Rail Professional July 2022

Page 54

54

| SPOTLIGHT

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is the integrated transport authority responsible for delivering the Mayor of London’s strategy and commitments on transport

E

very day around 30 million journeys are made across the network and TfL keeps the city moving, runs the day-to-day operation of the Capital’s public transport network and manages London’s main roads. The services operated include London Underground, London Buses, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, TfL Rail, London Trams, London River Services, London Dial-a-Ride, Victoria Coach Station, Santander Cycles and the Emirates Air Line. TfL provides modern ways to pay through Oyster and contactless payment cards and provides live travel information via the app TFL Go, which allows users to get live updates on their journey, and advises on the most accessible routes for those with reduced mobility. The TfL programme of transport capital investment is one of the world’s largest. It is modernising Tube services and stations, transforming the road network and making it safer, especially for more vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. It is also working hard to help customers with reduced mobility access stations, as one third of London underground stations are now step-free. TfL Rail TfL started managing the Liverpool Street to Shenfield rail service in May 2015 and the running of eleven stations between Acton Main Line and Taplow (excluding Slough station) in December 2017. Those stations transferred to TfL Rail outside London were included because they are part of an existing rail route. TfL Rail does not affect the ‘fast’ trains that serve major stops such as Southend-onSea. These are still the responsibility of the Government and run alongside TfL services. TfL has overall responsibility for the train frequency specifications, standards for station facilities and overall performance as well as fares and revenue management. Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, visited Paddington Elizabeth line station on 17 May 2022 to mark the completion of the transformational new railway ahead of its opening later on in May 2022. It is due to run twelve trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood, transforming travel across London and the South East Rail Professional

by improving transport links and cutting journey times. It will initially operate as three separate railways, with services from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield connecting with the central tunnels from autumn 2022. Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) opened in 1987 and operates as a driverless, computerised system with performance and dependability among the best in the UK. The DLR network of 45 stations has multiple connections with the Tube, buses, National Rail, Overground, river and coach services and runs 149 vehicles. The DLR is currently the busiest light railway in the UK, with over 400,000 journeys made each weekday.The DLR is operated by KeolisAmey Docklands (KAD) under a franchisee contract awarded by TfL. It operates the trains, stations and maintains much of the network. KAD took over the franchise from Serco Docklands in December 2014. A contract was awarded to Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A (CAF) in June 2019 to replace some of the oldest trains operating on the network. The new fleet of walk-through trains are expected to start entering passenger service from 2023 providing a number of customer improvements, including the latest audio and visual real-time travel information, air conditioning and mobile device charging points.

London Overground TfL is responsible for London Overground – a group of orbital lines serving many areas of the Capital. Launched in 2007, around a third of all Londoners are within walking distance of a London Overground station. There are six London Overground routes that, together, form an outer London orbital network. This route travels through 23 London boroughs, as well as southern Hertfordshire and serves 112 stations. Upgrades to London Overground stations is ongoing, with improved ticket halls and gates, installed lifts, widened entrances, improved shelters and increased cycle parking to name a few of the improvements to service. In November 2016 Arriva began to manage the network’s stations and trains on a day-to-day basis. Network Rail manages and maintains most of the track and signals, as London Overground is part of the National Rail network. London Trams TfL took over the running of Trams in 2008 and completely refurbished the Trams network which had been created eight years earlier. Trams offer frequent services from Croydon to Wimbledon, Beckenham Junction, Elmers End and New Addington. TfL sets the specifications for tram frequency and overall performance, is responsible for fares and revenue, carries out maintenance, and plans and funds improvements and extensions to the


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.