A NEW report by councillors is recommending a major expansion of Transport for London’s suburban rail network, after claiming that “passengers’ experience of the rail network in London is often poor, and appears to be getting worse”.
The findings by the London Assembly include the replacement of the DfT by TfL as the manager of suburban lines, but the Rail Delivery Group has resisted the idea, claiming that London lines produce ‘some of the best passenger satisfaction levels’.
RDG members include franchised operators, whereas Transport for London has adopted the concession model, in which the chosen operator has no discretion about fares, timetables or branding, and essentially undertakes to run specified services in return for a fee.