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West London Orbital

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104-638: The West London Orbital is a proposed extension to the London Overground railway system. The extension would make use of a combination of existing freight and passenger lines including the Dudding Hill Line , North London Line and Hounslow Loop . The route would run for approximately 11 miles (17 km) from West Hampstead and Hendon at the northern end to Hounslow at the western end via Brent Cross West , Neasden , Harlesden , Old Oak Common , South Acton and Brentford . If

208-708: A heavy rail scheme; there are no other rail tunnels to avoid (as in central London); and the subsoil strata are suitable for modern tunnel boring machines . An unrelated scheme of the same name was previously proposed in June 2008 by the West London Business group. That proposal involved the construction of a new underground line across West and South West London and did not progress beyond concept stage. Additionally, Regional Eurostar proposals meant to send trains from Eurostar lines into Waterloo International station to London Heathrow Airport used parts of

312-474: A 50:50 joint venture between Laing Rail and MTR Corporation , was chosen by TfL on 19 June 2007. The contract was signed on 2 July 2007 for seven years with the option of a two-year extension. In preparation for the launch of the Overground, MTR Laing renamed itself London Overground Rail Operations. In February 2013, it was awarded a concession extension until 14 November 2016. In April 2015, TfL placed

416-661: A TfL application for government funding to upgrade the Piccadilly Line was rejected by the Treasury. That same month, TfL head Mike Brown publicly criticised the government's decision to impose borrowing limits upon the organisation, and there was little long term certainty in terms of funding, necessitating pauses on multiple upgrade programmes. On 22 April 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic , London mayor Sadiq Khan warned that TfL could run out of money to pay staff by

520-709: A considerable portion of the network in Zone 2 . The network also uses Euston in central London, the southern terminus of the Watford DC line. The network interchanges with the Bakerloo , Central , Circle , District , Hammersmith & City , Jubilee , Metropolitan , Northern and Victoria tube lines, and also with the Docklands Light Railway , Elizabeth line and Tramlink networks. The Overground lines appear on Tube maps issued by TfL, and

624-491: A funding shortfall for its upgrades, was denied a request to TfL for an additional £1.75   billion; the matter was instead referred to the PPP arbiter , who stated that £400   million should be provided. On 7 May 2010, Transport for London agreed to buy out Bechtel and Amey ( Ferrovial ), the shareholders of Tube Lines for £310   million, formally ending the PPP. TfL was heavily impacted by multiple bombings on

728-610: A light green background. This ticket stock, coded "TFL" on the reverse, was introduced in November 2007. Oyster PAYG is charged on the same zone-based rules as for the Underground and the Docklands Light Railway . Stations outside Greater London (except Watford Junction) are included in the new Travelcard Zones 7-9 . On 2 January 2008 Acton Central was moved from zone 2 to 3, Hampstead Heath from 3 to 2 and Willesden Junction from 3 to both 2 and 3. Paper tickets are charged on

832-501: A model similar to that used for the Docklands Light Railway , TfL invited tenders for operation of the Overground. Unlike other National Rail operators under the franchise control of the Department for Transport , TfL sets fares, procures rolling stock and decides service levels. The operator takes only a small element of revenue risk, with TfL taking 90% and the operator 10%. The first operator, London Overground Rail Operations ,

936-603: A notice in the Official Journal of the European Union , inviting expressions of interest in operating the next concession. In March 2016, TfL announced that Arriva Rail London had won the right to operate the London Overground concession, starting from 13 November 2016. In June 2023, Arriva announced a contract extension had been secured with TfL, pushing the expiry date to May 2026. Ticketing

1040-516: A number of stations. The stations that did not have barriers when TfL took over have been fitted with standalone Oyster card readers similar to those at ungated Underground and DLR stations. The validators at Blackhorse Road which were needed to enter/exit the Oyster card system when changing to and from the Victoria line were replaced with route validators, coloured pink: these are used to show that

1144-577: A portion of the route of the former Super Outer Circle that was operated by the Midland Railway from 1878 to 1880. The scheme is supported by the Mayor and Transport for London 's Transport Strategy; it is still at the proposal stage, although TfL published a business case for the plans in August 2019. The West London Orbital line consists of a number of distinct sections: The Dudding Hill Line,

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1248-474: A reduction in capital investment by 39% from £1.3 billion to £808 million along with cuts to maintenance and renewal spending by 38% to £201 million. In November 2021, the then Transport Secretary Grant Shapps criticised reports that senior TfL officials would be offered bonuses potentially in excess of £12 million per year in return for efforts to help break-even . By December 2021, the British government and

1352-617: A route from Clapham Junction to the Greenwich Peninsula , intended to improve access from south London to the Millennium Dome . However, this was thwarted by architect Richard Rogers who considered that a railway route on a viaduct could cause "community severance", and so the Victorian brick viaduct was demolished. Nothing further happened to develop this network until after the new Greater London Authority (GLA)

