The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has issued a dire warning that an entire Tube line could close if the government does not grant TfL the emergency and long-term funding it needs to maintain the capital’s transport services. 

The current emergency funding deal with the government expires on 11 December. The mayor has previously warned how failure to provide enough operational and capital funding for TfL means it won’t be long before London transport will be forced to move into a ‘managed decline’, potentially leading to run-down services reminiscent of the 1970s and 80s. 

According to the mayor’s office, this could mean more than 100 bus routes being withdrawn and less frequent Tube timetables on a number of lines and branches, with more overcrowding despite the ongoing importance of social distancing. Without additional government support, deteriorating public transport services and an increase in road and tunnel closures would cause widespread disruption and gridlock across the capital and put the national economic recovery at risk.

Such is the scale of savings that could be required, TfL is even having to look at going further and potentially closing a whole tube line. This stark picture was painted by Sadiq Khan at a Centre for London speech today (30.11.21), during which he urged business leaders, policy makers and local government leaders to join him in making the case to the government that TfL needs to be funded properly.  

To ensure that TfL can continue to play its vital role in the recovery, £500m in operational support is needed from the government through to the end of the financial year 2021/22, and around £1.2bn will be needed for the financial year 2022/23. Beyond that, TfL needs sustainable capital investment. London’s transport network dates from the 19th century and is therefore in need of constant investment even just to keep it running safely and reliably.

Speaking at the Centre for London, mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I agree with the government and mayors across the country when they say other regions should have ‘London-style’ transport services. But the irony is that a failure to provide enough operational and capital funding for TfL means that it won’t be long before London itself will no longer have ‘London-style’ transport services. Instead, we’ll be forced to move into managed decline – leading to run-down services reminiscent of the 1970s and 80s.     

“This is no exaggeration. If the government continues to starve TfL of funding, bus services would have to be reduced by almost a fifth, and Tube services would need to be cut by nearly 10%. In practice, this could mean more than 100 bus routes being withdrawn and less frequent Tube timetables on a number of lines and branches. TfL is even having to look at potentially closing a whole Tube line to achieve the savings it may need to make.  

“And that’s not all. There would also be an increase in road and tunnel closures due to a lack of money to maintain London’s key transport infrastructure. This combination of deteriorating public transport services and an increase in road and tunnel closures would cause wide-spread disruption and gridlock across the capital. 

“Not only would this have a devastating effect on passengers, but it would put the national economic recovery at risk. Because there can be no national economic recovery without a London recovery, and there can no London recovery without a properly funded public transport network in the capital.

“On 11 December, the existing temporary funding deal between TfL and the Government comes to an end. So, it’s time to remove short-term political thinking and to come together to call on the government to provide the long-term funding TfL urgently needs.”