New DLR trains part of £8.1bn TfL transport plans
TRANSPORT for London has unveiled plans to spend £8.1 billion on the capital’s road and rail networks by the end of March 2026.
Published on December 1, TfL’s draft Business Plan includes existing funding commitments to procure new trains for the Piccadilly Line and Docklands Light Railway, plus the completion of London Underground’s Four Lines Modernisation programme.
According to the document, the project to expand Bank Tube station will also be completed, as will work to support the first phase of a new entrance and ticket hall at Elephant & Castle station, which is being funded by third parties.
Feasibility work has been funded for a possible DLR extension to Thamesmead, a Bakerloo Line extension, a new West London Orbital railway, and Crossrail 2.
TfL will also develop a pipeline for the next stage of its accessibility programme.
Away from rail, some £150 million a year will be invested in active travel, including new cycleways and safer junctions on major roads.
A London-wide Ultra Low Emissions Zone will be in operation from August 29 2023, supported by new bus services and a £110m car scrappage scheme for Londoners who are disabled and/or on low incomes.
As part of the draft plan, TfL has pledged to achieve operational financial stability by 2023-24. But with its emergency post-pandemic revenue support agreement with government due to expire in April 2024, TfL makes clear that capital investment will need to be secured from Westminster to provide financial certainty beyond that date. It adds that discussions on shared priorities for future capital investment have already commenced.
Ahead of the completion of those negotiations, TfL has included aspirations to procure new rolling stock on the Bakerloo Line and the Croydon tram network, and to embark on signalling upgrades of the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines.
TfL’s recurring savings target of £730m (set in 2019) has been increased to £1bn, owing to the pressure of managing inflation and the requirements of the most recent funding agreement. This means that a further £600m per year will need to be delivered by 2025-26.
These additional efficiencies are expected to be delivered through “improved working practices, driving improvements where possible for colleagues to make TfL a great place to work, and an approach to continuous savings, including efficiencies within our supply chain”.
The plan says that procurement will be “optimised” and that tight controls will be maintained on recruitment and overtime.
“Now that London is emerging from the pandemic, and we have funding certainty into 2024, we can once again look to the future with optimism,” said London’s Interim Transport Commissioner Andy Lord.
“This plan shows how we will work to achieve our vision of being the green heartbeat of London, and how we will continue on the path to financial sustainability while delivering real and vital improvements for the city.
“With improvements like the Elizabeth line, the Overground extension to Barking Riverside, and the extension of the Northern Line to Battersea, we have shown the power of transport investment. With continued government capital investment from April 2024, we can continue to support our city and make it an even better, greener, safer and more successful place.”
The draft Business Plan was due to be considered by the TfL Board on December 7 (as this issue of RAIL went to press).