1456-467: A safer and more pleasant experience for passengers. There were "Last Round on the Underground" parties on the night before the ban came into force. Passengers refusing to observe the ban may be refused travel and asked to leave the premises. The GLA reported in 2011 that assaults on London Underground staff had fallen by 15% since the introduction of the ban. Between 2008 and 2022, TfL was engaged in

1560-558: A separate map of the system is available. Much of London Overground passes through less affluent areas, and is seen as contributing to their regeneration. The North London and Gospel Oak to Barking lines were previously considered by the Transport Committee of the London Assembly to be neglected and not developed to their full potential. The new London Overground line names and colours were introduced across

1664-676: A set of daily maximum charges that are the same as buying the nearest equivalent Day Travelcard. In addition to Oyster card, TfL also operates a contactless payment system in London and surrounding areas, which is codenamed CPAY . Almost all contactless Visa, Maestro, MasterCard and American Express debit and credit cards issued in the UK, and also most international cards supporting contactless payment, are accepted for travel on London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, most National Rail, London Tramlink and Bus services. This works in

1768-507: A traveller using Oyster PAYG changed lines at that station, showing which of the possible routes was used. Typically, this avoids paying for zone 1 when the passenger did not travel into it. Ticket stock is common National Rail stock, as Overground services remain part of the National Rail network, but sometimes with a large TfL roundel in the centre and the repeated legend " Rail Settlement Plan " or on newer versions "National Rail" on

1872-662: Is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London , United Kingdom . TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board , which was established in 1933, and several other bodies in the intervening years. Since the current organization's creation in 2000 as part of the Greater London Authority (GLA), TfL has been responsible for operating multiple urban rail networks, including

1976-519: Is a mix of paper, Oyster cards , electronic smart cards and contactless payment cards for "pay-as-you-go" travel. As with all National Rail and TfL services in London, passengers can use a Travelcard (daily, seven-day, monthly or annual); as on other National Rail services in London, paper single, return and cheap day return tickets priced under the zonal fare scheme are also available. As part of an effort to improve safety and protect revenue, TfL has announced that it will introduce ticket barriers at

2080-474: Is expected to be developed in the next 18 months. In March 2023, Mayor Sadiq Khan said that plans were progressing for the link and that timetable assessment by Network Rail was nearly complete. He also said that he hoped a business case for the scheme would be created shortly, allowing strategic decisions to be taken in early 2024. A number of routes have previously been examined for new orbital tube lines and improved connectivity across West and North London. It

2184-516: Is maintained at Willesden Junction and New Cross Gate TMDs , the latter being newly built for the extended East London line. There are also sidings at Silwood Triangle (just north of New Cross depot), built in 2013–14. Satellite locations for stabling trains include Stratford, London Euston and sidings (mainly used by London Northwestern Railway ), and c2c 's East Ham Depot. Train crews are based at stations including Euston, Willesden Junction, Watford Junction, New Cross, Stratford and Gospel Oak. Up to

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2288-529: Is not possible (such as bus receipts, where a logo is a blank roundel with the name "London Buses" to the right). The same range of colours is also used extensively in publicity and on the TfL website. Transport for London has always mounted advertising campaigns to encourage use of the Underground. For example, in 1999, they commissioned artist Stephen Whatley to paint an interior – 'The Grand Staircase' – which he did on location inside Buckingham Palace. This painting

2392-686: The Crossrail programme to construct a new high-frequency hybrid urban – suburban rail service across London and into its suburbs. TfL Rail took over Heathrow Connect services from Paddington to Heathrow in May 2018. In August 2018, four months before the scheduled opening of the core section of the Elizabeth Line , it was announced that completion had been delayed and that the line would not open before autumn 2019. Further postponements ensued. Having an initial budget of £14.8   billion,

2496-794: The Department for Transport (DfT) announced a review of the rail industry in Great Britain. As part of that review, TfL proposed a "London Regional Rail Authority" to give TfL regulatory powers over rail services in and around Greater London. A result of this consultation was agreement by the Secretary of State for Transport , Alistair Darling , to transfer the Silverlink Metro services from DfT to TfL control. Silverlink had two areas of operation: Silverlink County regional services from Euston to Northampton , St Albans Abbey , Bletchley and Bedford ; and Silverlink Metro within

2600-412: The Docklands Light Railway , and updated "to the most modern standards". The transit time from Brent Cross to Surbiton was quoted as 28 minutes, with a maximum train speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). The promoters cited a number of reasons why they believed an underground scheme would be cost-effective at £1.75 billion: with lower tunnelling costs as the tunnel diameter would be smaller than for

