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Ken: I'll take control of Croydon Tramlink
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard11 Apr 2008
Ken Livingstone today promised to spend nearly £100 million buying Croydon Tramlink back from its private owners.
The Mayor said contractor Tramtrack Croydon Limited had failed to run the system effectively and Transport for London should take control.
He also plans to extend the tram lines, which carry 25 million passengers every year, to Crystal Palace. Under the Mayor's proposals, TfL will buy control of Tramtrack Croydon's 99-year lease for £98 million, saving TfL £4 million a year in payments to the contractor.
He said: "The Croydon tram is vital to the hundreds of thousands of Londoners who use it but has been allowed to gradually fall into disrepair.
"It is a reminder that the Conservative policy of privatising vital transport services has failed. Long-term investment and even basic maintenance ground to a halt when the owner was not making enough profit to repay its debt.
"If I'm re-elected as Mayor we will immediately get to work cleaning up stations, refurbishing trains and improving safety.
"And we will start ... upgrading trains and track, adding more capacity with extra carriages and extending the line to Crystal Palace."
Reader views (6)
This tram runs perfectly for the people in this area. Never long to wait, always excellently clean and excellent stations to wait for it on.
Please don't let Red Ken get his hands on this tram link - it will never be so good again and we shall all have to return to our cars to go to Croydon or Wimbledon.
- Joan Battershill, Mitcham Surrey, 15/04/2008 19:01
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Ttypical of red Ken {and all labour} spend, spend, spend! Why not save, save, save our money for a change?
Get a grip on things and make them more efficient.
- Charlie, Upminster, Essex, 15/04/2008 17:31
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If there is £100 million to spare in the kitty. I'm sure there are better things to spend it on.
- Alan, Romford, 14/04/2008 23:26
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Has Ken not just privatised the East London Line on the Underground - when it reopens it will be run by a private firm - I think that is called privatisation.
- Nick, Barnet, 11/04/2008 19:35
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Must be nice to be able to spend £100m that someone else is paying for.
- Dave, Croydon, 11/04/2008 17:05
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More control. Who was it who once said TfL stands for Taliban for London?
- Steve, London, 11/04/2008 16:14
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