Transport for London has drawn up a “wish list” of new schemes that it hopes will win Government funding, including new trains for the Bakerloo line and an extension of the DLR to Thamesmead.
Officials say that billions of pounds are desperately needed to tackle an “historic backlog” in repairs, such as the problems that brought months of chaos to the Central line last year and which has forced roads around Brent Cross to be closed.
TfL has submitted the “wish list” to the Treasury ahead of the Chancellor’s summer spending review. It hopes that Rachel Reeves will offer a multi-year deal, offering it – and its supply chain across the UK – certainty about funding until the end of the decade.
TfL has not made public how much it is seeking but it previously sought £500m a year, and received £485m last year, including £24m for 10 new Elizabeth line trains.
However the decision not to publish a figure may be viewed with suspicion by the political rivals of Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan, who claim he is not demanding as much from the Labour government as he did from the previous Tory government.
TfL commissioner Andy Lord said a series of options had been presented to Ministers. These included the signalling upgrade of the Piccadilly line, new trains for the Bakerloo line – to replace a 52-year-old fleet – and “growth schemes” such as the Bakerloo line extension and the DLR extension to Thamesmead, both of which are currently unfunded.
TfL’s group finance director Patrick Doig said that it was seeking Government help to “address this historic backlog” in repairs and major projects.
Mr Lord said the backlog had primarily been caused by the pandemic, when TfL’s dire lack of cash forced the suspension of upgrades such as the £500m Central line investment programme to keep the line’s fleet of trains running for another decade or more.
TfL is projected to make a £50m “operating surplus” in 2024/25 – well below expectations and the previous year’s £138m surplus.
Mr Lord told the TfL board that achieving a surplus for two successive years had been “blood hard – and next year looks even harder”.
This is because the lack of economic growth across the UK has meant there have been 100m fewer journeys than hoped on TfL services since last April, though the total number of journeys is up 1.6 per cent on the previous year.
Speaking to The Standard, Mr Lord said there was a “really strong case” for Government investment in TfL as it tied in with the wider “growth” agenda.
TfL wants to be able to place an order for a new fleet of Bakerloo trains by the end of 2026, so that they can be built by Siemens in Goole as soon as the factory finishes making the new fleet of Piccadilly line trains.
Mr Lord said a “great outcome” from the spending review would be getting the green light for “at least one” of the two hoped-for extensions, namely to the Bakerloo line or the DLR network.
Only two trains have been modernised and re-entered service from the Central line improvement programme, though a third is due “imminently”. Many more trains will be “pumped out” in 2026, Mr Lord promised.
An independent report commissioned by TfL found that in 2022/23 and 2023/24 more than £12bn was spent by TfL with more than 3,000 UK suppliers, supporting 100,000 jobs a year.
This included £520m on the Bank station capacity upgrade – money that was spread across 661 suppliers, of which more than half were outside London.
The London Overground extension to Barking Riverside cost £195m, which was spent on 327 different suppliers, of which 65 per cent were outside the capital.
Major roads affected by a lack of funding include the A41 flyover at Brent Cross and the A40 Westway flyover in west London.
Sir Sadiq said: “Piccadilly line trains are being produced in Goole, Elizabeth line trains in Derby, and zero-emission buses in Ballymena, Falkirk, and Yorkshire.
“I look forward to working constructively to secure a long-term multi-year funding deal for TfL, which is essential to retain London’s status as a global city that supports inward investment for the UK economy.”