2704-558: The Greater London Council (GLC) decided to sponsor an improved service from Camden Road , on the North London line, to North Woolwich, opening up a previously freight-only line between Dalston and Stratford and linking it to an improved Stratford – North Woolwich service. This was given the marketing name Crosstown Linkline , and operated with basic two-car diesel multiple units. The next initiative came from

2808-573: The London Metropolitan Archives . On 17 February 2003, the London congestion charge was introduced, covering the approximate area of the London Inner Ring Road . The congestion charge had been a manifesto promise by Ken Livingstone during the 2000 London Mayoral election . It was introduced to reduce congestion in the centre of the capital as well as to make London more attractive to business investment;

2912-726: The London Underground and Docklands Light Railway , as well as London's buses , taxis , principal road routes, cycling provision, trams , and river services . It does not control all National Rail services in London, although it is responsible for London Overground and Elizabeth line services. The underlying services are provided by a mixture of wholly owned subsidiary companies (principally London Underground), by private sector franchisees (the remaining rail services, trams and most buses) and by licensees (some buses, taxis and river services). Fares are controlled by TfL, rail services fares calculated using numbered zones across

3016-684: The Metropolitan line . The majority of TfL's funding is provided by the GLA and the Mayor of London. Traditionally, the British government via the Department for Transport (DfT) also used to contribute considerably; however, throughout the 2010s, there was a concerted drive by the Conservative government to reduce central government expenditure on TfL, and that the organisation ought to pursue self-sufficiency and make greater efforts to generate its own revenue to supplement its grants. Accordingly,

3120-609: The North London Railway routes from Silverlink Metro. The following day there was an official launch ceremony at Hampstead Heath station with the Mayor of London , Ken Livingstone ; there was also a later media event on the bay platform at Willesden Junction . The launch was accompanied by a marketing campaign entitled "London's new train set", with posters and leaflets carrying an image of model railway packaging containing new Overground trains, tracks and staff. At

3224-511: The Northern line extension and other projects such as step-free schemes at tube stations could be delayed. On 7 May, it was reported that TfL had requested £2 billion in state aid to keep services running until September 2020. On 12 May, TfL documents warned it expected to lose £4 billion due to the pandemic and said it needed £3.2bn to balance a proposed emergency budget for 2021, having lost 90% of its overall income. Without an agreement with

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3328-524: The ON – Overground Network brand. TfL introduced consistent information displays, station signage and maps on the selected routes in South London. Although this pilot was primarily an exercise in branding, some service improvements were introduced, and it was the first instance of the newly created TfL having a visible influence over National Rail services. The pilot scheme was later dropped. In January 2004

3432-469: The Waterloo & City line , were suspended from 20 March, while 40 tube stations were closed on the same day. The Mayor of London and TfL urged people to only use public transport if absolutely essential so that it could be used by critical workers. The London Underground brought in new measures on 25 March to combat the spread of the virus; these included slowing the flow of passengers onto platforms via

3536-663: The East London line became part of the London Overground network when the Phase 1 extension was completed. The former London Underground line was extended northwards, mostly along the former Broad Street viaduct of the North London line, to the re-opened Dalston Junction , and southwards to Crystal Palace and West Croydon . Operations began with a limited preview service between Dalston Junction and New Cross/New Cross Gate, with full operation between Dalston Junction and West Croydon/Crystal Palace on 23 May. On 28 February 2011,

3640-483: The Elizabeth line. In addition to the GLA, the central British government used to provide regular funding for TfL. However, this was tapered off during the 2010s with the aim of the organisation becoming self-sufficient. Direct central government funding for operations ceased during 2018. During 2019–2020, TfL had a budget of £10.3 billion, 47% of which came from fares; the remainder came from grants, mainly from

3744-470: The GLA (33%), borrowing (8%), congestion charging and other income (12%). In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic , fare revenues dropped by 90% and TfL obtained multiple rounds of support from the British government. It also responded with various cutbacks, including a proposal for a 40% reduction in capital expenditure. London's transportation system was unified in 1933, with the creation of

3848-473: The GLA's future financial flexibility. During late 2023, TfL issued further urgent calls for long-term funding to support its operations; it claimed that the British government would need to provide one quarter of its capital investment plans for 2024. The Department of Transport's position has been that long term funding for TfL should be provided via the Mayor of London, and that in excess of £6 billion in extraordinary funding has already been provided. Most of

3952-560: The GLC in 1984, when the government supported the Broadgate development that would entail the demolition of Broad Street station. The closure process was convoluted because of problems in making alternative arrangements for the North London line, and the remaining services operating from Watford Junction to the City . These eventually ran to and from Liverpool Street via a new section of track,

