TfL appoints London Overground operator to run additional services
29 May 2014 12:42 PM
First new trains on new
London Overground routes to arrive in summer 2018. Station upgrades programme
to be rolled out following takeover.
Transport for London (TfL) has
agreed to appoint LOROL, the London Overground train operator, on an interim
basis to run local services out of Liverpool Street Station to north east
London and improve standards for passengers.
LOROL (London Overground Rail
Operations Ltd) will run the services – currently managed under the
Greater Anglia franchise – between Liverpool Street and Enfield Town,
Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford as well as those on the Romford to
Upminster line for 17 months starting on 31 May next year.
The London Overground
concession, including these latest additions, will then be re-let following an
established bidding process.
Under TfL, and from day one of
the transfer, passengers can look forward to seeing staff at all London
Overground -managed stations while trains are running.
Their presence will bring
immediate improvements to station security, safety and accessibility. Oyster
will continue to be available to passengers who will also be able to use
contactless payment cards for the same PAYG fare.
They will be able to take
advantage of TfL’s extensive multi-media travel service information.
In a rolling programme, all of
the stations will be thoroughly cleaned, and have new, modern ticket machines
installed.
The trains will also be fully
cleaned but TfL has ordered new ones which will carry more people more reliably
than before.
LOROL has operated London
Overground for TfL, since 2007.
During that time the network has
been significantly extended, carrying more people than ever, and it has become
one of the most punctual railways in the UK.
The Director of London Rail,
Jonathan Fox, who leads TfL’s mainline rail business said: “London
Overground is coming to West Anglia and will bring more staff, simpler
ticketing and, eventually, brand new trains to these lines. LOROL has a
proven record on delivery and I'm pleased that this will now extend to West
Anglia.”
LOROL will take over the new
routes on 31 May 2015 and run them until November 2016 when the current London
Overground concession is due to end.
- The delivery of a new fleet of
trains for these routes is being planned with the first of the new units
arriving in summer 2018.
- Until then the existing West
Anglia train fleet – after deep cleaning - will continue to be
used
TfL intends to improve the
performance and reliability of the services by:
- agreeing a contract which will
focus the operator’s resources on the delivery of benefits to
passengers
- providing a new train fleet with
less risk of failure
- close working with Network
Rail
- Preliminary work on the
procurement of the new London Overground Concession due for issue in 2016 which
will include these Liverpool Street station services has already
begun
- LOROL began operating the
seven-year London Overground concession in November 2007. Under a contractual
option, this was extended by two years until November 2016 following the
successful delivery of Olympic services