Four London Underground lines which run through the heart of East London are to profit from improvements proposed by the Mayor of London in his latest draft business plan.
Due to be abled to the Transport for London (TfL) board at their meeting on Thursday, the plan seeks to create the most efficient and least wasteful transport service ever offered to commuters in London.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has already expressd his intention of increasing the number of tube trains running on the network, including proposals to boost the capacity of the Jubilee line by 17 per cent.
In addition to the Jubilee line capacity increase, Mr Khan plans to increase the capacity on the District and Hammersmith and City lines by around 33 per cent, and the Central line by 60 per cent. The Central Line is set to see new rolling stock by 2023.
Continued rapid growth of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), will be funded by £301 million investment, boosting passenger capacity on the line by 30 per cent, and adding 43 longer trains. Journeys on the DLR have already increased by 50 per cent over the past five years.
In his introduction Mr Khan wrote: “I am asking TfL to use every ounce of its expertise, creativity and energy to achieve our ambitious Business Plan…I am confident we can deliver my vision for an affordable, accessible and modern transport network.”
The document also considers the planned opening of the Elizabeth line, which is currently scheduled for May 2018. Estimated fare revenues amount to £2 billion in the first five years of operation.
Meanwhile traffic congestion across the capital city has become a chronic problem, with city-wide average speeds dropping to a new low of 7.8mph.
The plan also outlines “cutting flabby waste” and making savings of £800 million per annum. Such efficiencies have already led to job cuts, starting with 49 senior managers whose posts have been cut.
Besides increased public transport capacity, the draft business plan also includes the go-ahead for the £90 million Silvertown tunnel project to go ahead, with the Mayor hoping for a completion date in the early 2020s. The Woolwich Ferry will also be upgraded.
TfL has partnered up with Google to “monitor traffic movements around London”. This will enable TfL to be fed real-time data, informing emergency measures and helping to speed up information flow to the travelling public.
Transport Commissioner Mike Brown has commented that if approved the plan will put into effect “the biggest ever overhaul of our organisation.”