4056-541: The Graham Road Curve. British Rail replaced the existing three-car Class 501 electric trains (built 1957) with slightly newer but shorter two-car Class 416 electric trains (built 1959 ), leading to overcrowding . In 1988, by reorganising and reducing services on the Great Northern routes from Moorgate , about 18 relatively modern Class 313 dual-voltage electric trains were transferred to operate

4160-645: The London Assembly on 8 March 2018, includes plans for a West London Orbital railway line under Proposal 88. The mayor's proposal for the service highlights that utilising new and existing orbital connections in west London could also improve public transport connections in the city centre. The West London Alliance group of local authorities have expressed support for the West London Orbital Scheme, and have confirmed that it will be incorporated in to all Local Plans. Discussions are currently underway between West London councils and London government on

4264-521: The London Overground network. The initial network, service levels and timetables were a continuation of Silverlink Metro services, a set of routes primarily built and electrified by the North London and London & North Western railway companies in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As the Overground name implies, the majority of the network is above ground, and it mostly consists of railway lines that connect areas outside Central London , with

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4368-652: The London Passenger Transport Board, which was succeeded by London Transport Executive, London Transport Board, London Transport Executive (GLC), and London Regional Transport. From 1933 until 2000, these bodies used the London Transport brand. Transport for London was created in 2000 as part of the Greater London Authority (GLA) by the Greater London Authority Act 1999 . The first Commissioner of TfL

4472-401: The London rail network in November 2024 As of May 2023 , the typical off-peak service pattern is: Battersea Park railway station is served by an infrequent parliamentary train service from Dalston Junction , which terminates at Battersea Park instead of Clapham Junction . Since the reorganization of services into the London Overground network, this has been the only service to use

4576-595: The London urban area. When the franchise was split up in 2007, County services were taken over by the London Midland franchise, and the Metro services came under TfL control. TfL decided to let this franchise as a management contract, with TfL taking the revenue risk. On 20 February 2006, the DfT announced that TfL would take over management of services then provided by Silverlink Metro . Tenders were invited to operate

4680-508: The Major of London had implemented three consecutive short-term funding agreements cumulatively costing in excess of £4b to avert closures of several bus routes and tube lines. In August 2022, additional British government support was granted to TfL; the organisation was still unable to meet all spending commitments. In response, a new facility was established to balance TfL's budget via the provision of up to £500 million; this facility restricted

4784-523: The Mayor's Transport Strategy, which stated that London government would work with the relevant boroughs to explore the feasibility of the proposed service, that would become the West London Orbital. In March 2018 the Mayor's Transport Strategy was published, which includes a proposal for this orbital connection to Old Oak between Hounslow and Brent Cross. The London Mayor's Transport Strategy (MTS), published on 28 February 2018 and ratified by

4888-570: The North London Line and the Hounslow Loop. The Dudding Hill line itself has had no scheduled passenger service for over a century. It has no stations, no electrification and a 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limit with semaphore signalling, and is lightly used by freight and very occasional passenger charter trains. It is roughly 4 miles (6.4 km) long. Near the site of Old Oak Common the West London Orbital would connect to

4992-695: The North London and Watford services, from both Euston and Liverpool Street. Several voluntary sector groups, the Railway Development Society (RDS, later Railfuture ), Transport 2000's then London groups, and the Capital Transport Campaign, launched a series of leaflets and briefings promoting a concept called Outer Circle. This name had once been used for a semi-circular service from Broad Street to Mansion House , which ceased during World War I. The pamphlets and briefings, first issued in 1997, initially suggested

5096-540: The North London line trains at Stratford moved to new high-level platforms 1 and 2 from low-level platforms 1 and 2, which were needed for the Docklands Light Railway 's Stratford International service. The new platforms 1 and 2 are an island platform with step-free access to platform 12 and subway links to platforms 3–11. On 27 September 2009, Imperial Wharf station opened on the West London line , between West Brompton and Clapham Junction . On 27 April 2010,

5200-456: The South London line, calling at Queens Road Peckham , Peckham Rye , Denmark Hill , Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road . The extension uses an alignment between Surrey Quays and just north of Queen's Road Peckham that had been disused since 1911; new track was laid after some major civil engineering works. Passive provision has also been made for a new station at Surrey Canal , to be constructed when funding becomes fully available. This

5304-712: The TETRA radio in February 2006, as it was the second smallest line and is a mix of surface and sub surface. That same year, it was rolled out to the District, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Victoria lines, with the Bakerloo, Piccadilly, Jubilee, Waterloo & City and Central lines following during 2007. The final line, the Northern, was handed over in November 2008. The 2010 TfL investment programme included

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5408-525: The Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS). The programme was a celebration of the significant role that women had played in transport over the previous 100 years, following the centennial anniversary of the First World War, when 100,000 women entered the transport industry to take on the responsibilities held by men who enlisted for military service. As early as 2014, an Ultra–Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)

