Further devolution of London’s suburban railways was among the policies in the London Growth Plan revealed last week.
Since taking office in 2016, Sadiq Khan has consistently called for most London rail services to be handed over to Transport for London (TfL).
This includes the Great Northern and Southeastern franchises, which have been earmarked for devolution in the Mayor’s latest blueprint.
If realised, this would add new routes to the TfL network, which currently includes the Underground, Overground, DLR and Elizabeth line.
The Mayor has previously suggested that new routes would be incorporated into the Overground map.
TfL says that it has a track record of delivering reliable and affordable train services, and that rail devolution would standardise fares across the capital.
This could unlock up to 4,000 new homes along Great Northern routes, and between 10,000 and 20,000 new homes near Southeastern stations, the new Growth Plan claims.
Other rail priorities set out in the blueprint include a Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham and a DLR extension to Thamesmead.
A further Overground route in north west London – the West London Orbital – is also proposed.
The Growth Plan continues to reiterate the Mayor’s support for Crossrail 2, which would be a brand new rail link running north to south.
TfL currently estimates that this project is unlikely to be realised before the mid-to-late 2040s, so it is clear that many of the policies are long-term goals.
Currently, the only existing business case for the devolution of London’s suburban railway routes to TfL relates to the Great Northern franchise.
If approved, it would not be the first time that a suburban railway line came under the control of TfL and a London Mayor.
Ken Livingstone turned the Silverlink franchise into the London Overground, which Boris Johnson added to by taking over West Anglia in 2015.
