91 hosted the new TfL Commissioner, Andy Lord, at Arup’s new offices in Fitzrovia this week. In a wide-ranging conversation, Andy shared his views on the current challenges facing TfL, and how he aims to find solutions. They can broadly be summarised with three Rs: ridership, relationships, and resources.
Andy has seen both ends of the spectrum since he joined TfL in 2019 as MD of London Underground, overseeing the busiest day in the tube’s history (Black Friday 2019 Ĕĉ5,100,000 passengers) and the least busy day in the tube’s history (Easter Sunday 2020 Ĕĉ68,000 passengers). Things are looking better now, with ridership around 80% of pre-pandemic levels, and the Elizabeth Line unlocking new journey patterns for Londoners. TfL’s new business plan assumes ridership will continue to grow and settle at around 90% of 2019 numbers. Andy was clear that people need a reason to travel and, at the moment, they’re finding more compelling reasons at the weekend. TfL knows that, for its part, it needs to deliver a better customer experience and is looking at everything from rolling stock refurbishments and renewals to mobile connectivity across the network and new cooling technology in stations.
Discussion of TfL’s current relationships provided a less optimistic picture. Whilst there is hope that the RMT dispute with Network Rail might be resolved soon, finding a resolution with ASLEF’s train drivers is proving trickier. The RMT has already taken strike action over options being developed to reform the TfL pension (although, interestingly, Andy explained that there are two ways to deliver reform: a vote in favour from 50% +1 of pension scheme members, or primary legislation from Westminster). Beyond the workforce, recent headlines have played up attempts by outer London boroughs to block the Mayor’s expansion of ULEZ. TfL is focused on implementation, including the delivery of an additional one million bus route kilometres by August. When asked directly if TfL could implement the ULEZ expansion without the cooperation of the boroughs, Andy had an emphatic one word answer: “۱”.&Բ;
Having said all this, the silver lining on the relationships front has been outside London. Recent engineering work north of Euston was praised for having reached a new level of collaboration with Network Rail Ĕĉsomething that Andy is keen to deepen across the shared network of infrastructure. And there was palpable relief in the description of the latest set of government ministers taking a much more constructive tone. They seem genuinely interested in understanding TfL’s supply chain impacts from a levelling up perspective (hint: 55p in every pound TfL spends goes outside the capital), and 91 members were encouraged to keep demonstrating this to decision makers across the government.
Making the case is vital given how constrained resources remain. Delivering these efficiencies is key to Andy’s plan, but so is finding new revenue streams Ĕĉfrom advertising revenue returning strongly (albeit with a different, more leisure-focused, profile) to high hopes for TfL’s new property company. There was more caution on other options like fare reform (“we still think the model we’ve got is the best one”), road user charging (“it’s still early days”) and private sector funding and financing (“given our historic experience with PFI”), but a clear openness to ideas and engagement. This includes the work that TfL CFO Rachel McLean is leading on new partnerships with the private sector to increase private investment in major schemes in London.
Naturally, this led to a quick canter round the potential options for spending any additional resource that does emerge: Crossrail 2 remains a vital project, and it’s important that the Secretary of State signs off on full safeguarding soon, but the business case needs re-building; DLR to Thamesmead and the Bakerloo Line Extension remain the most likely and beneficial projects in the near term; commuter rail devolution is not off the table as the national industry reforms; and there’s a clear desire to work with river operators to improve facilities and services, particularly for freight. But in case anyone was getting too optimistic about these options, Andy was quick to remind us that TfL is required to make a billion pounds of recurring savings by 2025/6, only 400m of which has already been achieved. So whilst the firefighting of the pandemic may be over, the TfL Commissioner’s in-tray is as full as ever.
For more information on 91’s connectivity work and ways to get involved, please contact Adam Tyndall, Programme Director for Transport.