5512-437: The accelerated implementation of underground radio connectivity. On 20 February 2006, the DfT announced that TfL would take over management of services then provided by Silverlink Metro . On 5 September 2006, the London Overground branding was announced, and it was confirmed that the extended East London line would be included. On 11 November 2007, TfL took over the North London Railway routes from Silverlink Metro. At

5616-515: The capital. TfL has overseen various initiatives and infrastructure projects. Throughout the 2000s, a new radio communication system was implemented across its underground lines. Passenger convenience systems, such as the Oyster card and contactless payments , were also provisioned around this time. During 2008, the consumption of alcohol was banned on TfL services; this move has led to a decrease in anti-social behaviour. On 16 August 2016, TfL oversaw

5720-518: The centre of London. They are (in order): Superimposed on these mode-specific regimes is the Travelcard system, which provides zonal tickets with validities from one day to one year, and off-peak variants. These are accepted on the DLR, buses, railways, trams, and the Underground, and provide a discount on many river services fares. The Oyster card is a contactless smart card system introduced for

5824-452: The design, build and maintain contract was £2 billion over twenty years. Various subcontractors were used for the installation work, including Brookvex and Fentons. A key reasoning for the introduction of the system was in light of the King's Cross fire disaster, where efforts by the emergency services were hampered by a lack of radio coverage below ground. Work was due to be completed by

5928-409: The drinking of alcoholic beverages was banned on Tube and London Overground trains, buses, trams, Docklands Light Railway and all stations operated by TfL across London but not those operated by other rail companies. Carrying open containers of alcohol was also banned on public transport operated by TfL. The then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson and TfL announced the ban with the intention of providing

6032-572: The driver. TfL is controlled by a board whose members are appointed by the Mayor of London, a position held by Sadiq Khan since May 2016. The Commissioner of Transport for London reports to the Board and leads a management team with individual functional responsibilities. The body is organised in two main directorates and corporate services, each with responsibility for different aspects and modes of transport . The two main directorates are: TfL's Surface Transport and Traffic Operations Centre (STTOC)

6136-431: The early 2010s, London Overground operated with a conductor or guard on its North London, West London and Gospel Oak services. With the other 60% of Overground services already operated by only a driver, it was decided in 2013 to convert these remaining two-person operated trains to driver only . The London Overground is currently operated by Arriva Rail London under a contract with TfL which expires in 2026. Following

6240-411: The emergency services. The system replaced various separate radio systems for each tube line, and was funded under a private finance initiative . The supply contract was signed in November 1999 with Motorola as the radio provider alongside Thales. Citylink's shareholders are Thales Group (33 per cent), Fluor Corporation (18%), Motorola (10%), Laing Investment (19.5%) and HSBC (19.5%). The cost of

6344-519: The end of 2002, although suffered delays due to the necessity of installing the required equipment on an ageing railway infrastructure with no disruption to the operational railway. On 5 June 2006, the London Assembly published the 7 July Review Committee report, which urged TfL to speed up implementation of the Connect system. The East London line was chosen as the first line to receive

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6448-535: The end of the month unless the government stepped in. Two days later, TfL announced it was furloughing around 7,000 employees, about a quarter of its staff, to help mitigate a 90% reduction in fare revenues. Following the implementation of a lockdown in London on 23 March, Tube journeys had reportedly fallen by 95% and bus journeys by 85%, though TfL continued to operate limited services to allow "essential travel" for key workers. Without government financial support for TfL, London Assembly members warned that Crossrail ,

6552-641: The existing North London Line , and then further south at Acton, use the link down to the Hounslow Loop to reach Brentford and Hounslow . Taken together, this set of routes would be known as the “West London Orbital” railway. In March 2017 the West London Alliance group of local authorities commissioned a study to assess the feasibility of the line so that a decision could be taken as to whether it merited pursuing further. This study found that: In June 2017 Transport for London published

6656-646: The extension were opened, it would improve rail connectivity across West and North-West London and establish a number of new connections to existing radial rail infrastructure including Thameslink , the Jubilee line , the Bakerloo line , High Speed 2 , Crossrail and the Piccadilly line . It was anticipated the line would be operational by the mid-2020s because it makes use of existing underused rail infrastructure rather than requiring significant lengths of new track or tunnels to be built. The planned line would follow

6760-419: The future of the scheme. A number of independent analyses of the scheme have been published, including by Modern Railways magazine and the independent blogging community In April 2019, £320 million of funding was approved for a new Brent Cross West railway station , that would also serve the potential new service. In June 2019, Transport for London published the Strategic Outline Business Case for

