London transport upgrade 'to be supported by fare rise'

Date: 15/9/2011

Fares on buses, tubes and overground train services in London will increase from January 2012.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson confirmed this week that ticket prices would rise on these routes, along with journeys on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and trams, as suggested two years ago in Transport for London's (TfL) Business Plan.

Revenue generated through this hike will be used to fund essential maintenance of the capital's transport network and to continue investment in it as passenger demand rises.

Earlier in the week (September 13th), Mike Brown, Managing Director of London Underground, noted that the tube is currently undergoing the "biggest upgrade" in its 150-year history, while overground, bus and DLR services have also been subject to improvements.

Meanwhile, the travel network as a whole has enjoyed substantial investment, which has also helped fund the Crossrail project.

This has been in part to boost capacity and cope with the rising number of people using public transport to get around the capital and also to ensure the city is able to cater to the high visitor numbers who will be attending next year's Olympic Games.

It has been calculated that fares will rise across TfL's services and Oyster's pay-as-you-go scheme by seven per cent.

"Income from fares is vital to ensure the ongoing health of London's transport network, keeping services running for the billions of passengers who rely on them day in, day out," Mr Johnson said.

Posted by Mary Treen