Latest news with #BakerlooLine
Telegraph
09-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Khan accuses Reeves of ‘levelling down London'
Sir Sadiq Khan has accused Rachel Reeves of 'levelling down' London after she refused to hand over billions for infrastructure projects. The Labour Mayor of London has been battling with the Treasury for funding to pay for the extension of the Bakerloo line and the Docklands Light Railway. He also wanted the Chancellor to give him the green light to impose a tourist tax on visitors to the capital, and to provide millions extra for the Metropolitan Police. But Ms Reeves's spending review, to be unveiled on Wednesday, is not expected to include most of Sir Sadiq's demands. A source close to the Mayor said he would continue 'battling' to get more money out of the Treasury even if he fails at the spending review. They said: 'Over the past nine years as Mayor, Sadiq has fought to deliver for London – in the best interests of Londoners and the whole country. 'We know that when London does well it means the whole country does well, and that it will simply not be possible to achieve national growth ambitions without the right investment and growth in our capital. 'We must not return to the damaging, anti-London approach of the last government, which would not only harm London's vital public services, but jobs and growth across the country.' The spokesman added: 'Sadiq will always stand up for London and has been clear it would be unacceptable if there are no major infrastructure projects for London announced in the spending review and the Met doesn't get the funding it needs… 'It's also important to recognise that parts of London still have some of the highest levels of poverty anywhere in the UK. 'Sadiq will always stand up for London and has been crystal clear that the way to level up other regions is not to level down London.' Reeves's policies A source at the Treasury pointed out that in the year since the Government came to power, Ms Reeves had come out in favour of a third runway at Heathrow and the expansion of Gatwick, Luton and City airports. The Treasury has also expanded late licencing in the capital, given approval to the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, allocated money so that HS2 will run to London Euston and provided money for free school meals. Last week, Ms Reeves announced £15 billion more to be spent on transport infrastructure outside London and the south-east, part of what was seen as a rebalancing of government priorities away from the capital Research released on Monday from IPPR North found that if the north of England had received the same per person spending as the capital in the past decade, it would have received £140 billion more – enough to build seven Elizabeth lines. Over the decade to 2022/23, each year London received £1,183 per person, while the north of England got £486 per person and the Midlands £455.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
'We're doing what Sadiq Khan can't!' Fed-up commuters take matters in their own hands and scrub graffiti off Tube trains
They are the UK's oldest passenger trains in regular scheduled use, and are known for their rather tired feel and appearance given they started running in the 1970s. But a group of volunteers so angered by graffiti-covered carriages on the London Underground 's Bakerloo line have taken matters into their hands to clean them up. The team led by Joe Reeve, 28, are now attracting praise from Transport for London (TfL) train drivers and passengers who have thanked them for their efforts. Mr Reeve, who is the founder of a policy group called Looking for Growth, has been critical of London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan - saying he is 'doing what Sadiq Khant'. Speaking about wider concerns about the state of the Tube, he told The Standard: 'I take the Bakerloo line every morning and I see someone push past the barrier. 'Then when I get down to the Tube, every single carriage is full of graffiti. It feels like no one is doing anything to make the city better. I'm pretty patriotic. 'I love London, and I think it should be the best city in the world. I had the option to move to the US for work, but I want to stay in the UK and see it get better.' He added: 'Sadiq has been mayor for a while and has said in videos he's proud of what he's achieved. I - and a lot of people - feel pretty frustrated with him.' Mr Reeve, who lives in Lambeth, South London, said three drivers have thanked the group for their efforts, with one telling them: 'At least someone's doing something.' TfL claims that it works to remove graffiti as quickly as possible - but where it cannot be removed easily, it is covered if possible and cleaned during engineering hours. The aim is to keep trains out on the network and minimise passenger delays. Susan Hall, leader of the City Hall Conservative Group, told MailOnline: 'A group of activists in one morning have put Khan and TfL to shame by showing how easy it is to clean up our Tube. 