6864-490: The government, deputy mayor for transport Heidi Alexander said TfL might have to issue a Section 114 notice - the equivalent of a public body going bust. On 14 May, the UK Government agreed £1.6 billion in emergency funding to keep Tube and bus services running until September - a bailout condemned as "a sticking plaster" by Khan who called for agreement on a new longer-term funding model. On 1 June 2020, TfL released details of its emergency budget for 2020–2021; it involved

6968-536: The historic Thames Tunnel , the oldest tunnel under a navigable river in the world. A peculiarity is that at Whitechapel the London Overground runs below the London Underground (though there are other parts of the network where this occurs, e.g. the Watford Junction to Euston route between Kenton and South Kenton – shared with the Bakerloo line – passes under the Metropolitan line between Northwick Park and Preston Road ). The next addition opened on 9 December 2012, from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction via

7072-417: The imposition of queuing at ticket gates and turning off some escalators. In April, TfL trialled changes encouraging passengers to board London buses by the middle doors to lessen the risks to drivers, after the deaths of 14 TfL workers including nine drivers. This measure was extended to all routes on 20 April, and passengers were no longer required to pay, so that they did not need to use the card reader near

7176-440: The independently produced Ringrail proposals in the early 1970s. Some of these were evaluated in the London Rail Study of 1974 (the Barren Report) and Barren suggested consideration of a North London Network of orbital services, based on a later suggestion by the Ringrail Group, which involved using many existing rail routes, rather than the new construction suggested in earlier drafts of the Ringrail Plan. The proposal from Barren

7280-485: The last 200 years. It both explores the past, with a retrospective look at past days since 1800, and the present-day transport developments and upgrades. The museum also has an extensive depot, situated at Acton , that contains material impossible to display at the central London museum, including many additional road vehicles, trains, collections of signs and advertising materials. The depot has several open weekends each year. There are also occasional heritage train runs on

7384-415: The launch of the Night Tube scheme, which introduced through-the-night services on both the London Underground and London Overground. Perhaps the biggest undertaking it has been responsible for, in this case shared jointly with the national Department for Transport (DfT), was the commissioning of the Crossrail Project ; since its completion in 2022, TfL has been responsible for franchising its operation as

7488-451: The launch, TfL undertook to revamp the routes by improving service frequencies and station facilities, staffing all stations, introducing new rolling stock and allowing Oyster pay as you go throughout the network from the outset. After the takeover, all stations were "deep-cleaned", and Silverlink branding removed. Station signage was replaced with Overground-branded signs using TfL's corporate New Johnston typeface. On 15 April 2009,

7592-464: The launch, TfL undertook to revamp the routes by improving service frequencies and station facilities, staffing all stations, introducing new rolling stock and allowing Oyster pay as you go throughout the network from the outset. This launch was accompanied by a marketing campaign entitled "London's new train set", with posters and leaflets carrying an image of model railway packaging containing new Overground trains, tracks and staff. On 1 June 2008,

7696-445: The line between Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington was opened. In attendance were the Mayor of London and London Underground 's Managing Director. TfL announced in November 2010 that ridership was ahead of forecast at 92,000 a day, and that patronage at Surrey Quays had "gone through the roof". The incorporation of the East London line into the Overground network has added substantial sections of line in tunnel, including

7800-624: The link from platform 2 at Battersea Park to Wandsworth Road . Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon services are served by New Cross Gate Depot . Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford, Watford Junction to Euston, and Gospel Oak to Barking services are served by Willesden Traction Maintenance Depot . London Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Chingford, and Romford to Upminster are served by Ilford EMU Depot , Chingford sidings and Gidea Park Sidings. London Overground's head office and control centre are at Swiss Cottage . Rolling stock

7904-477: The operational budget of almost £700 million per year provided by the DfT by 2015 was to be entirely eliminated by 2020. By February 2018, TfL was projecting a budget deficit of £1 billion, a roughly five-fold increase from 2013, which reportedly threatened its long-term investment plans. Revenue collected from fares was set to make up a greater proportion of TfL's budget, yet a £240 million downturn in ticket sales by mid-2018 had been recorded. In September 2019,

8008-452: The orbital between Willesden Junction and Acton. A number of other notable orbital rail schemes for London have been previously proposed: London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground ) is a suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greater London as well as Hertfordshire , with 113 stations on

8112-535: The police. In an effort to reduce sexual offences and increase reporting, TfL—in conjunction with the British Transport Police , Metropolitan Police Service, and City of London Police —launched Project Guardian . In 2014, TfL launched the 100 years of women in transport campaign in partnership with the Department for Transport , Crossrail , Network Rail , the Women's Engineering Society and

8216-557: The project "LU-PJ231 LU-managed Connect communications", which provided Connect with a new transmission and radio system comprising 290 cell sites with two to three base stations, 1,400 new train mobiles, 7,500 new telephone links and 180 CCTV links. TfL also owns and operates the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden , a museum that conserves, explores and explains London's transport system heritage over

