ELL phase 2 funding approved?
Now here's an interesting possibility. Reader Phillip Baker points out a comment Ken made during a TV debate, during a discussion of the news blackout rules that prevent announcements being made in the run up to an election:
And then also let's announce the government's going to let me build the East London Line to Clapham Junction, because we can announce that as well, if we're doing the good newsSo was he trying to say it has been approved, but the rules prevent it being announced? Or was he just making an awkward hypothetical? Watch it for yourself - it's only a couple of minutes in.
You may also like to consider Peter Hendy's "watch this space" comment and the suddenly coy mention of the project in the last set of board papers.
3 comments:
It comes across as a bit of a throwaway comment by "Red Ken", but if true then obviously it's very good news.
Very interesting! Mayor Ken's off-the-cuff comment was just too specific to be hypothetical.
Thus I say that Mayor Ken and TfL have indeed been successful in persuading the government to fund ELLX phase 2 as 'enabling works' for Thameslink 2000 (sic).
However it would seem the decision has just come a little bit too late for Ken to shout about it during the election campaign.
Had the DfT basically made their mind up on this having read the relevant recommendations in the draft South London RUS but were then waiting for Network Rail to publish the final version before they gave it the official green light?
If so Network Rail had stated that the RUS was to be published "in March 2008" - and it was in fact published on the last day in March, Monday 31st. Me wonders if Network Rail's tardiness/ thoroughness (delete as appropriate) in publishing said document messed up the delicate timetable for announcing the go-ahead before 18 March when the Mayoral election 'news blackout rules' kicked in?
The new Southern franchise consultation out today May 22nd still has phase 2 unfunded. It also has very little to say about transfers to Overground - new mayor, new policy perhaps?
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