'It's disappointing that the Mayor constantly has to be humiliated into acting, but we look forward to legions of TfL staff being put to good use wiping down the remaining graffiti which has adorned Tube carriages for disgracefully too long.' It comes after shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick highlighted fare dodging on the TfL network last month. He released a video in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at Stratford station, and it quickly went viral. Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, told MailOnline today: 'The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority. 'We are working closely with the police to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour on the network, with over 2,500 police and police community support officers and 500 TfL enforcement staff patrolling the network at all times. 'We work hard to ensure that our customers and staff feel safe when travelling on the network and continue to strengthen our capability to deter and detect fare evaders and ensure our trains and stations remain a pleasant and clean environment for passengers.' The current rate of fare evasion on the TfL network is estimated at 3.4 per cent of journeys, and the transport body wants to cut this to 1.5 per cent by 2030. The issue has also been highlighted by the ongoing Channel 5 documentary 'Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law' which is next airing this Sunday at 9pm. The Bakerloo line runs from Elephant and Castle to Harrow & Wealdstone, with the current set of 1972 Mark 2 stock trains now more than half a century old.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watch: Londoners remove graffiti from Tube in swipe at Sadiq Khan
Credit: X/ @isnit0 A group of Londoners have filmed themselves removing graffiti from inside tube trains in a swipe at Sadiq Khan. The group, founded Joe Reeve, a 28-year-old Londoner, say they are 'doing what Sadiq Khan can't' by cleaning up Bakerloo Line carriages. It comes after Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, confronted fare dodgers on the tube in a video which has been viewed millions of times on X. Mr Reeve said: 'I take the Bakerloo line every morning and I see someone push past the barrier. 'Then when I get down to the Tube, every single carriage is full of graffiti. It feels like no one is doing anything to make the city better,' he told the London Standard. Mr Reeve is the co-founder of political lobbying group Looking For Growth, which says it was founded to challenge 'high energy costs, excessive bureaucracy, and a Government that has lost its ambition'. Mr Reeve, who was wearing a hi-vis vest with the slogan 'Doing what Sadiq Khant', was joined by Tom Harwood, a GB News presenter. Mr Harwood posted on X: 'I'm absolutely sick of seeing endless disgusting graffiti on the tube.' In a video, he added: 'We have been wiping away, swiping away, with eco-friendly graffiti remover… 'A couple of guys with cheap graffiti remover can make it look slightly less terrible. You can too!' The Bakerloo Line has the oldest passenger trains in regular scheduled use in the whole of the UK. Its 1972 Mark 2 stock trains are now 53 years old, well beyond their design lifespan of 40 years. The original 1972 Mark 1 trains were used on the Northern Line, but were withdrawn in the mid-1990s when faster and more spacious rolling stock was introduced. Although TfL wants to order replacement trains from German company Siemens, doing so is estimated to cost around £1.9 billion. Rail magazine reported earlier this year that even that price could soar because it is based on adding trains to an existing order with Siemens for new Piccadilly Line stock. If that order is fully delivered before a decision is made about the Bakerloo, the production line would have to be restarted. TfL was contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
08-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Watch: Londoners remove graffiti from Tube in swipe at Sadiq Khan
A group of Londoners have filmed themselves removing graffiti from inside tube trains in a swipe at Sadiq Khan. The group, founded Joe Reeve, a 28-year-old Londoner, say they are 'doing what Sadiq Khan can't' by cleaning up Bakerloo Line carriages. It comes after Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, confronted fare dodgers on the tube in a video which has been viewed millions of times on X. Mr Reeve said: 'I take the Bakerloo line every morning and I see someone push past the barrier. 