8320-531: The public in 2003, which can be used to pay individual fares (pay as you go) or to carry various Travelcards and other passes. It is used by scanning the card at a yellow card reader. Such readers are found on ticket gates where otherwise a paper ticket could be fed through, allowing the gate to open and the passenger to walk through, and on stand-alone Oyster validators, which do not operate a barrier. Since 2010, Oyster Pay as you go has been available on all National Rail services within London. Oyster Pay as you go has

8424-502: The public sector, the infrastructure (track, trains, tunnels, signals, and stations) were to be leased to private firms for 30 years, during which these companies would implement various improvements. The two consortiums awarded contracts were Tube Lines and Metronet . In July 2007, following financial difficulties, Metronet was placed in administration and its responsibilities were transferred back into public ownership under TfL in May 2008. During 2009, Tube Lines, having encountered

8528-474: The resulting revenue was to be invested in London's transport system. At the time of its implementation, the scheme was the largest ever undertaken by a capital city. During 2003, TfL took over responsibility for the London Underground, after terms for a controversial public-private partnership (PPP) maintenance contract had been agreed. While the Underground trains themselves were operated by

8632-448: The same way as contactless payment cards. The fares are the same as those charged on a debit or credit card, including the same daily capping. During 2020, one in five journeys were made using mobile devices instead of using contactless bank cards, and TfL had become the most popular Apple Pay merchant in the UK. TfL's expertise in contactless payments has led other cities such as New York , Sydney , Brisbane and Boston to license

8736-463: The same way for the passenger as an Oyster card , including the use of capping and reduced fares compared to paper tickets. The widespread use of contactless payment - around 25 million journeys each week - has meant that TfL is now one of Europe's largest contactless merchants, with one in 10 contactless transactions in the UK taking place on the TfL network. Mobile payments - such as Apple Pay , Google Pay and Samsung Pay - are also accepted in

8840-527: The same zone-based rules as for Underground and DLR paper tickets, which were expanded to take in the extra zones covered. Watford Junction has its own fare scale. Paper tickets are significantly more expensive than using Oyster PAYG. Transport for London Sadiq Khan ( L ) Statutory Deputy Mayor Joanne McCartney ( L/Co ) London Assembly Lord Mayor Peter Estlin London boroughs ( list ) Vacant Transport for London ( TfL )

8944-487: The scheme and concluded that there was a strong case for the scheme as it had a medium to high benefit-cost ratio. TfL found that for 8 trains per hour in the core the BCR was between 1.4 and 1.8 and for 4 trains per hour it would be 1.7 to 2.0. As the scheme was found to have a strong business case, TfL stated that it intended to proceed to the next stage which will look at how the scheme can be funded. A more detailed business case

9048-503: The security and smooth running of the 2012 Summer Olympics . The London Underground Network Operations Centre is now located on the fifth floor of Palestra and not within STTOC. The centre featured in the 2013 BBC Two documentary series The Route Masters: Running London's Roads . Transport for London introduced the "Connect" project for radio communications during the 2000s, to improve radio connections for London Underground staff and

9152-446: The service under the provisional name of the North London Railway . On 5 September 2006, London Overground branding was announced, and it was confirmed that the extended East London line would be included. On 25 June 2007, a statutory instrument was laid before parliament to exclude the ex-Silverlink metro lines from the franchising process, which enabled them to be operated as a concession. On 11 November 2007, TfL took over

9256-564: The six lines that make up the network. The Overground forms part of the United Kingdom's National Rail network but it is under the concession control and branding of Transport for London (TfL). Operation has been contracted to Arriva Rail London since 2016. TfL previously assigned orange as a mode-specific colour for the Overground in branding and publicity including the roundel , on the Tube map , trains and stations. In 2024, it

9360-407: The technology from TfL and Cubic . Each of the main transport units has its own corporate identity, formed by differently coloured versions of the standard roundel logo and adding appropriate lettering across the horizontal bar. The roundel rendered in blue without any lettering represents TfL as a whole (see Transport for London logo), as well as used in situations where lettering on the roundel

9464-461: The total cost of Crossrail rose to £18.25   billion by November 2019, and increased further to £18.8   billion by December 2020. On 17 May 2022, the line was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in honour of her Platinum Jubilee . TfL commissioned a survey in 2013 which showed that 15% of women using public transport in London had been the subject of some form of unwanted sexual behaviour but that 90% of incidents were not reported to

