Andrew Dismore

Labour London Assembly Member and candidate for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore AM has welcomed the announcement from Sadiq Khan, Labour candidate for Mayor of London, concerning step free access at West Hampstead and Thameslink services .

 

Sadiq Khan said:

‘If Andrew and I  are  elected, we will ensure TfL review plans for step-free access at West Hampstead tube station and press the Government to transfer urgently responsibility for Thameslink services to TfL’

 

Andrew Dismore said:

‘This is very welcome news. It is wrong, that with West Hampstead designated a zone for greater intensification of housing due to its transport links, that while 2 out of the 3 stations serving the area are step free, the Tube is not.

‘Sadiq’s announcement takes us another step further to realising this important goal.

‘Of equal importance is Sadiq’s commitment to urge an earlier transfer of Thameslink to TfL. Thameslink’s performance has gone from bad to worse since Govia took it over, and it is the most unpopular rail line in the country.

‘A golden opportunity was missed by the Government last year, when the franchise came up for renewal and TfL weren’t even allowed to bid. Now the Government has done an overdue but  welcome U turn on allowing TfL to take over. However  commuters cannot be expected to wait till 2021 for this to happen, when the Government say it will take effect. The service is  so bad, there must be a strong case for terminating the franchise, and this would be a good time for TfL to take over’.