Sadiq Khan rejects Chris Grayling’s ‘failed’ approach to running suburban rail services and walks away from Government’s ‘flawed’ plans
The London Mayor rejected an offer to have a Transport for London employee work with the Department for Transport on franchising - he wants TfL to take over the services in 2018
SADIQ Khan has slammed the Government's approach to running trains as "fundamentally flawed" as he threw out an offer for Transport for London to work with the Government .
The London Mayor wants TfL to take over control for the services when its contract runs out in 2018, but this was rejected by Chris Grayling last year.
In December he said that he would not be devolving responsibility for the routes to the Mayor.
Mr Khan said today, after declining the Government's latest offer, that his approach was a "tried and failed" one.
He said: "Sadly the Government's proposals for commuter rail services are no different to what we've seen before and I fear passengers will face more years of unacceptable service levels."
The London Mayor went on: "I am therefore left with no choice but to walk away from the Government's fundamentally flawed plans."
He said it wasn't too late for Mr Grayling to change his mind and deliver "proper devolution" for the good of "long-suffering commuters".
Mr Grayling came under fire last year for a letter saying he opposed devolution because he wanted to keep trains "out of the clutches" of Labour.
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A DfT spokesperson said: "We are determined to improve journeys for rail passengers across London and the south-east. It is disappointing that the Mayor has refused the offer of partnership working to design of the new South Eastern franchise.
"His business plan for the South Eastern train routes provided no extra capacity in peak hours, and there was no funding identified for improvements to infrastructure. These would come at a cost to Londoners or mean re-prioritising other travel schemes in the capital.
"Just this week the leader of Kent County Council raised concerns about TFL being given control over services for people who could not vote for the Mayor. We can deliver services improvements through partnership, without the need for a massive reorganisation."
The news comes as the Transport Secretary came under fire from a former Olympian for suggesting that cyclists were not road users.
Mr Grayling was accused of showing "an astonishing lack of knowledge" as he made the comments in the Commons yesterday.
"Motorists are the road users, the users of the roads," he said. "Where you have cycle lanes, cyclists are the users of cycle lanes... it's fairly straightforward to be honest."
His remarks prompted outrage from cycling campaigners and other MPs.
Chris Boardman, former Olympic and Tour de France cyclist, said he was amazed at the comments and invited him out for a ride with him to see the situation himself.
"The transport secretary’s comments demonstrate an astonishing lack of knowledge about how 7 million people regularly use the roads in this country," he said.
"I feel embarrassed for him. If he truly thinks the roads are not for cyclists then what am I paying my taxes for?"