Forum Topic

Sadie Khan - budget and crossrail

Fully appreciating that the pandemic has put a hole in TFL’s revenue, Khan was already mismanaging the budget pre-pandemic. Can anyone explain why he is not being held publically accountable for the unbelievable delays to crossrail? The first section was due to open in December 2018. These delays are unfathomable and, for once, there is no way he can apportion blame to central government nor anyone else.

James Putland ● 1181d13 Comments

When its properly completed it will have a completely revised timetable but will see reductions of GW non intercity stopping and semi stopping trains into Paddington.Even with the extra capacity it will be unlikely during busier times that seat availability will be in abundance from Hayes Eastbound.

Raymond Havelock ● 1173d

The ones to the Heathrow terminals do though

Peter King ● 1173d

If I'm reading the online TfL 'Elizabeth Line' timetable correctly, the Paddington/Reading trains (both eastbound and westbound) don't stop *at all* at Acton Main Line, West Ealing, Hanwell stations.Does anybody know why this should be?

Tony Heath ● 1173d

Have tried the Lizzy line home from one or two central London stations recently. All fine, a five minute wait at most for a train to Paddington. When you get up to the old station, the trouble begins. Both times I have had a c.20 minutes wait for a train going to either Reading or the airport. I realise the need for tfl to open the line around the Queen's jubilee but it's still not doing its job, was 4 years late and a mere £4b overspent. When you get to Ealing the concourse still isn't fully opened either but the portacabin empire is still blighting Haven Green.

Peter King ● 1173d

The £2.2 Billion to which you refer was accrued from selling land assets of TfL and other land assets held for infra-structure future proofing.He did not do anything to appease the excessive outgoings of TfL nor indeed City Hall.

Raymond Havelock ● 1179d

No fear of that. How long has Khan been in office mismanaging TfL, crime, housing and everything he touches?

N V Brooks ● 1180d

Johnson left a 1.5bn deficit in TFL finances. Before the pandemic, Khan was on course to reach 2.2bn in reserves in March 2020.  Don't let facts get in the way of your prejudice though.

Kevin Wilson ● 1180d

That's true as well. The precedent had been set with the Tube Lines and Metronet debacle.Some of the questions over the years tabled by the GLA to the Mayor and TfL are embarrassingly crass, and failed in persistence to get proper factual and pertinent answers.The previous Mayor was probably the best stand up comedy show I've been to until I realised that not one serious question had actually been asked or answered by anyone.Technology in Rail also changed rapidly during construction but it was in hand.TfL made interventions that led to a huge raft of mistakes but the Mayor and other interventions have been far from helpful and very costly.  Yet at the Western end is a poor compared to the Eastern end.It's still not actually open as designed. It's only open now to allow The Queen to open the Line in her name in her Jubilee Year. Otherwise it would be another year before it's actually complete. It's a fantastic bit of civil engineering.The trains are pretty good albeit way short on seats and comfortable ones.

Raymond Havelock ● 1180d

Crossrail was in progress before Our current Mayor was in charge and also the project structure. If anything the real fault was not in asking more detailed questions by city hall about the project and not having better oversight of the project. When the project overruns and delays were exposed action was taken. in such a complex project that danger of this sort of thing happening is quite high. at least in the more recent restructuring of the project and its planning it has been successful. But City Hall was told for too long that everything was going well when clearly the project management was hiding issues

Peter Chadburn ● 1181d

It was all going smoothly - at least by UK standards until Mayor Khan parachuted his select experts in. Within weeks there were problems of pettiness being blown into costly delays.It was either him and his out of his depth decisions or the band of advisors and consultants seeing an opportunity to make chaos whilst doing very nicely.

Raymond Havelock ● 1181d

For what? He got the plans in place and got it approved. Nothing to do with execution of the project.

James Putland ● 1181d

Boris Johnson stood up in the House of Commons and claimed credit for Crossrail - maybe he should be shouldering some of the blame.

Patrick Hollywood ● 1181d

Tfl are sp09king our money away on commercial radio ads saying that the Elizabeth line is a success despite it being four years late, £4b overspent and still doesn't go all the way through London without changing.

Peter King ● 1181d