Mayor to run railways

Revolutionary plans to revive Britain's railways were unveiled by the Government today.

The changes could see Ken Livingstone handed control of most of the London rail network.

And they would give the Mayor unprecedented power over fares and timetables across the London network.

The reforms are the central plank of an overhaul of Britain's rail system announced by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in a White Paper today. They include:

Abolishing the Strategic Rail Authority.

Giving new powers to Network Rail to set fares and timetables.

Transferring responsibility for rail safety from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail Regulation.

Whitehall will make decisions on future expansion and capacity on the railways.

Mr Darling today described the Mayor's new role as the start of a process to help "integrate and simplify what can often be a complex system for even the most hardened London commuter".

He said a taskforce would investigate how to rationalise fares and ticket technology across different modes of transport in London.

Mr Darling promised to look immediately at how Transport for London could have a much greater role over services that operate only within the capital - and take a longer-term view on whether TfL should have the ability to specify services in an area slightly beyond. Mr Darling said: "In the short term, we will work with the Mayor to rationalise fares and ticketing across the different types of public transport in London, giving a better deal for taxpayers. We will also work to identify options for giving the Mayor an increased role for services that lie for the most part within the GLA boundary.

"Greater integration between the rail, bus and underground networks could bring enormous benefits to the millions of passengers who use them everyday.

"Passengers deserve simpler ticketing, standardised fares, cleaner information and better stations."

One in five trains in London arrives late, costing the economy an estimated £140million a year. The moves mark a victory for Mr Livingstone, who is determined to boost rail services in

areas not covered by the Tube, especially south London.

He has pledged to "lead the battle" to save the suburban network, which carries half a million passengers into London daily.

Mr Darling said punctuality and reliability lay at the heart of the plans to "streamline" the national rail system.

It is the third major government overhaul of the network in as many years and unpicks much of the policies introduced by the former Transport Secretary John Prescott.

Mr Darling believes the SRA has only succeeded in adding an extra layer of bureaucracy to an already convoluted rail system.

Its powers will now be shared between the Department of Transport and Network Rail, the nonprofit organisation set up by Government to replace Railtrack.

Network Rail, which already oversees track and signalling, will take over responsibility for timetables and punctuality. Control of infrastructure including track and signals remain with Network Rail and trains stay in the ownership of the private companies.

A spokesman for the Rail Passengers Council said: "We have been calling for the simplification of the structure to improve services for passengers. At the moment it's very complex," the spokesman told the

BBC. Department of Transport insiders said punctuality and performance should improve as a result of the changes. "There were too many organisations involved in the running of the railways. There were too many chiefs and not enough Indians." He said Network Rail would be the "Fat Controller" of Britain's rail network.

But John Thurso, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, said the railways needed a longterm strategy, not quick fixes.