Boris Johnson’s transport advisor Isabel Dedring, who spends almost two hours commuting on the Northern Line every day, has said that London needs a high-speed “rail bagel” encircling it in order to be able to cope with a population reaching 10 million within the next two decades.
Ms Dedring, deputy mayor for transport at City Hall, said the new light rail and tram schemes being developed for some outer areas can only be viewed as an ” intermediate measure” and the additional capacity that they will provide will be taken up by new arrivals.
“Over the longer term, what we need is high-speed public transport connections to tackle congestion and help (outer London) town centres thrive,” she said.
Ms Dedring is currently in the process of preparing a long-term infrastructure plan, due to be published next spring, for London and is expected to look at airport and road capacity as well.
It is anticipated that the rising demand for transport will see many infrastructure deals funded not just by the Treasury, but by new financing models. For example the Northern Line extension is being funded via a mix of a levy on developers and tax increment financing. This pays for developments on the promise of higher tax revenues from new businesses in the district.
London Overground already operates an orbital commuter route around London, dubbed the M25 of rail, allowing passengers to avoid central London and easing congestion by taking tens of thousands of people out of the middle of London. This is the first orbital rail route for London since the Circle Line was built in 1884.
Report by Jonathan Webb
