Mayor's Office Archives - London Reconnections

Schrodinger’s Cab Firm: Uber’s Existential Crisis

On 27 November 2019 By John Bull In Long reads, Mayor's Office, Roads, Technology, TfL, Uber

London’s minicab regulator, TfL, has revoked Uber’s licence to operate in the British capital, one of its largest world markets. Getting that licence back may require the firm to finally confront a question it cannot …

Crossrail: Breaking Down the Crisis

On 13 December 2018 By John Bull In Crossrail, London Assembly, Mayor's Office, TfL

On Thursday 26th July 2018 a meeting took place at City Hall. The subject was Crossrail – the Elizabeth line – and whether it would open on time. Up front were Simon Wright, Crossrail’s then-CEO, and Sir Terry Morgan, its Chairman. To the assembled senior officials from TfL and City Hall, their presentation would have left little room for doubt: Crossrail would not be ready to open in December.

The Metropolitan Line Extension: Deadline Day

On 31 December 2017 By John Bull In Boris Johnson, DfT, Mayor's Office, Metropolitan line, TfL

On 26 March 2015, outgoing London Mayor and current Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson issued Mayoral Decision MD1478. Based on a cost estimate only 50% likely to be correct, London agreed to fund a transport project, with no cost ceiling, that primarily benefitted a Conservative marginal seat outside of the capital. This is the story of the troubled Metropolitan Line Extension to Watford.

Overgrounded: How London’s Dream of Rail Devolution Died

On 6 January 2017 By John Bull In DfT, London Overground, Mayor's Office, Railways

There are those who believe that London’s local rail services would be better managed by TfL. For most of 2016 all the signs seemed to indicate that TfL would be invited to do just that. …

The 2017 TfL Fare Changes: Perception and Reality

On 21 November 2016 By John Bull In Mayor's Office, TfL

On 18 November 2016 the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, confirmed the TfL fares for 2017. As part of this he announced a four-year ‘fare freeze’ on all ‘TfL fares’ starting next year, meeting his …

A Glimpse At The Transport Path Ahead

On 16 May 2016 By Nicole Badstuber In Mayor's Office, Mayor's Transport Strategy, TfL

A TfL presentation delivered to Sadiq Khan, the newly elected Mayor of London, has surfaced online. It offers an insight into the transport announcements we can expect in the near future. It also indicates a …

The Politics of Integration

On 22 April 2016 By John Bull In London Assembly, Mayor's Office, Mayoral Elections

We sit down with Green Party mayoral candidate Sian Berry and talk about integrated transport, tackling air pollution and challenging transport tradition.

The Politics of Doing Not Being

On 8 April 2016 By John Bull In Mayor's Office, Mayoral Elections, Politics

To regular readers of London Reconnections the name Caroline Pidgeon will be a familiar one. A veteran of London politics and one of the leading voices on transport issues within the capital for over eight …

The QE Tube: What’s In A Name?

On 24 February 2016 By John Bull In Crossrail, London Underground, Mayor's Office

“It is a gutter title” complained The Railway Magazine. “Not what we expect from a railway company.” The line in question was the Bakerloo, and just how it got that name has always been subject …

London 2050 (Part 1): The Trillion Pound Time Warp

On 3 August 2014 By Jonathan Roberts In Boris Johnson, Construction projects, London Assembly, Mayor's Office, TfL

In both science and science fiction, time warps are where there is a multi-dimensional fold in the space-time continuum which allow the traveller to pass from one space-time environment to another, as easily as stepping off an escalator at Kings Cross. The London Infrastructure Plan 2050 (‘London 2050’), published in July by the Mayor and directed by Isabel Dedring and many GLA staff, TfL and other colleagues, is an attempt to provide the London of today with a blueprint for such a transition to the London of tomorrow.

Suburban Commandos: Transport and London 2050

On 6 April 2014 By Jonathan Roberts In Board meetings, Construction projects, DfT, London Assembly, London Overground, London Underground, Mayor's Office, Mayor's Transport Strategy, Rail devolution, TfL

Londoners with a particular interest in politics and planning may have noticed a new phrase appear in the lexicon of both in recent months – London 2050. In this article we take a closer look at precisely what that phrase means, and how thinking is shaping up so far. For when it comes to transport infrastructure 2050 is far closer than one might think.

Category: Mayor’s Office