'Then when I get down to the Tube, every single carriage is full of graffiti. It feels like no one is doing anything to make the city better,' he told the London Standard. Mr Reeve is the co-founder of political lobbying group Looking For Growth, which says it was founded to challenge 'high energy costs, excessive bureaucracy, and a Government that has lost its ambition'. Mr Reeve, who was wearing a hi-vis vest with the slogan 'Doing what Sadiq Khant', was joined by Tom Harwood, a GB News presenter. Mr Harwood posted on X: 'I'm absolutely sick of seeing endless disgusting graffiti on the tube.' In a video, he added: 'We have been wiping away, swiping away, with eco-friendly graffiti remover… 'A couple of guys with cheap graffiti remover can make it look slightly less terrible. You can too!' The Bakerloo Line has the oldest passenger trains in regular scheduled use in the whole of the UK. Its 1972 Mark 2 stock trains are now 53 years old, well beyond their design lifespan of 40 years. The original 1972 Mark 1 trains were used on the Northern Line, but were withdrawn in the mid-1990s when faster and more spacious rolling stock was introduced. Although TfL wants to order replacement trains from German company Siemens, doing so is estimated to cost around £1.9 billion. Rail magazine reported earlier this year that even that price could soar because it is based on adding trains to an existing order with Siemens for new Piccadilly Line stock. If that order is fully delivered before a decision is made about the Bakerloo, the production line would have to be restarted.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ranking boroughs most desperate for the London Underground Bakerloo line extension
Residents and businesses across London have thrown their support behind the proposed Bakerloo line extension, with 76 per cent of locals in boroughs along the proposed new route backing the scheme. The data comes from a set of surveys commissioned by Central London Forward, working alongside alongside Southwark Council, Lewisham Council and Business for Bakerloo, to understand the level of support behind the Tube line upgrade. The scheme would see the service extending to serve Lewisham via Southwark, as well as the opportunity to extend the service further to Hayes and Beckenham Junction. The survey saw 1,014 residents across seven London boroughs being questioned on the scheme. Brent was listed as showing the greatest support for the extension, with 81 per cent of residents backing the scheme. This was closely followed by Lewisham and Southwark, with 79 and 78 per cent respectively. READ MORE: The old London Underground route we wish still existed that went all the way to the seaside READ MORE: Britain's 'most woke' £2m roundabout due to open next week Harrow, Westminster and Lambeth residents all demonstrated a similar level of support, with approximately 75 per cent of those surveyed approving of the upgrade. Bromley respondents were more unsure, as 69 per cent backed the scheme while 24 per cent said they might support it. Regarding local businesses, 95 per cent of businesses surveyed in Brent expressed support for the scheme, while 90 per cent of Bromley businesses backed the proposal. Overall, 88 per cent of the 446 businesses in the area of the extension support the scheme, while 90 per cent of the 459 businesses which were not within the area also approved of it. Labour Councillor Claire Holland, leader of Lambeth Council said: "London needs to invest in its transport infrastructure to drive job creation and increase housing delivery. The Bakerloo line Upgrade and Extension is expected to support the creation of 150,000 good jobs and the delivery of 107,000 new homes across its length. Nearly 80 per cent of residents in Lambeth support the proposals." She added: "As a council we are keenly focussed on growth opportunities that benefit Lambeth residents. The extension would be a major boost for growth in Waterloo, better connecting the area's world-class arts & cultural institutions, thriving hospitality sector and major employers to the rest of South East London." Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in February this year that the route for the proposed extension had been safeguarded by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. The comments came during the launch of the London Growth Plan, detailing ambitions for local leaders to work alongside the government to deliver transport projects such as the Bakerloo extension. Sir Sadiq told MyLondon at the launch event on February 27 : "We've safeguarded the route [this week] with the transport secretary, putting the case to her about the importance of the Bakerloo line extension. We're also keen to get government green light for the DLR extension to Thamesmead." He added: "Here's the point, the government rightly wants more homes. The government rightly wants more jobs, wealth, prosperity. Well giving the green light to these pieces of transport infrastructure does just that. More homes, better public transport, more jobs, more growth, more prosperity." Have a story you want to share? Email Don't miss out on the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MySouthLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more.