9568-622: The transport modes that come under the control of TfL have their own charging and ticketing regimes for single fare. Buses and trams share a common fare and ticketing regime, and the DLR, Overground, Underground, and National Rail services another. Rail service fares in the capital are calculated by a zonal fare system. London is divided into eleven fare zones , with every station on the London Underground , London Overground , Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services, being in one, or in some cases, two zones. The zones are mostly concentric rings of increasing size emanating from

9672-456: The underground and bus systems on 7 July 2005. Numerous TfL staff were recognised in the 2006 New Year honours list for the actions taken on that day, including aiding survivors, removing bodies, and restoring the transport system so that millions of commuters were able to depart London at the end of the workday. The incident was heavily scrutinised, leading to various long term changes being proposed by groups such as London Assembly , including

9776-537: Was Bob Kiley . The first chair was then- Mayor of London Ken Livingstone , and the first deputy chair was Dave Wetzel. Livingstone and Wetzel remained in office until the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor in 2008. Johnson took over as chairman, and in February 2009 fellow-Conservative Daniel Moylan was appointed as his deputy. Transport for London Corporate Archives holds business records for TfL and its predecessor bodies and transport companies. Some early records are also held on behalf of TfL Corporate Archives at

9880-499: Was announced that, while orange would remain the overall Overground brand colour and continue to appear on the roundels, each of the six Overground lines would be given distinct colours and names. Rail services in Great Britain are mostly run under franchises operated by private train operating companies, marketed together as National Rail. The concept of developing a network of orbital services around London goes back to

9984-483: Was considered that the most likely route of the previous proposal would be a north–south route running from Brent Cross to Surbiton , via Wembley Park , Ealing Broadway , Richmond and Kingston fully underground, connecting several London Underground and National Rail lines, including the Elizabeth line at Ealing Broadway. The proposal envisaged an underground driverless light rail train system similar to

10088-571: Was criticised by local politicians during the planning phase of the project. No stations are planned at these locations as the line is on high railway arches, making the cost of any station construction prohibitive. On 31 May 2015, the Liverpool Street to Enfield Town , Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters ) and Chingford services, as well as the Romford to Upminster service, were transferred from Greater Anglia to TfL to become part of

10192-612: Was for several overlapping services mainly using the North London line , generally at 20-minute intervals. The suggested routes followed the original North London line service from Broad Street to Richmond , new services from Barking to Clapham Junction , and a third service from Ealing Broadway to North Woolwich . However, the Wilson government 's continuing antipathy to the railways, along with British Rail 's management's lack of interest in minor local train services, meant that few of these initiatives were carried forward. In 1979,

10296-502: Was introduced ahead of schedule. On 29 August 2023, the ULEZ was expanded to cover all 32 London boroughs, bringing an additional five million people into the zone. During 2020, passenger numbers, along with associated revenue, went into a sharp downturn as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom . In response, TfL services were reduced; specifically, all Night Overground and Night Tube services, as well as all services on

10400-608: Was launched in 2000. But the lobbying discreetly continued, with a series of short briefings published by one RDS member based in North London. Mayoral and GLA candidates were approached to discuss the viability of the Outer Circle concept. The principle was widely supported and was adopted into the first Mayor's Transport Plan, published in 2001. Meanwhile, a pilot scheme was launched in 2003 to bring several National Rail local services, mainly in South London, operated by Connex South Eastern , Southern and South West Trains under

10504-554: Was officially opened by Prince Andrew, Duke of York , in November 2009. The centre monitors and coordinates official responses to traffic congestion, incidents and major events in London. London Buses Command and Control Centre ( CentreComm ), London Streets Traffic Control Centre (LSTCC) and the Metropolitan Police Traffic Operation Control Centre (MetroComm) were brought together under STTOC. STTOC played an important part in

10608-474: Was put on hold in 2009, although a suitable station 'foundation structure' has been built to facilitate completion in the future. Funding for the railway rebuilding project was secured in February 2009, including £64 million from the Department for Transport (DfT) and £15 million from TfL, and construction began in May 2011. The route passes over both Loughborough Junction and Brixton stations without stopping, and this lack of interchange stations

10712-622: Was reproduced on posters and displayed all over the London Underground. During 2010, TfL commissioned artist Mark Wallinger to assist them in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Underground, by creating the Labyrinth Project, with one enamel plaque mounted permanently in each of the Tube's 270 stations. In 2015, in partnership with the London Transport Museum and sponsored by Exterion Media , TfL launched Transported by Design , an 18-month programme of activities. The intention

10816-643: Was under consideration since 2014 under London Mayor Boris Johnson . Johnson announced in 2015 that the zone covering the same areas as the congestion charge would come into operation in September 2020. Sadiq Khan , Johnson's successor, introduced an emissions surcharge, called the Toxicity Charge or "T-Charge", for non-compliant vehicles from 2017. The Toxicity Charge was replaced by the Ultra Low Emission Zone on 8 April 2019, which

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