Title Rail devolution business case narrative 1 Summary

are complex and many trains are heavily crowded at peak times. The concept
of "metroisation" would not only improve the track, junctions and signalling to
increase capacity over time, but also introduce best practice in rolling stock
design in the form of wider doors, more circulation space around door, and
better acceleration and braking. Timetabling would be estimated to the
second, rather than rounded to the near half minute as is current practice, and
freight paths moved to off-peak periods where possible. This combination,
along with more active dispatch staff, would enable reduced station dwell
times, faster journey times and increased train frequencies.
4.28 TfL is well placed to deliver enhancements such as metroisation because it
can:
Prioritise resources across all its networks, leading to better alignment of
overall multi-modal transport decision-making
Align its transport planning with the GLA and Borough land-use planning
more effectively as described in the previous section
See a direct return to the local economies from better railways, and invest
in local railways, even though they are not the most commercially
remunerative
Lever in funding from third party sources with the help of the GLA and the
London Boroughs, as it has with schemes such as the Hackney
Interchange between London Overground and the West Anglia routes
4.29 In contrast, even fairly modest metroisation is proving harder to do elsewhere
in London where such coordination is poorer. For example, various public
sector bodies (London LEP, the London Borough of Haringey, the London
Borough of Enfield, TfL) have contributed over £50m for additional
infrastructure between Stratford, Tottenham and Angel Road in north-east
London in order to catalyse the planned 10,000 new homes at Meridian Water
for which the London Borough of Enfield has spent £70m assembling land and
has selected a development partner. However, at the time of writing, it does
not look like the new franchise will specify an adequate 15 minute interval
train service. This situation simply would not happen if TfL was responsible for
the train service as it would specify the service tightly and ensure the benefits
were delivered.
4.30 Devolution therefore allows TfL to get more out of existing rail assets. Being
the contracting authority gives TfL a mandate to promote schemes required to
metroise the network in a way that it simply does not otherwise. Furthermore it
gives TfL and its close collaborators in the London Boroughs means to earn a
return on its investment, be it a transport return or in terms of regeneration.
This is obviously most significant in south London where the National Rail
network predominates and LU coverage is limited. Metroisation is also
scalable and modular insofar as it is possible to successively add functionality
over the years steadily increasing frequency and capacity and reducing
journey times until its capability is finally optimised. All this can be done at a
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