mayor has previously remarked that he had seen a new willingness from the Department for Transport to engage in conversations and he is hopeful of progress.
Local London Assembly Member, Joanne McCartney AM, said:
“I am very concerned and disappointed with the disruption caused to local people by the recent delays and cancellations to Great Northern Line services. I completely share the frustration following the new timetable changes, not least because they have affected my daily commute too.
“To hear that the chaos could last until September with a temporary timetable which is greatly reduced, and has many of the new services simply missing altogether, is not acceptable. This was meant to provide a huge boost to our rail capacity, but instead it has turned into a nightmare.
“I have written to the Secretary of State for Transport, GTR and TfL to ask for them to explain what has happened and to look at the case for devolution again. TfL have a proven track record of improving services, including the Lea Valley lines which also run though Enfield and Haringey and are now part of the London Overground. I would like to see this standard of service brought to more members of our local community.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The independent Gibb Report can be read in full here;
- The section of the report where Mr Gibb called for Great Northern Metro Services can be found on Page 51 where he states:
“I believe there is an option to transfer the Great Northern Metro operation to TfL and it’s London Overground concession in 2018. If TfL / the London Overground concessionaire were to take the lead in this transfer, and the implementation of the new trains and service, this could reduce risks associated with the Thameslink programme, led by GTR. However to do this, a decision should be made immediately, and discussions commenced with TfL, GTR and the London Overground concessionaire.”
- The Mayor’s remarks came during Mayor’s Question Time in January 2018. A link to a video of the question is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mhAzsXfvVA
- Joanne McCartney is the Assembly Member for Enfield & Haringey